Larry & Nicole Performing “Deep dish Folk”

Contact
Larry & Nicole
“official folksingers to Lawrence of the Desert” Email: Lawrenceofthedesert@mac.com
Ph: 951-849-3373

Larry & Nicole will travel to Chicago to perform a
Hogeye Music Concert
in Evanston on Nov. 22; master multi-instrumentalist Rick Veras will join them. Details published here as they become available.

Larry & Nicole Nicole Mendyk, like Larry a product of the Chicago folk scene, has performed folk music professionally for more than 15 years. A graduate of Loyola U. and recipient of a Master’s degree from DePaul U., Mendyk also is an educator who has taught university-level English As a Second Language — including outreach work with Vietnamese immigrants in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood — and high school English in Moreno Valley, CA. After earning a counseling certificate, she became a counselor at Nicolet Middle School in Banning, CA. Making music remains her first love.

In addition to writing delightful songs, singing gloriously and playing guitar and dulcimer, Mendyk creates her own jewelry and enjoys hiking, camping, running and cycling with Larry.

After a stint in the Army Security Agency, Larry Rand waffled between the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern and folksinging at the Earl of Old Town, where Steve Goodman, Bonnie Koloc and John Prine were performing. He has enjoyed waffles ever since.

Rand has continued a dual existence as journalist/folksinger for more than 30 years, performing funny folksongs all over the US and on WFMT’s “The Midnight Special,” where he was the first Midnight Minstrel before Tom Paxton; on HBO and Comedy Central, where his song “Jacques Brel and I” was a Comedy Classic, and on a “live” National Public Radio show he co-hosted with Art Thieme called “The Flea Market” that went to 90+ cities via satellite from the Old Town School of Folk Music.

He has written articles and taken photos for many publications (Clips page coming soon) and won a few awards, including a Peter Lisagor Award.

Larry & Nicole have recorded their first CD, which should be out soon. They continue performing “deep-dish folk music” together at festivals and clubs in Southern California, including the Water Canyon Coffeehouse in Yucca Valley, Kulak’s Woodshed in North Hollywood and the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena.

Links to some musical pals of ours, in no particular order:
The Folk Collection — outstanding Folk Scare sounds from the 1950’s and 60’s: http://www.thefolkcollection.com/
James Lee Stanley — L.A. troubador, raconteur and “freelance human being:” http://www.jamesleestanley.com/
Paul Geremia — yeoman bluesman, terrific songwriter: http://www.paulgeremia.org/
I See Hawks in L.A. — our favorite cosmic cowboys: http://www.iseehawks.com/
Eric Noden — Chicago still puts out a competitive acoustic blues product: http://www.ericnoden.com/
Andrew Calhoun — There is no substitute for intelligence: http://www.andrewcalhoun.com/
Bill Barrett: A master of diatonic and chromatic harmonica; one of Bill’s projects is an acoustic duo called Gutpuppet: http://www.myspace.com/gutpuppet
“The Midnight Special” is a wonderful folk music radio show with a sense of humor hosted by Rich Warren: http://www.midnightspecial.org/
Fur Dixon and Steve Werner — Who says folk music can’t be hard driving? http://www.myspace.com/furandsteve
Shadow Mountain Band — You have to like a band that sings “The Raw Trash Cannonball”: www.myspace.com/shadowmountainband
Bryan Bowers — not just king of the autoharpists: www.bryanbowers.com