Tuesday, August 17, 2010

notloB Parlour Concerts announces its Fall season at the historic Loring-Greenough House, Jamaica Plain


 







notloB Parlour Concerts announces its Fall season
at the historic Loring-Greenough House, Jamaica Plain
    
Jamaica Plain, MA ~ notloB Parlour Concerts returns to the historic Loring-Greenough House to present five acoustic concerts over a four month period.

date artist url
Wednesday, September 08  Jenee Halstead & Robby Hecht  http://www.myspace.com/jeneehalstead,
http://www.robbyhecht.com/

Friday, September 17 Tashina Clarridge & Jefferson Hamer http://www.clarridgefiddlers.com/

http://www.jeffersonhamer.com/

Wednesday, October 27  David Rovics  http://www.davidrovics.com/
Saturday, November 06 A world-renowned artist whose name, due to contractual obligations cannot be revealed until the end of September.
Saturday, December 04  Julie Metcalf and Mariel Vandersteel http://www.myspace.com/juliemetcalf,
http://www.myspace.com/marielfiddle

All times are doors 7:30pm, concert 8:00pm (times may move up 30 minutes, check the website for the current information).

Artists, dates and time are subject to change, current information can be found at the notloB website -
http://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic/ and/or by joining the mail list at http://groups.google.com/group/notlobmusic or by sending an email to notlobreservations@gmail.com

The Jamaica Plain series is in addition to larger concerts presented at the Unity Church of God in Davis Square, Somerville.  That series' artists will be announced soon.

About the artists


Jenee Halstead

"You'll hear strains of Emmylou Harris ..."


A year-and-a-half removed from the release of her debut full-length The River Grace, Hollow Bones is a bold step forward for someone years ahead of her time. With a relentless and renewed spirit Halstead has a firm grasp on her abilities, never once pushing her limits. Much of the credit for said maturation goes to time spent in the bluegrass band The Broken Blossoms, an experience that she freely admits led to her maturation as a songwriter. "Being in the Broken Blossoms was an important part of me growing as a songwriter, it allowed me look to the future and figure out what I want to do. In the end, I realized I had to hone my own voice in songwriting and continue telling great stories."

Utilizing a roots backdrop once again, Hollow Bones draws heavily on the strengths of its session players, including guitarist Lyle Brewer, harmonica extraordinaire Jim Fitting, fiddle player Julie Metcalf and lap steel veteran Adam Ollendorf. Recorded live in producer David Piper's studio, the EP has a defined sense of intimacy and timelessness that allows its charms to leap from the speakers. Opening cut "Damascus," has a well-worn, earthy sentiment that seems primed for AAA charts. Halstead's full-bodied alto, give the song's arresting narrative a sense of conviction that is felt immediately. "Good Lookin' Boy," builds on the momentum of "Damascus," but carries it forward. "La Luna Roja," spins a yarn that is both poetic and undeniably romantic. On the album closer, the swampy "Banks of the Mississippi," she melds a story that seems plucked from a Faulkner novel.

Now in her fourth year in Boston, Halstead, a Washington State native, seems supremely comfortable and firmly established in her new locale. Hollow Bones has the confidence and professionalism that seems certain to propel her into the national spotlight. Make no mistake about it, the release of Hollow Bones is the emergence of a bona fide talent coming into her own, and the unwavering sense that she won't be Boston's secret for long.



Robby Hecht

“A beautiful, soulful voice…” –Jeff Coffin, Dave Matthews Band

The music of Robby Hecht represents a return to the early 70s golden era of acoustic pop where thoughtful, well-crafted lyrics were blended with timeless melodies to impact mainstream music and culture.  His 2008 debut album Late Last Night, produced by Lex Price (Mindy Smith) and mixed by Roger Moutenot (Yo La Tengo, Josh Rouse) features an impressive list of guest performers including Mindy Smith, Jeff Coffin, Thad Cockrell, Jill Andrews of The Everybodyfields, John Deaderick (Patty Griffin), Andrea Zonn (James Taylor) and more.

Raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, Robby first began writing and performing while attending The University of Wisconsin-Madison, developing and pairing his soulful voice and unique finger-style guitar. After spending time living in Paris and San Francisco including a period fronting the band AllDay Radio, he eventually returned to his home state, settling in Nashville.

A 2008 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winner, Robby has played folk/roots festivals and venues across the country, sharing the stage with such legendary artists as Richie Havens, Greg Brown, and Patty Griffin, and garnering comparisons to early James Taylor, Paul Simon, and Amos Lee. Like these celebrated artists, Robby Hecht is a unique voice -- one that is stirring, instantly recognizable, and truly original.

-Winner, Telluride Bluegrass Festival Troubadour Contest 2010
-Winner, Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition 2008
-Winner, Wildflower Music and Arts Festival Songwriter Competition 2007
-Winner, Great Waters Music Festival Songwriter Competition 2006
-Winner, Riverbluff Music Festival Songwriter Competition 2006
-Selected, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase 2008
-Finalist, Mountain Stage International NewSong Competition 2008


Tashina Clairridge

"Tashina is taking her music very seriously to the point where she will make a lasting impact on the people she touches with her talent in the future. She is in music for the right reasons and we as listeners will benefit from it".    -Mark O'Connor

Tashina Clarridge has played Fiddle for 22 years - since the age of two. She has performed throughout the western United States, taught hundreds of lessons and workshops, and won countless awards.
Raised in the mountains of northern California, Tashina studied with Megan Lynch and Rob Diggins. Her musical horizons were greatly expanded by frequent visits to Nashville for Mark O'Connor's fiddle camp where she studied with many fiddle heroes such as Darol Anger, Natalie MacMaster, Buddy Spicher, Matt Glaser, and Mark O'Connor. She is the current Grand National Fiddle Champion, a 6-time Grand National finalist, 6-time California State fiddle champion, and 2-time Western Open Grand Champion. Though her contest history clearly distinguishes her as a sparkling clean, studied player in the genre of Texas-style fiddling, it is her enthusiasm for many diverse styles of music that brings such a high level of creativity to her playing.
Tashina has performed at Carnegie Hall as part of Grammy winning bassist Edgar Meyer's young artists concert, and will be touring with Mark O'Connor this fall. She travels and performs throughout the western United States with her brother Tristan, the Bill Evans String Summit, and the contemporary bluegrass outfit, Due West. Together Tashina and Tristan have taught many lessons and workshops and have instructed at Mark O'Connor's Strings Conference for the past 5 years.


David Rovics

 “the musical version of Democracy Now!”  -Amy Goodman
“the peace poet and troubadour of our time.” -Cindy Sheehan

David Rovics grew up in a family of classical musicians in Wilton, Connecticut, and became a fan of populist regimes early on. By the early 90's he was a full-time busker in the Boston subways and by the mid-90's he was traveling the world as a professional flat-picking rabble-rouser. These days David lives with his family in Portland, Oregon and tours regularly on four continents, playing for audiences large and small at cafes, pubs, universities, churches, union halls and protest rallies. He has shared the stage with a veritable of who's who of the left in two dozen countries, and has had his music featured on Democracy Now!, BBC, Al-Jazeera and other networks. His essays are published regularly on CounterPunch elsewhere, and the 200+ songs he makes available for free on the web have been downloaded more than a million times. Most importantly, he's really good. He will make you laugh, he will make you cry, he will make the revolution irresistible.


Julie Metcalf

Fiddler Julie Metcalf began as a classical violinist in Worcester, MA. Coming from a family of musicians, she was encouraged to make music from an early age; Julie picked up the violin for the first time when she was 4 years old and has been playing ever since. When she was twelve, Julie discovered fiddle music and jazz through PBS and country radio, and began learning Celtic tunes on her own.

Julie studied classical violin at Boston University's College of Fine Arts. Recently, she has immersed herself in the study of both traditional folk and contemporary styles of music, including Celtic, Appalachian, bluegrass, jazz, and Latin music. She is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in Violin Performance.


Julie plays viola in the
Paper Star Trio, formerly the Folk Arts Quartet. The Paper Star Trio is a grooving chamber-folk string ensemble that plays contemporary arrangements of world fiddle music. She can also be spotted playing violin with Mariachi Palenque.

Mariel Vandersteel

Mariel Vandersteel grew up in the rich musical scene in the San Francisco Bay Area. She spent high school playing for local contra dances as well as performing and touring with Alasdair Fraser and the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers, and the Black Brothers (the brothers of Frances and Mary Black), while she immersed herself in the traditional music of Ireland and Scotland. She received a cultural grant from the Milwaukee Irish Festival in high school and spent several summers studying traditional Irish music at Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy in Co. Clare and at the Irish Traditional Music Archives in Dublin, Ireland. 

Mariel moved to Boston in 2005 to attend Berklee College of Music as a scholarship student and has now received a Bachelor’s in Violin Performance. At Berklee she studied with cellists Eugene Friesen and Natalie Haas, violist Melissa Howe, violinist Mimi Rabson and mandolinist John McGann. While at Berklee, she was a founding member of the eclectic contemporary Scandinavian-Old Time string band, Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers (BMUZ).

BMUZ has since gone on to perform at the Kennedy Center, the Freight and Salvage (CA), Club Passim (MA) and on the Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour (KY). In 2008 they were selected out of 400 applicants to perform in the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival’s Emerging Artist Showcase. They were voted back to play in the Most Wanted Artists songswap at the 2009 FRFF. The band is currently working on recording a full-length album. In the summer of 2009, Mariel joined The Folk Arts Quartet, which has now changed their name to the Paper Star Trio. The PST is Julie Metcalf on viola, Emma Beaton on cello and Mariel on fiddle.

Inspired by her summers spent studying traditional music in Ireland and across the United States, Mariel decided to study music in Norway after graduating from Berklee. She is studying the hardingfele and Norwegian folk music at Høgskolen i Telemark Rauland. While in Norway, she has performed at outdoor festivals and in the local elementary school where she taught children about American folk music. 

Mariel has taught at Alasdair Fraser’s Sierra Fiddle Camp, has been an assistant teacher at Fiddlekids, a SF Bay Area fiddle camp for children, and has shared the stage with Alasdair Fraser, Laura Risk, Hanneke Cassel, Natalie Haas, Tristan and Tashina Clarridge, Nic Gareiss, Andre Brunet, and Philip Bailey of Earth Wind and Fire.
She currently lives in Norway and will return to Boston in 2010 where she will teach the fiddle and hardingfele and perform with Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers and the Paper Star Trio.

About the series

Since June, 2007, notloB Folk Concerts has produced 75 not-for-profit concerts in the greater Boston area.  Allowing for production expenses, 100% of the donations go to the musicians.  The series is 100% volunteer-run and new applicants are always welcome. 

About the venue
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Loring-Greenough House is the last surviving 18th century residence in Sumner Hill, a historic section of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, a neighborhood of Boston. It is located at 12 South Street on Monument Square at the edge of Sumner Hill.

This mid-Georgian mansion was built as a country residence and farmstead in 1760 for wealthy British naval officer Commodore Joshua Loring on the original site of John Polley's estate established in the 1650s. Originally, the Loring-Greenough house was situated on a 60-acre (240,000 m2) estate. Loring, a Loyalist prior to the American Revolution, abandoned the house in 1774, just prior to the conflict, and he fled from Boston in 1776. The house was confiscated by colonial forces and in 1776 served as a headquarters for General Nathaniel Greene and, soon after, a hospital for Continental Army soldiers following the Battle of Bunker Hill.

In 1780, the house was sold to Isaac Sears, the rebel leader from New York, and was then purchased in 1784 by Ann Doane, a rich widow, who soon after married David Stoddard Greenough. Their descendants lived here for five generations until 1924. At that time the Jamaica Plain Tuesday Club (until 1993 a ladies'-only club and today a community group) purchased the house, along with almost two acres of landscaped grounds, to convert it into a museum and save it from development.
The Loring-Greenough House is a very well-preserved structure of almost 4,500 square feet, on property that includes sweeping lawns, historic flower beds, handsome trees, and the two-and-one-half-story house itself. The property is fenced and gated with wrought-iron restricting access except for times when the building is open to the public. The Tuesday Club has been careful to preserve the house and grounds over many decades. The most recent restoration occurred with a $350,000 grant and included painting and other repairs.

The Loring-Greenough property is now a historic house museum still owned and operated by the Tuesday Club, which offers tours and other events throughout the year. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Massachusetts Landmark and a Boston Landmark.

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“In this era of pop-driven acoustic music, notloB is keeping the folk tradition alive.” ~ Jack Hardy

notloB Folk Concerts (Somerville and Jamaica Plain) are volunteer run and not for profit.
Mailing list~
http://groups.google.com/group/notlobmusic
Facebook~
http://www.facebook.com/pages/notloB-Folk-Concerts/118395891509908
Website~ http://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic
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