This review of a Barbara Kessler show includes mention of a cover of "Bird
on the Wire."
> Date: Mon, 20 Jun 1994 17:09:29 -0400
> From: loredo@astrosun.TN.CORNELL.EDU (Tom Loredo)
> To: folk_music@nysernet.ORG
> Subject: Barb Kessler---"Stranger To This Land"
>
> Subject: Barb Kessler---"Stranger To This Land"
>
> Hey folks!
>
> I had the great fortune to see Barbara Kessler again at the Night Eagle
> Emporium, a small coffeehouse in the small town of Oxford, NY (aka Middle of
> Nowhere). Oh man, what a great show! It was sweltering hot, and incredibly
> humid, and the Night Eagle has no air conditioning. As a result of this (and
> a broken string!), Barb broke her show into three sets, so the audience of
> about 30 could wander outside to catch a breeze and chat with Barb and each
> other. The show thus had a delightfully informal and friendly atmosphere.
> Barb is becoming a much more relaxed and comfortable performer, too, which
> added to the informal intimacy of the show.
>
> I first saw Barbara live at this venue about 6 months ago; many audience
> members were folks who had seen her then, too. During the breaks a common
> topic of conversation was not only how excellent her performance was, but
> also expressions of amazement that she was even better than last time. I've
> seen her four times in the last 6 months, and it's true: she just keeps
> getting better! It's exciting to see it happen, and to have the opportunity
> to hear such an extaordinarily talented musician in such an intimate setting.
> If she plays anywhere near you, *don't miss her*---who knows how long we'll
> be able to see her "up close and personal" like this.
>
> During the show she played tunes from her *Barbara Kessler Live* tape of a
> few years ago, tunes from her upcoming new live CD (more info below), a new
> tune, and a few covers. The new song was "At my age", a thoughtful and
> yearning reflection on being single in your 30s, noticing so many others your
> age established in families with children and with secure careers, and
> wondering if you've made the right choices. She covered Liz Brahm's "The
> Wise Child", a very sweet song about losing innocence that is on the 1992
> Acoustic Underground CD (info below). The encore was a cover of Leonard
> Cohen's "Bird on the wire". Barb's version of this tune is exquisite. She
> recorded it for the new CD; hopefully it made the final cut... I've only
> heard her do a few covers, but they are *so* good that I hope to hear more
> covers from her in the future.
>
> Barb's new live CD, recorded last March at the Kendall Cafe in Cambridge, MA,
> will be titled *Stranger To This Land*. The title comes from a line in the
> song "Deep Country," and is also the meaning of the name "Barbara." Unlike
> her earlier live tape, which featured her solo (vocals and guitar), for the
> new CD she performed with a band (bass, drums, and keys) as well as solo. The
> original release date was June, but now it looks like it will be mid-July.
> Barb let me hear a promo tape with four cuts from the CD on it, and I can
> assure you that this CD will be *incredible*. Much of the energy and
> excitement of the live performance was captured (I was there!), and there is
> an incredible richness to her vocals. She sounds as good in a band setting as
> she does solo. Besides the talented folks who performed live with her back
> in March (Cliff Eberhardt, Martin Sexton, Diane Zigler...), some great
> "sweetening" was done in the studio, including the addition of backup vocals
> by The Story. You'll hear more about it here once the full CD is available.
> I can't wait!
>
> Barb recently opened a few shows for the Indigo Girls; she spoke excitedly of
> playing to audiences of 5000 and having them sing along on "Mary Tyler
> Moore"! I hope some of you IG fans caught her at one of those shows.
>
> To order Barb's earlier live tape (it's excellent), or to get on her mailing
> list to obtain info about tours and the CD release, contact:
>    Johnny Brock Management
>    51 Maxfield St.
>    West Roxbury, MA 02132
>    (617) 327-6470
> To get a sample of Barb's work, check out Christine Lavin's *Big Times in a
> Small Town* sampler (which also has cuts from Cliff Eberhardt, David Wilcox,
> Peter Nelson, Pierce Pettis, Chuck Pyle, Greg Greenway, Patty Larkin, Cheryl
> Wheeler... you get the idea!). Or pick up a copy of the 1992 Boston Acoustic
> Underground CD, which has Barb's delightful song, "Mary Tyler Moore", as well
> as the Liz Brahm tune mentioned above. This CD is available from:
>    Monarch Recordings
>    406 Centre St.
>    Boston, MA 02130
>    (617) 983-9999
>
> Peace to you!
> Tom
> =========================================================================
> Tom Loredo                     |
> loredo@astrosun.tn.cornell.edu |    In the lamplight of the nightime
> Dept. of Astronomy, Cornell U. |    we'll meet in this bed.
> Ithaca, NY  14853-6801         |        Tangled in the sheets,
> (607) 255-6517 (o)             |        no secrets we can keep,
> (607) 257-7909 (h)             |        parallel in sleep...
>                                |    Are we stronger for the distance
>                                |    in our dreams?
>                                |        --- Barbara Kessler
> =========================================================================