Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Podunk Pursues the Lumbersexual Crowd


Looking for a festival where "Wagon Wheel" is guaranteed to per performed in every stage set as well as in every campsite jam? Podunk Bluegrass Festival has gone LUMBERSEXUAL!


From its Facebook page:
"Announcing our new AMERICANA / ACOUSTIC STAGE at the Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival. This stage will feature a variety of Connecticut based singer/songwriters, Americana, Folk and Acoustic Rock groups.
Check the link on our home page to read the full announcement!
http://podunkbluegrass.com
Please help spread the word and show your support for these great Connecticut musicians. The festival runs August 6, 2015 – August 9, 2015. The Americana / Acoustic Stage will run August 6, 2015 – August 8, 2015.
Some of the features to the new stage:
Thursday August 6, 2015 – The On Deck Sound Studio Showcase
Quality microphones from Connecticut based Telefunken Elektroakustik
Professional sound by Connecticut recording studio, On Deck Sound Studio
All the fun that is the Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival!"

Meet some of the "lumbersexual" acts booked so far?
The Americana / Acoustic Music Stage! 
Ebin-Rose Trio (Fri)
Five In The Chamber (Sat)
The Gail Wade Trio (Fri)
Goodnight Blue Moon (Fri)
Hannah Fair (Sat)Krizta Moon (Fri) 
Little Ugly (Sat)
The Meadows Brothers (Sat)
Milksop:Unsung (Sat)
Them Damn Hamiltons (Fri)
Tracy Walton (Fri) 
Tuesday Saints (Sat)

'mericana, love it or leave it!

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

With the Winter/Spring season in the offing, notloB Music puts out a call for artists and patrons


Who Do YOU Wish to See in 2015?

At some point in early 2015, notloB will present its 150th concert. We could not do it without you, our patrons.That is why your recommendations who we ask to perform, and into which listening room space they will be booked, is valued. (If you are new to notloB and wish to learn more about the type of artists we present, please read "Artist Booking Policy" - https://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic/about/booking).

Who Do YOU Wish to See (and Where)?


Criteria: Acoustic artists who perform Celtic, old-time, bluegrass or string band music and have either a national or local reputation good enough to fill 100-200 seats in a listening room environment.

Send recommendations via email to notlobreservations at gmail dot com (recommendations only, please - no artist applications - those must be done by the artist or their agent via method described in https://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic/about/booking)


notloB presents in not one, not two, not three, but FOUR venues

Davis Square Theater, 255 Elm Street, Somerville, surrounded by many restaurants and watering holes (we recommend Foundary and Saloon, which are in the same building), and convenient to the MBTA's red line and the Davis Square station. 
"The intimate, comfortable 150 seat venue has been updated with a brand new bar, PA system and theater lighting. Having played host to hundreds of productions from the worlds of comedy, music, theater, television, radio, political events and kids shows, we hope to continue to serve the community in the same fashion: by offering a wide array of programming to our discerning and diverse patrons. So whether you're seeking a live theatre production, raucous comedy or kickin' concert (even hosting a private event) - we hope you'll come to Davis Square and see what all the fuss is about." Due to Someville's liquor license laws, shows are 21+. Handicap accessible.

Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis, 1581 Beacon Street, Brookline,
conveniently located near restaurants and on the green line (C), between the Washington Square and Fairbanks stops, with plenty of on-street and public lot parking! The space is a seminar room that seats 100. "The Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis has been providing psychoanalytic training for 40 years. It is theonly regionally accredited, degree granting, independent psychoanalytic graduate school in the country offering Master of Arts in Psychoanalysis, Master of Arts in Psychoanalytic Counseling, and Doctoral programs in Psychoanalysis. It is one of the few such institutes in the world. BGSP also offers a One–Year Program through its continuing education department. This program is designed to enrich the work of clinical practitioners and professionals who are employed in various disciplines.
Shows are open to all ages. Bringing your own couch is optional.
MBTA: "C" green line or 65 bus to Washington Square.
Handicap stair lift, but the restrooms are not.

Carriage House Violins of Johnson String Instruments,1039 Chestnut St, Newton Upper Falls, near the intersection of Rt.9 and I-95/Rt. 128, a 15 minute walk from Eliot Street T station (Green line D (Riverside)). 
The space seats 50. 
"Carriage House Violins is the instrument sales division of Johnson String Instrument is a full-service violin shop, offering a wide array of both fine antique instruments and modern instruments by today’s best makers. Owned by Adam Johnson, son of Johnson String Instrument founders Roger and Carol Johnson, Carriage House Violins and Johnson String Instrument make up the east coast’s largest, most comprehensive violin shop. Carriage House Violins was founded in 2005 by Christopher Reuning, of Reuning & Son Violins. In November 2013, Johnson String Instrument assumed ownership of Carriage House Violins, to better serve the growing customer base of both firms. The merger offered an expanded inventory of first-class instruments while retaining the high caliber of personalized service loyal Carriage House Violins customers have come to expect. Carriage House Violins offers every serious stringed instrument player a lifetime of opportunity, convenience, service and support."
Shows are open to all ages.
MBTA: Riverside green line to Eliot, then walk about 3/4 mile (not recommended during the Winter months).
Handicap accessible

Outpost 186, 186 Hampshire Street, Inman Square, Cambridge. The space seats 35, served as the home of the former Lord Geoffrey Presents rising Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory rising talent series and continues that series.
"OUTPOST 186 is a new arts, media and performance space at 186 1/2 Hampshire Street in Inman Square, Cambridge. Outpost 186 hosts several ongoing series of experimental & improvised music performances, multi-media events, poetry readings and film, seven days a week, as well as periodic art exhibits. Open during scheduled shows or by appointment."
Shows are open to all ages.
MBTA: several bus routes serve Inman Square, or take the red line to Central Square and walk 4 blocks.
The restroom is not handicap accessible.
Artists note - 2015 is wide open!

...and we are considering presenting the main Spring series in Arlington at a 175-seat handicap-accessible theater, just off Mass Ave (great bus service to Alewife, Porter and Davis Square stations) and lots of free off-street parking. This new venue will only come on line if there is adequate Arlington support, which is being gauged.

-------------------------
*...artists often ask for for gigs which we cannot always accommodate, here's where you come in. Have you ever thought about hosting a concert in your own home? That can be arranged. Email notlobreservations@gmail.com

Friday, December 5, 2014

Peace activist/singer-songwriter/folk poet TONY BIRD on WMBR's "What's Left"


Tune in to student/community radio WMBR this Friday 6-7pm to listen to a just-recorded interview by Chuck U. Rosina with peace activist/singer-songwriter/folk poet TONY BIRD.
http://mangotime.net/

"The finest, most impressive folk poet in years"
- The Village Voice

"Brilliantly original songwriter Tony Bird... wonderfully fuses African and European folk styles into songs that are clever, fun, urgent."
- The Boston Globe

What's Left: "Political talk, music of all genres, art and culture, live interviews, and pre-recorded sounds, all interconnected by a radical vision."
http://wmbr.org/www/sched-fri#show4398

88.1fm in the greater Boston area and streaming at http://wmbr.org/
The program will be available via archive for two weeks thereafter.

See Tony in concert the following evening, Saturday, December 6 in Brookline. Details at https://www.facebook.com/events/1507339246189297/

The concert is one of >250 events that comprise "City Awake Boston" ... A 10 day social impact festival is coming to Boston! From December 4- 13, City Awake will bring together more than 170 partner organizations to connect and celebrate Boston's dynamic social impact community. Featuring over 50 planned events including panels, presentations, and hands-on workshops, City Awake will showcase and strengthen the diverse and impactful work being done by Boston's impact sector. Learn more at http://cityawake.is/
#cityawake

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

notloB Music is a CITY AWAKE partner



notloB Music is a CITY AWAKE partner, presenting social activist / poet / singer-songwriter TONY BIRD Saturday, December 6 in Brookline. 
City Awake 2014 kicks off tomorrow morning and then takes off running. We now have over 80 events on our calendar and more than 210 partner organizations for the inaugural edition of Boston's social impact festival.

Events in the next few days alone span from lunch discussions about public health in Boston to cocktails for clean water and "anti-networking parties." They cover jazz and open mic nights, holiday art markets, and a panel of Ashoka fellows talking about thinking big and changing systems. And, seriously, so much more. The diversity and quality proves what we've been saying since day one - that the social impact community in Boston has dynamism to celebrate.

And we're not the only ones getting excited: see yesterday's BostonInno article, "City Awake's 10-Day Social Impact Celebration Kicks Off Thursday." 
 
In addition to the other events you're attending, we want to highlight the  City Awake Expo on 12/6, where the City Awake community will come together to raise the profile of our vibrant community and imagine new collaborations. RSVP to attend!

 


See the Updated Festival Calendar

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Anti-Apartheid Activist Tony Bird in Concert 12/6 in Washington Square, Brookline

notloB Music presents Tony Bird
Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis
1581 Beacon Street
Washington Square
Brookline, MA
Satrurday, December 6
Doors 7:30
Concert 8:00

 
"The finest, most impressive folk poet in years"
- The Village Voice

"Brilliantly original songwriter Tony Bird... wonderfully fuses African and European folk styles into songs that are clever, fun, urgent." 
- The Boston Globe 

With his historically relevant song, "Sorry Africa," Tony Bird was one of the first white African folk singers to emerge out of the cauldron of southern Africa's apartheid, colonial and post-colonial era. This along with other topical African songs, including tributes to Nelson Mandela, would eventually lead to his performing at a Harvard University divestment concert against apartheid, where he was introduced by one of his folk heroes, the late Pete Seeger. 

Bird has resided in NYC since 1980 and has played the international folk circuit since the early '70s, including established folk festivals in England, Europe, Canada and the US. Originally pegged as a southern African folk singer upon his arrival to these shores, he has grown into a diverse and contemporary international songwriter of the times. Though Bird's recordings feature other musicians, he's just as, if not more compelling as a current solo artist. 

From the former British colony of Nyasaland, this Malawi-born song man is a complete original. With a mesmerizing intensity, his voice, vision, guitar style and persona are unique in all of folk music. Bird's African roots have produced a performer with a far-ranging repertoire that includes exotic travelogues from mountains with misty landscapes to desert and bushland filled with lions, birds, bushmen, mangoes, monkeys, sunsets and bicycles. All this savannah-laden tropicana is interspersed with narrative tales of darkness or delight, topical and historical commentary, love songs, musical tone poems, rallying cries of inspiration and a whimsical sense of humor. 

Bird's rich geographic and cultural background has spawned a music of diverse influences. Drawing from the southern African mbaqanga and kwela rhythms, Afrikaans boeremusiek and even calypso, along with the folk, blues, country and rock of England and America, Tony's music is an original amalgamation of all these styles, which he loosely describes as "African Folk-Rock." He creates the sound of a full band with his unique slapping, percussive guitar picking, a clicking mouth and an energetic stomping left foot. With a raw organic quality, his grainy voice breaks into growls, whispers and falsettos contrasted against sophisticated painterly lyrics. 

Formerly exposed to the impact of modernity on the African landscape, Bird has an inherent indigenous and environmental thread running through his music. Not surprisingly, he has performed at various nature conservancies, including the Rachel Carson Institute where he was presented with an award. While some of his songs take audiences on exotic safaris into the African bushland, others are deep, humanistic journeys of the soul. 

Bird had two early vinyl albums released on Columbia in the '70s, "Tony Bird" and "Tony Bird of Paradise." The latter garnered acclaim in a 1986 People Magazine critics' poll as one of the top 10 albums of all time. "Sorry Africa," his 1990 Philo/Rounder release, features fellow southern African musicians who have supported a long line of African roots and world music stars from Hugh Masekela to Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte, as well as Paul Simon's South African-influenced "Graceland." Bird's early releases pre-dated Simon's by at least a decade, Simon even calling Bird about South African musicians to use in the finishing of "Graceland." 

A new Tony Bird CD is in the works which will feature the above "name" South African musicians, including one song with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who became enamored of Tony's music when he toured with them in the '80s. In the early '90s, he also toured with South African stars, the late Simon Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens. After a six year hiatus due to hand problems, Bird returned to performing and touring in 2003. 

Tony Bird's artistic prowess has not gone unnoticed in other quarters of the established music world. Based in London in the mid '70s, he was initially signed for a brief period to Elton John's Rocket Records label. However, they soon shied away from his "uncategorizable" style and sound. Bird's talents have also been recognized and commented on by stars such as Bob Dylan and the late Bob Marley. When asked who he was listening to, during a WBAI radio interview in the late '70s in New York City, Marley replied that he'd been listening to this "white cat from Africa," Tony Bird, singing for his South African black brothers in their struggle against apartheid. Then in the mid '80s, when Bob Dylan came across his music, Bird was slated to be signed to the record label that Dylan was planning to start at the time. However, the label never came to fruition. It was also not surprising that Tony's musical and political roots would draw the attention of civil rights singer Odetta, who was supportive of his stance when he first came to the US. The two ended up billed together; this eventually led to his writing her a heartfelt tribute. 

Growing up in the era of colonialism and apartheid, Bird developed a sharp, conscious universal eye. That same urgency and relevance permeate the expanse of his new music, which now reflects his American and intercontinental experience as well as his African roots. Tony Bird has been called "The Father of African Folk-Rock," yet he is even more. He's an inventive, passionate, theatrical performer who delivers the deeply moving and searching anthems of a mature poet. Some of these songs are extended odes to life that seem to draw from the wisdom of another time and place. Altruistic, involving and engaging, his performances generate attentive enthusiasm even with small club audiences. This rare bird of eloquent song will fly into your soul and the extraordinary experience of a Tony Bird concert is not to be missed.

 
 Scott Alarik, who Pete Seeger called "one of the best folk writers in the country" will read from his book "Revival: A Folk Music Novel" and serve as the evening's emcee! 
Photography by Asia Kepka

Tickets on sale through eventbrite.com 
Students and seniors - $15 - 
special price does not apply to premium seating
Premium (first two rows) - $25 
General admission (early bird through 11/20) - $17.50  - special price does not apply to premium seating
General admission after 11/20 - $20.
If not sold out, tickets will be sold at the door, first come-first served.

notloB Music is a City Awake Boston partner.
"A 10 day social impact festival is coming to Boston! From December 4- 13, City Awake will bring together more than 170 partner organizations to connect and celebrate Boston's dynamic social impact community. Featuring over 50 planned events including panels, presentations, and hands-on workshops, City Awake will showcase and strengthen the diverse and impactful work being done by Boston's impact sector. Learn more at http://cityawake.is."
#cityawake
 

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

notloB Music has a great deal to be thankful for

Not everyone celebrates the upcoming holiday. However, many people do take time to focus on gratitude and things/people they are thankful for. The following is offered in the spirit of gratitude as notloB Music has a great deal to be thankful for.



notloB Music is fortunate to be able to present in four wonderful listening rooms, each of which is chosen to best suit the artists:
124
02/12/14
4TET (Jordan Tice, Brittany Haas, Cleek Schrey and Nic Gareiss)
125
02/19/14
Pickin' Party
126
02/28/14
Evie Ladin and Keith Terry
127
03/21/14
128
03/30/14
10 String Symphony and Tattletale Saints
129
04/02/14
130
04/13/14
131
04/19/14
132
05/14/14
133
05/16/14
134
05/31/14
135
06/11/14
136
09/06/14
137
10/04/14
138
10/08/14
139
10/09/14
Rushad Eggleston w/ Elizabeth and Ben Anderson
140
10/10/14
Andy ReinerJason Anick and Mali Obomsawin
141
10/18/14
Adrianna Ciccone & Allison DeGroot
142
11/06/14
The Katie McNally Trio featuring Neil Pearlman and Shauncey Ali
143
11/12/14
Nate Sabat and Elise Bouer/Sumaia Jackson and Friends
144
11/19/14
David Greer, Mike Barnett and Dominick Leslie
145
11/30/14
146
12/06/14
147
01/18/15








notloB Music is fortunate to be able to present in four wonderful listening rooms, each of which is chosen to best suit the artists:
Davis Square Theater, 255 Elm Street, Somerville
Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis, 1581 Beacon Street, Brookline
Carriage House Violins of Johnson String Instruments, 1039 Chestnut St, Newton Upper Falls
Outpost 186, 186 Hampshire Street, Inman Square, Cambridge
(see our website for more complete descriptions).

notloB Music is thankful for our intrepid volunteers, Doug and John, our public face doing production operations, and Wes, who has brought our ticketing and mailing services into the 21st century and is working on a new website! Their passion for music makes our presentations run smoothly.

notloB Music is fortunate to have been able to present 21 concerts so far in 2014, with three more announced.
Concert #150 is projected for February, 2015.

Last but certainly the most important, notloB Music is thankful for our fabulous patrons and your continued support! We receive email, Facebook messages and phone calls on a regular basis with feedback from you. Thank you for taking the time to let us know what is important to you and that you care. We're nothing without the support of a discerning patron base!

With gratitude,
Jeff Boudreau 

Friday, November 14, 2014

Mr. Sun (Anger, Walsh, Gordy, Jodziewcz) w/ Mila Phelps, Somerville, 11/30

http://darolanger.com/images/resources/resources-MrSunJuly2014-1.jpg
Mr. Sun
Sunday, November 30, 8:00 PM  
Davis Square Theater

255 Elm Street, Somerville 
Note this is a 21+ venue

notloB Parlour Concerts presents... an intimate show with Acoustic Music’s finest stars of any generation... Four generations of the most creative minds in American String Band Music...  Including an original co-founder of the DGQ. This is an opportunity to hear these instruments in the setting they were designed for, interpreting music from the entire swath of America’s Songbook at the highest level...

Mr. Sun is the name of a new musical project: Darol Anger, Joe Walsh on mandolin (Gibson Brothers, himself), Grant Gordy on guitar (David Grisman, Jake Schepps) and Ethan Jodziewicz on acoustic bass.

Legendary fiddler Darol Anger, youthful guitar whiz Grant Gordy, and the redoubtable mandolinist Joe Walsh have all spent their lives moving from place to place, adopting a town and moving on, toward an magisterial knowledge of the physical and psychic terrains that make up the Americas. Though each is of a different generation, they've walked similar musical paths, exploring the worlds of bluegrass, blues, jazz, and old-time, on their way to mastery of their chosen instruments. Day by day, they deepen their fluency in the vast swath of dialects that comprise American roots music.

DAROL ANGER
Fiddler, composer, producer and educator, Darol Anger is at home in a number of musical genres, some of which he helped to invent. Exceptional among modern fiddlers for his versatility and depth, Anger has helped drive the evolution of the contemporary string band through his involvement with numerous pathbreaking ensembles such as his Republic Of Strings, the Turtle Island String Quartet, the David Grisman Quintet, Montreux, his Duo with Mike Marshall, and others. He has performed and taught all over the world with musicians such as Dr. Billy Taylor, Bela Fleck, Bill Evans, Edgar Meyer, Bill Frisell, Tony Rice, Tim O’Brien, Anonymous 4, Marin Alsop and the Cabrillo Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, Mark O’Connor, and Stephane Grappelli. Today Darol can be heard on NPR's "Car Talk" theme every week, along with Earl Scruggs, David Grisman and Tony Rice. He was also the violinist on the phenomenally popular Sim City computer games. In addition to performing all over the world, he has recorded and produced scores of important recordings since 1977, is a MacDowell and UCross Fellow, and has received numerous composers’ residencies and grants. He has been a featured soloist on dozens of recordings and motion picture soundtracks. He is an Associate Professor at the prestigious Berklee School of music. He recently began an ambitious online Fiddle School at ArtistWorks.com. His website is www.darolanger.com

GRANT GORDY
Assuming the guitarist role in the fabled David Grisman Quintet, a spot previously held by such notables as Tony Rice, Mark O’Connor, Frank Vignola and Mike Marshall, has confirmed Grant Gordy as a pre-eminent young voice on acoustic guitar. David Grisman says Gordy “belongs to the new elite of American acoustic practitioners who are pushing the ever-expanding envelope of a musical frontier.”
His work has been widely recognized for its consistent excellence and diversity. He was featured on the covers of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine and Japan’s premier bluegrass magazine, Moonshiner. He was recently written up in Just Jazz Guitar and in 2010, Acoustic Guitar Magazine celebrated his debut CD in its Top Ten Acoustic Albums of the Year.
Gordy’s music has been heard on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered and the prestigious Tiny Desk Concerts. Gordy was selected in 2006 to be one of 15 participants in Carnegie Hall’s “Porous Borders of Music” workshop, led by acoustic music legends Edgar Meyer and Mike Marshall. He’s played at Bonnaroo Music Festival, the Montréal Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco and in the UK and Russia.
Gordy was drawn to the guitar early on as a means of expression and intellectual curiosity. Moving to Colorado from Oregon in his 20s opened his horizons as he began playing in a wide range of different styles.
Now based in New York, Gordy’s diverse musical gifts make him the ideal all-around guitarist for one of the world’s most varied musical cities. He’s currently focused on writing new original material, delving headlong into the Big Apple’s extraordinary jazz scene, continuing to tour with Grisman and other collaborators, teaching, and as always, staying open to new musical experiences.
"The young bluegrass/jazz virtuoso’s recording debut is an inspired, ambitious, coherent collection of original compositions for string jazz quartet (guitar, fiddle, mandolin, bass) that ranks with the best of his employer, David Grisman.” --Acoustic Guitar Magazine

JOE WALSH
Recognized as one of the foremost contemporary mandolinists, Joe has also won acclaim and affection for his vocals and his talents on a number of other instruments, including guitar and octave mandolin. Legendary fiddler Darol Anger called “one of my favorite musicians on earth.” With two solo albums to his credit, he toured internationally with the award-winning bluegrass supergroup The Gibson Brothers.
In the spring of 2011 Joe released his second solo record, “Sweet Loam,” which features several of his recent compositions and new arrangements of some more familiar songs. An exceptional cast of musicians joins him, including Mike Block, Scott Law, Karl Doty, Lauren Rioux, and Darol Anger, who also co-produced the record with Joe. In the Fall of 2011 Joe returned to Berklee as both a mandolin instructor and as Managing Director of the American Roots Music Program.

ETHAN JODZIEWOCZ
Ethan Jodziewicz currently studies at Curtis Institute with Edgar Meyer. Making a musical home for Mr Sun in the space around and between the great American roots styles, this quartet draws from all of their varied backgrounds (Grammy-nominated fiddle music and jazz, award-winning bluegrass, indie/pop grass, new acoustic string bands, and classical music) in crafting a sound all their own, and is drawing all the right kind of attention for their new musical work.

TICKETS
Don't be left out, BUY TICKETS now!
general admission @ $20
students (with ID) @ $15 (note the venue is 21+)
premium seating @ $30