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guests announced for 2/8 Doveman show (Justin Bond, Poison Tree, Beth Orton) --- St .Vincent, Glen Hansard & more played last time (pics)

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Beth Orton, Glen Hansard & Dawn Landes @ LPR
Doveman

When Glen Hansard sets foot on the stages of a sold-out City Winery TONIGHT, it’ll be his third visit to an NYC stage in a month. As advertised, The Frames frontman/Swell Season sensitive-man recently hopped on stage with Beth Orton, Sam Amidon, Nico Muhly, Dawn Landes, and as hinted, St. Vincent at the Doveman “Burgundy Stain Session” at Le Poisson Rouge in January (where these pics come from)…

“Thank you so much for coming,” Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) began. “This is the first of these concerts that I’ll be doing, and I thought it would be nice to start with just me and Sam because me and Sam have been playing music together since we were five.”

The two kicked off the show with a simple, lovely, and faintly religious little song, “All is Well.” Ringing out with repeatedly, the titular refrain seemed like a perfect starting point for the evening…

…After Sam had played through a few of his songs, he casually announced, “We’re in a gospel mood,” which was apparently Annie Clark‘s (St. Vincent) cue to make her way to the stage to fulfill her role as a “great gospel guitarist.” Crouching down on stage in the shadow, Clark joined Amidon for one more song before the spotlight officially shifted to her. As she stood up, the stage lights shone through her messy main of curly hair, creating a halo that complimented her Amidon-annointed title….

…The evening proceded with a potpouri of performances. Hardly a song or two would pass before the configuration on stage would change. Beth Orton, Glen Hansard, and Dawn Landes would each have their turn. “One thing I realized is that I hate talking on stage so much that things are really going to need an emcee,” Bartlett joked….” [Rachel Kowal]

Hansard’s other recent NYC appearance happened this past Sunday at Justin Bond‘s Joe’s Pub show (it was a surprise). Justin Bond returns to Joe’s on 2/13 and 2/20 (perhaps with special guests again), and Justin is one of the announced guests at the next Doveman show at Le Poisson Rouge which happens on February 8th. Beth Orton returns that night too, and The Poison Tree rounds out the currently-announced lineup of Thomas Bartlett collaborators that will be there. Tickets are still available for that show and for the one happening on March 16th (lineup TBA).

The Poison Tree, as I wrote back in August 2009, “is Brooklyn, NY singer songwriter Steve Salett [of the King of France] and a rotating cast of collaborators borrowed from acts including The National, Rufus Wainwright, Antony and the Johnsons, and David Byrne.” The Poison Tree’s debut album will be released this March 15th on Embarque…

In recording its debut album, The Poison Tree leader Steve Salett, drew on a community of extraordinarily talented musicians that formed around Salett’s Saltlands Studio and Saltmines rehearsal spaces in Brooklyn. “I approached it as, ‘if you build it, they will come.’ After that, a space and community coalesced organically around the rehearsal rooms,” says Steve. “For The Poison Tree, we were able to pull musicians who regularly use the Saltmines. If we needed violin, trumpet, whatever, we just walked down the hall.”

The supporting cast is extraordinary: Thomas Bartlett, better known as Doveman and briefly a member of King of France, provides much of the atmospheric Wurlitzer, piano, and organ parts. Of The Poison Tree, he says, “Steve is one of my favorite songwriters. Each song is a simple, perfect gesture, but with an elusive, enigmatic quality that will never lose its fascination for me.”

Singer Dawn Landes, who will open for Justin Townes Earle on the road next month and also sang on Josh Ritter’s latest album, also sang on ‘The Poison Tree’ record and did some engineering work. Others include bassist Jeff Hill (Rufus Wainwright), drummer Konrad Meissner (Graham Parker), and trumpeter C.J. Camerieri (Rufus Wainwright). Gary Mauer of Hem co-produced the album with Salett.

Lastly, besides writing all of the songs and playing guitar and vocals, the multi-talented Salett also co-produced and plays dulcimer, Rhodes, and whistle.

Lots of names repeating themselves in this post. You can also catch The Poison Tree at Pete’s Candy Store on February 11th.

Don’t forget that Sam Amidon has a show coming up at Glasslands on 2/16 (tickets), and even before that will join Nico Muhly, Bishi, Bryce Dessner, and ACME at St.Ann’s Warehouse as part of Nico Muhly’s Tell The Way. Tickets are available for all three shows, Feb 10th-12th.

More pictures from the 1/14 Doveman are below…

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