Singer-songwriter Dana Cooper to perform at Waldo's Coffeehouse

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Singer-songwriter Dana Cooper to perform at Waldo's Coffeehouse

By Carl Hoover Tribune-Herald entertainment editor

Thursday April 15, 2010

Dana Cooper

Waldo’s Coffeehouse

Performance: 8 p.m. April 23 at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Waco, 4209 N. 27th St.

Admission: $10 for adults, $5 for children.

Nashville singer-songwriter Dana Cooper has the stage to himself when he performs April 23 at Waldo’s Coffeehouse: it’s his first solo Waldo’s after numerous appearances with former partner Shake Russell.

Not that he’s nervous about facing the more intimate atmosphere of Waldo’s — it’s the sort of audience and close environment that Cooper has thrived on for much of his career.

“Outside of writing for myself, that’s where I get my feedback if a song is working or not,” he said, speaking by phone from Nashville, his home for the last 21 years. “I still play theaters and large rooms, too, but being in more intimate venues, it’s easier to present the whole thing.”

The acoustic guitarist returns to Waco on the heels of “The Conjurer,” a new CD that represents a slight change for the songwriter. It’s closer to a live experience and a little rougher than Cooper, an admitted studio perfectionist, is used to doing, with each song recorded in two or three takes. “We were going for the juice, the spontaneity, and I think we accomplished that.” he said. “We didn’t put a lot of icing on the whole thing.”

Producer and guitarist Thomm Jutz added work on electric guitar, dobro and bass while singer Kim Carnes joined Cooper on background vocals.

The heart of “The Conjurer,” however, lies in Cooper’s meaty lyrics, stories of hope amid times of war and uncertainty.

“I’ve gotten into storytelling a lot,” he said. “Songs that are more conversational.”

Veteran singer-songwriter Dana Cooper, the featured artist for the April 23 Waldo’s Coffeehouse, has a new CD featuring a sound closer to his live performances.

Cooper regularly drops in and participates in songwriting festivals, from the Kerrville Folk Festival to others as far away as Denmark, where he’s going later this year. While he’s frequently invited to share his talent and experience, it usually turns out a two-way street, he said. “I always learn a lot from the folks who participate,” he said. “It’s fascinating to see what we all do with a small set of notes available to us, coming up with such unique songs.”

Unique songs have been Cooper’s hallmark for much of his three-decades songwriting career, making him a well-known and respected figure within Americana circles.

The singer-songwriter has a busy spring and summer ahead with concerts in California, Texas, Minnesota and Missouri, in addition to a brief trip to Denmark in August.

His visit to Waldo’s April 23 will be like a conversation with friends. “We’re going to get acquainted. I’ll tell stories of my family, my history. I do quite a bit of talking about what’s behind the song,” he said. “Texas is still a second home to us. We’re still fond of Waldo’s.”

choover@wacotrib.com

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Waco events in the spotlight

• Multiple Hydes blur the line between good and evil in Baylor Theatre’s production “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” which continues its run at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 2-4, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 4-5, at Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center. $15, $13 for Baylor students, faculty and staff. Call 710-1865.

• Waco’s Smooth Jazz Generation kicks off a weekly jazz night at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2 at Tres Mexican Restaurant, 723 S. Sixth St. $6-10 for dinner, no cover before 7.

• The world-famous Vienna Boys Choir returns to Waco for a 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5 concert at Austin Avenue United Methodist Church, 1300 Austin Ave. The Vienna Boys Choir previously sang in Waco in 2001 at the Waco Hippodrome Theatre and in 2008 at Baylor University. Tickets cost $35 for premium seating, $25 for adults and $10 for students, available at the church, online at austinavenueumc.org or at the door. The concert will end about an hour before the start of the Super Bowl. Call 254-754-4685 for information.

• The Stars Over Texas Jamboree pays tribute to Valentine’s Day with an Oldies Heart & Soul theme at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2 at the Lee Lockwood Library and Museum, 2801 W. Waco Drive. $12, $10 for those ages 65 and older or 12 and younger.

• The touring show “Black Art — Ancestral Legacy” begins a month-long showing at the West Waco Library and Genealogy Center, 5301 Bosque Blvd. Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Free.

• Art Center Waco’s “Membership Invitational Art Exhibition” comes to an end this weekend with a closing reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3 at the center, 1300 College Drive. The unveiling of the exhibition’s winning poster image takes place at 7 p.m.

• Art by Kathy Lovas and Susan Sponsler makes up the Croft Art Gallery’s February exhibit “Red/Yellow,” whose opening reception is held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3 at the gallery, 712 Austin Ave. Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.

• Waco rapper Big Binky brings on a local Super Bowl half-time show Sunday, Feb. 5 at Jordan Sports Bar and Lounge, 921 Lake Air Drive.

• Flatbed Press co-director Katherine Brimberry will talk about the Austin print-making company and its work at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11 at the Martin Museum of Art in Baylor University’s Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center. Free.