Doug Cox: News/Journal

CFRO 102.7 - 'WHAT THE FOLK'
SINGER / SONGWRITER TOP 25 FOR DECEMBER 2009

1. Levon Helm - Electric Dirt (Vanguard)
2. Susan Crowe - Greytown (Corvus) CDN
3. Ariana Gillis - To Make It Make Sense (Indie) CDN
4. Paul Pigat - Boxcar Campfire (Little Pig) BC
5. Woody Guthrie - My Dusty Road (Rounder)
6. Carolyn Herring - Golden Apples of the Sun (Signature Sounds)
7. Heather Masse - Bird Song (Red House)
8. David Francey & Mike Ford - Seaway (Laker) CDN
9. Connie Kaldor - Postcards from the Road (Coyote) CDN
10. Loreena McKennitt - A Mediterranean Odyssey (Quinlan Road) CDN
11. Bob Dylan - Together Through Life (Columbia)
12. Alejandra Ribera - Navigator / Navigateher (Bruja) CDN
13. Lee Harvey Osmond - A Quiet Evil (Latent) CDN
14. Digging Roots - We Are (Indie) CDN
15. Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women - (Yep Roc)
16. Keiran Kane - Somewhere Beyond the Roses (Compass)
17. James Keelaghan - House of Cards (Borealis) CDN
18. John Wort Hannam - Queen's Hotel (Black Hen) CDN
19. The Wailin' Jennys - Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House (Outside) CDN
20. Doug Cox - Without Words (Black Hen) BC
21. Corin Raymond - There Will Always be a Small Time (Indie) CDN
22. Ani Difranco - Red Letter Year (Righteous Babe)
23. Aaron Caldwaladr - Wade Through the Dark (Indie) BC
24. Malcolm Holcombe - For The Mission Baby (Echo Mountain)
25. John Gorka - So Dark You See (Red House)

Hi Doug,

Check out my 2009 Year End Review

http://www.bluesundergroundnetwork.com/2009_Year_End_Review.html
Congrats...
John

Hi everyone. I am happy to be doing lots of sessions from my home studio here on vancouver Island.The most recent sessions have been for Leela Gilday, Don Amero, Bill Dalton, Oh My Darling and Kate Reid.
Let me know if you are looking for Dobro or slide on your next project...I Like to Slide!

Corinne West appeared in Wombwell tonight as part of the Barnsley House Concerts series, together with Canadian Dobro and slide guitarist Doug Cox, co-producer of Corinne's current album 'The Promise'. The flags were out for our visitors from across the pond, with stars, stripes and maple leafs fluttering above the Wheelhouse as everyone settled down for what promised to be another special night at the Jones's. The intimate environment seemed to suit both musicians as they eased into a couple of impressive sets, where at times you could hear a pin drop and at others, nothing but loud and enthusiastic applause. In between all that, there was a beer flowing bar, a lovely pie and peas supper, Rory the dog wondering why so many people were in his kennel (again) and seventeen songs of outstanding quality to behold.


At most any other venue, Corinne would normally utilise every bit of the stage with her impassioned and animated performance, but was understandably restrained at the Wheelhouse, where space is at a minimum. No matter, the singer gravitated to a small patch of stage and what was spared in her restricted movement was made up for in her soulful singing and playing. With her engaging eyes shadowed by the peak of her fisherman's cap for most of the performance, Corrine chose a selection of songs from all three of her albums together with a few additional treats, all with a little help from her audience, whose requests poured in throughout the evening.

Joined by Doug Cox on Dobro throughout, Corinne brought her own blend of country infused blues, Americana and what she describes as 'Progressive Folk', to yet another packed Wheelhouse audience. Once again, there was absolutely no need to enhance the sound electronically, as the small venue prompts just the one possible consideration, that of getting the acoustic balance right, which is left very much up to the players. If Doug's only concern was that the Dobro might be drowning out Corinne’s voice, the audience responded with a resounding 'no', to which a single voice from the back added 'in fact it's a bit quiet actually'. We later discovered he was a Dobro player himself!

The balance was perfect and Corinne's guitar and Doug’s Dobro played off one another with seamless precision. Added to that, Corinne's soulful and bluesy vocal delivery made the fact that there was no PA even more rewarding. Starting with "It's Your Time", originally from Corinne's debut album 'Bound for the Living', both guitar and Dobro found a comfortable volume at which to rest as Corinne delivered a gorgeous vocal performance on one of her most engaging songs.



The new album 'The Promise', which was recorded in the idyllic setting of Harrison Hot Springs in British Columbia, was showcased tonight with a selected four songs from it; "Pollen", "Lily Ann", "Whisky Poet" and "Everybody's Talkin", the former being three of Corinne's most accomplished songs on the new album and the latter being the very same Fred Neil song as featured on the soundtrack to Midnight Cowboy, albeit warbled by the late Harry Nilsson. Doug swaps Dobro for guitar for the one and only time during the night, on Corinne's smoothed out and slowed down version of the song, which captures its essence and transforms what is essentially a radio friendly pop tune to a beautiful and soulful ballad.

Much of the set though was revisiting some of Corinne’s best known songs from both 'Bound for the Living' ("Amelia" and "Angel") and 'Second Sight' ("Roses to Rust", "Cabin Door" and "Hand Full of Dust"), her two excellent previous albums. On "Deep Elem Blues", Corinne gave a convincingly gritty performance, which combined the ballsiness of Memphis Minnie with the grace of Bessie Smith. With the blues, Doug Cox finds his comfort zone, with some suitably emotive notes that you'll never find in Classical music however hard you search.

Before the show I had a few words with both Corinne and Doug as they sat on the edge of the small stage, now incidentally decorated with colourful stud lighting, keeping very much with the tradition of having at least one thing new upon each visit to the Wheelhouse. Corinne spoke candidly about her early adventures, of leaving home at a very young age destined for a life on the road. Literally in her case; having hopped onto a converted yellow school bus with a bunch of free spirited artists and activists in the tradition of Kesey and Kerouac before her. 'We had a full pot bellied cast iron stove in there, with a pipe that went out the side and we cooked on it and had a fire going'. Corinne was quick to confess that they didn't have the fire going whilst they were driving of course, but with a hammock in there, it all seemed the right thing to do and the right way to live. 'I had a kick in my step' she added with a grin.



Doug Cox is an outstanding and innovative Dobro player who has experimented with the instrument for a good deal of his professional career. Equally at home with standard bluegrass playing and fine accompaniment, such as with Corinne tonight, he is also interested in discovering hybrids of musical styles, working with Eastern musicians Salil Bhatt with Ramkumar Mishra for instance. Doug is keen to point out that anything is possible with an instrument that is essentially still in its infancy: 'One of the most interesting things about the Dobro is that it's not completely discovered; it's really fine to take it outside of its traditional places'.

Concluding with the driving "Gandy Dancer", incorporating Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues", and a final encore of "Writing on the Wall", again from the 'Second Sight' album, Corinne and Doug left their indelible mark on an especially pleased audience, all of whom showed their gratitude with a particularly healthy final applause as well as a definite promise to return. Let's hope they are not the only folks there tonight to pledge a return visit soon.

Allan Wilkinson
Northern Sky

Picking on American roots
By Glenn BurnSilver
Published Friday, July 24, 2009

What: American Roots concert with Doug Cox and Radim Zenkl

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Davis Concert Hall

Tickets: $10, free with festival ID

Information: 474-8869 or www.fsaf.org
FAIRBANKS — To accurately describe the term “American roots,” one needs to examine the history of American music, including bluegrass, folk, blues, jazz and early cowboy music. Sure, there’s more to it than that, but when Doug Cox taught his Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival classes this past week, his focus was more on how to play than where the music came from.

“To talk about history of instrument and type of music its used for, that’s really hard with the guitar because it really touched everything,” he said. “People who come to these classes are really interested in how to play.”

Cox, who performs at the festival’s American Roots concert Saturday in Davis Concert Hall with mandolinist Radim Zenkl, emphasizes what he believes to be the five important uses of the picking hand. Those include brush stroke, flat and finger picking, alternate thumb styles and string grabbing.

“Through all that playing you pretty well encompass a good range of guitar styles,” he said. “When you are done taking the course you can look at any guitar player and have a place in your head to store what you see them playing, and you can understand it better.”

Cox, who when not teaching, currently tours with Americana artist Corinne West and has performed with artists from Canada (his home), Tibet, India and Eastern Europe, will be showcasing these styles during the concert. He will also be playing dobro and slide guitar. Joining him will be Zenkl, the American Mandolin Champion. The pair have performed together numerous times at different festivals and workshops, but nothing is really planned beyond a mixture of blues and bluegrass, instrumental and vocal music.

“With Radim it’s hard to say because he goes all over the place with his music as well,” Cox said. “He’s from the Czech Republic and is considered one of the top five or six mandolin players in the world, but he also plays Eastern European flutes and other things too. It’s often quite adventurous, and when we play together it can go just about anywhere.”

Cox began playing guitar when he was eight, influenced by his older sisters who also played. Cox said he never made a musical career his goal; it just sort of happened.

“I just fell in love with music,” he said. “I never made a conscious decision about what I was going to do with my life, it’s just kind of always been this way.”

To that end, Cox tries to give others that same opportunity to enjoy their instruments. He has taught guitar classes from England to Alaska, including the past six years at the Acoustic Alaska Guitar Camp in Wasilla, and has produced instructional videos and DVDs.

Cox also has performed at festivals including the Edmonton, Vancouver and Ottawa folk festivals, Montreal Jazz Festival and Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, Tenn. He even has played the Baseball Hall of Fame. Cox regular collaborates with international artists and said he hopes to bring a wider knowledge of world music to his playing and audiences.

“The most important thing a musician who tours the world can do is build a bridge between different cultures. The easiest way to do that is music,” he said. “I used to just kind of play music that I like and for fun, and I still do that, but I think that as artists we can introduce the idea of different cultures working and playing together. That it’s the future of music. It’s my own personal journey now.”

I realize I'm a little slow with the updates here. Too much fun living in the moment! Celtic Connections was a blast where we released the new Strung CD as were the dates in Spain w Corinne West. Next, a brief Strung tour in Ontario and then it's off to this year's AMP Camp in wintery Gimli, Manitoba. Hope to se you all down the road...
Doug

It's been a great summer with lots of good gigs, playing with Salil Bhatt, Cassius Khan and Vineet Vyas in Vancouver and Canso; teaching in Smithers; playing in Ottawa at the folk fest; recording the new 'Slide to Freedom CD' with Salil, Ram and special guest John Boutte and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt; and now, off to Acoustic Alaska.
One more thing - we are recording the 'Strung' CD in October - this band is with Tony McManus, April Verch and Cody Walters. Our friend, Miles Wilkinson is going to engineer - life is good!

Volume 2 of the Slide To Freedom Project (called Make A Better World) has been recorded and I am very happy with the results. My friend, Spider Robinson, has heard the roughs and here's what he has to say about the new CD...
Doug Cox and Salil Bhatt’s first album SLIDE TO FREEDOM was a genuine musical landmark, brilliant players successfully marrying rural “roots” traditions from opposite sides of the planet. Mississippi Delta meets Ganges Delta. Their latest collaboration, powered once again by the tablas of Ramkumar Mishra and guest appearances by Salil’s esteemed Grammy-winning father Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, proves conclusively that this musical intermarriage was not just a stunt but the start of a new world genre.

MAKE A BETTER WORLD is even better than its predecessor, thanks in large part to vocals by New Orleans soul singer John Boutté that take things all the way down the Mississippi, to the foot of Canal Street in the French Quarter, without ever losing their back-country flavour. Call them Planetary Po’ Boys. The brand-new-but-instantly-timeless sound they all create together makes the point that all over the world, the rural poor and the urban poor all sing the same blues, all yearn for the same things. Musical communication like this is one of the surest ways to make a better world.

--Spider Robinson, podcaster and author of VERY HARD CHOICES [Baen Books]

The tour has been fantastic! Thanks to everybody who came out to see us. We are in Edmonton tonight. Big blizzard and the first winter Salil and Ram have ever seen! Next, off to Ashcroft to record the new CD.

Check out the feature from the Indo-Canadian Report with Wojtek Gwiazda at Radio Canada International.

The actual audio file is at:

http://www.rcinet.ca/rci/console/index.asp?langue=EN&IDExtraits=757907

I'm just back from another amazing week in Gimli, Manitoba - teaching at Aboriginal Music Performers (AMP) camp. It was a blast hanging out with a group of generous talented musicians. I'm a lucky guy!
Today - I was laying down some Dobro tracks for the new Lynne Hanson CD - sounds great Lynne! Check her out on MYspace.
I am setting up my home studio next week which means I can now do remote tracks for anybody who wants a Dobro in their music. Drop me a line if you're looking for a Dobro...I'd love to do it.
I like to Slide!
Cheers,
Doug

Hey Everyone,
Thanks for all the nice comments in the guestbook. I would love to tour more in other countries - if you have any ideas on booking agents who could help, please let me know.
I'm off to Ontario this week to work on demos with April Verch and Tony McManus for the 'Strung' project - we hope to do a CD soon.
It also looks like we will be doing another 'Slide to Freedom' CD in April here in Canada with Miles Wilkinson at the helm . Wahoo!
Thaks for all your interest and support,

Doug

Best right now :
Doug Cox & Salil Bhatt with Ramkumar Mishra *Slide to Freedom* (Northern Blues)

Indian music and delta blues, Doug Cox resophonic guitars and indian rythm instruments: A complete synthesis of heavenly beauty and earthly
concretion.

- Magnus Eriksson / Rootsy -

Celtic Connections in Glasgow was a blast! If you have never been, it's a wonderful festival, with a great mix of musics. I hope to return next year.
Next, I'm off to Ontario for rehearsals with April Verch and Tony McManus for the 'Strung' project.

I am looking for any photos from gigs I did with Long John Baldry. I know lots of folks took pictures and I don't have a single shot! If you have one of John and I please send it to me at dougcox@shaw.ca.
Or, if you have photos from other dates/camps please send them and I'll post them here.

My long-out-of-print CDs; including my first two solo CDs and the first Travels With Charley CD are now available as downloads at http://www.cdbaby.com/all/dougcox

What a great year it's been! From touring with the 'New Voices in Slide Guitar' and 'Strung' folks to being shortlisted for a Grammy Nomination with 'Slide To Freedom,' to releasing the 'Blues From Forbidden Plateau' CD with Sam Hurrie, it has indeed been a great musical year. We never got the nomination - but just being that close felt good. Plans are underway for lots of new recording projects for 2008 and tours as well. More to follow on all that soon. Meanwhile, have a great holiday season.