Justin Townes Earle is 25 years old and his age belies his experience. Growing up in Nashville he mis-spent his youth playing in bluegrass/ragtime combo The Swindlers and the louder, more rocking The Distributors and developing some very bad habits. During tours as guitarist and keyboardist ("…and not a very good one," laughs Earle) in his father’s band, his problems became untenable and he was fired. Ultimately he cleaned up his act, dropped his self-destructive habits and began to focus on songcraft. "You don’t have to torture yourself to write songs," explains Earle, "I used to write a lot, a whole lot, and half those songs I don’t even remember. Now, I sit there and I write it and I finish it and I keep it." "The Good Life" melds the qualities of a short story with the lyrical acuity of excellent songs, celebrating grand southern traditions and blowing a fresh breeze across the musical gardens and dive bars of Nashville. Justin Townes Earle performs at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA on June 6.

Justin Townes Earle Myspace
Bloodshot Records

It's one of those unlikely combinations: Robert Plant, the hard rocker formerly of Led Zeppelin teaming up with country singer Alison Krauss. But the results are magic! We have a performance by this dynamic duo of their song "Gone, Gone, Gone" from their new album "Raising Sand". Robert Plant and Alison Krauss perform Friday, June 13th at 8pm in the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD.

The Robert Plant & Alison Krauss website

Rain Pryor is an actress, singer, writer, producer, comedian and the daughter of comic genius, Richard Pryor. She graces our studio to talk about her upcoming performance of her new jazz comedy cabaret entitled Pryor Experience. After sharing her life through her hit one-woman show named Fried Chicken and Latkes and her most recent book, Jokes My Father Never Taught Me: Life, Love and Loss with Richard Pryor, Ms. Pryor continues the experience with her new act. As an ambassador for the National MS Society, it is only fitting that her cabaret is being presented by the University of Maryland MS Research and will benefit the Maryland Center for Multiple Sclerosis. Pryor Experience plays at the Hippodrome Theatre on June 6th in Baltimore, MD. For tickets and to find out more information, contact the Hippodrome box office at 410-547-SEAT.

Rain Pryor website
Hippodrome Theatre
Maryland Center for MS

We’re all use to sitting on the stoop and telling of stories of life, love and loss. Well The Stoop: Storytelling series has taken this all American tradition to another level. Laura Wexler and Jessica Henkin have composed a program that allows storytellers from all walks of life to tell their engaging stories to audiences that are willing to come out and listen in one venue. They believe it's a way to extend community and create a cultural experience that is unique and refreshing. Every few months, storytellers are commissioned to relay their experiences according to specific topics. In the past, it has been about emigrating to America or Halloween tales. This June, the stories take on a familiar theme of summer, campfire tales. You can experience this communal event starting at 7pm on June 9th at Centerstage, 700 N. Calvert St. in Baltimore, MD. For more information, call 410-332-0033.

Stoop Storytelling

This week's Salon Artist is Sangram Majumdar of Baltimore, Maryland, a finalist in the Bethesda Painting Awards. Sangram Majumdar has had solo exhibitions at the Ann Nathan Gallery, Wright State University Art Galleries, Indiana University Art Museum, Maryland Institute College of Art, and has an upcoming exhibition at the Painting Center, NY. His awards include the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant and the Tony Munavec Overseas Fellowship to Italy. Majumdar holds a Master of Fine Arts from Indiana University and has been teaching painting and drawing at the Maryland Institute College of Art since 2003. The Bethesda Painting Awards is downtown Bethesda's annual juried art competition that exclusively honors painters from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

An exhibition of the nine selected finalists is on view June 4 through July 5, 2008 in downtown Bethesda at the Fraser Gallery located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E. An opening reception runs in conjunction with the Bethesda Art walk, Friday, June 13th from 6-9pm.

Bethesda Painting Awards

On ArtChat This Week, Nate and Rhea discuss the thriving arts community on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Rich Smoker a very talented decoy carver has received the highest recognition of his craft and the Academy Arts Center is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Academy Arts Center