Brian Peters and Jeff Davis (return to archive index)
Sun, October 25th, 2015 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall, Nelson NH
Admission $12/$9 (Sr/Jr)
Join us on Sunday, October 25 for an evening of traditional songs and music from England and the USA. Brian Peters (UK) and Jeff Davis (USA) have been performing together on both sides of the Atlantic on and off for sixteen years. They bring their talents to the Nelson Town Hall for a 7:00 PM concert.
Although Brian’s music is essentially English folk, while Jeff’s is often categorised as American Old-Time, the two share a love for old songs in general, and the folk music of one another’s countries, so that they work together intuitively as a duo. To Brian’s multi-instrumental skills on concertina, melodeon and guitar are added Jeff’s mighty talents on fiddle, banjo, mandocello and guitar, while their voices blend beautifully in harmony. A concert might include ballads from the old world or the new, sea songs, cowboy songs, and all kinds of instrumentals from mountain fiddle breakdowns to English country dance tunes, often featuring the unusual but heaven-sent combination of concertina and mandocello.
Brian and Jeff have performed together at venues such as Old Songs Festival (NY), Mystic Seaport (CT), Champlain Valley Festival (VT), Lunenburg Folk Festival (Nova Scotia), Boston Folksong Society, Cecil Sharp House (London), Bromyard, Derby, Fylde, Warwick, Whitby Folk Festivals (UK).
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Andrea Beaton and Troy MacGillivray (return to archive index)
Thu, September 3rd, 2015 – 7:30 PM – Nelson Town Hall, Nelson NH
Troy MacGillivray returns to the Nelson Town Hall with acclaimed Cape Breton fiddler Andrea Beaton on Thursday, September 3 for a 7:30 PM show. Admission is $15/$12(Sr/Jr).
Troy MacGillivray was 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.
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!
One of Cape Breton’s most promising young fiddlers, Andrea Beaton comes by her music honestly. Listen to her play, the power of her bow, the drive and swing of her timing, the crispness of her attack. She’s making a name for herself in dance halls, concerts, ceilidhs, and festivals. Like the compelling tradition she represents, her reputation is growing, spreading beyond the island. Andrea Beaton seems destined for great things.
She’s the youngest of generations of Beaton musicians. Her father, Kinnon, is one of today’s most influential Cape Breton fiddlers, and you can hear some of his timing in Andrea’s playing. Her mother, Betty Beaton, is one of the great piano accompanists of her generation, contributing to that remarkable Beaton timing.
Her paternal grandfather, Donald Angus Beaton, was one of the strongest and most popular players of his generation, and you can hear some of his power in her playing. Her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Beaton, is a strongly rhythmic piano player, with a great love of the music.
Her uncle, Buddy MacMaster, is the most revered fiddler on Cape Breton island. Her cousin, Natalie MacMaster, is an enormously popular entertainer. And so it goes, back and across the generations. Cape Breton is an extraordinarily musical place, and Andrea is increasingly in the forefront of her generation. Her music is at once her own and deeply rooted in the tradition associated with the Mabou Coal Mines. And, like her father and grandfather, she is a composer in the tradition, adding fine new music to the island’s repertoire.
Born in 1979, Andrea grew up surrounded by music and dance. She was playing a little at ten; at thirteen she took lessons from Stephanie Wills, a very fine traditional player. But it was some years later, when, missing home while doing a two-year course on Prince Edward Island, that she began playing in earnest. And it seems she never looked back.
Please join us for an exhilarating evening of traditional music presented by some of the best young talent around!
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Jennifer Licko (return to archive index)
Wed, July 15th, 2015 – 7:30 PM – Nelson Town Hall, Nelson NH
The Monadnock Folklore Society presents Jennifer Licko for a concert of ‘Scots Gaelic Song’ at the Nelson Town Hall on Wednesday, July 15 at 7:30 PM as part of her concert and workshop tour of the Northeast this summer. Admission is $12/$9(Sr/Jr)
Jennifer Licko, a Scots Gaelic singer living in Brazil, but originally from North Carolina, is an International touring artist featured on national radio in the US, and a respected musician within the Celtic genre while acquiring fans outside of that niche. Jennifer masterfully combines the Appalachian music of her North Carolina roots with the traditional Celtic music of her ancestors. “Jennifer Licko could very well be the heir-apparent to Canada’s Loreena McKennitt and Clannad’s Maire Brennan,” says Celtic Life Magazine.
The folk music of North Carolina has strong roots in Celtic traditions; Jennifer Licko will be singing various types of traditional Scots Gaelic song such as oran luadh (work songs) and puirt a beul (dance tunes), along with folk songs (from North Carolina via Scotland) sung in English including some of her original material which has been greatly influenced by Irish and Scottish songwriters such as Dougie MacLean and John Spillane.
Jennifer will accompany herself on guitar and bodhran and at times will ask the audience to participate in singing and rhythm parts in the spirit of the oral singing tradition.
Jennifer’s most recent album ‘A Thousand Curses Upon Love’ has been receiving critical acclaim from the Celtic/Folk and World music community and is receiving national radio airplay. Currently Jennifer is working on a new album with producer and guitarist Patsy Obrien (The Cathie Ryan band) and four time All Ireland fiddle champion, Dylan Foley (The Yanks). The long awaited album will be trad based with world influences. The Irish Edition writes, “At times, Jennifer Licko has a haunting vibrato in her voice, at times she attacks songs with a deep feeling, but she always attracts as she sings.”
“Jennifer Licko certainly has a voice made for the concert hall” …Boston Irish Reporter
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Gary Sredzienski (return to archive index)
Sun, June 14th, 2015 – *7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall, Nelson NH
Gary Sredzienski returns to the Nelson Town Hall on Sunday, June 14 for a 7:00 pm concert. The concert will feature the versatility of the accordion and tales of the creek presented as only Gary can. His passion for music, the accordion, swimming, and life is infectious! Bring the family to this entertaining and educational performance by a true master. Admission is $12/$9(Sr/Jr).
Gary Sredzienski is an exceptionally versatile accordion player whose repertoire encompasses music from a wide range of world traditions and American music of the 1920s to 1950s. He also plays 1960’s surf rock, traditional ethnic, and his accordion compositions with his Portsmouth based group, the “Serfs.”
Gary has performed extensively in the United States and abroad in concert settings, festivals, and schools. In May of 2000 Gary was nominated by Congressman John Sununu to represent NH in a performance at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in Washington DC. In July of 2000 he performed throughout Romania on a tour sponsored by the Smithsonian Folklife Center, the State Department, and the Governor Jeanne Shaheen of NH. He represented NH at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC in 1999, performed at the American and National folk festivals and was sent to Quebec City for its 400th anniversary as a musical ambassador for NH by Governor Lynch and recently played for the inauguration of Governor Maggie Hassan.
Gary has released a number of solo recordings on his own Bellows Music label. His compositions and music have been featured in a number of feature films and television sound tracks including, Paramount’s “Bad News Bears” and “A Team”, Eddie Murphy’s “Meet Dave,” and multiple major network television sitcoms.
Gary hosts a weekly 1950’s style ethnic radio show, “Polka Party,” on WUNH-FM and has a devoted following. In 1990, he was sponsored by the Edgewood Center of Portsmouth and his radio show listeners to undertake a national tour, performing for 93 nursing homes in 15 states over a five-week period. He was named a ‘Point of Light’ for his efforts. An avid swimmer, in 2008 Gary was the first to swim to the Isle of Shoals in winter and since has raised over $65,000 for 7 different charities in 7 winter swims. The NH charitibles Foundation gave a grant to write, produce, and perform a play on Gary’s musical life and swimming adventures through the Harborlight Stage Theater Company entitled ‘Creekman….. The Adventures of the Accordion Playing Merman.
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Low Lily (return to archive index)
Fri, May 8th, 2015 – *8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall, Nelson NH
Join us on Friday May 8 for the return of Liz Simmons, Flynn Cohen and Lissa Schneckenburger to the Nelson Town Hall for an 8:00 PM concert. Admission is $15/$12(Sr/Jr)
LOW LILY, formerly called Annalivia, is an American ‘roots and branches’ string trio which draws from tradition and today to create their own brand of new acoustic folk music. The members – Liz Simmons, Flynn Cohen, and Lissa Schneckenburger – are masterful players and have long histories with traditional music, ranging from bluegrass to Irish, Scottish, New England and Old Time Appalachian music. This background, combined with each member’s stellar compositional skills and cutting edge arranging chops, makes for music which sounds rooted yet contemporary. Folk and string-band enthusiasts alike will be drawn in by the expert vocals and songwriting, excellent musicianship, and innovative approach. The members of Low Lily are seasoned musicians and have individually toured and performed with the likes of Ruth Moody, Cathie Ryan, John Whelan, Aoife Clancy, Adrienne Young, Childsplay and Solas, among others.
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Short Sisters (return to archive index)
Sun, Mar 15th, 2015 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall, Nelson NH
Fay Baird, Kate Seeger, and Kim Wallach…
have been singing and performing together since 1979. They return to the Nelson Town Hall on Sunday, March 15 for a 7:00 PM concert. Admission is $12/$9(Sr/Jr/Advance).
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 acapella arrangements but also accompany themselves with guitar, autoharp and banjo.
The Short Sisters challenge the audience’s imagination and invite their participation with compelling words, powerful melodies and elegant arrangements. Audiences comment on more than just the trio’s extraordinary harmonies and choice of material. Their playfulness and pleasure in each other’s company leave listeners energized and cheered. Their repertoire includes intricate rounds, songs from American, African-American and British traditions and material from contemporary songwriters. The Short Sisters’ favorite songs, funny or moving, thought-provoking or frivolous, traditional or newly written, convey optimism about tackling life’s challenges.
The trio’s performance list covers Folksong Societies and Coffeehouses in their home states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Florida, forays to Michigan and California, and regular appearances in New Jersey, New England and Washington D.C. They have recorded five albums, four of which are available on CD.
Songs both traditional and new: unusual rounds, musical curiosities and chorus songs, Sacred Harp songs, ballads and much more. Whether acapella or with guitar, autoharp and banjo, the Short Sisters blend their voices in stunning and original harmonies.
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Rodney Miller Trio featuring Rodney Miller, David Surette, & Gordon Peery (return to archive index)
Fri, Feb 20th, 2015 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall, Nelson NH
On Friday, February 20, at 8:00 PM the Monadnock Folklore Society presents the Rodney Miller Trio, in the Nelson Town Hall. The concert features Rodney Miller on fiddle, David Surette on guitar, mandolin and bouzouki, and Gordon Peery on piano. Admission is $15/$12(Sr/Jr).
Individually these musicians enjoy decades-long reputations as some of the finest contra dance musicians in the country. Their concert in Nelson is a rare opportunity to hear them playing in this trio configuration, and in a concert setting.
Rodney Miller has been at the forefront of traditional New England fiddling since the mid 1970’s. He was one of the first musicians to issue a recording of fiddle tunes. As early as 1983, he was designated a “Master Fiddler” in 1983 by the National Endowment for the Arts. He is widely considered to be the foremost exponent of New England style fiddling, a uniquely American blend of French Canadian and Celtic influences. Over the past 35 years, he has toured the U.S., British Isles, Australia and Denmark, performed and taught at hundreds of music and dance festivals, and recorded over ten fiddle albums.
In 1999, Rodney represented the state of New Hampshire, playing traditional fiddle music at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. He has also appeared on Garrison Keillor’s National Public Radio show “A Prairie Home Companion,” performed live with the Twyla Tharp Modern Dance Company, performed at the Lincoln Center in New York, and was recorded on the album Songs and Sounds of the Sea for the National Geographic Society.
In March, 2014 Rodney Miller was appointment by NH Gov. Hassan and the Executive Council as the new Artist Laureate of NH.
David Surette is widely regarded as one of New England’s finest guitarists, His solo albums “Back Roads” and “Trip to Kemper” have 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 is equally at home on the mandolin and bouzouki, and is well-known as a top-notch accompanist in New England’s contra dance and Celtic music circles, and is also in demand as a studio musician and sideman. He has performed throughout the country at festivals, concerts, coffeehouses and contra dances, and in 1999 toured in Brittany, France. In addition to performing and recording, Surette maintains an active teaching schedule, and is head of the folk department at the Concord (NH) Community Music School.
Gordon Peery began playing piano for contra dances in the late 1970’s, mentored by Bob McQuillen, and influenced by the Cape Breton styling of fiddler Harvey Tolman. However his style quickly evolved to express influence from rock and roll and later, jazz, while style firmly rooted with the solid rhythmic requirements demanded of traditional contra dance pianists. His playing has been variously described as “Barrelhouse Irish”, and having the dramatic qualities of a film score.
From 1985 – 95 Gordon played and toured extensively with the celebrated band, Fresh Fish, which included fiddler Kerry Elkin. In addition to a recording with that band, Gordon has contributed to many recordings, including several from fiddler Skip Gorman.
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Nowell Sing We Clear (return to archive index)
Fri, Dec 5th, 2014 – 8:00 PM – Dublin Community Church, Dublin NH
Monadnock Folklore Society’s annual presentation of this seasonal favorite! Absolutely the best way to start your holiday season. Music, dance, a mummer’s play and delicious treats!
Dublin Community Church
Friday, December 5, 2014
8:00 pm
Admission $15/$12(Sr/Jr)
Nowell Sing We Clear with its unusual songs, carols, stories, and customs has toured every year since 1975. 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 song sheets 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.This year the ensemble will be playing as far south as West Chester, PA, and as far north as Brattleboro, VT. 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 Nowell, Nowell, Nowell. Others are Just Say Nowell, Hail Smiling Morn (which has a cover designed by famous Vermont artist, Mary Azarian), Nowell SingWe Four, and Nowell, Nowell, Nowell. 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.
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Skip Gorman with Connie Dover (return to archive index)
Fri, Nov 21st, 2014 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall, Nelson NH
The Monadnock Folklore Society presents “Celtic Roots of the Music of the American West” a concert program performed by Skip Gorman with Connie Dover at the Nelson Town Hall on Friday, November 21 at 8 pm. Admission is $15/$12(Sr/Jr)
Through his music, Skip Gorman brings back to life the workaday world of the cowboys of the American West. His music is not the music of the Hollywood cowboy, but rather the simple, yet beautifully poignant music that was performed around campfires by cowboys and westward settlers in the 19th century. Gorman brings to the music a scholar’s knowledge of the cowboy’s Celtic, Spanish and Afro-American roots as well as the personal experience gained by working as a cowboy on a ranch in Wyoming, along with an exquisite touch as a singer, guitarist, fiddler and mandolinist.
Acclaimed by the Boston Globe as “the finest folk ballad singer America has produced since Joan Baez,” Connie Dover is a singer, poet and Emmy Award-winning producer and composer. Her soaring, crystal-clear voice and inspired arrangements of the music of Scotland, Ireland and early America display a depth and breadth of range that have established her as one of the world’s pre-eminent traditional singers.
“The lonesome ache that is in the core of Skip Gorman’s voice and fiddling fits close to the bones of the slope country, the rough breaks, the bunchgrass high plains. These traditional cowboy songs, unadorned, openly sad, sometimes lively or gritty, carry the distance and solitude of the West in them.”
E. Annie Proulx,
Author
Centennial, Wyoming
“Connie Dover has become an American treasure who has rediscovered the musical synergy that existed between the British Isles and the American West.”
– Cowboys and Indians Magazine
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Dave Eggar & Amber Rubarth (return to archive index)
Wed, Jul 30th, 2014 – 7:30 PM – Heberton Hall, Keene, NH
We are so excited to be able to present cello virtuoso Dave Eggar and singer/songwriter Amber Rubarthreturning to the Monadnock region for a night that celebrates folk song, story, and groove through the ages. This concert is made possible through collaboration with The Walden School. Wednesday, July 30, 7:30 PM, Heberton Hall, 76 Winter Street, Keene, NH ~ $15/$12(Sr/Jr))
“Here is a letter from my lonelier self / to the one that’s in love once again / I couldn’t find you so I thought that I would tell / you a few things with my favorite blue pen.” So begins Amber Rubarth’s fifth album, A Common Case of Disappearing. Grand prize winner of NPR’s prestigious Mountain Stage New Song Contest, Rubarth writes songs with a courageous vulnerability so personal that it touches the universal. At 21 years old, Amber decided to quit her career as a chainsaw sculptor in Nevada in order to pursue her hidden passion for music. She taught herself guitar, began playing open mics and recording her songs, and soon was being asked to perform throughout the US and into Europe.
A musical prodigy as a child, Dave began playing the cello and piano at age three, performed on Broadway and with the Metropolitan Opera at age seven, and debuted at Carnegie Hall at age 15. He is a graduate of Harvard University and the Julliard School’s Doctoral Program.
Dave Eggar has performed worldwide as a solo cellist and pianist. A virtuoso of many styles, Dave has performed and recorded with artists in numerous genres including Evanescence, The Who, Michael Brecker, Josh Groban, Coldplay, Beyonce, Pearl Jam, Fall Out Boy, Dave Sanborn, Kathleen Battle, Ray Lamontagne, Roberta Flack, The Spin Doctors, Dianne Reeves, Brandy, Carly Simon, Phil Ramone, Hannah Montana, Duncan Sheik, Sinead O’Connor, Bon Jovi, Manhattan Transfer, Corinne Bailey Ray and many more.
Dave’s mission to “not just cross over, but to cross through” multiple genres of music are apparent with all of his releases. Whether it’s classical, reggae, bluegrass, jazz, pop, or world music, he finds a common voice within his musical vocabulary and introduces it with his own unique imaginative vision.
Here are a few links to give you a taste of what we are in for:
http://www.youtube.com/user/daveeggar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSeh_hfrSa0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNcIGJIsaN4#t=200
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Windborne (return to archive index)
Sun, Jun 8th, 2014 – 7:00 PM – Lucy Shonk Kelly Recital Hall on the campus of the Dublin School in Dublin, NH
The Monadnock Folklore Society presents Windborne on Sunday, June 8 at 7:00 PM at the Lucy Shonk Kelly Recital Hall on the campus of the Dublin School in Dublin, NH. Admission is $12/9(Sr/Jr).
Windborne is Lynn Mahoney Rowan, Will Thomas Rowan, Lauren Breunig, and Jeremy Carter-Gordon. All four have traveled extensively in the US and throughout the world with Village Harmony, Northern Harmony and the Renewal Chorus. They are seasoned performers and educators, who are adept at teaching music across cultural and linguistic divides. Windborne has toured New England several times, and in 2010 their vocal agility and power won them first place in Young Tradition Vermont’s Showcase Competition. Since then, they have appeared at folk festivals and concert venues around New England, and have taught workshops at universities in the northeast. In 2013, they were selected by the American Music Abroad program to do a State Department sponsored tour in Angola, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Windborne has existed in many capacities throughout its 10+ year history, appearing as a duo, trio, and now, as a quartet. A group of vocal chameleons, they grew up in musical families, going to Shape Note sings, taking voice and instrumental lessons, and seeking out folk music in their communities and schools. As teenagers, they became enamored with world folk traditions at Village Harmony singing camps. Now, they draw upon their collective four decades of experience as performers and teachers to switch effortlessly between drastically different styles of singing within the same concert, all the while regaling the audience with their vocal energy and carefully crafted arrangements. Their repertoire includes music from the Republic of Georgia, Corsica, Bulgaria, the Basque region, and Quebec, but they remain deeply rooted in American folk singing traditions as well.
Over the past decade, they have sought out masters of traditional singing styles in the US and around the world to study a variety of vocal music. Through these collaborations, they have developed a uniquely authentic and distinctive sound for which they are known. Specializing in close harmony singing, the quartet has a vibrant energy and a strong connection, which is evident in their engaging performance. They educate as they perform, telling stories about the music and explaining the characteristics and stylistic elements of the traditions in which they sing. Folk musicologist Mary DesRosiers acclaims Windborne for “the purity of their voices, strength of their material, and attention to detail in their arrangements.”
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Chanterelle (return to archive index)
Sun, Mar 9th, 2014 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
Josée Vachon and Donna Hébert have embodied traditional and original Franco-American fiddle and song all their lives. Twenty years ago, they met and became musical partners, forming Chanterelle with former guitarist Liza Constable and bassist Alan Bradbury. Alan returns with Josée, Donna and her guitarist, Max Cohen, for a performance at the Nelson Town Hall on Sunday March 9 at 7:00 PM. Admission is $15/$12(Sr/Jr).
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Nowell Sing We Clear (return to archive index)
Fri, Dec 6th, 2013 – 8:00 PM – Dublin Community Church
Monadnock Folklore Society’s annual presentation of this seasonal favorite! Admission $15/$12 (Sr/Jr).
Nowell Sing We Clear with its unusual songs, carols, stories, and customs has toured every year since 1975. 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 song sheets 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.This year the ensemble will be playing as far south as West Chester, PA, and as far north as Brattleboro, VT. 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 Nowell, Nowell, Nowell. Others are Just Say Nowell, Hail Smiling Morn (which has a cover designed by famous Vermont artist, Mary Azarian), Nowell SingWe Four, and Nowell, Nowell, Nowell. 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)
Sat, Nov 16th, 2013 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
Cosy Sheridan returns to New Hampshire and the Nelson Town Hall for a concert on Saturday, November 16 at 8:00 PM. Admission is $15/$12(Sr/Jr)
Cosy Sheridan has been called “one of the era’s finest and most thoughtful singer/songwriters” She 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. Since then she has released 10 cds, written a one-woman-show and her music has appeared in books and film. She has taught songwriting, guitar and performance workshops at music camps for the past 15 years, including The Puget Sound Guitar Workshop and The Swannanoa Gathering. She is the director of The Moab Folk Camp in Moab, Utah.
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Mayfly (return to archive index)
Fri, Oct 11th, 2013 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
Mayfly is Katie Trautz and Julia Wayne. You may remember Katie appearing as part of Wooden Dinosaur a few years back. We tried to get Mayfly to Nelson during the month of May so you’d know how on top of things we are, but it wasn’t to be. Join us on FGriday, October 11 at 8:00 PM in the Nelson Town Hall for a concert of traditional and original music. Admission is $12/$9(Sr/Jr).
Mayfly, Americana/Old-time duo, is a Vermont based band that performs old-time New England and Appalachian music, as well as original songwriting on guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo and vocals. Mayfly has been performing for over 10 years, touring throughout the USA and Canada. The girls have two albums, one of which won ‘Best Traditional Album of the Year’ in Vermont. Mayfly intersperses close harmony vocals with strong instrumentals influenced by blues, ballads, and American roots music. The duo has performed alongside renowned traditional musicians from across the globe, including Swedish fiddler Anna Lindblad, Louisiana based musician Dirk Powell, and North Carolina’s Riley Baugus. Mayfly has also shared the stage with Crooked Still, Avi and Celia, David Boulanger, Sheesham and Lotus, Crowfoot, Pete Sutherland and other great bands and musicians at festivals in New England and Canada. Mayfly will be celebrating the release of a third album in the summer of 2013.
Find them here: www.myspace.com/mayflygirls or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mayfly/123794014457012?fref=ts
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Matt & Shannon Heaton (return to archive index)
Fri, Sept 20th, 2013 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
The Monadnock Folklore Society welcomes Shannon Heaton back(we saw her as part of Long Time Courting) to the Nelson Town Hall on Friday, September 20, this time with her husband Matt for an 8:00 PM concert. Admission is $12/$9(Sr/Jr)
Boston-based Matt and Shannon Heaton play traditional and updated Irish music on flute, accordion, guitar, bouzouki, and voices. Their inventive approach to traditional tunes and ballads, their variety of instruments, and their blend of new and old music creates a robust “band” sound the Boston Herald called “majestic excellence.” Winner of Live Ireland’s “Trad Fusion Album of the Year,” the Heatons move seamlessly from harmony singing, to driving flute tunes, to lush guitar lines, creating a big, layered, modern sound.
Matt and Shannon had their musical start in Chicago, where they played with mentors Liz Carroll, John Williams, and Jimmy Keane. Annual trips to Clare, three years in bluegrass-haven Boulder, Colorado, and their move to Boston in 2001 have all influenced their repertoire and style. They are an integral part of Boston’s vibrant Irish music and neo-Celtic Acoustic scenes, and many of their new arrangements and compositions well out of their work with fellow traditional musicians in and around New England (Matt also plays with Flynn Cohen’s Deadstring Ensemble and has an acclaimed CD of music for children; Shannon plays with Long Time Courting and Childsplay).
Matt and Shannon are poised, passionate performers. They are comfortable onstage and have a warm, sometimes hilarious, presence and banter with audiences. This is Indie traditional music, founded in an authentic love of traditional music (and each other) and a sense of adventure and fun for exploring new directions and possibilities.
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Red heart The Ticker (return to archive index)
Thu, Aug 1st, 2013 – 7:30 PM – Nelson Town Hall
The Monadnock Folklore Society is excited to bring Red Heart the Ticker to our side of the river for a concert on Thursday, August 1 at 7:30 PM in the Nelson Town Hall. Admission is $12/$9(Sr/Jr)
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Amber Rubarth & Dave Eggar (return to archive index)
Tue, Jul 2nd, 2013 – 7:30 PM – Nelson Town Hall
Amber Rubarth and Dave Eggar happen to be visiting the Monadnock region this week and we couldn’t pass up the chance to present them in concert. They will be joined onstage by percussionist Chuck Palmer. Tuesday, July 2, 7:30 PM, $12/$9(Sr/Jr)
“Here is a letter from my lonelier self / to the one that’s in love once again / I couldn’t find you so I thought that I would tell / you a few things with my favorite blue pen.” So begins Amber Rubarth’s fifth album, A Common Case of Disappearing. Grand prize winner of NPR’s prestigious Mountain Stage New Song Contest, Rubarth writes songs with a courageous vulnerability so personal that it touches the universal. Produced by Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Norah Jones, Kings of Leon), the album debuted at No. 13 on iTunes’ songwriter chart and features duets with Jason Reeves and Jason Mraz.
A musical prodigy as a child, Dave began playing the cello and piano at age three, performed on Broadway and with the Metropolitan Opera at age seven, and debuted at Carnegie Hall at age 15. He is a graduate of Harvard University and the Julliard School’s Doctoral Program.
Dave Eggar has performed worldwide as a solo cellist and pianist. A virtuoso of many styles, Dave has performed and recorded with artists in numerous genres including Evanescence, The Who, Michael Brecker, Josh Groban, Coldplay, Beyonce, Pearl Jam, Fall Out Boy, Dave Sanborn, Kathleen Battle, Ray Lamontagne, Roberta Flack, The Spin Doctors, Dianne Reeves, Brandy, Carly Simon, Phil Ramone, Hannah Montana, Duncan Sheik, Sinead O’Connor, Bon Jovi, Manhattan Transfer, Corinne Bailey Ray and many more.
Dave’s mission to “not just cross over, but to cross through” multiple genres of music are apparent with all of his releases. Whether it’s classical, reggae, bluegrass, jazz, pop, or world music, he finds a common voice within his musical vocabulary and introduces it with his own unique imaginative vision.
Percussionist, song writer, producer Chuck Palmer has performed and recorded with artists including Gil Goldstein, RJD2, Sly Dunbar, Frank Ocean, Lucia Micarelli, Luciano, Dr. Ralph Stanley, Junior Marvin, Alex Skolnick, Phillip Phillips, The City and Horses, Waway Saway and the Talaandig Tribe, and Amy Lee of Evanescence. He is a native of Ohio and a graduate of Capital University, where he majored in percussion with Robert Breithaupt. Mr. Palmer co-produced Dave Eggar’s Grammy-nominated release Kingston Morning and is a founding member of their group Deoro.
Here are a few links to give you a taste of what we are in for:
http://www.youtube.com/user/daveeggar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSeh_hfrSa0
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The Solstice Sisters (return to archive index)
Sat, Jun 22nd, 2013 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
The Solstice Sisters return for a celebration of the Summer Solstice on June 22 at 8:00 PM at the Nelson Town Hall. Admission is $10/$8(Sr/Jr).
Alouette Iselin, Melanie Everard, Kim Wallach, Allison Aldrich, and Heather Bower have been a mainstay of our Winter Solstice party for years, presenting a program of original and traditional and sometimes just wacky seasonal music. They decided that getting together for the solstice concert was so much fun that it was a shame it was only once a year. But wait …….. there are two solstices in the calendar year, what better excuse could there be?
So come celebrate the Summer Solstice, Fathers Day, the end of black fly season, St. John’s Day, the longest day of the year, Midsummer, Ivan Kupala night, Wianki, Jani, the shortest night of the year, the Red Sox or whatever floats your boat with a selection of music that only the Solstice Sisters could put together.
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John Roberts and Debra Cowan (return to archive index)
Sat, Apr 27th, 2013 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
We’re excited to bring John Roberts back to the Nelson Town Hall for a concert with Debra Cowan on Saturday, April 27. The show gets underway at 8:00 PM. Admission is $15/$12(Sr/Jr).
It all started with a question in 2009: “How are you getting to Chicago?”
And with that, folk musicians John Roberts and Debra Cowan decided to team up for a series of small concerts in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois before arriving as separately booked artists at the Fox Valley Folklore Society’s annual festival. The combination of car-pool and mini-tour was successful enough that John and Debra decided to do more performing together both in the USA and the United Kingdom.
John and Debra met for the first time at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in 1999 where John and his long-time musical partner, Tony Barrand were performing a concert of Maritime Songs. Afterwards, they continued to meet at various folk music events in New England and became friends, often appearing on stage together at New England folk festivals.
John and Debra both share an enthusiasm and passion for the old songs and ballads that have been handed down through the oral tradition in the English-speaking world. Even though a John Roberts and Debra Cowan evening will certainly include many traditional songs, there will be contemporary songs as well, some by writers personally known to both performers. Be prepared to join in and sing along!
“a brilliant evening, and they complement each other beautifully!”
– Audience member in Cleveland, OH
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Long Time Courting (return to archive index)
Fri, Mar 29th, 2013 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
The Monadnock Folklore Society welcomes ‘Long Time Courting’ to the Nelson Town Hall on Friday, March 29 at 8:00 PM. Admission is $15/$12(Sr/Jr).
Boston-based band LONG TIME COURTING offers an extraordinary blend of neo-traditional Celtic Roots music. Exquisite vocal harmonies combine with the formidable instrumental prowess of Sarah Blair (fiddle), Valerie Thompson (cello), Shannon Heaton (flute), and Liz Simmons (guitar) to create music that is both playful and richly satisfying.
“Enchanting vocals, top-rank musicianship, and well-conceived, intelligent arrangements.”
-Boston Irish Reporter
“What they have created with Long Time Courting is not so much a blend of talents as it is a tapestry, with bright threads of voice and instrument weaving in and out, coming to the fore and supporting in the background through a series of musical conversations that comprise both song and tune. LTC is rooted in Irish music, but they bring in American roots and on occasion other threads of music as well. The song Barbara Allen is well known on both sides of the Atlantic and in many different styles. LTC offers it in slowed down form, almost as a lament, with a nod to Johnny Cash as as well as to tradition. It is also a very fine instance of how the women’s singing creates a whole that is more than the sum of its parts.” – Kerry Dexter – Music Road (Aug 9, 2011)
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Tim Eriksen – Trio de Pumpkintown (return to archive index)
Sun, Feb 24th, 2013 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
We’re excited to have Tim Eriksen join us at the Nelson Town Hall for an evening concert following up his afternoon shape-note singing workshop. Admission to the concert is $15/$12(Sr/Jr).
Tim will present an evening of intense and intimate music, bringing a fresh acoustic sound to rarely heard but stunning songs from the shape-note music repertoire and other early American sources. Joined by Peter Irvine on percussion and Zoe Darrow on fiddle, Tim will also perform selections from “Josh Billings Voyage,” his new album of popular folksongs from a fictional New England village.
Tim Eriksen is acclaimed for transforming American tradition with his startling interpretations of old ballads, love songs, shape-note gospel and dance tunes from New England and Southern Appalachia. He combines hair-raising vocals with inventive accompaniment on banjo, fiddle, guitar and bajo sexto – a twelve string Mexican acoustic bass – creating a distinctive hardcore Americana sound that ranges from the bare bones of solo unaccompanied singing to the lush, multi-layered arrangements on his new album of northern roots American music “Josh Billings Voyage.”
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Trip to Nelson (return to archive index)
Fri, Jan 4th, 2013 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
Trip to Nelson, a contra dance band born in the Nelson Town Hall, will be playing a concert celebrating the release of their new recording, The Winding Road (named after any road that you might take to get to Nelson. The concert gets under way Friday, January 4 at 8:00PM. Admission is $12/$9(Sr/Jr).
The band’s name comes from a tune written by fiddler Pete Sutherland after a concert in the Nelson Town Hall on March 30th, 1984. The tune is included on the album.
Trip to Nelson plays in a style that is both innovative, and respectful of the tradition of New England contra dance music. With many different instrumental configurations at their disposal, they can cover a wide range of orchestrations, producing rich textures and dramatic flair.
The band consists of:
Perin Ellsworth-Heller: fiddle;
Matt Garland: flute, whistle, accordion;
Richard Backes: guitar, mandolin, fiddle, accordion;
Lizza Backes: flute, whistle, concertina;
Gordon Peery: piano, guitar
This concert will also include some special guests who occasionally also play at the Nelson Monday Night Dance.
Trip to Nelson: Sampler from forthcoming CD, “The Winding Road” from Gordon Peery on Vimeo.
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Nowell Sing We Clear (return to archive index)
Fri, Dec 7th, 2012 – 8:00 PM – Dublin Community Church
One of our Annual Seasonal Extravaganzas!
NOT TO BE MISSED
$15/$12(Sr/Jr)
This will be the thirty-eighth 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 Sing We 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.
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Gordon Bok (return to archive index)
Fri, Oct 19th, 2012 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
We’re pleased once again to welcome Gordon Bok back to Nelson; can it really have been four years since we last presented him here? Friday, October 19 at 8:00 PM Gordon’s deep baritone voice will fill the Nelson Town Hall. Admission is $18/$15(Sr/Jr).
Bok grew up in Camden, Maine, where he started singing and playing guitar at an early age, inspired by both his musical family and his coastal environment. He worked on or near the water much of his earlier years, in shipyards and on sailing vessels, serving in every capacity from dishwasher to captain. As the origjnal first mate on the sloop “Clearwater”, he toured the New England coast with the Hudson River Sloop Singers.
Bok’s music is largely self-taught. He has learned many songs and stories from people he has worked with and continues to do so. He performs with 6- and 12-string guitars as well as a baritone viol da gamba – which he designed himself. He also sings a cappella, plying the resonant bass-baritone voice that has become a Bok trademark.
His repertoire consists of a rich trove of ballads of Maine and the Maritimes, songs and dances of the Americas and abroad, stories of boats and sailors, tales of sealfolk and cantefables of his own composition, contemporary songs and instrumentals. He has recorded over thirty albums, solo and with other musicians, and performs at folk clubs, concert halls and festivals throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Scandinavia. He has appeared in concert with the Paul Winter Consort, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and “A Prairie Home Companion” among others.
In the words of one critic, “If the sea had a voice with which to sing, it would be the voice of Gordon Bok.”
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Housetop (return to archive index)
Sun, Jun 17th, 2012 – 7:30 PM – Nelson Town Hall
We’re excited about bringing back Housetop to the Nelson Town Hall for a Father’s Day concert, Sunday, June 17 at 7:30 PM. Admission is $12/9(Senior/Youth).
Housetop is a harmony singin’, swingin’ string band quartet based in Southern Vermont. The group consists of Naomi Morse on vocals, fiddle and mandolin, Erica Morse on vocals and upright bass, Anna Patton on vocals and clarinet and Peter Siegel on vocals, guitar and mandolin.
Housetop performs a lively, quirky program of swingy, bluesy, old time American music. Much of Housetop’s repertoire is from the 30s and 40s – a high point of American song writing as performed at the time by stars like the Ink Spots, The Boswell Sisters, Fats Waller, and Fred Astaire. It was a time of great musical craftiness: close harmonies and clever, concise lyrics. It’s also the music with which entertainers strove to sing and dance the people’s cares away, and there’s an undertone of hard times, treading the line between sincerity and satire. In the irreverent spirit of Vaudeville, Housetop makes these songs their own, along with whatever else scratches their itch, including jug band tunes, songs penned by Bob Wills, Dan Hicks, the Roches, and their own originals. They round out their program with hot instrumentals: Peter and Erica set the groove for Anna and Naomi’s wild renditions of raggy fiddle tunes and little-big-band breaks.
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Troy MacGillivray and Kimberley Fraser (return to archive index)
Sun, May 13th, 2012 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
Troy MacGillivray returns to the Nelson Town Hall on Sunday, May 13 for a 7:00 PM show. Admission is $15/$12 (Sr/Jr). On this visit Troy will be accompanied by Kimberley Fraser, a master at the trio of fiddling, step dancing and piano. Troy and Kimberley will be offering afternoon workshops starting at 1:30 PM. Cost is $50, Register for piano or fiddle at info@troymacgillivray.com.
Troy MacGillivray was 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.
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!
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. Though still in her 20s, Kimberley’s already has a distinguished career. She has traveled the world, from Victoria to Afghanistan, performing at venues such as The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. bringing Cape Breton music with her wherever she goes. Dan MacDonald of the Cape Breton Post says 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.” Kimberley has shared the stage with the finest acts in Celtic music, such as Alasdair Fraser, Martin Hayes and Lunasa. Kimberley is also in demand for her piano skills, accompanying musicians at home and abroad.
Please join us for an exhilarating evening of traditional music presented by some of the best young talent around!
In response to requests, Troy and Kimberley have agreed to offer piano and fiddle workshops starting at 1:30 pm on the afternoon of the concert. The cost for either two hour workshop is $50. To register contact Pam Wamback at info@troymacgillivray.com.
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Tim Eriksen (return to archive index)
Fri, Mar 2nd, 2012 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
The Monadnock Folklore Society is very excited to present Tim Eriksen in concert on Friday, March 2, 8:00 PM at the Nelson Town Hall. Admission is $12/$9 (Sr/Jr).
Tim Eriksen is acclaimed for transforming American tradition with his startling interpretations of old ballads, love songs, shape-note gospel and dance tunes form New England and Southern Appalachia. He combines hair-raising vocals with inventive accompaniment on banjo, fiddle, guitar and bajo sexto – a twelve string Mexican acoustic bass – creating a distinctive hardcore Americana sound that ranges from the bare bones of solo unaccompanied singing on his album Soul of the January Hills (Appleseed 2010) through the stripped-down voice and bajo sexto Christmas album Star in the East (timeriksenmusic 2012) to the lush, multi-layered arrangements on Josh Billings’s Voyage, an upcoming album of northern roots American music.
Eriksen’s own compositions, which NetRhythms UK described as “strange and original works,” have been featured in films like the Billy Bob Thornton vehicle Chrystal and the upcoming documentary Behold the Earth. Eriksen’s other notable work has included extensive contributions to Anthony Minghella’s 2004 Oscar-winning film Cold Mountain as well as collaborations ranging from hardcore punk and Bosnian pop to symphony orchestra and the 2010 Grammy-nominated album Across the Divide with Afro-Cuban world-jazz pianist Omar Sosa.
The former frontman of the prophetic groups Cordelia’s Dad (folk-noise), Northampton Harmony (shape-note quartet) and Zabe i Babe (Bosnian folk and pop), Tim Eriksen is the only musician to have shared the stage with both Kurt Cobain and Doc Watson, and his media appearances have ranged from Prairie Home Companion to the Academy Awards. Having graduated from early shows at punk mecca CBGB, Tim’s more recent performances have included his Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist in Even Chambers’ symphonic work “The Old Burying Ground” and two week-long stints at the Blue Note Jazz Club with Omar Sosa. In the studio, he has worked with producers including Joe Boyd, T-Bone Burnett and Steve Albini.
While Eriksen’s curiosity and passion have led him on many musical journeys besides American roots – from punk rock and shape-note gospel through South Indian classical music and Bosnian pop to world jazz and contemporary symphonic music – all his explorations are linked by the qualities of intensity, directness, and authority which combine in a music that captures a truth about human experience and expresses it without apology.
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Wooden Dinosaur CD Release Party (return to archive index)
Fri, Feb 10th, 2012 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
Admission $12/$9 (Sr/Jr)
The Monadnock Folklore Society is excited to present home-town boy Jeff Murphy and his band, ‘Wooden Dinosaur’, to celebrate the release of their new CD ‘Spaces’ at the Nelson Town Hall on Friday February 10 at 8:00 PM. Admission is $12/$9 (senior, youth, & advance internet).
“Wooden Dinosaur makes the kind of simple, stripped-down music that leaves you feeling nostalgic and longing for more.”
–NPR’s All Songs Considered
Wooden Dinosaur is an original six-piece folk ensemble with members from throughout New England. The band makes music that is deeply American, yet forward thinking. Built around the songs of Brattleboro-based guitarist Michael Roberts, Wooden Dinosaur uses a diverse array of instruments – fiddle, upright bass, drums, trumpet and euphonium – in its tasteful arrangements of original material. Though “indie-folk” is the label most often applied to this music, alt-country, blues, old time, and jazz influences are woven into the band’s signature sound.
Wooden Dinosaur’s debut album, Nearly Lost Stars (2010), garnered both regional and national attention, and cemented the band’s reputation as a fresh voice in the New England Americana scene. Since then the group has toured throughout the Northeast and shared the stage with some of the country’s most exciting new acts, including The Devil Makes Three, Brown Bird, The Low Anthem, Joe Pug, Rusty Belle and David Wax Museum.
The band spent 2011 working on their second full-length album, Spaces. Much of the recording for the new album took place at a house in Nelson, over July 4th weekend. Recorded in between family-style BBQ’s and trips to the local swimming hole, the album reflects the group’s dedication to a diverse array of American musical traditions.
Opening the show will be Dollar General, the new project from Vermont composer and guitarist Michael Chorney. This folk-jazz group features the rhythm section from Anais Mitchell’s acclaimed Hadestown Orchestra, along with pedal steel player Asa Brosius. The band plays Chorney’s original songs, which show jazz, country and folk influences, and reflect Chorney’s unique approach to the craft of songwriting.
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Sally Rogers & Claudia Schmidt (return to archive index)
Fri, Jan 13th, 2012 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
Admission $18/$15(Sr/Jr)
Sally and Claudia met in the fabulous Folkie 80s for the first time, and immediately developed a deep friendship and musical collaboration. This led to lots of joint touring as well as 2 CDs together before Sally left the road to raise a family. Throughout, they have maintained the friendship and the musical connection, albeit restricted to a couple concerts a year, when Claudia’s out East or Sally’s back in the Midwest for a family reunion. Last year they had such a good time with their New England concert that they decided right then and there to record a new CD including songs they’ve been adding to their repertoire over the decades (2, to be exact, since their last release!)as well as some brand new ones just for this project. They continue to have an amazing ease onstage together (as well as a lot of double dulcimer!) and an exquisite blend when they put their harmonic wits together. Come and get a sneak preview of what they have up their musical sleeves.
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Nowell Sing We Clear (return to archive index)
Fri, Dec 9th, 2011 – 8:00 PM – Dublin Community Church
One of our Annual Seasonal Extravaganzas!
NOT TO BE MISSED!
Friday, December 9 at 8:00 PM
DUBLIN COMMUNITY CHURCH
$15/$12(Sr/Jr)
This will be the thirty-seventh 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.
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Lissa Schneckenburger (return to archive index)
Fri, October 7th, 2011 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
World class fiddler and local hero Lissa Schneckenburger with Boston based guitarist Bethany Waickman come to the Nelson Town Hall on Friday, October 7 for an 8 PM concert. Admission is $12/$9(Sr/Jr).
The traditional music of New England can be as warm and comforting as a winter fire or as potent and exhilarating as a summer thunderstorm. Fiddler and singer Lissa Schneckenburger is a master of both moods, a winsome, sweet-voiced singer who brings new life to old ballads and a skillful, dynamic fiddler who captures the driving rhythm and carefree joy of dance tunes old and new.
Raised in a small town in Maine and now living in Vermont, Lissa grew up with music. She began playing fiddle at the age of six, inspired by her mother’s interest in folk music and a family friend who was a professional violinist. Soon she was studying with influential Maine fiddler Greg Boardman and sitting in with the Maine Country Dance Orchestra. By the time she was in high school she was playing concerts on her own, specializing in the sprightly New England dance tunes that combine influences from the British Isles and Quebec with homegrown twists that have been evolving since Colonial days. Another of her major influences was the diverse musical community that she found at fiddle camps, where she had a chance to play with and learn from a wide variety of musicians including noted Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser. In 2001 she graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a degree in contemporary improvisation, and since then has been performing around the US and internationally for a growing audience of enthusiastic listeners. She has recorded seven CDs, (four solo and three with various groups).
Lissa’s fiddling is uplifting and lively, and her singing is gentle and evocative. Both in concert and in the studio she is regularly accompanied by some of New England’s best musicians, including guitarists Keith Murphy and Matt Heaton and double bassist Corey DiMario. Recently she has been closely studying the roots of the Downeast traditional music that she first heard as a young girl. Her latest project is a pair of CDs dedicated to reintroducing some wonderful but largely forgotten songs and tunes from New England that she uncovered through archival research at the University of Maine and elsewhere. “Song”, to be released in April 2008, contains ten timeless ballads that go back as far as the eighteenth century that she set to carefully crafted modern arrangements, while “Dance”, scheduled for 2009, will feature fiddle tunes. “There is currently a lot of focus on traditional American music from the South”, she explains, “and many bands are exploring and recording that repertoire, but no one is getting to hear the amazing repertoire of traditional music from the North. This is my first attempt at getting some of that music out there for people to enjoy.”
Whether playing for a folk club audience or a hall full of dancers, Lissa brings to the stage enthusiasm, energy, and the bright future of New England’s musical traditions.
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Sarah McQuaid (return to archive index)
Fri, September 9, 2011 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
Sarah McQuaid brings her sparkling guitar playing and compelling alto voice to the Nelson Town Hall on Friday, September 9 for an 8:00 PM concert. Admission is $15/$12(senior, youth)
Renowned for her warm, engaging stage presence, Sarah McQuaid is a versatile and beguiling performer. In addition to her own elegantly crafted originals, she interprets traditional Irish and Appalachian folk songs, Elizabethan ballads, 1930s jazz numbers, surprise covers and lively guitar instrumentals with panache and poignance.
Her deliciously earthy voice delivers a powerful emotional punch that’s matched by her distinctive, eloquent guitar style. Add this to a real rapport with her audience, and you have all the ingredients of a great night out.
Born in Spain, raised in Chicago and holding dual Irish and American citizenship, Sarah spent 13 years in Ireland and now lives near Penzance, Cornwall, in the southwest of England.
As might be expected of one who has led such a peripatetic existence, Sarah developed a taste for the road early on: From the age of twelve she was embarking on tours of the US and Canada with the Chicago Children’s Choir. At eighteen she went to France for a year to study philosophy at the University of Strasbourg, and in 1994 Sarah moved to Ireland.
In February 2010, Sarah re-released her first two albums in a double-disc package for the North American market, to coincide with her appearances at the Folk Alliance conference in Memphis and her first US tour, which immediately followed the conference.
The double CD became the No. 1 album, and Sarah the No. 1 artist, on the folkradio.org chart (based on playlists from 195 DJs) for February 2010 (http://folkradio.org/airplay/feb10.html); the final tally at year’s end saw the double CD in the No. 6 slot for the year, beating powerful competition from far more established artists.
In February 2011, Sarah was invited back to the Folk Alliance conference, this time for an official showcase – a significant honour that’s only extended to 20 overseas artists each year. Immediately following the conference, she traveled to Nashville to co-write with industry heavyweights Peter Cronin and Thomm Jutz. Now spending approximately six months of each year on the road in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the USA, Sarah will be returning to the studio in June 2011 to record her third solo album, provisionally titled The Plum Tree And The Rose, once again with Gerry O’Beirne producing and Trevor Hutchinson engineering.
Sarah is also slowly but surely working on a novel for which she’s received two Irish Arts Council Bursaries in Literature. She hopes to finish it one of these days.
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Dick Hensold, Northumbrian Piper (return to archive index)
Tue, July 19th, 2011 – 7:30 PM – Nelson Town Hall
The Monadnock Folklore Society presents Dick Hensold in a solo concert entitled ‘Northumbrian smallpipes and other strange beasts’ on Tuesday, July 19 at 7:30 PM at the Nelson Town Hall in Nelson, NH. Admission is $12/$9 (senior, youth).
“Dick Hensold is a master piper with an exquisite touch.” –City Pages, Minneapolis, MN
Dick Hensold is the leading Northumbrian smallpiper in North America, and for the past 20 years has performed and taught in England, Scotland, Japan, Canada, and across the United States. He has released numerous CDs as a member of the groups Piper’s Crow, Way Up North, The New International Trio, the Lyra Baroque orchestra, and with Ruth MacKenzie’s Kalevala. His solo Northumbrian smallpipes CD Big Music for Northumbrian Smallpipes was released in 2007. He is much in demand as accompanist, studio musician and theater musician, and frequently composes new works based on the traditions of the Northumbrian pipes.
The concert will feature Hensold on Northumbrian smallpipes (a quiet bagpipe from Northeast England), reel pipes (an indoor version of the Scottish Highland pipes intended for Scottish dance music), seljefløyte (Norwegian willow-flute), säckpipa (Swedish bagpipes), pibgorn (Welsh hornpipe), and several other instruments. He will play music in several traditional and historical styles, with particular emphasis on Cape Breton, early Scottish, and Northumbrian, but also including Scandinavian, medieval, Irish, and original music. The program also includes a couple of songs, neither of them in English, and a limited amount of dancing while seated. Join us for a unique musical evening with one of America’s finest and most unusual traditional bagpipers.
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Brown Bird (return to archive index)
Sun, July 3rd, 2011 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
The Monadnock Folklore Society presents Brown Bird on Sunday, July 3, 2011 at the Nelson Town Hall at 7:00 PM. Admission is $12/$9(senior, youth).
Brown Bird has a tendency towards the dark side. Pulling from the influences of the blues, outlaw country, roots rock, early American folk, Gypsy and Eastern European music, Brown Bird offers harmonized voices, haunting lyrics and diverse rhythm and instrumentation, which surges in waves that often swell into high-spirited, foot-stomping madness.
Brown Bird began in 2003, while singer/songwriter David Lamb (guitar, banjo, percussion, vocals) was living in Seattle. Lamb has since toured across the country, experiencing life changes and musical revelations, and come to settle in Rhode Island with his partner MorganEve Swain. (vocals, fiddle, cello, upright bass).
Brown Bird’s journey is illustrated by four released albums, two of them featuring banjo, accordion, cello and vocals by Jeremy and Jerusha Robinson (South China) as Brown Bird’s main members. The third was released as a solo album, and the latest, The Devil Dancing (Peapod Recordings, 2009) features Brown Bird’s three original members, while adding MorganEve Swain, Mike Samos (lap steel, dobro) and Micah Blue Smaldone (bass) to create a full, orchestral sound.
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Annalivia (return to archive index)
Fri, June 17th, 2011 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
ANNALIVIA returns to the Nelson Town Hall on June 17, 2011 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.
At the cutting edge of acoustic and traditional music, Annalivia fuses old and new world sounds to create an authentic new sound, both steeped in tradition and alive with new energy, innovation and originality. Drawing from the musical traditions of Appalachia, Cape Breton, Scotland, England and Ireland, the members of Annalivia also write their own material, including inventive, quirky fiddle tunes and lushly arranged songs. Annalivia is made up of seasoned musicians who have toured with the likes of Cathie Ryan, John Whelan, The Glengarry Bhoys, Dewey Balfa, and Adrienne Young.
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 ballad from the Appalachian mountains. All this they achieve with grace, style and an abundance of youthful energy!
“With a wealth of individual talent on display and so much to absorb, there is no doubt that [Annalivia] will be listened to again and again.”
Irish Music Magazine
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April Verch (return to archive index)
Sun, May 15th, 2011 – 7:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall
We are extremely excited to present the April Verch Band on Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 7:00 PM. Admission is $18/$15(seniors, youth).
When you see April Verch perform, perhaps you remember her from the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the first thing that strikes you is the pure energy that infuses her fiddle playing and stepdancing. When you listen to her though, what draws you in are more subtle things—her pure voice, the finely detailed elegance of her fiddle phrasing and the depth of a repertoire that ranges through material from bluegrass to Brazilian to Celtic, from a jaunty Canadian folk-song to a poignant contemporary ballad.
April was born, raised and is now living in the Ottawa Valley, where her family has lived for generations. It’s an area with a rich, distinctive musical and stepdancing tradition shaped by the diverse roots of the immigrants drawn to the region’s lumber camps. With her band, she plays traditional and original songs that draw from all over the world, but are clearly filtered through her immersion in the style she grew up with in the Ottawa Valley.
It was April’s time spent studying music at Berkelee College of Music in Boston (under Matt Glaser and Darol Anger) that first lead her to blend together different forms of traditional music to form her own distinct sound. She then launched her professional career by winning the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and the Canadian Open Fiddle Champion titles (the first and only woman to win both). In addition to her vigorous touring schedule, she is in great demand for her teaching skills at workshops, master classes and music camps.
The April Verch Band consists of world-class musicians Clay Ross on guitar and Cody Walters on upright-electric bass and banjo. Verch leads the band with her own simultaneous fiddling and dancing and together they have been selling out prestigious venues and festivals for years. They have toured across Canada, the United States, the U.K., Europe and last year made a six week tour in Australia for the first time. In 2011 they are slated for their debut tour in China. They have established a reputation as consummate performers with boundless energy on stage that inevitably brings audiences to their feet.
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Garnert Rogers & Lui Collins (return to archive index)
Sat, March 19th, 2011 – 7:30 PM – Peterborough Union Congregational Church – $25
33 Concord St., Peterborough NH
Renowned folk musicians Lui Collins and Garnet Rogers are joined by the Animaterra Women’s Chorus in a special concert to benefit Mary DesRosiers and her family. Mary lost her home, pets, and all of her possessions in a house fire on November 30, 2010.
Lui Collin’s rose to national prominence as a folksinger in the late 1970’s. She was a favorite performer at the Folkway , and continues to draw larger and appreciative crowds whenever she returns to this area. Garnet Rogers also featured in the early days of the Folkway, first appearing with his brother, the late Stan Rogers, and later emerging as a strong solo performer. Both artists are known for their songwriting, as well as extraordinary musicianship, and a warm stage presence.
Animaterra is a Monadnock Region-based women’s chorus whose repertoire includes music from all over the world. Collectively they exude a powerful presence with songs that are beautiful and exciting.
Mary DesRosiers worked at WSLE (The Folk’s Station) in Peterborough during the late 1970’s and early 1980s, and was responsible for exposing local listeners to a wide range of fine folk musicians. The radio station had a very symbiotic relationship with The Folkway, and between the two the careers of many musicians were greatly nourished. Mary has also worked as an Emcee, contra dance caller, and a musician in her own right. With the loss of her home, and with limited working potential due to a physical disability, the challenges of replacing her home are formidable. But the Harrisville Community and the community of musicians and contra dancers from New England and throughout the United States and Canada has rallied with a promise to do what needs to be done to provide materials, labor and funding. This concert, sponsored by the Monadnock Folklore Society, represents a major component of that effort.
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Potluck & Coffee House (return to archive index)
Sun, February 13th, 2011 – 6:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $5
Mary DesRosiers, dance caller, radio announcer, emcee, and vibrant member of our folk community, lost her home, pets, and all of her possessions in a house fire on November 30th. You can read details about this at www.marydesrosiers.com.
On Sunday, February 13th, there will be a potluck supper and coffeehouse at the Nelson Town Hall. While this event is intended as a small fundraiser (a donation of $5 is requested), it is largely a time to come together, have some fun, and show support for Mary and her family. A large number of local musicians will be performing, and rumor has it that there will be an abundance of joke telling as well.
Perfomers who will be appearing (so far):
Allison Aldrich and Hunt Smith
Alouette Iselin
Kim Wallach
Julie Snow
Gordon Peery
Tim Mowry & Steve Jones
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Claudia Schmidt (return to archive index)
Fri, January 21st, 2011 – 8:00 PM – Nelson Town Hall – $15/$12 (Sr/Jr)
Claudia opened “The Folkway Remembered” concert series at the Peterborough Historical Society last January. She nurtured old friends and made new friends, and it is a pleasure to welcome her back to New Hampshire.
Schmidt takes her audiences into her world as easily as the child who discovers the endless universes that exist in a cardboard box.
From lying on sandy beaches under an endless barrage of northern lights, to the expected anguish and frustration of spinning tires on cars stuck deep in snow, from the age-old struggle of change between adolescence and adulthood to the observation of sheer idiocy, she leaves it to the imagination of her audience to conjure their own images of her storytelling and song. No interpretation of a Claudia Schmidt song or story is wrong-she invites audiences to tie their associations to her style.
Schmidt weaves her way through her concert in much the same manner as a jester. Interwoven anecdotes, revealing her past and present, bring people to expect a relationship between themselves and memories driven deep with the passage of time. The concert is an endless display of self-realization through humor and longing, leaving audience members yearning to become an integral part of her world.