Acoustic Storm in May

We've got a couple of theme shows for May, starting with the Mothers Day Acoustic Storm, spotlighting The Beatles in the Eye of The Storm 5/7-5/8. On May 28 and 29, we'll salute Memorial Day weekend with Bruce Springsteen as the featured artist.

For Mothers Day weekend. we'll feature special sets of "mom-inspired" tracks, including music from Pink Floyd, CCR, Jethro Tull, Paul Simon and Elvis Costello. The Beatles have several maternally-minded songs, including some material from "The White Album" and "Let it Be," so we'll highlight the Fab Four in the Eye of The Storm.

For Memorial Day weekend, The Acoustic Storm will bring you theme sets to honor the occasion. Bruce Springsteen goes into the Eye of The Storm with his acoustic demo for "Born in the USA," along with live versions of "Born to Run" and "Chimes of Freedom."

Other highlights of The Storm's Memorial Day weekend show include John Lennon on acoustic guitar with "Imagine," Billy Joel's powerful Vietnam Vets tribute "Goodnight Saigon," "Blowin in the Wind" from Bob Dylan's 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd live in Poland with "Wish You Were Here," and excellent harmony vocals from David Crosby & Graham Nash on "My Country 'Tis of Thee."

Here's the May schedule in the Eye of The Storm:

4/30-5/1 TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS

5/7-5/8 BEATLES (Mothers Day theme)

5/14-15 STEVE MILLER

5/21-22 ROLLING STONES

5/28-5/29 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (Memorial Day weekend)


On a sad note, singer-songwriter Phoebe Snow, who first gained fame with her 1974 self-titled album that featured the hit single "Poetry Man," died April 26 at the age of 60. She had suffered a brain hemorrhage in January of 2010.

The album "Phoebe Snow" turned the singer into a star. She made the cover of Rolling Stone, appeared on"Saturday Night Live" and was nominated for a Grammy as best new artist.

"Phoebe Snow has made it," Stephen Holden wrote in a 1975 review for Rolling Stone. "On a musical level she shows the potential of becoming a great jazz singer. Among confessional pop songwriters she immediately ranks with the finest."

Snow was hard to categorize musically. With her multi-octave range, she combined elements of pop, jazz, blues, gospel and folk. She explained to the New York Times in 2003, "No creative person should ever produce the same thing over and over."

But Snow was never able to duplicate her early commercial success. Her career took a backseat to caring for her daughter, Valerie Rose Laub, born in 1975 with severe brain damage. Her daughter died in 2007. A few months later, Snow started performing again, trying to deal with her loss.

Phoebe Snow was born Phoebe Laub on July 17, 1950, in New York City and grew up in Teaneck, N.J. As a youngster she studied piano, then switched to the guitar. However, taking guitar lessons affected her singing style.

"I finally said, 'I can't play these guitar lines but maybe I can sing them.' I tried to sing the way a guitar sounds and the way a saxophone sounds too."

Original poetry became the basis of her lyrics, and she started playing at New York clubs and signed with Shelter Records in 1974.

Snow moved to Columbia Records in 1976 and earned a second gold record with the album "Second Childhood," but subsequent releases didn't sell as well, and she left the label at the end of the 1970s.

After being quiet most of the 1980s, Snow recorded a comeback album in 1989's "Something Real" for Elektra.

In 1991, she was part of the "New York Soul and Revue," put together by Steely Dan's Donald Fagen.

Snow released a live album in 2008.

In 1998 she told a reporter, "I faded away for a while out of necessity. In hindsight, I missed out on some good or productive years. On the other hand … I really made the only choice I could under the circumstances."

April: Zeppelin's BBC Sessions, Earth Day...

Spring has sprung, and we've got a busy April. First off, it's Fleetwood Mac in the Eye of The Storm with a couple of demos from "Rumours." Next up, we'll celebrate the 40th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's BBC Sessions with some performances from that historic show in April of 1971. The Acoustic Storm's Earth Day show with Bob Dylan is slated for April 16-17, and we'll wrap up the month with Billy Joel in words and music.

We recently started a monthly Acoustic Storm e-Newsletter. Sign up for it on the Contact page of the Storm website.

Here's the April schedule of featured artists on The Acoustic Storm:

4/2-4/3 FLEETWOOD MAC

4/9-10 LED ZEPPELIN

4/16-17 BOB DYLAN (Earth Day theme)

4/23-24 BILLY JOEL