As my film inches toward the finish line (more on that in a separate blog), I’m trying to devote a little more attention to the Troubadour Blues website. I want this to become a clearinghouse for information not only on the film, but also on the fine artists who are featured in it.

I hope eventually to start carrying a selected assortment of CDs and other merchandise by these artists in my online store, along with copies of the Troubadour Blues DVD. I’ll probably offer bundles, a copy of the movie with your choice of three or more CDs by featured artists for a low package price. A compilation CD of live performances from the movie is also a strong possibility.

But first, to launch what I hope will be a monthly series of tour updates. I think these artists are best experienced live, and I want my readers to know when and where they’re performing.

Two of my very favorites, Peter Case and Mary Gauthier, will be performing together Thursday, Aug. 5, at the Evening Muse in Charlotte, NC. I’ve never been to the venue before, but I’ve always heard great things about it. I hope to be able to visit someday.

Mary is wrapping up an extended tour behind her autobiographical album, The Foundling (read more about it here). She’ll also be playing (without Peter) 8/1 at the Clay Center in Charleston, WV; 8/3 at the always wonderful Ashland Coffee and Tea in Virginia, and 8/7 at the Michigan Womyn’s Festival. Then she heads home to Nashville. I saw her twice on this tour and was blown away both by the powerful songs and by the sterling musicianship of accompanist Tanya Elizabeth on violin, vocals and percussion.

Peter plays 8/6 at the Garage in Winston-Salem, NC, 8/7 at the Arts Center in Carrboro, NC, and then heads north to upstate New York for a series of shows 8/13-15 in the region where he grew up (details here). He has other dates in the Midwest scheduled for September, including an appearance 9/17 at the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern in Cleveland (one of my favorite haunts).

Chris Smither more or less tours constantly. He’ll be at Club Cafe in Pittsburgh 8/20 before setting off to Denmark and Ireland for a series of shows. He picks up in early September with a series of dates in the mid-Atlantic and South. The Pittsburgh show is billed as “Chris Smither and the Motivators” — I’ll be curious to see Chris, kind of a quintessential solo artist, in a band format.

Anne McCue, another great performer featured in my film, will be opening for Chris on Thursday, August 19, at the Ram’s Head in Annapolis, MD. Anne is currently on tour in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states through the end of the month.

Slaid Cleaves, another artist who is constantly on the road, always takes a month of what I call “shore leave” in his native Maine. He resumes his peripatetic life after Labor Day with a series of dates in the Pacific Northwest, including the Sister’s and American River folk festivals.

Dave Alvin recently re-assembled an early version of the Guilty Men with Chris Miller, Rick Shea and Gregory Boaz for a one-off show at the Echoplex in Los Angeles. After a date 8/13 at McCabe’s in Santa Monica with the great Cindy Cashdollar on dobro, Dave will be getting the Guilty Women back together for a series of dates in the upper Midwest from 8/25-30. A solo show at Club Cafe in Pittsburgh 9/1 precedes an extended tour of the East and Midwest with the Guilty Women that begins 9/2.

Amy Speace has a few more tour dates with Memphis legend Sid Selvidge before heading to Colorado 8/9-13 for the 20th annual Rocky Mountain Folks Festival (that’s folks, as in people), where she will be performing and teaching a songwriting class. After that it’s a couple of opening dates for Beth Nielsen Chapman in Michigan and Illinois, and two shows 8/28 at the Ram’s Head in Annapolis MD opening for the legendary Judy Collins. I bet Amy’s excited about that one!

Sam Baker is taking off in early September for an extended tour of England and Scotland, where he’s become popular through airplay on BBC radio. I thoroughly enjoyed his recent show in-the-round with Natalia Zukerman and the phenomenal John Fullbright.

Gurf Morlix, who often plays with Sam, is on his annual hiatus on Georgian Bay, Ontario and is also headed over to the U.K. in October for a series of dates at many of the same venues.

That’s it for now. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for everyone who loves this music to go out and support the artists at their live shows. Bring a friend. Bring TEN friends — it’ll cost you less than one ticket to a big Live Nation show where you are a mile away from the stage and a warm, flat beer costs ten bucks. Hang around and make friends with the artists after the shows.

Support the venues, too, by attending shows by local artists, open-mic nights, or other events. A lot of small music venues exist because the owners love music, but even music lovers have to pay the electric bill. The future of this music is largely up to you.