About Alex
Alex Caton presents…The On-Air Barn Dance Tour
Virginian Alex Caton hearkens back to the heyday of radio with a tour that takes its inspiration from live performance shows like “The Old Dominion Barn Dance”. During the 1940’s and ‘50s, WRVA radio station in Richmond VA put on “The Old Dominion Barn Dance” on Saturday nights and welcomed everyone from the Carter Family to Elvis Presley for live performances. Today, Alex brings both the personal, down-home feel and the indescribable excitement of those live performances to community radio stations in the Mid-Atlantic region.
In April, Alex will play live on six radio shows, perform at four great venues in two states and host one radio show for a great cause. Check out more details below.
Alex kicks off the tour near home at WTJU in Charlottesville, VA on Friday April 6th on Pete Marshall’s show, “Sunset Road.” Tune in at 6 PM to hear her talk about the tour and play live fiddle tunes and ballads.
On Friday April 13th, Alex heads down to NC to play a show in her old hometown of Black Mountain at the wonderful venue, White Horse, Black Mountain. Alex plays at 8PM and The Swayback Sisters follow.
www.whitehorseblackmountain.com
Saturday April 14th, Alex joins Laura Blackley from The Swayback Sisters, on her show, “Southern Sirens”, to be aired later in April or early May on WNCW.
On Thursday April 19th at 6 PM Alex visits with Peter Jones at WTJU in Charlottesville for “Folk and Beyond.” Alex will play live and talk about her upcoming Staunton, VA show the following night.
Tune into WNRN on Friday, April 20th, at 9 AM on Anne Williams’ “Acoustic Sunrise.” Alex and The Swaybacks wake up early to play you lively tunes and talk about their Friday show.
Friday April 20th, Alex joins with The Swayback Sisters again for another great night of music and this time at the beautiful Mockingbird Roots Music Hall in Staunton, VA. Show starts at 8:30 PM. www.mockingbird123.com
On Saturday April 28th, Alex heads east to Richmond to play live on WDCE with Lisa Loving for “The Kitchen Sink Show”. Tune in at 2 PM.
That night, on April 28th, Alex plays at Crossroads Coffeehouse in Richmond from 8 to 10:30 PM. Nice intimate setting for a nice intimate show of Appalachian and Irish music.
Sunday April 29th, Alex heads to the valley to play on “Acoustic Café” on WMRA. Catch her at 8:30 PM.
Alex is excited to be a guest programmer for the first time ever. She and Ned Oldham will host a show on WTJU (during their folk fund-drive) on Wednesday May 2nd from 8 to 10 PM called “The Cuckoo’s Nest.” Hear music from Ireland, England and Appalachia and call in your support in form of a pledge to WTJU during this show.
The tour wraps up at The Little Grill in Harrisonburg on Friday May 4th. Show starts at 8 PM. Don’t miss out on the last night of the tour in this special space. www.littlegrillcollective.com
“Alex Caton is an old-time fiddler, singer-songwriter and banjo player whose 2009 release, the Sinners and the Saved, was one of my favorite traditional folk/ Americana-type releases from 2009…This one I recommend. Donald Nitchie, Banjo Newsletter, Vol. XXXVIII, No.4, February 2011″
“Alex Caton has a purity and honesty that is both rare and irresistible” — Larry Campbell, musician and producer
Forget everything you know—or thought you knew—about old time, Irish standards, bluegrass…gypsy airs (do you really know anything about gypsy airs?), today’s music and tomorrow’s rhythms. When Alex Caton picks up her fiddle (after putting down her whiskey) all bets are off, all expectations shatter, all preferences and preconceived notions dissolve as fast as a summer storm over the Appalachians or a windy gale on the Kerry coast. And the music made by that exquisite fairy sprite on stage (trust us, there’s a magic about her) will make tunes sound fresher and more real than the moment they were first played. Your re-education—and sublime enjoyment— have begun.
But enough of this out-there, lyrical she’s-just-bewitching acclaim. What really matters is: The girl can fiddle. The chick can sing. She’s got the grace and unaffected charm of a British Isle lass, the sass of a gypsy siren, the vocabulary and talent of a cursing and grunting old mountain fiddler. She’ll hold her own at a society wedding or a down-home music jam (wearing different outfits for each). That’s because when she starts in on an old standard or one of her original songs, the pure joy she takes from performing is downright infectious. Grandmothers and grizzled old men find their minds slipping away from the country club or the crowded bar to…a misty mountain holler. A crackling-with-energy gypsy camp. Even those black-clad hipster wannabes can’t help themselves from tapping their toes. Because, let’s face it. Alex—and her music—are just plain COOL.