NB House Concerts

“Over the river and through the woods…” the song dances in and out of my memory while I listen to the conversations float around me as we do indeed drive over the river, through the woods, up the Texas hills, and down their valleys on this damp February Sunday afternoon as we wind our way to NB House Concerts tucked away in a wooded area north of New Braunfels.

It is not long before we reach our destination, parking in the middle of an oak grove that borders the circular drive. This is not grandma’s house but rather the venue for the NB House Concerts, owned by the petite Elaine Hayden who has been hosting these musical events in her home for the past eleven years.

Grabbing my contribution for today’s potluck feast, we make our way to the side entrance while I cradle the gougeres in my arms; classic cheesy goodness nestled amid a deep blue cotton napkin in a rustic woven basket. A perfect non-messy, room temperature appetizer. The wine tote, containing a bottle of Brady Zinfandel, is slung over Michael’s shoulder.

The Venue

Elaine has pushed and pulled her furniture to the far corners of her large living area and dining room, setting up folding chairs for approximately fifty strangers and many who have become friends for today’s concert.

Our favored balcony area is already taken so we find a row of seats on the lower level, making ourselves comfortable. We all agree that there really isn’t a bad seat in the house as we wait for today’s featured singer-songwriter, Tracy Grammer. Elaine tells us that Tracy flew in from Massachusetts for the express purpose of singing her songs for the friendly faces and willing ears of those gathered in this room.

Tracy Grammer Sings the Songs of Dave Carter

Tracy Grammer. Up until a month ago, I had never heard of her, being a relative newcomer to the world of intimate house concerts and folk music and the stories that are told and the songs that are sung. But if we are lucky enough to discover a venue and find a vacant spot for a performance, we will trek up and down the hills to hear new stories and new music, and we are never disappointed.

Tracy tells us she will be singing the songs of Dave Carter, saying, “Being from Texas, you all know Dave Carter, right?” I sink down in my chair, embarrassed—until this moment I have never heard of Dave Carter.

She begins her story, turning the pages of her memory, slowly, gently, with humor and warmth and nostalgia, and whimsey. I sense a tiny bit of pain and a lot of joy and love and wonder. And I listen, and I am entranced by both her stories and his songs and their life. I get the feeling Dave Carter is gone but I’m not sure and I dare not ask because the story is still unfolding. And I want to know more and I want to hear more.

Intermission and a Potluck Dinner

Too soon the first set is over and like a herd of cattle at sunset, the concert goers follow one another up, then down the stairs to the large den in search of sustenance. We pile our plates high with a vast assortment of every food imaginable, carefully walking with our paper plates to the backyard in search of a place to dine alfresco. As always, there is someone sitting at one of the tables we do not know, but who is easy to talk to and we exchange ideas and information on music and concerts.

The question of the hour seems to be, “Do you know who Dave Carter is?” And the answer is the same, “No, but I want to find out more.” We all take out our phones and begin Googling, but we must be deep in the woods because there is absolutely no connection—not a single 4G hiding anywhere.

Tracy Grammer on Her Own

Back in our seats, Tracy begins the second half of her concert singing her own songs and telling her own stories. “Not everyone wakes up one morning and decides, ‘I want to be a folk singer,’ I didn’t,” she says. Instead, she had visions of being a Jane Goodall during her adult years. But things happen and she met Dave Carter and her life changed.

She takes us all on an intimate stroll through a portion of her life with her fingers strumming her guitar and her lovely voice singing her songs. Her words. She is wonderful, and my hope is that she continues creating a tall and strong shadow of her own in this world of music she inhabits.

Tracy ends the evening singing a song of Dave Carter’s and telling of his unexpected death in her arms. There can be no demand for an encore after this telling and that song.

I give Elaine a hug as we leave, thanking her for opening her home, opening our hearts and minds, bringing us such wonderful talent to see and hear.  We leave with an armload of CD’s, and sign up for the next concert in March.

I can’t wait to get out of the forest of trees, have 4G access and find out more about Dave Carter—and listen to Tracy Grammer sing both their songs.

Dave Carter

An American fold singer-songwriter, he described his style as “post-modern mythic American folk music.” He and Tracy Grammer were a singing duo beginning in the late ’90s. They were heralded as the new “voice of modern folk music” in the months before his unexpected death in July 2002. They were ranked as number one on the year-end list for “Top Artists” on the Folk Music Radio Airplay Chart for 2001 and 2002, and their popularity has endured in the years following his death. Joan Baez who went on tour with the duo in 2002 spoke of Carter’s songs as follows: “There is a special gift for writing songs that are available to other people, and Dave’s songs are very available to me. It’s a kind of genius, you know, and Dylan has the biggest case of it. But I hear it in Dave’s songs, too.”

Dave Carter’s songs were often noted for their poetic imagery, spirituality, and storytelling while retaining a connection to the country music of his southern American upbringing. His memory has been kept alive by his many admirers, most notably his former partner. Tracy has continued to introduce previously unrecorded songs and recordings that the duo were working on prior to Carter’s death.