| Date: | Thursday, April 8, 2010 |
| Time: | 7:30pm - 9:30pm |
| Location: | A private residence in Grafton, MA |
For American singer-songwriter Zoe Mulford, the ordinary is miraculous and the extraordinary happens every day. A city planner recreates a vanished neighborhood. A roadside statue watches over drivers on US Interstate Highway 95. Even the family glassware has a story to tell. Backing her clear vocals with guitar or five-string banjo, she may bring to mind artists from Joni Mitchell to Gillian Welch in the course of a single set.
She intersperses her own songs with selections from the music that inspires them: American and British folk ballads, Old-Time banjo tunes, and the work of songwriters from George Gershwin to Richard Thompson. Her engaging presence and down-to-earth humor strike a chord with diverse audiences – who often sing along.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Zoe learned to play in the old-time picking circles of North Carolina and started touring from Washington DC, where she was nominated "Songwriter of the Year" two years running by the Washington Area Music Association. She has been a finalist in several national songwriting contests, including those at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in New York and the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.
When her spouse got a job at the University of Manchester, she packed up her instruments and prepared to explore the UK. She has had a warm welcome in folk clubs and acoustic venues around the Northwest and beyond. In 2008, she played at festivals including Brampton Live, the Saddleworth Folk Festival and the Bideford Festival, supported the likes of Martin Carthy and James Keelaghan and shared stages with Ruth Notman and the Askew Sisters. She also continues to tour in the US.
"Bonfires," her third album on Azalea City Recordings, was released in the US in October 2009. Inspired by her experience of English folk clubs, it celebrates the folk tradition from Appalachia to Liverpool.
Zoe has two previous albums on Azalea City. The more recent, “Roadside Saints”, was produced by John Jennings, known for his work with Mary Chapin Carpenter. Released in 2006, it has had radio play across the US, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland and the UK.
In addition to music, Zoe loves farmers' markets, children's books, martial arts movies, and cooking with lots of garlic.
Finalist: GRASSY HILL NEW FOLK COMPETITION, Kerrville Folk Festival 2008
Selected: EMERGING ARTIST SHOWCASE, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival 2007
Nominated: SONG OF THE YEAR (Elegy), ALBUM OF THE YEAR (Roadside Saints), SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR - Washington Area Music Association Awards 2006
FINALIST, Plowshares Songwriting Contest, 2006
Nominated: SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR - Washington Area Music Association Awards 2005
GOLD WINNER, Children's Music, Mid-Atlantic Song Contest 2005
WINNER, Susquehanna Music and Arts Festival Songwriter Contest 2005
WINNER, AvalonFest Rising Star Contest 2005
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Great American Song Contest 2004
“I don't usually like folk music, but that underwear song is pretty good.”
—patron, Taliano's Restaurant, Takoma Park, MD
Pot luck (byob) 6:30
Concert 7:30
Suggested minimum donation $10
Reservations required ~ notlobreservations @ gmail.com
Zoe's website ~ http://zoemulford.com
notfarG website ~ http://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic/
notfarG mailing list ~ http://www.reverbnation.com/venue/notfarghouseconcerts
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