Round & Round
The Songs of Joni Mitchell - big news & rave reviews!
Happy Tuesday!
Forgive me for taking liberties with the days of the week. I delayed Sunday’s letter by a couple of days so I could reveal some exciting news. But first I need to get you up to speed.
The Joni Mitchell tribute was just magical! It was everything I’d imagined and so much more than I could have imagined. I saw my sketchy stage plans turn into 3D renderings and then into real life. I witnessed everyone’s song choices and tech specs leap off email threads and become music! I wore a hardhat and watched a piano being tuned and learnt the difference between an oboe and a cor anglais and how to apply under-eye primer. In the middle of making sure we were sticking to the ridiculously tight soundcheck schedule I realised it was my turn to soundcheck... I put my clipboard down and picked up my guitar. Oh right! Singing and strumming! This is the bit I actually know how to do!
My two favourite moments of the day were the snatched dressing room rehearsals — first with Kate Stables and Jesca Hoop, trying out the backing vocals for Raised on Robbery, feeling like the Andrews Sisters — and then with JF on guitar and Sam Amidon on fiddle for Carey, feeling like the Rolling Thunder Revue. People are good. Music is good. Songs are good. Joni is good. That’s my big takeaway.
(This ended up on Cerys Matthews’ BBC 6 Music radio show 3 days later!)
I won’t go into great detail about the show itself because this review from Get In Her Ears captures it so beautifully:
Talking of reviews, I found this page from my school paper. I was 11 years old.
Talking of Big Yellow Taxi, here’s the full video from the Roundhouse:
And just a little of the hoedown…
And it feels only right to end with the ending right? The Circle Game, round and round, In The Round, at the Roundhouse, featuring the Roundhouse Vocal Ensemble… and if you squint you can see the whole line-up at the back, from Vashti Bunyan to Emeli Sandé!
Oh! I almost forgot the big news. The Songs Of Joni Mitchell is hitting the road. Bristol, Manchester & Glasgow in September. Where should we go next?
Sounds great and glad you had a good show. I liked the sad version of Yellow Taxi. I was taken aback by the earnest fans in the front row behind you til they started singing. Looks like a lot of fun.
I’d make a request but I don’t think you’d play here if I wrote on a $20 bill. Since you’ll be on the road you should do LA JF
shows on the off nights
I was thrilled to hear you sing the yellow taxi when you were 11, trying to sound just like JM, and was thrilled to hear your unexpected slowed down and profound take on it at the Roundhouse- repaving paradise!
Also thrilling to see 3 year old Milo voicing his own version!