The Monday night dance takes a one-week holiday on Monday, March 27, 2023, so that the Town can set up for elections occurring the next day. (Elections had to be postponed from 3/14/23 due to the monster snowstorm.)
The dance will occur as usual on Monday, April 3, and weekly thereafter.
Ethan Robbins’ was the first concert we canceled due to the COVID outbreak in early 2020 so it seems appropriate that we welcome him back to the Nelson Town Hall as we return to the local concert calendar. His band, Cold Chocolate, will be at the Nelson Town Hall on Sunday, April 16 for an afternoon concert starting at 3:00 PM. Admission is $18/$15(senior, student, or in advance).
Cold Chocolate is a genre-bending Americana band that fuses folk, funk, and bluegrass to create a unique sound all their own. Featuring Ethan Robbins on guitar, Ariel Bernstein on percussion, and backed by some of the root’s music scene’s finest players, this group from Boston is impressing audiences throughout New England and beyond. Punctuated by tight harmonies and skillful musicianship, and with a focus on songwriting, Cold Chocolate has quickly gained recognition for their original music and high-energy shows. The band has shared bills with Leftover Salmon and David Grisman, and regularly performs at venues and music festivals across the country.
Cosy Sheridan will appear in concert at The Nelson Town Hall on Sunday, November 13 at 3 pm. She will be accompanied on bass and keyboards by Charlie Koch and Kent Allyn. Special guest appearance by Julie Snow!
This will be MFS’ first indoor concert since early 2020. There is NO ADMISSION FEE, but we will have a basket out for donations to cover our presentation costs. We are still in the midst of a pandemic and require that masks be worn indoors and there will be no refreshments served. Help us return to the world of music presentation while keeping everyone safe. Please review our COVID protocols.
Cosy Sheridan first appeared on the national folk scene in 1992 when she won the songwriting contests at The Kerrville Folk Festival and The Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The Boston Globe wrote: ”she is now being called one of the best new singer/songwriters”. She plays a percussive bluesy guitar – often in open tunings and occasionally with 2 or more capos on the guitar. She is backed up with the strong rhythms and harmonies of bass player Charlie Koch and keyboardist Kent Allyn.
Cosy continues to be one of the most prolific songwriters in the folk scene. My Fence & My Neighbor was number four on the folk radio charts in 2018. Pretty Bird was listed in Sing Out Magazine’s Great CDs of 2014.
She learned guitar when she was nine years old from her babysitter – using an old guitar she found under the family piano. She was a voice student at The Berklee College of Music, and a guitar student of legendary fingerstyle players Eric Schoenberg and Guy Van Duser. She has played at Carnegie Hall, The Cowgirl Hall of Fame, and on the Jerry Lewis Telethon.
She teaches classes in songwriting, performance, and guitar at workshops and adult music camps across the country. She is the director of Moab Folk Camp in Moab, Utah.
“Her user-friendly musical philosophy sets her happily apart from the myopic, self-involved songwriters… she is a wonderfully lively, very funny and enormously amiable entertainer with a keen and wicked eye for the excesses of our fast-food, tv-happy and noisome culture.” – The Boston Globe
“A Buddhist monk in a 12-step program trapped in the body of a singer/songwriter.” – The Albuquerque Journal
“Sheridan is frank, feisty, sublimely and devilishly funny. She fuses myth with modern culture, Persephone with Botox.” – Cornell Folksong Society
The Aurora Nealand Sextet will bring the music of New Orleans to Dublin, NH on Friday, July 1 at 7:00 PM for a concert on the lawn at the Fountain Arts Building on the campus of the Dublin School. The sextet is:
An established bandleader, composer, performer and improviser, Aurora Nealand has become a prominent force in the New Orleans music scene since she first arrived in 2004. Combining the “formal education” – a music composition degree from Oberlin Conservatory and training at the Jacques Lecoq School of Physical Theatre in Paris – with the “informal” experience of playing music in the streets and clubs of New Orleans and throughout the northern Hemisphere, Nealand has emerged as an innovative, sensitive and daring music creator and performer.
She is most recognized for her performance on saxophones, clarinet and vocals and has been at the forefront of the revival of New Orleans Traditional Jazz amongst the younger generation of the city’s musicians. After playing and learning as a sideman in established New Orleans Bands for several years, (Panorama Jazz Band, VaVaVoom, The New Orleans Moonshiners), in 2010 she formed her own Traditional Jazz band “The Royal Roses”. The Royal Roses released it’s first album, “A Tribute to Sydney Bechet: Live at Preservation Hall” to national acclaim and Nealand was voted as one of Downbeat Magazines top ten rising stars for soprano saxophone in 2010.
Nealand grew up in a musical family in California listening to Preservation Hall Jazz Band recordings side by side with Stravinsky, Joan Baez and the Pixies. Later, during her time at Oberlin College/Conservatory she was exposed and fell in love with the recordings of Mingus, the soundscapes of Mort Subotnik and the performances of Laurie Anderson. With a strong interest in interdisciplinary work and sound for theatre and installation, she moved to Paris to study at the Ecole du Theatre Physical Jacques Lecoq. Upon returning to the states, she bicycled cross-country collecting audio interviews and stories in rural America to be used in a series of compositions about true “American Dreams”. This bicycle trip landed her in New Orleans, which has acted as her home base since 2005. In New Orleans she began playing traditional jazz, jazz manouche of Django Reinhardt, as well as Balkan/Klezmer music. She quickly became involved in the local improvisation scene as well, making frequent appearances at the Open Ears series playing her own compositions with various ensembles and artists.
In addition to leading the Royal Roses, Nealand is also the leader/frontman ofNew Orleans premier rockabilly band “Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers”, and as performs frequently with her solo project, “The Monocle”. She also is a member of Panorama Jazz Band and Why Are We Building Such A Big Ship. In 2010 and 2011 she appeared frequently as herself in the HBO TV series, “Treme”.
Nealand has performed extensively in New Orleans at clubs, in the Jazz and Heritage Fest, FrenchQuarter Fest and Satchmo Fest. She has also performed frequently in New York City at Lincoln Center Summer Festival in NYC, the BlueNote, Knitting Factory, Barbes and has premiered original works at Symphony Space and Alice Tully Hall. Internationally she has appeared at the Istanbul Jazz Festival, London Swing Festival, Barcelona Swing Out, and has toured several times around Irealand, Sweden, Germany , France and the Balkans.
**Tracy/Murphy/Bode/Amidon New Years Eve Concert**
(Fri, Dec 31 at the Brattleboro Music Center
Live Concerts 5:00 pm and 7:30 pm – purchase tickets here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=bmcvt
Join us online- 7:30 pm – no tickets required – here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r8HcXl1KBw
**#1 a note from Keith Murphy:**
We are all aware of the shifting ground under our feet right now. We have been excited to pull together a version of our traditional New Year’s Eve concert with the Brattleboro Music Center, an organization that has done great work through the recent phase of the pandemic in producing safe, well-controlled live events. Now with the current wave of Omicron, we realize that many people who would otherwise have come to this show will feel better not attending in person. So we have been rushing to organize a live stream on youtube. We still plan on playing at the BMC and will still open the doors for what we expect to be a small, in-person audience. The auditorium is a big room, people will be well spread out and we will be performing with masks. Like everyone else, we look forward to less complicated times! Meanwhile, you should be able to join us.
**#2 essentials:**
\* \* T W E N T I E T H A N N U A L \* \*
**Becky Tracy**
**Keith Murphy**
**Zara Bode**
**Stefan Amidon**
**Peter Amidon**
**Mary Alice Amidon**
\* \* N E W Y E A R S E V E C O N C E R T S \* \*
this year sponsored by the
and held at the_ Brattleboro Music Center
72 Blanche Moyse Way
Friday, December 31
two live 75-minute concerts at
**5:00 pm** and **7:30 pm**
Here is what you need to know:
**Tickets for the live shows -** $15 adult, $5 youth (6-14), free to 5 and under (please reserve a seat)
12 and older must present proof of vaccination or negative PCR test at the door
(age 11 and under are not required to have proof of vaccination or negative PCR test)
Everyone, including children, must be masked.
_**#3 more details**_
Becky Tracy & Keith Murphy, Stefan Amidon & Zara Bode, and Peter & Mary Alice Amidon present their 20th Brattleboro New Year’s Eve concert of New England, Appalachian, Irish and French-Canadian dance music, fiddling from around the world, and a feast of singing including singing for all.
Keith Murphy (guitar, mandolin, piano, foot percussion) and Becky Tracy (fiddle) will heat up the hall with fiercely intelligent and driving arrangements of dance tunes and traditional songs. Becky Tracy plays with the popular contra dance band Wild Asparagus; Keith Murphy has been a headliner in the Cambridge Revels, and he sang and acted the part of Dudley Laufman in Larry Siegel’s musical theater show “The Dancing Master”. Keith plays a central role in the Childsplay annual concerts both as a musician and an arranger. Becky and Keith are both founding members of the Nightingale trio which broke new ground in its sophisticated approach to traditional music. They are founders and teachers of the Traditional Music Educational Program at the Brattleboro Music Center. Their music was featured in the Ken Burns documentary on the Roosevelts.
While the dynamic pair of Zara Bode and Stefan Amidon are not well known as a ‘duo’ per say, they are greatly admired as the faces behind musical sensations The Sweetback Sisters and The Devil Makes Three. Stefan is a master percussionist, multi-instrumentalist, and expressive bass singer. And Zara is a powerful vocalist of rare versatility that captivates our audiences year after year with her gorgeous interpretations of songs old and new. Both are members of the new extraordinary “Zara Bode Little Big Band”. Fresh off their Sweetback Sisters Country Christmas Singalong Spectacular tour Stefan and Zara are sure to delight with their marvelous and often eccentric musical selections.
Devoted to traditional music and dance, Peter and Mary Alice are freelance musicians, dance educators, choral arrangers/leaders, and publishers of music and dance materials. Mary Alice is a member of, and Peter co-Music Director of the Guilford Community Church Choir, and of Hallowell, southeastern Vermont’s hospice singing group. Their choral arrangements and compositions are being sung by hundreds of church and community choirs in the U.S. and the UK.
For more information on the concert please call 802-257-1006 or 802- 257-4720.
For information on tickets or safety protocols call the BMC at 802-257-4523.
The Monadnock Folklore Society is proud to present the 2021 Mummer’s Play and a specially recorded, seasonally themed ‘First Sunday Pub Sing’.
Our huge thanks to MFS board member Peter Martel for audio production and most especially to Dave Kirkpatrick of Iron Horse Audio and Video in Keene for their excellent work and so many hours of donated time to produce the Mummer’s Play and Song Circle this year.
https://ironhorseaudio.com/
The Monadnock Folklore Society produces this community event every year, but for 2021, we had to forego the admission and of course, the dessert potluck will be DIY this year.
Back in 2019, we had more interest in this event than the Nelson Town Hall could accommodate and many people were turned away at the door. Here is the 2019 Holiday Concert featuring a selection of traditional and original seasonal music performed by The Solstice Sisters (Alouette Iselin, Melanie Everard, Kim Wallach, & Heather Bower) and friends including a performance by our Johnny Trombly Scholarship recipient. After the concert, the chairs and benches are usually cleared to make way for a traditional New England Contradance. Unfortunately, or not, the dance is often interrupted by various groups of unsavory characters presenting their idea of seasonal entertainment. These diversions, sometimes involving costumed individuals making complete fools of themselves or performing ancient ritual dances to help us through this dark time of the year, are generally tolerated as once they are applauded and fed we can return to dancing the night away. Two years ago we had to endure this 2019 Mummer’s Play.
Due to our current circumstances, we were not able to host this event in the traditional manner but we have managed to collect some past video performances including Kim’s solo version of the Nelson Wassail and our 2020 Mummer’s Play.
You may also be interested in these videos from previous Solstice concerts:
https://youtu.be/ytHSRV510Ns – harp and hammer dulcimer
https://youtu.be/zvGHVqDU7HY – Green Grows the Holly
https://youtu.be/wdU3NBlvfQY – Let This Be My Prayer
https://youtu.be/sAGjuTFUDMY – Traveler’s Prayer
https://youtu.be/tKWgGlcVlyo Wassail the Silver Apple
https://youtu.be/4A3guUyKzUk Comfort of Singing Voices
https://youtu.be/0pazXEjvM34 Keep Me Warm Medley
https://youtu.be/5OZEnsU_ICg Children Go Where I Send Thee
https://youtu.be/BlWzz27AQso Walking in the Air
After more than a year, Music in Bass Hall returns with New Hampshire Fiddle Madness on November 19th!
How delightful to be at a Celtic music session, listening to enchanting tunes from Ireland, Scotland, Shetland, Cape Breton, and of course our own Celtic-influenced New England music. Part of the magic of such a session is the intuitive interaction between musicians, a spontaneity that can only come from years of familiarity with the repertoire. That’s what you’ll experience at this Music in Bass Hall concert as some of the region’s finest performers come together for an evening of fabulous fiddle music. While these musicians have played in various configurations with each other for many years, this is a rare opportunity to hear them all performing together.
Tickets are required in ADVANCE, see https://monadnockcenter.org/event/new-hampshire-fiddle-madness/ for more information and to buy tickets.
For the first time since March of 2020, the Monadnock Folklore Society is planning some events.
We expect to host the first Nelson Monday Night Dance on Halloween, 10/31/22, and our first concert on 11/13/22 with Cosy Sheridan.
Note that the Monday Dance will be a one-time event, not the restart of the Monday dance series. We’ll see how it goes and then will decide on next steps.
Everyone aged two and up must wear a high-filtration (N95, KN95, KF94) mask inside the building at all times (except for *brief* sips of a beverage) and not eat inside the building. Masks will be available for sale at the door. Performers playing music on stage may choose not to mask.
Everyone should be vaccinated and boosted.
If you get sick within 5 days after the dance, contact contrainfo@monadnockfolk.org. Sign up for the Nelson Mailing List to be notified about potential exposure as well as other dance news.
Please consider taking a rapid antigen test no more than 24 hours before the dance.
If the CDC reports any of these NH counties as Red, the dance will be canceled: Cheshire, Hillsborough, Sullivan.
**New Start Time: 7:30 PM**
No slow jam yet while we figure things out.
Amazon Smile
AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support the Monadnock Folklore Society every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop at AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same prices as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.
How do I select the Monadnock Folklore Society to support when shopping on AmazonSmile?
On your first visit to smile.amazon.com, you need to search for the Monadnock Folklore Society to receive donations from eligible purchases. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make through AmazonSmile will result in a donation.
Thank you!
What is Amazon Smile
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Change Your Currently Selected Charity
Since we are still without a performance venue and are not up to speed as a presenter in the time of COVID, PFMS has graciously agreed to present Beppe at The Spinning Room in Harrisville.
“Italian guitarist, Beppe Gambetta is considered by many musicians in the world as one of, if not the best, acoustic guitarists. His talent, his taste, and his execution are superb. In this latest release (The American Album), Gambetta returns to the bluegrass field with a very nice selection of familiars and originals…This is a wonderful project of clean guitar interpretations that both musicians and non-pickers should enjoy” (BF, Bluegrass Unlimited).
“…spinning a thick weave that sometimes calls to mind what a duet by Doc Watson and Leo Kottke might sound like.” (Mike Joyce, The Washington Post)
BEPPE GAMBETTA
BEPPE GAMBETTA “WHERE THE WIND BLOWS” Beppe Gambetta is an Italian guitarist, vocalist and composer who found a way to make Italian and American traditions speak together with one voice. Born in the seaport city of Genova and raised on American Flatpicking he developed a unique captivating guitar and performance style.
Beppe is beloved all over the world, gaining new fans and friends with every performance and every new recording. Where The Wind Blows is no exception and may be the best one yet. One final note: in 2019 Beppe was awarded with the title of “Genoa Ambassador To The World” by the Genoa Mayor Marco Bucci.
From a young acoustic guitarist channeling Italian and American folk and bluegrass into a signature style, he became singer, composer, arranger, sound engineer and concert producer. At age 65 he has added one more title: Poet. It turns out he has a lot to say about roots, role models, the road and artistic freedom—and he expresses himself in a voice of unhurried warmth and passion. (Alan Tigay, World Listening Post)
His incredible versatility combined with his charm and engaging stage presence make Beppe’s concerts evenings of high quality music and relaxed entertainment. Over-riding all else, however, is the brilliance of his talent…(Cornish Guardian)
…Though he’s shown over the years that he can keep pace with the Tony Rices and Dan Crarys of the world, , it is Gambetta’s understated elegance as a flatpicker that has set him apart and made him an in-demand partner the world over. (Sing Out!)
…spinning a thick weave that sometimes calls to mind what a duet by Doc Watson and Leo Kottke might sound like. (Mike Joyce, The Washington Post) In the end, Gambetta’s originals offer some of the most intriguing listening for their amazing virtuosity, pleasing tunefulness, and beyond category pedigree. He’s truly a man of the world. (Roger Levesque, Penguin Eggs)
www.facebook.com/BeppeGambetta
www.youtube.com/BeppeGambettamusic
www.instagram.com/BeppeGambett
“Beppe Gambetta has built countless bridges between Genoa and the Americas, combining the rich culture of his hometown with the beauty of the American roots and adding in his compositions contemporary influences to the traditions he mastered. He has been a true Ambassador of the Genovese culture in all his studies, productions and performances”.
For his 14th CD (Where The Wind Blows, Borealis Records, Canada 2020) Beppe Gambetta revealed himself to be not simply a master guitarist but also a new songwriter of great feeling, wisdom and maturity. “Where the Wind Blows” is a collection of songs and tunes all written, arranged and performed by Beppe with the extraordinary collaboration of American bass player Rusty Holloway and percussionist Joe Bonadio.
