Okay Bubba, or as your profile says "Rocco", since Dave has moved this here to the Basement...
I've been putting microphones in front of Maria Muldaur since 1967
(they don't call me "Grampa" around here for nothing) and her microphone technique has been pretty much the same the whole time. I find it neither better or worse than many other singers'.
As for the "Evil Eye" if that troubles you, you are, as our moderator might suggest, in the wrong business. Try having you job skills and manhood questioned over 50kw of PA to several thousand people before you start to get sensitive.
That said, Maria is, and since her "hit record" days been very hard of hearing, and does demand a vocal level in her monitors that would do credit to a heavy metal band. This IS a problem in smaller venues where her wedges alone are usually louder IN THE AUDIENCE than they, the audience, actually wants to hear. In a 1000 seat theatre where she was appearing accompanied only by a solo acoustic piano, the theatre manager came to me at sound check and asked "is it going to be THAT LOUD during the performance?
He was amazed when told that the house system had not yet been turned on. BTW Maria asked minutes later if she could get "just a little more vocal in her wedges".
Yes, an evening with Maria CAN be a trial, as former members of her bands and those of us who have been in the crosshairs of the "Evil Eye" discuss at our "Maria Muldaur Survivors" group therapy sessions. But, as you said, she CAN sing well after all.
The main things to remember are:
It's only one day in your life.
Your job is to make the best show for the paying customers. "Artists" CAN be difficult, it comes with the territory.
There are MANY far worse experiences than Maria Muldaur.
But as any member of the "group" mentioned above can tell you the MOST important survival rule is:
NEVER get between Maria and the deli platter!
Cheers,
Grampa