Batdorf & Rodney Folk Scene Radio Show

The Batdorf & Rodney Folk Scene radio show that John Batdorf and Mark Rodney pre-recorded back in mid-November, aired last night. This show is now available on the internet, as follows, to hear for the next 6 days and also to download as a podcast. Just go to the archives at KPFK at www.kpfk.org .

Click on the "Archives" link and page down till you see the Folk Scene show for Sunday January 6th.

Happy Listening and Podcast Downloading!!

CALIFORNIA FANS: January/February '08 shows

CALIFORNIA FANS - JANUARY/FEBRUARY '08 SHOWS

Saturday, 5 January 2008 @ 8pm
Indie Music Show @ Muddy Waters
508 E. Haley St., Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Price: $5.00
John will be one of several acts performing six songs
Line-up includes: JOHN BATDORF , KIKI EBSEN , GATES & GOODELL,
FORGOTTEN TEARDROPS , CARRIE WADE , BLAISE SMITH

Saturday, 19 January 2008 @ 8pm
John Batdorf and Friends
Kulaks Woodshed
5230 1/2 Laurel Canyon Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91607
818-766-9913
http://www.kulakswoodshed.com/
Price: Donation
Joined by his multi-talented friends: James Lee Stanley, Bill Batstone, Greg Collier and Lily Wilson

Saturday, 2 February 2008 @ 8pm
John Batdorf Solo Show
Canyon Folk House Concerts
124 Frances Drive, El Cajon, CA
619-659-5753
http://www.canyonfolkhouseconcerts.com/
Price: $15.00 Donations
Notes: doors open at 7pm for a pot luck dinner/dessert buffet and the show begins at 8pm. John will do two shows with a dessert intermission." Come on in, take your coat off, get yourself a bowl of whatever is simmering on the stove, set yourself down in a chair out in the living room and let's listen to some music!"

Saturday, 9 February 2008 @ 8pm
John Batdorf and James Lee Stanley
Boulevard Music
4316 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 398-2583
http://www.boulevardmusic.com/
Price: $15.00

"Ain't It Like Home" #12 on Acoustic Pie Radio!

For the third month running, John has a song in the top 20 on Acoustic Pie Radio!!!

from Kelley Martin's (Acoustic Pie Girl) Myspace Blog Posted on Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Top 20 Songs on Acoustic Pie Radio, December 2007 Happy New Year! Here are the Top 20 songs on Acoustic Pie for December! ARTIST ~ SONG ~ ALBUM 1. Martha Berner ~ A Town Called Happiness ~ This Side of Yesterday 2. Deb Talan ~ Rocks and Water ~ A Bird Flies Out 3. The Jayhawks ~ All the Right Reasons ~ Vanity Fair's Hot Tracks 4. Janey Todd ~ The Man Downstairs ~ Rusty Water 5. SONiA ~ Gangsters of Love ~ No Bomb is Smart 6. Steven Tannen ~ If You Don't Feel That Way ~ Stopped At A Green Light 7. Stacey Earle ~ If It Weren't For You ~ Simple Gearle 8. The Donnis Trio ~ Tip of the Tongue ~ All Directions 9. Kevn Kinney ~ Tell Him Something For Me ~ Down Out Law 10. Brad Davis ~ Ain't That Just Like Love ~ This World Ain't No Child 11. Arlo Guthrie ~ City of New Orleans ~ In Times Like These 12. John Batdorf ~ Ain't It Like Home ~ Home Again 13. Joan Baez ~ David's Song ~ One Day at a Time 14. Jenn Grinels ~ Happy Birthday ~ Little Words 15. Josh Damigo ~ Pocket Change ~ Pocket Change 16. Iain Campbell Smith ~ Four Strong Hands ~ Ballads & Barsongs 17. Ellis Paul ~ Broke and Hungry ~ Urban Folk Songs 18. Eliza Gilkyson ~ Beauty Way ~ Parkinsong Volume One : 38 Songs Of Hope 19. Chris Smither ~ Father's Day ~ Leave the Light On 20. Storyhill ~ Full Circle ~ Reunion

Happy New Year Message from John Batdorf

What's New...

Tuesday, January 1st, 2008 7:03 PM PST

2008

Happy New Year everyone. This past year has been very fulfilling and my goal is to make 2008 even better! Many thanks to everyone for fantastic support. It was so nice to meet many of you this year and even greater to perform at house concerts which were hosted by Paul Mannes in Arlington, Chris Abood in Cleveland, Walt Fogle in Seattle, Bev and Greg in Campbell, Doug West on Maui, Marty DeJarnette in Charlotte, Pierre Marchal in Penryn, and Russ and Julie in Oak Park. The Far West conference was held near Portland this year and Mark Rodney joined up with me to perform many showcases! It was Mark's first conference and he had a blast. I want to also thank Melanie, Jeanette Lundgren, Charlette Fugetta, Jackie Batdorf, Mike Hays and Rich Curiel, Dave Schoolman, Steve Smith, Bob Kivi, Bill Batstone, Carey Driscoll, Peter Holmstedt and others who have unselfishly donated their time to help me achieve my goals. This year, my solo CD "Home Again" will be re-released on a new label, Novatunes. Their roster has a talented group of artists including Jackson Browne, Graham Nash to name a few. Novatunes call themselves "the record company for the 21st century", and with their passion and hard work, I believe it can be possible. I am thrilled to be part of Novatunes. The International Folk Alliance Conference will be in Memphis, Feb. 20th to the 24th. I have been selected to perform my first showcase and I am very happy about that. I will also be performing several guerilla showcases as a solo and with James Lee Stanley. Mark Rodney and myself recorded a live show at XM Radio in November which will be released as a CD in the spring. The CD also will include two brand new songs that will be recorded in the studio. We plan to support the new CD and I will continue to support "Home Again" and "All Wood And Stones". I hope to see you out there at a show some time this year.
John Batdorf

PS - if anyone out there is interested in hosting a house concert for John, please let us know by return. We would be happy to provide you with informative links and answer any questions you may have, as well as Johns' tentative tour plans for 2008. All the house concerts hosted thus far by Johns' fans have been successful and fun for all -- and opened a new world of music for friends of the host(s)!

--
Website: http://www.johnbatdorfmusic.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/johnbatdorf
Blog: http://johnbatdorf.blogspot.com/
YahooGroup: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/JohnBatdorf

AMG Review of Batdorf & McLean's DON'T YOU KNOW

AMG Review of DON'T YOU KNOW Review by Joe Viglione

The title track to John Batdorf and Michael McLean's Don't You Know album has a simple philosophy and a strum that goes along with an eloquent melody that is easy to hold on to. In the decades after the reign of Seals & Crofts and England Dan & John Ford Coley, as well as more famous pairings like Simon & Garfunkel, John Batdorf soldiers on impressively, finding a formidable collaborator in the popular Michael McLean. The 11 songs are well constructed and highly commercial, from the very catchy "It's Not Love," borrowing heavily from the Rolling Stones' final (and uncredited) Jimmy Miller-produced hit, 1981's "Waiting on a Friend," to the moving "Heartbeat Away." That the sensibilities are straight out of the '70s and '80s folk-rock era is an indication of where these craftsmen found the components to build their ark. A chorus of backing vocals emphasizes the point as the folksy "It's Not Love" rocks to its conclusion, while "Promised Land" doesn't take as long to set the stage, driving with the spirit of any uptempo Eagles number. And that's the interesting element at play here, for the material is stronger than latter-day America or Eagles music, but with no major-label push or commercial platform, superb titles like "It's Only My Heart" remain hidden performances lost in the shuffle of millions and millions of copyrights looking for recognition. This is truly one of those important discs waiting for a second look, the distinctive voice of Batdorf surrounded by great players and sublime production. It is perhaps a sign of the times that such an elegant composition as "Never Had to Ask" won't be getting major FM airplay on radios across the country without some kind of action in television or film, or perhaps a James Taylor or Don Henley type looking for outside material to push in this new musical era. That would be a positive; however, these performances and this recording are so perfectly put together that the glory should go to the work of Batdorf & McLean on this potential monster album just waiting to be heard by consumers. The themes the songwriters explore are similar from song to song, and like a good book, some of the lyrical ideas reappear in different titles. Pick any track -- "She's the Girl" with Tim Heintz's accordion and Greg Leisz's mandolin or "Never Had to Ask" with Michael Baird's drums-in-a-cavern sound -- and you'll hear masterful players working with a soulful voice on perfectly written pop songs. This 1997 undiscovered gem by the veteran pair comes with a 12-page booklet and is as beautifully produced as it is packaged. Click here to listen to song samples, buy the CD, read the review, see the CD overview and credits and link to the artists' other work © 2007 All Media Guide, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 5th, 2008 - John Batdorf at Muddy Waters in Santa Barbara with Indie Music Show

"I Don't Always Win" at #13 on Acoustic Pie Radio!

from Kelley Martin's (Acoustic Pie Girl) Myspace Blog posted Saturday, December 01, 2007

Top 20 Songs, Acoustic Pie Radio November 2007 1. Stacey Earle ~ Next Door Down ~ Simple Gearle 2. Sara Hickman ~ Comfort's Sigh ~ Motherlode 3. Girlyman ~ Commander – Hail to the Thieves, Volume III 4. Don McLean ~ Empty Chairs ~ Solo 5. Danny Schmidt ~ This Too Shall Pass ~ Parables & Primes 6. Leonard Cohen ~ Hallelujah ~ The Essential Leonard Cohen 7. Krista Detor ~ Mudshow ~ Mudshow 8. Garth Wilwand ~ The Fields are Empty ~ Eyes of the Hurricane 9. Richard Shindell ~ The Last Fare of the Day ~ Vuelta 10. Jenn Grinels ~ Slingshot ~ Little Words 11. Corinne ~ It's Your Time ~ Bound for the Living 12. Anya Marina ~ Space Monkey ~ Miss Halfway 13. John Batdorf ~ I Don't Always Win ~ Home Again 14. Donal Hinely ~ Louisville ~ Giants 15. Tracy Grammer ~ Mother, I Climbed ~ Flower of Avalon 16. Tracy Chapman ~ At This Point in My Life ~ New Beginning 17. Jim Croce ~ Careful Man ~ The 50th Anniversary Collection 18. John McGaraghan ~ Eternity ~ Back in the Saddle 19. Janis Ian ~ The Last Train ~ Folk is the New Black 20. Dave Carter ~ When I Go ~ Before Their Time