---

Please go to Substack piece:
https://paulconant.substack.com/p/a-whiff-of-paradise

---

Katie surfs New Wave

 

Singer brings her exotic blend of charm, zest and magic Rising star splashing down in Europe with her talented band Global singing star Katie Petersen is bringing her eclectic blend of Pop, Country and Rock to European stages [scroll down for details], well supported by her spellbinding band, The Petersens. Tiring of the usual popular musical formulas, many listeners have been drawn to Katie by what can only be regarded as a New Wave sound. All the old sounds are there, but whipped up into new listening cuisine. The stuff is good enough to eat, as far as many fans are concerned, though they often find that Katie requires them to acquire a new musical sense and taste. Katie, fondly known as Kid Dynamite, has a worldwide fan base, having set off internet fireworks with amazingly retooled remakes of such classics as John Denver's Country Roads.  Her covers are definitely not hackneyed. Her version of Kiss Me, the Alt Rock hit by Sixpence None the Richer, demonstrates that point. The petite blond sensation firms up the adoring devotion of her following with her diligent devotion to her art. And, fans never know when Katie will hit them between the ears (and eyes) with another social media blockbuster, ratcheting up views into the scores of millions. Yet, aside from her star power, Katie is a principled artist, willing at times to expend great effort on something that only those who have ears to hear can hear. Aside from singing prowess, Katie uses a firm guiding hand on her bandmates, who tolerate her workhorse ethic with amusement. Her amazingly subtle skill with her unique five-string fiddle underscores not only her artistic side, but her ability to keep her band on track. When not maintaining her hectic pace, Katie writes lyrics and composes music. At thirty-something, Katie is the oldest of the four siblings who own the band. Mother Karen and friend Emmett are employees. Her two sisters, Ellen Haygood and Julianne Petersen, along with brother Matt, also have very strong drawing power worldwide. Both the sultry sirens have knocked out mega-hits on social media. Matt keeps everyone in key and does some extremely skilled flatpicking. He has a marvelous, melodious voice, but holds himself in check in order to let the women shine. Ellen's version of Dolly Parton's Jolene was a rock-em-sock-em hit, and is still racking up views by the boatload.  For an even better flavor of Ellen's bluesy, artful soul sound, have a listen to her version of Crazy, a song penned by Willie Nelson and made into a smash Country hit by Patsy Cline. Julianne, at twenty-something the youngest member of the band, is always ready to flex her creative muscle. Over the years she has continuously contributed to the band's reputation, with several of her choices zooming well above six digits. This highly accomplished musician is a lyricist and composer but loves to do grassed-up Rock covers, like Fleetwood Mac's Dreams. Matt's melodious voice does well with a number of Merle Haggard songs. But when you listen to Matt, don't expect to hear the Hag. It's Matt, and he's doing his own thing. For a sample, check out Matt's version of If We Make It Through December. *************************** Ozarks Dreamboat Katie Petersen [playlist] Katie Petersen [channel] *************************** Ozarks Heartthrob Ellen Haygood [playlist] Ellen Haygood [channel] **************************** Juliane [playlist] Julianne [channel] **************************** Mellow Fellow Matt Petersen [playlist] Matt Petersen [channel] ****************************** Katie's band is touring Europe beginning Aug. 13.  Tickets are available via the Petersens site. Here is the tour schedule: London (Union Chapel, Islington). Tue. Aug. 13. Gistel, Belgium (Moeder van Vrede). Thur. Aug. 15. Free festival at a family religious center; registration is required. Cologne. (Stadthalle). Sat. Aug. 17. Paris. Mon. Aug. 19. (Le Cabaret Sauvage). Cork, Ireland. (St. Luke's). Thur. Aug. 22.

T eyes Google shutdown

AI is 'a dangerous thing,' candidate says, blasting Silicon Valley giant as 'irresponsible'

Says firm failed to respond on fake fist-shake image,
adding that Meta also balked but later apologized

Donald Trump is warning that, as president, he might be ready to shut Google down for its "irresponsible" behavior on artificial intelligence and search result bias.

Trump, in a Fox Business interview aired yesterday, did not refer to himself when he made the threat, but the context requires that he would sign an anti-Google law passed by a Republican Congress.

The presidential candidate said that when his campaign complained about a phony AI fist-shake image intended to make the incident appear to have been staged, Google did not respond. Meta at first balked at taking the image down but later relented, Trump said.

On Google facing shutdown, Trump said, "Google has been very bad on this, been very irresponsible. I have a feeling Google is going to be close to shutdown because I don't think Congress is going to take it. I really don't think so. Google has to be careful."

In addition to the AI incident, broadcaster Maria Bartiromo brought up an oft-noted issue of search results slanted against Trump.

In the meantime, the government has its hands full countering multiple-assassin theories of the Butler rally shootout. The ease with which AI doctors videos, stills and audios can only stir suspicion. Perhaps a video is "Russian disinformation" meant to discredit the Democratic administration. Or perhaps it is a Deep State-tweaked concoction presented by a convincing citizen journalist in a baseball cap that upholds the government's single shooter theory.

Who is to know? One thing is sure. If a presidential commission is set up to investigate the crime, then you can be sure there is a big coverup afoot.

Transcript provided by YouTube:
0:00
SURPRISING CALL RECEIVED AFTER
0:02
THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON
0:04
HIS LIFE.
0:06
>> I KNOW THAT A LOT OF
0:07
SILICON VALLEY TYPES GOT
0:09
BEHIND I AFTER THE
0:10
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON YOUR
0:12
LIVE.
0:13
>> MUSK WAS SUPPORTIVE BEFORE
0:14
THAT.
0:15
>> OVER LAST TWO WEEKS SEE
0:17
WHAT HAPPENED WITH GOOGLE
0:19
META.
0:20
>> SEARCH -- RESULTS OF
0:22
SHOOTING, AI TOOL NOT GIVING
0:24
ANY INFORMATION ABOUT IT META
0:26
AI TOOL SAID THE SHOOTING WAS
0:29
FICTIONAL, FACEBOOK LABELS
0:31
PHOTOS OF YOU PUMPING YOUR
0:32
FIST AS ALTERED YOU STILL HAVE
0:34
A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH BIG TECH
0:37
DON'T YOU --
0:38
>> SO, AI IS VERY COMPLEX.
0:40
IT IS GOT TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL
0:42
BUT ALSO HAS POTENTIAL TO
0:45
DESTROY.
0:45
AND THEY ACTUALLY HAD ONE
0:47
PICTURE WITH EVERYTHING THE
0:49
SAME EXCEPT ALL OF THE SECRET
0:51
SERVICE AGENTS AROUND ME GREAT
0:53
PEOPLE VERY BRAVE PEOPLE RAN
0:55
INTO THAT, THOSE BULLETS GOING
0:56
OVER MY HEAD I HEARD THEM
0:59
GOING THEY ARE MOVING ALONG,
1:01
THESE PEOPLE JUMPING ON TOP OF
1:02
ME, THERE WASN'T ONE OF THEM
1:04
THAT WAS SLOW MOVING OR -- YOU
1:07
SAW THEM, THEY WERE JUMPING ON
1:09
TOP OF ME AS FAST AS I WAS
1:11
DOWN THEY WERE ON TOP OF ME
1:12
VERY BRAVE.
1:13
AND WHEN I GOT UP, YOU KNOW
1:15
YOU SEE THE FACES THEY WERE
1:17
NOT HAPPY THEY WERE ANGRY,
1:19
THEY WERE LOOKING AROUND.
1:22
THEY HAVE ONE PICTURE WHERE
1:25
SECRET SERVICE IS ALL SMILING
1:27
LAUGHING, AS PROTECTING ME I
1:30
HAD SAME HAND UP EVERYTHING
1:33
ELSE, IT IS AI DANGEROUS THING
1:35
YOU GOT TO BE -- VERY CAREFUL
1:39
WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
1:40
>> META SAID PICTURE WASN'T
1:45
ALTERED FIRST [garble] --
1:49
SAID ALTERED THEN NOT.
1:51
>> WOULD NOT ALLOW INFORMATION
1:52
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
1:53
>> THEY CALLED ME TWO TIMES,
1:55
AFTER THE EVENT SAID THAT WAS
1:57
REALLY AMAZING VERY BRAVE, YOU
1:58
KNOW ACTUALLY ANNOUNCED NOT
2:00
GOING TO SUPPORT A DEMOCRAT HE
2:01
CAN'T BECAUSE HE RESPECTED ME
2:03
FOR WHAT I DID THAT TODAY
2:05
THINK WHAT I DID MAYBE WAS TO
2:07
ME A NORMAL RESPONSE, BUT I
2:10
WAS CALLED BY -- MARK
2:13
ZUCKERBERG YESTERDAY DAY
2:15
BEFORE APOLOGIZED SAID THEY
2:17
MADE A MISTAKE ET CETERA, ET
2:18
CETERA, CORRECTING THE MISTAKE
2:20
GOOGLE NOBODY CALLED FROM
2:21
GOOGLE ONE OF THE THINGS DO I
2:23
IN A SHOW LIKE YOURS YOU SHOW
2:24
YOU SAY IT ON FOX BUT WHEN YOU
2:27
REALLY SEE IT ALL OVER THE
2:29
PLACE TAKE CLIPS OF YOUR SHOW
2:30
DOING RIGHT NOW WITH ME IF I
2:31
DO A GOOD JOB THEY ARE GOING
2:33
TO VOTE FOR ME THEY ARE GOING
2:35
TO VOTE FOR ME BECAUSE NOT
2:37
JUST ON FOX IT IS ON FOX A
2:40
SMALLER PART OF IT OWN ALL
2:43
OVER THE BEAUTIFUL CELL PHONES
2:44
ALL OVER THE PLACE.
2:46
YOU HAVE A PRODUCT YOU HAVE A
2:47
GREAT PRODUCT YOU HAVE A GREAT
2:49
BRAND YOU HAVE TO GET OUT YOU
2:50
HAVE TO GET OUT TO DO THINGS
2:53
LIKE YOUR SHOW AND OTHER
2:55
SHOWS, AND GOOGLE HAS BEEN
2:57
VERY BAD OF THIS BEEN VERY
3:00
IRRESPONSIBLE I HAVE A FEELING
3:01
GOOGLE GOING TO BE CLOSE TO
3:03
SHUT DOWN BECAUSE I DON'T
3:03
THINK CONGRESS IS GOING TO
3:05
TAKE IT I REALLY DON'T THINK
3:07
SO GOOGLE HAS TO BE CAREFUL I
3:09
WILL SAY THIS I BELIEVE MARK
3:13
ZUCKERBERG CALLED ME A LOT I
3:15
THINK THEY FIXED IT NOT DOING
3:18
WHAT HE DID FOUR YEARS AGO
3:19
WITH 500 MILLION DOLLARS I
3:21
DON'T BELIEVE.
3:23
>> AND NOT ENDORSING A
3:28
DEMOCRAT FIRST TIME HE HASN'T.
3:30
>> ARE YOU GOING TO ENCOURAGE
3:32
LIABILITY PROTECTION REMOVED
3:33
SHOULD YOU RETURN.
3:35
IN CONGRESS NOW WHEN I LOOK AT
3:36
PARENTS ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED
3:38
BY IT THAT IS OKAY WITH ME
3:40
THEY CAN'T PRODUCE SOMETHING
3:41
DO I THINK A VERY SLOW, VERY
3:43
HARD TO DO, HAVE TO GO THROUGH
3:46
EVERY TWEET GO THROUGH EVERY
3:47
SINGLE THING THAT HAPPENS,
3:48
LIKE IN CASE OF ELON, ELON
3:51
DOING A GOOD JOB ELON INVOLVED
3:53
ME VERY STRONGLY, AND --
3:56
MARIA: TIKTOK.
3:58
HE HAS A GOOD INSIDE OF MESS.
4:01
MARIA: WHAT DO YOU THINK?
4:02
>> ELON ELON MUSK I THINK, I
4:05
FOUND HIM TO BE VERY HIS VIEW
4:07
ON THE WHOLE SITUATION WITH
4:10
SHOULD WE HAVE RESTRICTIONS,
4:11
AND I THINK I HAVE HE WANTS
4:13
CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS, BUT IT
4:15
GETS YOU KNOW VERY COMPLICATED
4:17
SUBJECT FREEDOM OF SPEECH
4:19
WHOLE THING, BUT WHEN YOU SEE
4:22
SOME OF THESE KIDS COMMITTING
4:25
SUICIDE OVER FALSE THINGS THAT
4:26
ARE PUT OUT, OVER THESE
4:29
PLATFORMS I WILL SAY THAT JEFF
4:33
BEZOS, SAID THAT PICTURE IS
4:34
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
4:35
PICTURES IN THE HISTORY OF OUR
4:38
KIN.
4:38
HE WAS VERY NICE EVEN THOUGH
4:41
-- "WASHINGTON POST" YOU KNOW,
4:44
WE HAD A LONG TALK HE SAID I
4:46
WAS GLUED TO TELEVISION FOR
4:48
LONGER THAN EVERY GLUED TO MY
4:50
TELEVISION.
4:50
ALL PEOPLE CALLED AFTER THE
4:51
ASSASSINATION ALL CALLED ME
4:53
THEY SAID THANK YOU.
4:54
>> THEY THANKED ME, NOBODY
4:57
FROM GOOGLE DID JEFF BEZOS DID
4:59
MARK ZUCKERBERG DID ELON DOES
5:02
A FRIEND OF MINE GAVE ME
5:03
STRONGEST ENDORSEMENT, ELON IS
5:05
NOT SOMEBODY TO ENDORSE IF HE
5:06
DOESN'T BELIEVE IN YOU, HE
5:09
GIVE A ME STRONG -- I AM NOT
5:11
SO -- BIG ON ELECTRIC CARS NOT
5:14

Angels of death

Redo of famous gospel number
is enough to wake the dead

You've never heard that traditional gospel number, "The Old Churchyard," done with such subtle and stirring beauty as in this performance by the Petersens.

The song goes back centuries, early settlers having brought it from Britain to America, where it became entrenched in Appalachian culture. The Scots Irish settlers evidently picked it up. You'll note Katie Petersen's amazing mimicry of bagpipes with her unique five-string fiddle.

Young Julianne, as lead singer, shines once again. Cleverly, she begins in a rather muted tone and builds to the enthralling climax verse:

I rest in the hope that one bright day
Sunshine will burst through these prisons of clay
And Old Gabriel's trumpet and the voice of the Lord
They will wake up the dead in the old churchyard

Julianne has always had a major, if understated, influence on this band, which has a large global following on YouTube. But upon completing her schooling, she has shown herself an even more remarkable creative presence, gliding easily among the Beatles, Bob Dylan, traditional gospel and her own acutely poetic songs. Her loving siblings are happy to play along.

This video brings us "Petersens Lite." Only the three young sirens appear here, with trustworthy Ellen backing Julz with melodious vocal skill. Neither she nor Julz has her instrument. The decision to go with "bagpipes" only brought excellent results. Sometimes all those string band strings can overwhelm a poetic performance. Even so, this bunch has no problem getting down and whipping out great old-timey Bluegrass, tho they prefer to grass up contemporary material. In this case, tho, we can't even say they're "grassing it up." More like "bagpiping it up."

In the full band, Julianne handles the mandolin, Mother ("Get It Mama") Karen the bass fiddle, Matt the guitar, Petersens' "adoptee" Emmett Franz the dobro, Ellen the banjo and wily Katie the fiddle.

The song gained prominence during the American folk revival of the 1960s and '70s, and interestingly Julz likes to sample from that Folk era. Among noteworthy folkies who have interpreted "Old Churchyard" are Joan Baez; Almeda "Granny" Riddle from Arkansas; Sarah Gunning from Eastern Kentucky; Waterson:Carthy, a noted British Folk group; and Offa Rex, a collaboration between the Decemberists and Olivia Chaney.

In August, the band leaves their entertainment mecca hometown of Branson, Mo., in the heart of the fabled Ozarks, for Europe.

Tickets are available via the Petersens site.
https://petersenband.com/the-petersens-return-to-europe/ Here is the tour schedule:

London (Union Chapel, Islington). Tue. Aug. 13. https://www.seetickets.com/event/the-petersens/union-chapel/3000403

Gistel, Belgium (Moeder van Vrede). Thur. Aug. 15. Free festival at a family religious center; registration is required. https://www.moedervanvrede.be/Maria/inschrijven-wel-gezin-de-dagen/

Cologne. (Stadthalle). Sat. Aug. 17. https://agenturahrens.ticket.io/9urw6qs0/?cryptedId=9urw6qs0

Paris. Mon. Aug. 19. (Le Cabaret Sauvage). https://www.seetickets.com/event/the-petersens/le-cabaret-sauvage-/3039818

Cork, Ireland. (St. Luke's). Thur. Aug. 22. https://www.seetickets.com/event/the-petersens/live-at-st-luke-s/3007389

Brace yourself for the Petersens' upcoming Eurotour

London (Union Chapel, Islington). Tue. Aug. 13.
https://www.seetickets.com/event/the-petersens/union-chapel/3000403

Gistel, Belgium (Moeder van Vrede). Thur. Aug. 15. Free festival at a family religious center; registration is required.
https://www.moedervanvrede.be/Maria/inschrijven-wel-gezin-de-dagen/

Cologne (Stadthalle). Sat. Aug. 17.
https://agenturahrens.ticket.io/9urw6qs0/?cryptedId=9urw6qs0

Paris (Le Cabaret Sauvage) Mon. Aug. 19.
https://www.seetickets.com/event/the-petersens/le-cabaret-sauvage-/3039818

Cork, Ireland (St. Luke's). Thur. Aug. 22.
https://www.seetickets.com/event/the-petersens/live-at-st-luke-s/3007389

Wielding one mean dobro

Emmett Franz: a tale of an Ozarks Bluegrass legend in the making?

The Petersens made Emmett Franz and Emmett Franz made the Petersens.

That's the takeaway one might get when reviewing the meteoric success of the Bluegrass band based in the Ozarks resort town of Branson, Mo.

It's not that the Petersens weren't alluring and proficient at earning a living with their regular shows and tours. But when the band mates found that the covid scare forced them to turn to Youtube and Patreon for income, it turned out that Emmett's mastery of the dobro was a definite plus. (The group was also fortunate in having an excellent video producer, Aaron Clark, to showcase its work.)

Emmett Franz gets down with his dobro as Karen Petersen tackles bass.

---

An example of what I mean is the group's first viral hit, Jolene, sung by svelte siren Ellen. I've heard plenty of Bluegrass dobroists, but never one who demonstrates the dexterity and mastery of Emmett. He is so good that the band sometimes has to dial him down a bit so that he doesn't overwhelm everybody else.

"One of the first times I heard Emmett perform was in a small house concert with maybe 15 people in attendance," gushed Ellen in 2020, when I Want It That Way was released. "He sang I Want It That Way and we were blown away with his awesome arrangement and style. We can't sing this man's praises enough and are so thankful he's part of the band (and basically family)."

Of course a dobro is a resonator guitar, which sounds similar to the electrified steel guitar but needs no extra amplification. And yours truly is not the only observer who has deemed Emmett as in the same general category as a really good rock lead guitarist.

From the Branson Tri Lakes News:

For their debut concert of 2023, The Nest featured [Arizona indy rock band] BOXEN with opener Emmett Franz on March 13.

“We were essentially sold out. We had a few people that didn't show up to take their seats, which always happens. For the size of the venue, we thought it was great,” Tom said. “I think Emmett Franz just blew everybody away. I don’t think hardly anybody knew who Emmett Franz was, other than his fans that he brought which were plentiful. The pre-show was very well received.”

Andrea [Brett] added, it had been BOXEN’s idea to invite Franz to be a part of their concert, which she agreed worked out great.

Another interesting point is that the Arkansas native's excellence at hillbilly-style vocals would serve him well in the straight rock genre, where mellowness of voice is not required. And he has plenty of experience at rock, as the Petersens do quite a bit of grassed-up Rock.

The band no doubt is breathing a sigh of relief that its prize player doesn't remove to Nashville in order to earn a handsome living as a studio musician. But as Emmett is one of sweet dynamite Katie's closest friends, that option may well be off the table.

---

Emmett Franz playlist 

Wrong Side of Tomorrow
https://youtu.be/BfxF3hQu2ok

The Scientist
https://youtu.be/WwqFUY4HcS8?list=PLRTSFgot_wgqdJekfGn8cNjDMESvBgFSP

Moments
https://youtu.be/PBLSzetYYWs

Thunder Ridge
https://youtu.be/8hFts9PYRX4?list=PLi4OplF1xLPcZSY6HdbucQFCIu7zIm1Ut

Walls of Time
https://youtu.be/8JsrLsdK_M8?list=UULFy9CXl0iFafrcBA953Iqd0Q

It Rains Everywhere I go
https://youtu.be/nws1LVRpEpg?list=UULFy9CXl0iFafrcBA953Iqd0Q

Summer Wind
https://youtu.be/JMtt1oKN6t0?list=UULFy9CXl0iFafrcBA953Iqd0Q

Viva la Vida
https://youtu.be/n-TzinaPdBQ?list=UULFy9CXl0iFafrcBA953Iqd0Q

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
https://youtu.be/1OJp9yVaZiE

I feel the Blues Moving In
https://youtu.be/Ry_Nh3slMgI

Think About the Two of Us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AV_ObfltSA

Red-headed Stranger
https://youtu.be/eT5NlmgDJqs

If I Needed You
https://youtu.be/f8GwRknGigw

All My Tears
https://youtu.be/wsQw2UPHdS0

I Want It That Way
https://youtu.be/w009AfeBZSA

Come to Jesus
https://youtu.be/7AdNov_uWnY

A bright Ozark morning

Original song neatly blends traditional themes

Group has had to expand its upcoming Eurotour
amid longing for music whole family can enjoy

Blending traditional modes into a new whole, the Petersens have come up with something very special that, in our estimation, is likely to be covered quite a lot.

Sisters Julianne and Katie Petersen worked together with Nashville country musician Johnny Meyer to write the lyrics for and compose Morningside, which weaves together traditional Gospel, Bluegrass and Country themes.

Julianne, as is her wont, brings us a subtle and interesting lead vocal. Julz is a well-rounded poet and musical artist, with an excellent feel for the new and the old. She goes from Coldplay to Bob Dylan to her own Silly Girls (see below) without batting an eyelash.

Morningside features instrumental breaks, including Katie's fabulous fiddle, Ellen's strong banjo, Matt's expert flat-picking, Julianne's acute mandolin and Emmet's always skillful dobro.

No wonder this Ozarks band, based in that family entertainment mecca, Branson, Mo., has a highly devoted global following.

Here is a verse, which gives you the flavor of the song:

If the wind of sorrow takes me
On the wings of love I'll fly
Till I come to rest so sweetly
Over on the morningside
Over on the morningside

(If you wonder why Ellen is running uphill during the video outro, the answer is that she hears her nine-month-old girl Macy demanding her presence.)

---

Brace yourself for the Petersens upcoming Eurotour

London (Union Chapel, Islington). Tue. Aug. 13.
Gistel, Belgium (Moeder van Vrede). Thur. Aug. 15. Free festival at a family religious center; registration is required.
Cologne. (Stadthalle). Sat. Aug. 17.
Paris. Mon. Aug. 19. (Le Cabaret Sauvage).
Cork, Ireland. (St. Luke's). Thur. Aug. 22.

---

Silly Girls