MFS events archive from late 2005 through 2010. Organized newest to oldest.
Nowell Sing We Clear (return to archive index)
Fri, December 3rd, 2010 – 8:00 PM – Dublin Church – $15/$12 (Sr/Jr)
One of our Annual Seasonal Extravaganzas!
Not to be missed!
This will be the thirty-sixth touring season of Nowell Sing We Clear with its unusual songs, carols, stories, and customs. Drawn mostly from English-language folk traditions, the songs tell both a version of the events and characters involved in the Christmas story and detail the customs which make up the twelve magical days following the return of the light at the winter solstice. Many of these ancient customs are the basis of the today’s holiday traditions, such as visiting and feasting, gift-giving, carol singing from door-to-door and the adorning of houses and churches with garlands of evergreen.
Nowell Sing We Clear celebrates Christmas as it was known for centuries in Britain and North America and as it continues in many places to the present. The songs come from an age when the midwinter season was a time for joyous celebration and vigorous expression of older, perhaps pagan, religious ideas. There is not always a clear line between these and the rejoicing at the birth of Jesus bringing a fresh light into the world at this dark midwinter time. A special and unusual treat is the enactment of a Mummers Play from Kentucky. Performed in the traditional manner, the play is typical of folk dramas which survive to this day throughout Britain and North America symbolizing and portraying the death of the land at midwinter and its subsequent rebirth in the spring.
While much of the singing is done in unaccompanied style, the pageant is also stamped with the energetic dance band sound of fiddle, button accordion, electric piano, drums, and concertina. The audience will be supplied with songsheets and encouraged to sing along, though after three decades of touring in New England, a whole generation of young people have grown up with these songs and carols and sing along with as much as they can. Some “new”, that is “different”, songs and carols are introduced every year. Performers are John Roberts and Tony Barrand, widely known for their lively presentations of English folk songs, and Fred Breunig and Andy Davis, well known in New England as dance callers and musicians.
Nowell Sing We Clear has become a regular part of some communities on the Eastern seaboard. The group has several recordings of songs from the show which have been popular items in many households at this time of year. Their CDs are drawn from songs learned for their concerts: The newest is Just Say Nowell, Hail Smiling Morn has a cover designed by famous Vermont artist, Mary Azarian, and Nowell SingWe Four.The first three LP recordings are all well represented on a compact disk, The Best of Nowell: 1976 – 1985 All recordings are available from Golden Hind Records.
~~~~
Gary Sredzienski (return to archive index)
Fri, October 26th, 2010 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $12/$9 (Sr/Jr)
~~~~
Jacqueline Schwab in Concert (return to archive index)
Sun, May 16th, 2010 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $15/$12 (Sr/Jr)
The Monadnock Folklore Society presents Jacqueline Schwab, folk and classical improvisational pianist, in concert on Sunday, May 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the Nelson, NH Town Hall. She has been described as someone who plays “gorgeously spare piano” (The Boston Globe) yet “sounds as if she has an orchestra at her fingertips” (Sing Out). Chosen by the renowned Ken Burns for numerous public television documentaries due to the emotional expression in her playing, Jacqueline has performed on the soundtracks for the Grammy award-winning Civil War, the Emmy award-winning Baseball and Mark Twain, among others.
“Jacqueline Schwab brings more feeling and intensity to music than anyone I know. Her playing is insistent, physical, heartfelt and … unusually moving.” – Ken Burns
Jacqueline’s signature style defies easy categorization, fitting somewhere in the crossover between folk, traditional, classical and new age music. Although many people connect improvisation with jazz, Jacqueline’s inspirations are traditional music of England, Scotland, Ireland, and America, blues, vintage tangos, Bach’s dance suites, nineteenth-century parlor piano, and the turn-of-the-twentieth-century sounds of Satie, Debussy and Bartok for starters.
Jacqueline performs solo piano concerts of vintage American and traditional English and Scottish music, creating the intimate feeling of an old-fashioned parlor setting. A Lexington Minuteman solo concert review said, “(Her playing was) full of colors and introspection which drew the listener into a musical reverie from which it was hard to return.”
~~~~~
Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers (return to archive index)
Fri, March 19th, 2010 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $12/$9 (Sr/Jr)
The Monadnock Folklore Society is excited to present Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers at the Nelson Town Hall on Friday, March 19 at 8:00 PM. Admission is $12/$9(senior, youth & advance internet).
Founded in 2006 by four Berklee College of Music students, BMUZ decided to do something really different. They combined Scandinavian music and a nyckelharpa with American Old Time music, four and five string fiddles and a jazz and bluegrass guitarist. The result? A contemporary string band filled with epic triple fiddles, catchy melodies and driving rhythms full of raw energy and mashy quirk.
Although they think of themselves as a musical unit, the members of BMUZ each have their own individual sound. Bronwyn Bird grew up performing in musical theater. As a teenager, she discovered a nyckelharpa hanging on a neighbor’s wall, and quickly fell in love with the instrument. While spending a year in Sweden studying Swedish music, she built the nyckelharpa she currently uses. Andy Reiner grew up in a musical family and spent his childhood attending music camps where he was exposed to a myriad of styles of folk and contemporary music. He can’t choose which genre he likes playing the most, so he tends to successfully mesh them all together. Stash Wyslouch thought he was going to be an engineer until quite recently. His music has moved from heavy metal to bluegrass and jazz and draws on his Columbian and Polish background and love of reggae and funky grooves for his quirky compositions. Mariel Vandersteel grew up playing traditional Irish, Scottish and Quebecois music at contra dances as well as touring with Alasdair Fraser and the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers and with the Black Brothers. Before Berklee, she spent her summers studying music in Ireland and across the US and has spent four months studying the hardingfele in Norway.
Check them out at: http://www.myspace.com/unbuttonedzippers
~~~~
Windborne Trio (return to archive index)
Sun, February 21st, 2010 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $10/$8 (Sr/Jr)
Join us for a full day of music and dance. English dancing from 2:00-5:00 and then Windborne at 7:00.
Windborne Trio
Lynn Mahoney Rowan, Lauren Breunig, Will Thomas Rowan will appear at the Nelson Town Hall for a concert on Sunday, February 21 at 7:00 PM. Admission is $10/$8(senior, youth & advance internet).
Drawing from a lifetime of friendship and a love of music, Windborne Trio presents an evening of harmony singing from Europe and the United States. They move with ease between the soaring chords of Corsica, the striking polyphony of the Republic of Georgia, the close dissonances of Bulgaria, and the haunting harmonies of contemporary and traditional American tunes. They began singing together as teenagers at Village Harmony and have gone on to both teach and perform with Northern Harmony and the Renewal chorus. With their infectious joy and love of singing, Windborne is sure to delight and entertain. Will and Lynn’s debut album Windborne was reviewed by Mary DesRosiers here in January 2009.
~~~~
Annalivia (return to archive index)
Fri, February 5th, 2010 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $12/$9 (Sr/Jr)
Annalivia returns to the Nelson Town Hall on February 5, 2010 at 8:00 PM. Admission is $12/$9(senior, youth). Check out their website for a live version of Murphy’s Shadow performed 11/4/2009 in Peterborough, NH.
Annalivia plays traditional music from North America, the UK and Ireland with fresh, modern interpretations, while also adding their own original songs and tunes to the traditional canon. All this they achieve with grace, style and an abundance of youthful energy! Annalivia is made up of seasoned musicians who have toured with the likes of Cathie Ryan, John Whelan, The Glengarry Bhoys, and Adrienne Young. Annalivia’s sound is fresh and innovative, while still maintaining the authenticity of the tradition. The members of Annalivia, Liz Simmons, Flynn Cohen, Emerald Rae, Brendan Carey-Block and Stuart Kenney, are equally at home playing a set of traditional Scottish tunes as they are performing a traditional ballad from the Appalachian mountains!
“These are good times for neo-traditional bands, and Annalivia introduces itself as another noteworthy one.”
-Dirty Linen Magazine
~~~~
Nowell Sing We Clear (return to archive index)
Fri, December 11th, 2009 – 8:00 PM – Dublin Church – $15/$12 (Sr/Jr)
One of our Annual Seasonal Extravaganzas!
Not to be missed!
This will be the thirty-fifth touring season of Nowell Sing We Clear with its unusual songs, carols, stories, and customs. Drawn mostly from English-language folk traditions, the songs tell both a version of the events and characters involved in the Christmas story and detail the customs which make up the twelve magical days following the return of the light at the winter solstice. Many of these ancient customs are the basis of the today’s holiday traditions, such as visiting and feasting, gift-giving, carol singing from door-to-door and the adorning of houses and churches with garlands of evergreen.
Nowell Sing We Clear celebrates Christmas as it was known for centuries in Britain and North America and as it continues in many places to the present. The songs come from an age when the midwinter season was a time for joyous celebration and vigorous expression of older, perhaps pagan, religious ideas. There is not always a clear line between these and the rejoicing at the birth of Jesus bringing a fresh light into the world at this dark midwinter time. A special and unusual treat is the enactment of a Mummers Play from Kentucky. Performed in the traditional manner, the play is typical of folk dramas which survive to this day throughout Britain and North America symbolizing and portraying the death of the land at midwinter and its subsequent rebirth in the spring.
While much of the singing is done in unaccompanied style, the pageant is also stamped with the energetic dance band sound of fiddle, button accordion, electric piano, drums, and concertina. The audience will be supplied with songsheets and encouraged to sing along, though after three decades of touring in New England, a whole generation of young people have grown up with these songs and carols and sing along with as much as they can. Some “new”, that is “different”, songs and carols are introduced every year. Performers are John Roberts and Tony Barrand, widely known for their lively presentations of English folk songs, and Fred Breunig and Andy Davis, well known in New England as dance callers and musicians.
Nowell Sing We Clear has become a regular part of some communities on the Eastern seaboard. The group has several recordings of songs from the show which have been popular items in many households at this time of year. Their CDs are drawn from songs learned for their concerts: The newest is Just Say Nowell, Hail Smiling Morn has a cover designed by famous Vermont artist, Mary Azarian, and Nowell SingWe Four.The first three LP recordings are all well represented on a compact disk, The Best of Nowell: 1976 – 1985 All recordings are available from Golden Hind Records.
~~~~
Cosy Sheridan (return to archive index)
Fri, November 13th, 2009 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $15/$12 (Sr/Jr)
Cosy Sheridan returns to the Nelson Town Hall Friday, November 13th for an 8:00 PM show. Admission is $15/$12(senior, youth).
Mythic songwriter Cosy Sheridan and her wryly insightful songs have been showcased everywhere from Carnegie Hall to The Dr Demento Show. In her new CD on Waterbug Records, Live At CedarHouse, listeners can sample a taste of Sheridan’s live performances and see why she’s been called “one of the era’s finest and most thoughtful singer-songwriters” and why Acoustic Guitar Magazine wrote, “If I were going to throw an all-girl dinner party at which I wanted to laugh and cry from the hors d’oeuvres to the chocolate pudding, Cosy Sheridan is the first woman I’d invite.”
Sheridan is one of the pre-eminent songwriters on the folk scene documenting the lives of modern women. She places the fast-paced culture of 21st century America into a mythic context with insightful, energetic and at times comic effect. Who else would think to make botox injections the modern equivalent of the beauty cream of Persephone, Queen of the Underworld? Or to find a modern Psyche reminiscing about Eros from a women’s prison?
~~~~
Troy MacGillivray (return to archive index)
Sun, October 25th, 2009 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $15/$12 (Sr/Jr)
Troy MacGillivray returns to the Nelson Town Hall on Sunday, October 25th for a 7:00 PM show. Admission is $15/$12(senior, youth).
Troy surprised us with a visit in May, sitting in with Kimberley Fraser and Mark Simos for a set of tunes, leaving us all with an appetite for more. On this visit Troy will be accompanied by Brent Chaisson on guitar and Allan Dewar on piano.
Troy MacGillivray … raised in Lanark, Nova Scotia, his musical prowess can be attributed to an especially rare combination of commitment and bloodline. By the age of six, Troy was already impressing audiences with his step dancing skills. By 13 he was teaching piano at the renowned Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts in St. Anne’s, Cape Breton. He has completed grade seven of the Toronto Conservatory of Music for classical piano, has spent four years in a stringed orchestra and has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music from St. Francis Xavier University.
Troy’s latest project, When Here Meets There, is a unique collaboration with Canadian & US National Fiddle Champion Shane Cook that showcases why both fiddlers are at the top of their game. “Individually, these two fiddlers are virtuosic musicians and dynamic performers; together, stimulating and feeding off of each other and their top-tier back-up musicians, they are inspirational.” (Dr. Sherry Johnson – York University, Toronto)
Whether playing piano or fiddle, or showcasing his stepdancing capabilities, Troy MacGillivray displays a unique sense of pride and commitment to his Celtic heritage and his music continues to add to the history and development of the traditional music that is the epitome of the Maritimes, the place he calls home!
Please join us for an exhilarating evening of traditional music presented by some of the best young talent around!
~~~~
Off the Cuff (return to archive index)
Sat, September 26th, 2009 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $10/$8 (Sr/Jr)
Off The Cuff, a semi-acoustic instrumental and vocal quartet from southern NH, takes the stage at Nelson Town Hall on Saturday September 26, at 8PM. $10/$8(senior, youth & advance)
‘Off The Cuff’ defined:
Adjective: Spontaneous, improvised, unpredictable
Noun: Semi-acoustic quartet, rich instrumental arrangements, crisp vocal harmonies
Verb: To play diverse music from varied sources, from the 20s to the 21st century
Conjunction: Blues, jazz, rock, folk, world music, country
Proper noun:
Harry Lowenthal; Flute, djembe, bongos, percussion, guitar, vocals
Pamela Smith; Guitar, percussion, vocal.
John Spaulding; Bass, percussion, vocal.
Jonas Taub; Guitar, percussion, vocal
Adverb: Totally Marvelous, Lots of Fun!
‘Off The Cuff’ has been delighting audiences across southern New Hampshire for a decade, and well more than that in various solo, duo and ensemble configurations. Whether an original tune or an old standard, a pop tune or a nugget by some little known songwriter, ‘Off The Cuff’ infuses its own special blend of musical style and arrangement into every song to reinvent it as something new and personal. Once this is done, the song is ‘Cuffed’ and given that ‘Off The Cuff’ touch.
Audiences love this music! It touches a familiar chord in everyone, whether they grew up dancing to the big bands or to rock bands. It is music that each generation has managed to share; a part of the American musical soul. The music is upbeat, energetic and fun, and the The Cuffers have a great time playing and interacting with the audience.
~~~~
John McCutcheon (return to archive index)
Fri, July 10th, 2009 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $18/$15 (Sr/Jr)
John McCutcheon appears in a solo concert at the Nelson Town Hall on Friday, July 10, 8:00 PM. Admission is $18/$15(senior, youth).
John McCutcheon wasn’t supposed to become a folksinger. He was headed for a lucrative career as a social worker in migrant labor camps. But Woody Guthrie got there first. He heard the songs of the Dust Bowl refugees, the Grapes of Wrath stories that crackled on the airwaves of early 1960s radio and knew something else was going on. While still a college student, the oldest of a large Irish Catholic family, John took up the banjo “to help keep myself sane” and went off the deep end. He heard recordings of Roscoe Holcomb and Clarence Ashley, walked out to the end of the college road, stuck out his thumb and never looked back.
He ended up roaming the Appalachians, trading a university classroom for the front porches, picket lines, union halls, churches, and square dance barns of his adopted home. Under the tutelage of some of the greats of traditional Southern music he quickly mastered seven different instruments, became an insightful and powerful singer of traditional songs, and honed an ear for a good story. Songwriting, storytelling, social activism all met and finally made sense.
From this series of chance beginnings John McCutcheon has become what one Australian paper called “the most overwhelming folk performer in the English language.” His mastery of American folk music and instruments, complemented by “storytelling that has the richness of fine literature” (Washington Post) weave intimate, insightful and often hilarious canvasses on which McCutcheon draws his vision of Americana. His songwriting, rich in detail and broad in scope, have created a catalog of hundreds of songs covered by performers throughout the world. His classic Christmas in the Trenches has been repeatedly cited as “the greatest anti-war song ever written” and is the subject of an annual, coast-to-coast special on CBC.
His concerts are international sold-out hits from Russia … where Pravda noted “McCutcheon … is the most versatile and compelling performer this reviewer has ever seen”… to Dallas …“calling John McCutcheon a ‘folksinger’ is like saying Deion Sanders is just a football player …” Dallas Morning News. Critics reserve their most lavish praise for his mastery of the rare and beautiful hammer dulcimer, an instrument on which he is an undisputed world master.
Equally at home in the recording studio, John has produced over twenty-five albums in as many years. He has garnered an amazing five consecutive Grammy nominations, been awarded every imaginable award in the independent record industry, been featured on public radio throughout the world, and brought joy to millions of listeners from Seattle to Sydney. Additionally he has produced documentary and educational recordings, written for numerous publications, authored children’s books, chaired literacy campaigns, championed grassroots organizations throughout the world, promoted international musicians, and is even currently the president of the most innovative and fastest growing local in the musicians union.
~~~~~
Kimberley Fraser (return to archive index)
Sat, May 16th, 2009 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $10/$8 (Sr/Jr)
Kimberley Fraser will present an evening of Cape Breton music at the Nelson Town Hall On May 16, 2009 at 8:00 PM.
Kimberley Fraser was born on Cape Breton Island, and nurtured within its rich musical heritage. She first began to impress audiences at the age of three with her step-dancing talents. Soon after that she took up both the fiddle and the piano. Like many in Cape Breton, music is not new to Kimberley’s family. She proudly owns the fiddle of her great great grandfather, spanning the musical tradition within her family over a hundred years.
Though still in her early 20s, Kimberley’s career is already a distinguished one. She has traveled the world, from Victoria to Afghanistan, bringing Cape Breton music with her wherever she goes. Dan MacDonald of the Cape Breton Post says this about Fraser’s versatility, “She has matured to become one of the stellar players of the Cape Breton fiddle tradition, equally at home at a house party, playing for a square dance or on stage for a concert in Bras d’Or or Boston, Scotsville or Scotland.” She has played with Cape Breton’s finest, including Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie MacMaster, Gordie Sampson and the late John Allan Cameron. Internationally, Kimberley has shared the stage with such notables as Alasdair Fraser, Lunasa and Martin Hayes. Kimberley is also in demand for her piano skills, accompanying various Cape Breton fiddlers at home and abroad. She had the honour of being the pianist for the acclaimed Irish musical group, Cherish the Ladies, during their tour of Sweden in May of 2004. Her impact upon the music of Cape Breton has not gone unrecognized. In 2000, Kimberley received the Tic Butler award for significant contribution to Cape Breton culture.
Kimberley’s latest accomplishment includes the release of her second studio album, Falling on New Ground, that won the 2008 East Coast Music Award for best Roots/Tradtional Album of the Year. This self-produced album reflects on her experiences and growth as a musician since the release of her first studio album Heart Behind the Bow in 2000. She is backed by the highest caliber of musicians such as Cape Bretoners Tracey Dares MacNeil, Sheumas MacNeil, Troy MacGillivray, Stephanie Wills, Brian Doyle, and Gordie Sampson as well as Halifax guitarist, Dave MacIsaac and the acclaimed Montreal Jazz drummer, Richard Irwin. Kimberley also recruited much sought after international musicians such as Irish flutist Nuala Kennedy and banjo player Damian Helliwell of Scotland, as well as the duo of Harald Haugaard and Morten Alfred Hoiup of Denmark. These musicians represent just a small portion of the many musical friends Kimberley has made during her travels. Falling on New Ground demonstrates Kimberley’s many talents and versatility. Each track of the album brings something new to the listener, from the exciting variations on “Mason’s Apron” to the soulful jazz influenced piano solo, “The Braes of Auchtertyre”. Kimberley’s ability to combine traditional music with a fresh approach has “Falling on New Ground” truly fall onto new ground.
~~~~~
Bob Franke (return to archive index)
Sat, April 25th, 2009 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $15/$12 (Sr/Jr)
Bob Franke (it rhymes with “Yankee”) is at the peak of his considerable craft; brimming with the wise and spiritually generous songs for which he is best known, along with wrenchingly convincing topical songs and sugared with the hilarious. His are the kind of songs that really do have the power to change the world by being taken into the lives of people. They come to you, these songs.
As Tom Paxton says, “It’s his integrity. I always think of Bob as if Emerson and Thoreau had picked up acoustic guitars and gotten into songwriting. There’s touches of Mark Twain and Buddy Holly in there, too.”
Bob’s songs are considered classics, fueled by his deep faith and the real-life lessons taught him by his 30-odd years of playing everywhere from concert halls to street corners. Bob has appeared in concert at coffeehouses, colleges, festivals, bars, streets, homes and churches in 33 states, four Canadian provinces and England. His concerts have appeared in lists of the top five musical events of the year chosen by critics in the Boston and San Francisco Bay areas. In 1990, he was nominated as an Outstanding Folk Act by the Boston Music Awards.
~~~~~
Cold River Ranters (return to archive index)
Sat, March 28th, 2009 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $12/$9 (Sr/Jr)
The Cold River Ranters blew the rafters off the Town Hall when they appeared at a Coffee House last fall. The consensus was that these folks needed to come back for a full evening concert.
~~~~~
FolkSoul Band (return to archive index)
Sat, February 28th, 2009 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $12/$9 (Sr/Jr)
www.myspace.com/thefolksoulband
The Folksoul Band plays American tribal music. What is American tribal music? It’s dance music for one thing–it’s rock’n’roll when it was first invented, in the City of Song, New Orleans, where Dixieland first began, where Cajun music grew, where Calypso music and Reggae first came to America, where American tribal music first came to be. Where Funky got its Funk. The Folksoul Band has taken these influences to heart, with percussion, horns, guitar, playing new and old songs with harmonies and great vocals, bringing new life to these roots music and dance forms. A party band, no question–it’s all about dancing and having a good time, celebrating life, family, community, love, and work, and all the things that make life worth living. Full of surprises, energy, a communal happening!
~~~~~
Nowell Sing We Clear (return to archive index)
Fri, December 5th, 2008 – 8:00 PM – Dublin Community Church – $15/$12 (Sr/Jr)
This will be the thirty-fourth touring season of Nowell Sing We Clear with its unusual songs, carols, stories, and customs. Drawn mostly from English-language folk traditions, the songs tell both a version of the events and characters involved in the Christmas story and detail the customs which make up the twelve magical days following the return of the light at the winter solstice. Many of these ancient customs are the basis of the today’s holiday traditions, such as visiting and feasting, gift-giving, carol singing from door-to-door and the adorning of houses and churches with garlands of evergreen.
~~~~
Annalivia (return to archive index)
Fri, November 21st, 2008 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $12/$9 (Sr/Jr)
ANNALIVIA is one of latest hip alt-traditional acoustic bands to emerge form the potent Boston fiddle music scene. Their music combines Anglo-Celtic ballad singing and fiddle dance music traditions with North American counterparts in the Southern Appalachians and Cape Breton Island. Their sound is a genuine fusion of closely related musics which also draws on contemporary songwriters, in addition to contributing original instrumentals to an evolving tradition.
The 5-piece acoustic band features the gorgeous voice of Liz Simmons (who has performed with North Cregg, John Whelan, Aoife Clancy, and Karan Casey), champion Cape Breton fiddlers Brendan Carey Block and Emerald Rae, and rounded out by a nationally renown rhythm section of guitarist Flynn Cohen and Stuart Kenney on banjo and upright bass.
Annalivia on MySpace
~~~~
The Short Sisters (return to archive index)
Sun, October 12th, 2008 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $12/$9 (Sr/Jr)
Fay Baird, Kate Seeger, and Kim Wallach…
have been singing and performing together since 1979. Though they are not really sisters, and not particularly short, they do sound like sisters and share a delight in harmony. The songs chosen by the trio tell stories and paint pictures, conveying strong visual images through music. They favor a capella arrangements but also accompany themselves with guitar, autoharp and banjo.
~~~~
Libana – Women’s World Music Ensemble (return to archive index)
Sun, September 21st, 2008 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $15/$12 (Sr/Jr)
Libana performances open windows into diverse, rarely heard, women’s musical expressions from around the world. Their music ranges from exquisite Balkan harmonies to the rooted pulses of Latin American rhythms, from hauntingly beautiful sounds of Slav music from Hungary to a riveting ritual exorcism dance with percussion from Egypt – all woven into a collage of shifting colors and rhythms.
Founded in 1979 by director Susan Robbins, Libana is a six woman ensemble that has toured extensively throughout North America and Canada, and in 1996, made their European debut at the Varna International Folk Festival in Bulgaria. Other recent festival appearances include the Britt Festival in Medford, Oregon, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Coup de Coeur Francophone Festival in Montreal, and Clearwater’s Hudson River Revival in New York.
Join LIBANA for an evening of celebration and experience the ensemble which presents traditional and contemporary world music and dance from a uniquely women’s perspective.
www.libana.com
~~~~
Denis Liddy and Elvie Miller – Irish Music (return to archive index)
Sun, August 10th, 2008 – 7:30 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $12/$9 (Sr/Jr)
A phenomenal evening of Irish music!
Denis Liddy, originally from Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare has been immersed in music and playing the
fiddle since he was eight years old. He is now a primary school teacher in Co. Clare, Ireland, and has also been teaching music in the Barefield area since 1989. Denis has not only been instrumental in teaching and inspiring students to play traditional music but has also broadened students experience and exposure to music through means of his recordings, concert performances, competitions and international touring. Since 1999, his students have recorded four CDs and toured in Ireland, the UK, France, Spain, Canada, China, Bulgaria, USA, Australia and Sweden.
Denis has won numerous All-Ireland awards as a soloist and as a group and band member. In 2003, he released the CD Waifs and Strays with legendary flute player Michael Hynes and guitarist Rob Shearer, to critical acclaim. This year, he released “Spectacle Bridge” with Michael Hynes, Jack Talty and Eoin O’Neill. Other recordings on which he has played over the years include Ireland – A Musical Journey with the French flute player Michel Sikiotakis, Planxty O’Rourke in 1995, Tuath with Orfhlaith Ni Bhrian in 1999 and The Bees Wing and Seven Streams with the multi award winning Turloughmore Ceili Band.
Denis has involved himself as both teacher and musician in a variety of other music-related projects and events including the Francis McPeake Summer School, the Willie Clancy Summer School, the Ennis Traditional Music Festival and countless other music workshops worldwide.
Elvie Miller has been playing music since she was five years old, and over the years she has shifted from classical piano to Irish/contra dance accordion and piano. She grew up going to contra dances in New England and now she performs at contra and English country dances all over the U.S. In 2005 she graduated from Oberlin College and traveled through Ireland, England, Scotland, Finland, Sweden, France and Cape Breton as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow, studying accordion and traditional music and performing internationally alongside Karen Tweed, Timo Alakotila and Maria Kalaniemi, among others. She currently tours with Rodney Miller, Airdance, Night Watch and Denis Liddy.
In 2003, Elvie released “Grapevine” with Naomi Morse on fiddle. She recorded a beautiful CD “Spyglass” in 2007 with her dad, Rodney Miller on fiddle. Night Watch is due to release their first CD in 2008 with Elvie on piano and piano accordion, Naomi Morse on fiddle, and Owen Morrison on guitar and mandolin. Elvie has many beautiful compositions to her credit and also performed at the prestigious Milwaukee Irish Fest with Denis Liddy in 2007.
~~~~
Troy MacGillivray – Celtic Music (return to archive index)
Sun, July 27th, 2008 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $15/$12 (Sr/Jr)
Troy MacGillivray’s musical prowess can be attributed to an especially rare combination of commitment and bloodline. By the age of six, Troy was already impressing audiences with his step dancing skills. By 13 he was teaching piano at the renowned Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts in St. Anne’s, Cape Breton. He has completed grade seven of the Toronto Conservatory of Music for classical piano, spent four years in a stringed orchestra, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music from St. Francis Xavier University and received an Applied Music Technology Diploma for recording engineering.
Troy has a roots-centered approach to his fiddling and piano playing that has the power to inspire any audience. Troy’s 4th CD, Live At The Music Room, is the 2008 ECMA (East Coast Music Association) Instrumental Recording of the Year—it’s a live recording which took place January 2007 at The Music Room in Halifax, NS – one of the finest acoustic spaces in Canada. This unique facility, which houses a New York-built Steinway grand piano, superbly showcases Troy’s musical talents in a live setting and features a wide variety of strathespeys and reels, jigs and polkas, a hornpipe and a piano air .. and even some fantastic step-dancing! His first three recordings – ELEVEN (2005), Boomerang (2003) and Musical Ties (2001) – also received Music Nova Scotia and East Coast Music Award nominations. His latest project, When Here Meets There, is a unique collaboration with Canadian & US National Fiddle Champion Shane Cook that clearly showcases why both fiddlers are at the top of their game!
Troy’s bloodline is equally as impressive. The Lanark MacGillivrays and MacDonalds have been proprietors of the Gaelic tradition in Northeastern Nova Scotia for generations. Troy’s grandfather, Hugh A. MacDonald, is a member of the Nova Scotia Country Hall of Fame – an honour bestowed for his contribution to the Gaelic culture of Nova Scotia. Troy’s immediate family have all displayed their musical talents by joining him on both the stage and in the studio. The award winning tradition continues as Troy has been the recipient of the “Auleen Theriault Young Tradition Award” from the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival in Goderich, Ontario as well as the Danny Kyle Stage Award at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, Scotland and recently returned from a Canadian Military Troops Entertainment Tour in Afghanistan.
So, whether playing piano or fiddle, or showcasing his step dancing capabilities, Troy MacGillivray certainly displays an intense commitment to the Celtic heritage he inherited from his Highland ancestors.
For more about Troy, please visit his Web site.
~~~~
Colman’s Well in Concert (return to archive index)
Wednesday July 2nd, 2008 – 7:30 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $10/$8 (Sr/Jr)
Unique and enthralling, Colman’s Well moves from sweet to strident and from Ireland to Appalachia, touching heart and soul with their vocal blend.
Colman’s Well is Nils Fredland, Rachel Gordon, and Brendan Taaffe. Bringing together their love of harmony, they sing an eclectic blend of (mostly) a cappella songs, ranging from the Stanley Brothers and the Sacred Harp to Fiona Apple and Monkey Puzzle (though, admittedly, they lean more towards the front half of that equation). The three first sang together in Ireland last summer as part of a Turtle Dove Harmony camp, performing a Doc Watson number in front of a sold-out crowd in Westport, Co. Mayo and have since gone from strength to strength, pulling on material from the bluegrass canon, the stark power of shape note music, and contemporary folk to deliver songs with verve and delight. Reveling in tight, unaccompanied harmony, the trio does bring some instrumentation into play, with Brendan on guitar, mbira and ukulele, Nils on trombone, and everybody on various forms of percussion.
MySpace Page for Colman’s Well
Enticing biographical sketches:
Nils has traveled a diverse road to Colman’s Well. Starting off as a boy soprano, he entered college as a low bass. Nils’s deep voice and openness have landed him in a wild range of ensembles: barbershop quartets and early music groups at Indiana University; award-winning a cappella group Monkey Puzzle, at the forefront of the thriving original music scene in Bloomington in the 1990’s; Malcom Dalglish’s olites, which recorded two BMG released CD’s; hot ska band Johnny Socko; and Northern Harmony.
Rachel’s musical pursuits have taken her from musical theater stages in Illinois to choral venues in Ireland. Passionate about singing her whole life, Rachel grew up in Normal (yes, really), Illinois in a home full of music, and has been a member of several a cappella groups, including the all-female Sirens at Macalester College and Treble in New York City. Rachel moved to southern Vermont in 2007 after falling in love with western New England’s wealth of beautiful vistas and musical opportunities, and is currently learning to play the fiddle and upright bass in addition to singing with Colman’s Well and several community groups.
Brendan was raised on a steady diet of Pete Seeger and Irish music and was brought to his first shape note sing by his grandmother. The sounds that burst out in that old New England town hall still ring in his ears, and his high tenor and striking compositions have seen him sing with Northern Harmony roughout Europe, teach with Village Harmony, and perform with a number of smaller groups. Brendan is the founder of Turtle Dove Harmony, an organization that brings adults together to sing, and a co- director of the Franklin County Hospice Singers.
~~~~
Jerry Holland (return to archive index)
Wed, April 30th, 2008 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
The Monadnock Folklore Society presents a concert of Cape Breton music featuring master Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland. Jerry will accompanied by Kimberley Fraser on piano.
One of the finest Celtic fiddlers performing today, Jerry comes by his music honestly. His father was a musical man respectful of tradition. Jerry senior was over 50 when Jerry was born and this placed the budding musician directly into a vibrant older culture. From childhood on, a series of fortunate events put young Jerry in the company of many of the greatest Cape Breton musicians of the last generation – -Winston Fitzgerald, Bill Lamey, Angus Chisholm and several other less well-known fiddlers, including his father.
For the past 25 years, life in Cape Breton has surrounded him by people who know and love the music. Digesting those experiences, a mature musician and composer has evolved. Today, his settings of older tunes and his own compositions usually pass the muster with the traditionalists.
Jerry is no stranger to the Monadnock area. He was a regular performer at the Folkway in Peterborough, and has played for several MFS concerts – the last in 2005. We are very happy that Jerry’s recent struggle with cancer has been successful enough to allow him to perform again.
Admission: $15 (Sr/Jr $12)
~~~~
Nelson Solstice Party! – Dessert Potluck (return to archive index)
Sat, December 22nd, 2007 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
Singing, dancing and seasonal mayhem!
Seasonal concert begins at 7 pm.
Contra dance and other fun to follow at 8pm. All are welcome; no experience or partner required.
Admission: $5
Bring a favorite holiday refreshment to share!
~~~~
Nowell Sing We Clear (return to archive index)
Fri, December 7th, 2007 – Dublin Community Church – Dublin NH
In its 33rd year, this event has become a local tradition in its own right – a celebration of songs, carols, stories, and customs. The program consists of two parts; Part 1, The Christmas Story (as you may never have heard it before); Part 2, a look at more pagan traditions around the time of the solstice.
Drawn largely from English-language folk traditions, the songs tell both a version of the events and characters involved in the Christmas story and detail the customs which make up the twelve magical days following the return of the light at the winter solstice. Many of these ancient customs are the basis of the today’s holiday traditions, such as visiting and feasting, gift-giving, carol singing, traveling and the adorning of houses and churches with garlands of evergreen.
Admission: $15 (Sr/Jr $12) Special holiday refreshments available.
~~~~
John McCutcheon (return to archive index)
Fri, November 30th, 2007 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
John McCutcheon, “Virginia’s rustic renaissance man” (Washington Post) will be featured in a concert sponsored by the Monadnock Folklore Society on November 30th at 8:00 PM at the NelsonTown Hall.
McCutcheon mastered the banjo, guitar, fiddle, autoharp, mountain dulcimer, and jaw harp. He became a knowledgeable and powerful singer of traditional material, with a wry wit and ear for a good story. But his real mastery was in his uncanny ability to see the meaning in the mundane, to lay out the horizons in one’s own backyard.
McCutcheon’s concert audiences join together professionals and factory hands, folk music veterans and novices, children and grandparents alike, who find his blend of song and story, humor and pathos, contemporary and traditional an exhilarating celebration of Americana. “The pithy insight of Will Rogers, the understated delivery of Garrison Keillor, the song leading ability of Pete Seeger, and the virtuosity of an orchestra … John McCutcheon is a national folk treasure!” exclaims a Bay Area newspaper. “Little feats of magic,” declared a Midwest concert reviewer. “The most overwhelming folk performer in the English language,” lauded an Australian reviewer.
Admission: $18 (Sr/Jr $15)
~~~~
ANNALIVIA (return to archive index)
Fri, October 26th, 2007 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
One of the latest hip young alt-traditional bands to emerge to from the potent Boston fiddle music scene. The acoustic quartet features the beautiful voice of Liz Simmons, a New Hampshire native and protege of famed Irish singer Karan Casey. Liz has performed with the group North Cregg from Co. Cork, as well as the U.S. based band The Sevens. Liz is joined by fiddle ace Brendan Carey Block (formerly of the Glengarry Bhoys), guitarist/vocalist Flynn Cohen (who has toured and recorded with John Whelan, Adrienne Young, Aoife Clancy, Halali, Cathie Ryan, and others), and bass player/banjo picker Stuart Kenney (Wild Asparagus, Airdance, Karen Tweed). Together, their music combines Anglo-Celtic ballad singing and fiddle music traditions with their North American counterparts-Appalachia and Cape Bretonall with a groove-centric contemporary flair.
Admission $12 (Sr/Jr $9)
~~~~
The Other Way Back: Dancing With Dudley (return to archive index)
Fri, June 8th, 2007 – Dublin School Recital Hall – Dublin NH
David Millstone’s new documentary about Dudley Laufman– “The Other Way Back: Dancing with Dudley,” will be shown at a special viewing presented by the Monadnock Folklore Society on Friday night, June 8th at 8:00 PM at the Dublin School Recital Hall on the Dublin School campus in Dublin, NH. “The Other Way Back” is a full-length documentary about dance musician and caller Dudley Laufman, one of the most important figures in the history of the contemporary contra dance scene. The screening of the film will be followed by a question and answer period with the filmmaker.
Musician and caller Dudley Laufman was the charismatic figure at the center of a dance revival in the late 1960s and 1970s whose effects can still be seen in today’s vibrant contra dance scene. If it was Ralph Page who preserved the traditional dances of the Monadnock region and shared them with a new audience in the post-WWII years, then it was Dudley who extended that audience dramatically in the late 1960s and 1970s as leader of the Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra. Those seminal recordings brought traditional New England dance tunes to musicians around the country . Indeed, “Dudley dancers” from that era were responsible for spreading interest in traditional New England dancing to all parts of the United States, from San Diego to St. Louis to Seattle, from Knoxville and Bloomington to Houston and Lansing
Admission: $6. Information: 603.352.8616
~~~~
Sally Rogers, Howie Bursen, and Jeff Davis (return to archive index)
Sat, June 2nd, 2007 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
Sally and Howie are a couple of highly energized musicians who have appeared on Garrison Keillor’s “A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION” public radio show, toured from coast to coast, and have produced over a dozen recordings, together and individually.
Sally Rogers has achieved national recognition as a solo performer. FRETS magazine says her voice is “clear as the queen’s diamonds”, while the WASHINGTON POST brands her instrumental work “sterling”. The BOSTON GLOBE said, “Rogers seemed to have her set almost perfectly in sync, moving her crowd deftly from tears to laughter.”
Howie Bursen is known for his warm baritone voice, devilish sense of humor, inventive guitar arrangements, and red-hot banjo wizardry. CHICAGO MAGAZINE said, “stunning guitar arrangements. ..easily one of the finest banjo players ever heard.”
Jeff Davis is one of the foremost living interpreters of traditional folk music. Jeff communicates his profound affection for and understanding of rural American music in his wonderful interpretations of old-time songs and his distinctive instrumental work on guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandocello, and piano.
Admission: $12 (Sr/Jr $9). Information: 603.352.8616
~~~~
Cindy Kallet with Grey Larsen (return to archive index)
Fri, May 11th, 2007 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
Cindy Kallet and Grey Larsen, each well-known and loved for their decades of music making, have joined musical forces in a new duo. Cindy is a superb singer, guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Grey is one of America’s finest players of the Irish flute and tin whistle, as well as an accomplished singer and concertina, fiddle, piano and harmonium player. As composers each has contributed to the unique tapestry of contemporary folk and world music as it exists and flourishes in America today. Together, they weave songs and tunes of vibrant color and rich texture.
The duo’s repertoire includes Cindy’s sparkling original songs, distinctive settings of traditional Irish music, Scandinavian fiddle duets, old-time fiddle and guitar tunes from southern Indiana, and new music that Cindy and Grey are inventing together. There is plenty of variety and breadth of musical territory here, all deeply rooted in folk traditions, and interwoven with the renaissance and baroque counterpoint in which both Cindy and Grey, coincidentally, were immersed while growing up. Included are vocal duets, guitar, Irish flute, Irish alto flute, tin whistle, concertina, harmonium, and duet fiddling, and plenty of stories that put the music into a personal context.
Admission: $15 (Sr/Jr $12). Information: 603.352.8616
~~~~
Ian Robb (return to archive index)
Sat, April 28th, 2007 -Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
Ian Robb’s musical roots were in choral music; as a boy soprano in London, England, he sang for a couple of years with one of the Westminster abbey choirs. Later, as a teenager in the sixties, he discovered the British folk music revival, and honed his skills as an interpreter of folk song, not to mention his powerful voice, in the pub-based British folk club environment.
Moving to Canada in 1970, Ian soon became a regular at Toronto’s venerable and now defunct Fiddler’s Green folk club, and was a founding member of the now well-known Friends of Fiddler’s Green, who are currently in their 33rd year of performing together. Early in the seventies, he took up the English concertina, and is now recognized as one of North America’s premier exponents of the instrument in song accompaniment and dance music.
More recently, Ian has teamed up with fellow Ottawans Shelley Posen and Ann Downey, to form the vocal harmony trio, Finest Kind, whose eclectic mixture of hair-raising vocal harmony styles has been recorded on Lost in a Song (1996), Heart’s Delight (1999) and Silks & Spices (2003). Since early 2003, he has also been working with the Ottawa band JiiG, with the multiple musical talents of James Stephens, Greg T. Brown and Ian Clark.
Admission: $12 (Sr/Jr $9). Information: 603.352.8616
~~~~
Gordon Bok (return to archive index)
Tue, April 3rd, 2007 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
Gordon Bok grew up around the boatyards of Camden, Maine, and worked on many different boats from fishing boats to passenger schooners to yachts, on his own coast and others. As he sailed, he learned songs and ballads of the sea and the schooners and the fishes and fishermen. Later he sang of mythical sea folk, seals and selkies who came to him in dreams and legends. At a time when folk music was experiencing a great revival, he was a leader in preserving, collecting, creating and sharing a wide variety of rich and intensely beautiful songs of both land and sea. His mastery of both the 6- and 12-string guitars added to his already well-developed vocal_expression to create an unmistakable style that has carried him through decades of being one of our most cherished folk artists. He has made more than a score of albums, and many other musicians, including Archie Fisher, Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem, have recorded his songs. In addition, his music has been used in films and published in folk music anthologies, including Rise Up Singing- and his own collections, Time and The Flying Snow and One To Sing, One To Haul.
Admission: $15 (Sr/Jr $12). Information: 603.352.8616
~~~~
Gary Sredzienski, Accordian Warrier (return to archive index)
Sat, March 17th, 2007 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
Gary Sredzienski demonstrates the diversity of the piano accordion with a wide variety of styles encompassing several continents. His solo recordings on his own Bellows Music label have landed him national performances with various cultural organizations. In May of 2000 Gary was nominated by Congressman John Sununu to represent NH in a performance at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. In July of 2000 he performed throughout Romania on a tour sponsored by the Smithsonian Folklife Center, the State Department, and the Governor of NH. He is continually involved in recording projects.
In addition to performing for choral and dance groups, Gary performs 1960s surf rock, traditional ethnic, and his accordion compositions with the Portsmouth based group, the “Serfs”. He was awarded an Arts Fellowship from the NH State Council on the Arts in 1997 and received the Artist Achievement Award by Seacoast Newspapers in 2002. Gary represented NH at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1999 and the Lowell National Folk Festival in 2003.
Gary also hosts a 1950’s style ethnic radio show, ”Polka Party” weekly at WUNH-FM in Durham.
Admission: $10 (Sr/Jr $8). Reservations: 603.352.8616
~~~~
Nelson Solstice Party (return to archive index)
Sat, December 16th, 2006 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
Singing, dancing and seasonal mayhem!
Seasonal concert begins at 7 pm.
Contra dance and other fun to follow at 8pm. All are welcome, no experience or partner are required.
Admission: $5
Bring a favorite holiday refreshment to share!
~~~~
Nowell Sing We Clear (return to archive index)
Fri, December 1st, 2006 – Dublin Community Church – Dublin NH
In its 32nd year, this event has become a local tradition in its own right – a celebration of songs, carols, stories, and customs. The program consists of two parts; Part 1, The Christmas Story (as you may never have heard it before); Part 2, a look at more pagan traditions around the time of the solstice.
Drawn largely from English-language folk traditions, the songs tell both a version of the events and characters involved in the Christmas story and detail the customs which make up the twelve magical days following the return of the light at the winter solstice. Many of these ancient customs are the basis of the today’s holiday traditions, such as visiting and feasting, gift-giving, carol singing, traveling and the adorning of houses and churches with garlands of evergreen.
Admission: $15 (Sr/Jr $12) Special holiday refreshments available.
~~~~
Peterborough 1st Saturday Dance – MFS Celebration Dance (return to archive index)
Sat, November 4, 2006 – Town House – Peterborough NH
Join Monadnock Folklore Society dance party celebrating our 25th anniversary. Callers and musicians from the past 25 years will be helping us celebrate a quarter century of concerts, dances, scholarships, etc.
Teaching begins @ 7:00pm Dancing 7:30pm to midnight
All proceeds to benefit regular monthly Peterborough dance
~~~~
David Surette with special guest Susie Burke (return to archive index)
Sat, October 28th, 2006 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
One of New England’s finest guitarists and mandolinists, David Surette has long been known as a musician’s musician. Fluent in a variety of styles, comfortable in solo, duo, and band situations, and a strong multi-instrumentalist with an extensive background in traditional roots music, Surette has worked extensively with a who’s who of New England folk musicians. Yet he has also developed a growing following for his work as a soloist. His recent solo album Northern Roots drew strong praise from Sing Out Magazine, who wrote that “Surette’s playing is always inventive, and sets a new standard for traditional instrumentalists.” His previous solo albums “Back Roads” and “Trip to Kemper” helped to establish him as a top player and arranger of Celtic fingerstyle guitar, yet his diverse repertoire also includes original compositions, blues and ragtime, traditional American roots music, and folk music from a variety of traditions, all played with finesse, taste, and virtuosity. He has performed throughout the country at festivals, concerts, coffeehouses and contra dances, and has also toured in England, France, and Quebec.
Since 1988 Surette has enjoyed an inspired musical partnership with singer Susie Burke, with whom he has released a duo recording, “Sometimes in the Evening”. He was also a founding member of the popular contradance band Airdance, whom he toured with for six years and released three CDs . Surette also maintains an active teaching schedule, and is head of the folk department at the Concord (NH) Community Music School. He has also taught at numerous summer music camps, including Maine Fiddle Camp, Augusta Heritage Festival (WV), Swannanoa Gathering (NC), Summer Acoustic Music Week (NH), and Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddle School (CA). He was awarded an NEA travel grant in 1994 to study the traditional music of Brittany, and has written a book of Celtic guitar arrangements for Mel Bay Publications.
———-
“Surette has distinguished himself among North American Celtic guitarists by his use of Breton and French materials…His technique is impeccable, and his touch and phrasing are immediately recognizable.” Acoustic Guitar
“A brilliant soloist, in the acoustic celtic fingerstyle genre…” Trad Magazine (France)
“New Hampshire guitarist extraordinaire…he plays with a rare combination of exuberance and articulation.” Scott Alarik folk music critic, Boston Globe
Admission: $12 (Sr/Jr $9, workshop participants $8)
~~~~
Traditional New England Dance Tunes Workshop with David Surette (return to archive index)
Sat, October 28th, 2006 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
Learn some great jigs and reels from one of the best in New England in this participatory workshop for guitar and mandolin. David Surette has long been known as a musician’s musician, as well as an experienced and gifted teacher. Surette has an extensive and diverse repertoire, and will work with players of all abilities. Less experienced players will learn the basics of the tunes, while intermediate and advanced players will work on elements of style, interpretation, and development.
Fluent in a variety of styles, comfortable in solo, duo, and band situations, and a strong multi-instrumentalist with an extensive background in traditional roots music, Surette has worked extensively with a who’s who of New England folk musicians. Yet he has also developed a growing following for his work as a soloist. His recent solo album Northern Roots drew strong praise from Sing Out Magazine, who wrote that “Surette’s playing is always inventive, and sets a new standard for traditional instrumentalists.” His previous solo albums “Back Roads” and “Trip to Kemper” helped to establish him as a top player and arranger of Celtic fingerstyle guitar, yet his diverse repertoire also includes original compositions, blues and ragtime, traditional American roots music, and folk music from a variety of traditions, all played with finesse, taste, and virtuosity. He has performed throughout the country at festivals, concerts, coffeehouses and contra dances, and has also toured in England, France, and Quebec.
$20 Advance Reservations Required (limited to 15 participants)
~~~~
Nightingale (return to archive index)
Sat, September 23rd, 2006 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
Over the past decade the three superb musicians who make up Nightingale, Becky Tracy (fiddle),Jeremiah McLane (piano, accordion), and Keith Murphy (guitar, mandolin, foot percussion, vocals), have charmed audiences with their vibrant and imaginative explorations of musical traditions that carry listeners across New England to Quebec, Newfoundland, Ireland, France, and beyond.
Hailed in Sing Out! Magazine for their “impeccable playing, danceable and exciting, with a reflective approach to the music”, Nightingale has fashioned a fresh and distinctive sound that is innovative while rooted in Celtic and Northern European folk traditions. From a Newfoundland ballad to a blazing set of Irish reels, from a rollicking Quebecois chanson-a-repondre to a lilting bourree from Central France, their song and tune arrangements find the perfect balance between tradition and innovation
McLane, Murphy and Tracy were all established players in the traditional New England contra dance scene when they met and Nightingale quickly became a highly sought after New England dance band. But from its inception, Nightingale explored music outside the bounds of New England contra dance and could never be pigeon holed as simply a dance band. Songs of Quebec and Newfoundland were a staple of their repertoire and in their concerts they stretched the format of traditional dance music. Still, their experience as dance musicians generated an obsession with rhythmic integrity and the sustaining pulse that is the essence of dance music. The listener could never miss the underlying drive of much of Nightingale’s music.
Admission: $12 (Sr/Jr $9)
~~~~
On the Housetop (return to archive index)
Wed, August 2nd, 2006 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
On the Housetop is Naomi Morse, fiddle and vocals, Peter Siegel, guitar, mandolin, and vocals, Erica Morse, bass and vocals, and Anna Patton, clarinet and vocals.
Based in Southern Vermont, On the Housetop is a new band with a lively, quirky repertoire of songs from the 1930s and 40s, originals, old time rags, western swing, and jazzy a capella gems. Housetop members have performed in various combinations over the years in New England and abroad in concerts, festivals, music and dance camps, and contradances. A year ago they banded together to satisfy a mutual itch for close harmonies, well-crafted lyrics, and the swinging side of the string band tradition.
Admission: $8 (Sr/Jr $6)
~~~~
Village Harmony (return to archive index)
Wed, July 26, 2006 – Nelson Town Hall – Nelson NH
Village Harmony will once again grace our stage this summer. Our July 26th performance will be Teen Session II led by Patty Cuyler, Olga Velithkina (Russian and Ukrainian), and David Akombo (West African).
Admission: $8 (Sr/Jr $6)
~~~~
Murphy’s Blues (return to archive index)
Sat, June 17th, 2006 – Heberton Hall – Keene NH
Jim and Jeff Murphy are well familiar with the Monadnock Folk Society from years of performing at the annual Father’s Day concerts at the Nelson town hall. Jim on guitar and his son Jeff on bass played as a acoustic duo for many years. They also developed a full band over the years. Their current band was born out of the legendary Rynborn Blues Club.It has evolved into nine-piece dance band that includes horns and lots of great vocalists. To add to the family Jeff’s mother in law, Nadine Laughlin, from Nelson has been a member of the group on vocals, percussion and keyboards. Other band members include, on vocals, Liza Constable, also from Nelson and Karen Wright from Keene, Bill Symonds of Acworth on keyboards and guitar, on drums Glenn Rogers from Westminster Vermont and on Sax Fred Tipton and Nick Scalera. For a night of dancing to the deep-groove of classic R&B, Soul, Funk, Blues and some original music show up for an unforgettable evening with Murphy’s Blues. The Father’s Day concert with the Monadnock Folk Society lives on.
Donation: $12
~~~~
Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend (return to archive index)
January 13-15, 2006
The 19th annual RPDLW is an MFS supported event, funded in part by the New Hampshire Council on the Arts.
Join dancers from around the country for a weekend of celebrating traditional New England style dancing!
~~~~
Nelson Solstice Party (return to archive index)
Sat, December 17th, 2005 – Nelson Town Hall, Nelson NH
Singing, dancing and seasonal mayhem!
Seasonal concert begins at 7 pm.
Contra dance and other fun to follow at 8pm. All are welcome, no experience or partner are required.
Admission: $5
Bring a favorite holiday refreshment to share!
~~~~
Nowell Sing We Clear (return to archive index)
Fri, December 16th, 2005 – Dublin Community Church, Dublin NH
In its 31st year, this event has become a local tradition in its own right – a celebration of songs, carols, stories, and customs. The program consists of two parts; Part 1, The Christmas Story (as you may never have heard it before); Part 2, a look at more pagan traditions around the time of the solstice.
Drawn largely from English-language folk traditions, the songs tell both a version of the events and characters involved in the Christmas story and detail the customs which make up the twelve magical days following the return of the light at the winter solstice. Many of these ancient customs are the basis of the today’s holiday traditions, such as visiting and feasting, gift-giving, carol singing, traveling and the adorning of houses and churches with garlands of evergreen.
Admission: $12 (Sr/Jr $9) Special holiday refreshments available.
~~~~
Chanterelle (return to archive index)
Sat, November 12, 2005 – 8:00pm – Nelson Town Hall, Nelson NH
Chanterelle will bring you into the heart of the New England’s warm, lively French culture. (Did you know that neighboring Marlborough has a rich French and traditional music history?) Distinctively beautiful voices, virtuoso French fiddling and trio harmonies are hallmarks of Chanterelle performances, taking the listener on an unforgettable journey from Québec to Cajun Country.
“C’est le temps de s’amuser, amusons nous ensemble!”
An icon for Franco-American audiences, Josée Vachon represents a vital part of Franco culture that will never be extinguished. Josée’s 12-year stint as host of French-language cable TV show Bonjour made her name a household word to Francos in the northeast. Her mix of traditional ballads, chansons à répondre and humorous originals, plus her warm, engaging stage presence make an immediate connnection with any audience. Guaranteed to get them dancing in their seats, Josée’s syncopated foot rhythms drive Chanterelle’s uptempo songs and fiddle tune sets.
A veteran of thousands of contradances with recording industry awards for her fiddling, Donna Hebert is one of the founders of the contradance renaissance, as well as a leader in teaching fiddling nationwide. Donna’s humorous stories, songs of Franco life, and unstoppable fiddling groove are all sure crowd-pleasers at Chanterelle concerts. At a 2004 concert, an elderly man leapt right out of his front-row seat and began energetically step-dancing, high praise indeed for a fiddler!
Liza Constable’s supple contralto voice has caught the attention of people from festival-goers to NPR “All Things Considered” host Noah Adams. A consummate vocal stylist, Liza’s phrasing goes to the heart of the lyric. Her Cajun two- steps, waltzes and bluesy laments turn Chanterelle’s music south to Louisiana. A guitarist since age ten and fluent in many styles of accompaniment, Liza can drive dance tunes to the wall or elegantly underpin a jazz standard or a ballad with equal skill and grace.
SING OUT! Magazine says “You don’t have to be French to love Chanterelle, just ready for a good time!”
Admission: $12 (Sr/Jr $9) Refreshments available.