Of all the artists we saw at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and hadn't heard before, two stood out: Kris Delmhorst and Chris Smither.  Mr. Smither is not new to the music world (he is a contemporary of Bonnie Raitt who, in fact, included his songs on a couple of her early albums) but he had somehow slipped under our radar.  But no more!  His sound is the acoustic blues and he is a master of that sound.  We bought his CD "Live as I'll Ever Be" and it is highly recommended.  The tracks "The Devil's Real" and "No Love Today" are highlights.  He also performs some classic blues numbers on the disc including "Dust My Broom."

      We saw him, also, at the 2003 Iowa Arts Festival in Iowa City where the pictures on the page were taken.  His set got cut short by a rain storm, but it was 40 minutes of first class music!  We got to chat with him a bit before the show and he seems like a warm fellow.  His newest album is called "Train Home" and it is very good including a mix of fine originals (our favorite being "Train Home") and vintage covers (including Dylan's "Desolation Row" with accompanying vocals and guitar by Bonnie Raitt).

     Click on the photo above to go to his official website.

In Iowa City

Again in Iowa City