http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com reports and reflects on news that affects the traditional / revival / labor / social justice folk, old-time, bluegrass and Celtic music communities in the greater Boston area.
"In this era of pop-driven acoustic music, notloB is keeping the folk tradition alive."
~ Jack Hardy
notloB Parlour Concerts is proud to once again present Julie Metcalf and Andy Reiner. Julie's first notloB performance was on 4/11/09, with the Folk Arts Quartet. She since performed with Mariel Vandersteel (Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers) on 12/4/10. Andy has performed for notloB three times, twice with Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers (5/23/09 & 1/23/10) and once with BMUZ mate Stash Wyslouch (2/5/11).
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.
Andy Reiner
Andy Reiner grew up in a musical family in Lexington, Massachusetts. He began playing at age 5, learning fiddle from his father, (award-winning and Mel Bay Published Author) Dave Reiner, as well as taking classical violin lessons. Just when the young Andy was struggling with the issues of whether playing the fiddle was “cool”, attending Mark O’Connor’s Fiddle Camp in Tennessee in ’97 and ’98 changed his life forever.
Andy continued to attend fiddle camps over many summers which were a constant source of inspiration, learning, and jamming. Traveling from Maine to Colorado and even to Cape Breton NS, he took classes with many legends including Vassar Clements, Darol Anger, Richard Greene, Natalie MacMaster, Buddy Spicher, Jerry Holland, Bruce Molsky, Ashley MacIsaac, Becky Tracy, Rachel Maloney, Casey Driessen, Mark Wood, Laura Risk, and Aubrey Haynie.
In high school, Andy was priveleged to participate in a renowned jazz program which helped to lay the groundwork of a future uninhibited by any kind of stylistic barrier. As well, he was deep into an obsession with heavy metal, which, combined with his love for traditional folk music, resulted in the fiddle speed metal band Devil In The Kitchen. He entered and won many fiddle contests, most notably at the Lowell, MA Banjo and Fiddle Contests, where he has won 1st in Bluegrass Fiddle, 1st in Ethnic Fiddle, three 1sts in Twin Fiddle, and the Andy Wolf Award for Musical Excellence.
Andy soon realized that music was the only option. He moved to Boston and earned his BM in Violin Performance from Berklee College of Music, graduating in May 2008. Through his mentors at Berklee - Eugene Friesen, Mimi Rabson, Christian Howes, Stephen Webber, Bruno Raberg, and many others - Andy further developed his sound, ears, and chops.
Along the way, two original pieces of his were performed in the Berklee Performance Center by the Berklee String Orchestra, and he shared the stage with Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, Gloria Estefan and more at Berklee’s 60th Anniversary Concert, which sold out the Wang Center in Boston.
Andy found true happiness in Boston as he created a network of hardcore jammers who would descend upon his apartment, “The Fiddle Barn,” to form a unique groove that represented styles from all over the world. Berklee proved fertile ground for meeting unbelievable musicians. Between jamming and gigs, he met all the future band members of Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers and FiddleFoxx. Stash Wyslouch, guitarist of Devil In The Kitchen, was finally convinced after a year of studying civil engineering at Tufts to come to Berklee to focus on music. The two are musical soulmates of groove, travelling in countless wacky situations and playing music everywhere from Montreal to Berlin.
After a temporary relocation for a winter to Salt Lake City to be a music ski bum on the legendary powder and steeps of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Andy now resides in Brighton, MA where the jamming never ends. Andy tours with Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers, The Earth Stringband, and Intergalactic Blam as well as teaching lessons, composing, and running his own production and publishing companies! While Boston shines brightly as a new mecca for acoustic musicians, who knows what the future may hold! One thing is for sure: Andy Reiner is a powerful musical force that will be playing and creating wherever he is for a long time.
Suggested donation $10.
Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00
Reservations - notlobreservations at gmail dot com
notloB Folk Concerts has produced not-for-profit concerts in the greater Boston area since 2007. The series is volunteer-run; 100% of the donations go to the musicians and production expenses. We are proud to announce concerts 84-87.
Live acoustic music makes a wonderful holiday gift. To make arrangements, send an email to notlobreservations at gmail dot com.
"In this era of pop-driven acoustic music, notloB is keeping the folk tradition alive." ~ Jack Hardy
notloB Folk Concerts
presents.....
Jenni Lyn Gardner
Originally set for Saturday, January 14, 2012, this concert is POSTPONED. A new date will be set soon.
Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00
Loring-Greenough House
12 South Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Jenni began playing with her family at local bluegrass concerts, church, and school.A sought after session musician, songwriter, and side woman, Jenni has performed everywhere from the Cornish Bluegrass Festival (Newquay, England) to the Grand Ole Opry. She toured extensively with 2007 IBMA Male Vocalist of the year, Bradley Walker, and was part of the 2009 IBMA Recorded Event of the Year, "Proud to be a Daughter of Bluegrass". With Celia Woodsmith, Kimber Ludiker, Courtney Hartman and Amanda Kowalski, Jenni is a member of Della Mae, of whom Mike Marshall says "“These gals can get down and aren’t messing around.”
Suggested donation $tbd/$tbd advance reservation and JPTC members. Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00 Reservations - notlobreservations at gmail dot com
Susie Burke & David Surette
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00
Loring-Greenough House
12 South Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Susie Burke and David Surette have made a name for themselves as one of the finest acts on the lively New England folk scene. Together since 1988, Susie and David have built a steady following for their own blend of contemporary, traditional, and original folk and acoustic music. Burke's vocal style is at once stunning and heartfelt, and is matched by Surette's fluid fretwork. Both are well-respected within the folk music community, as is demonstrated by the fact that they have appeared as backing musicians on numerous recordings. Many of these have come out of the New Hampshire Seacoast area, where Susie and David are based, and which has a well-deserved reputation as a haven for folk and acoustic music. Susie Burke has been singing on Seacoast stages since the early 80s, as a soloist, a member of several local bands, and in several duos, including one with guitar whiz Harvey Reid. Her musical tastes and influences are varied and many, encompassing contemporary and traditional folk, swing, country, topical songs, and acapella singing, with detours along the way for Broadway showtunes and classic ballads. "She posesses one of the finest, purest ballad sopranos heard in folk music today" writes Scott Alarik in the Boston Globe, noting that "her phrasing is unerringly devoted to the lyric" and that "Burke displays a gift for pulling honest emotional chords - all too rare in these clever and cynical times." Before devoting her energies to music full-time, Burke worked as a day-care teacher, and her love of kids is evident in her wonderful participatory children's concerts.
David Surette has been performing in the Seacoast area since the mid-80s, both with Susie and with a number of other groups and musicians. He 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. As a multi-instrumentalist, David brings a variety of stringed sounds to the duo; Folk Roots magazine notes that his "bouzouki, guitar, and mandolin playing is exemplary." 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. He was awarded an NEA travel grant in 1994 to study the traditional music of Brittany, France, and has written a book of Celtic guitar arrangements for Mel Bay Music. Recipients of Individual Artist Fellowship awards from the NH State Council on the Arts in 1993, Susie and David are also on the Council's Touring Arts roster. They have released five albums since 1990 on the Madrina Music label, to positive response from both critics and audiences. Their latest recording, a duo effort titled Sometimes in the Evening, was released in early 2000. Together, they bring skill, taste, feeling, and pure enjoyment to their music, and are bringing their music to an ever-widening circle of listeners.
http://www.burkesurette.com/ Suggested donation $15/$12 advance reservation and JPTC members + $1 preservation fee that goes to the Loring-Greenough House.
Reservations - notlobreservations at gmail dot com
Julie Metcalf and Andy Reiner
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00
Loring-Greenough House
12 South Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
notloB Parlour Concerts is proud to once again present Julie Metcalf and Andy Reiner. Julie's first notloB performance was on 4/11/09, with the Folk Arts Quartet. She since performed with Mariel Vandersteel (Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers) on 12/4/10. Andy has performed for notloB three times, twice with Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers (5/23/09 & 1/23/10) and once with BMUZ mate Stash Wyslouch (2/5/11).
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.
Andy Reiner grew up in a musical family in Lexington, Massachusetts. He began playing at age 5, learning fiddle from his father, (award-winning and Mel Bay Published Author) Dave Reiner, as well as taking classical violin lessons. Just when the young Andy was struggling with the issues of whether playing the fiddle was “cool”, attending Mark O’Connor’s Fiddle Camp in Tennessee in ’97 and ’98 changed his life forever.
Andy continued to attend fiddle camps over many summers which were a constant source of inspiration, learning, and jamming. Traveling from Maine to Colorado and even to Cape Breton NS, he took classes with many legends including Vassar Clements, Darol Anger, Richard Greene, Natalie MacMaster, Buddy Spicher, Jerry Holland, Bruce Molsky, Ashley MacIsaac, Becky Tracy, Rachel Maloney, Casey Driessen, Mark Wood, Laura Risk, and Aubrey Haynie.
In high school, Andy was priveleged to participate in a renowned jazz program which helped to lay the groundwork of a future uninhibited by any kind of stylistic barrier. As well, he was deep into an obsession with heavy metal, which, combined with his love for traditional folk music, resulted in the fiddle speed metal band Devil In The Kitchen. He entered and won many fiddle contests, most notably at the Lowell, MA Banjo and Fiddle Contests, where he has won 1st in Bluegrass Fiddle, 1st in Ethnic Fiddle, three 1sts in Twin Fiddle, and the Andy Wolf Award for Musical Excellence.
Andy soon realized that music was the only option. He moved to Boston and earned his BM in Violin Performance from Berklee College of Music, graduating in May 2008. Through his mentors at Berklee - Eugene Friesen, Mimi Rabson, Christian Howes, Stephen Webber, Bruno Raberg, and many others - Andy further developed his sound, ears, and chops.
Along the way, two original pieces of his were performed in the Berklee Performance Center by the Berklee String Orchestra, and he shared the stage with Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, Gloria Estefan and more at Berklee’s 60th Anniversary Concert, which sold out the Wang Center in Boston.
Andy found true happiness in Boston as he created a network of hardcore jammers who would descend upon his apartment, “The Fiddle Barn,” to form a unique groove that represented styles from all over the world. Berklee proved fertile ground for meeting unbelievable musicians. Between jamming and gigs, he met all the future band members of Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers and FiddleFoxx. Stash Wyslouch, guitarist of Devil In The Kitchen, was finally convinced after a year of studying civil engineering at Tufts to come to Berklee to focus on music. The two are musical soulmates of groove, travelling in countless wacky situations and playing music everywhere from Montreal to Berlin.
After a temporary relocation for a winter to Salt Lake City to be a music ski bum on the legendary powder and steeps of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Andy now resides in Brighton, MA where the jamming never ends. Andy tours with Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers, The Earth Stringband, and Intergalactic Blam as well as teaching lessons, composing, and running his own production and publishing companies! While Boston shines brightly as a new mecca for acoustic musicians, who knows what the future may hold! One thing is for sure: Andy Reiner is a powerful musical force that will be playing and creating wherever he is for a long time.
Suggested donation $10.
Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00
Reservations - notlobreservations at gmail dot com
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.
Kimberley holds a degree in Violin performance from Berklee College of Music and in Celtic Studies from St Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Education is important to her, reflected in Kimberley’s dedication to teaching Cape Breton music both at home and abroad. A master at the trio of fiddling, step dancing and piano, Kimberley is a much sought after teacher for all three. Her reputation as a teacher has brought her to conduct workshops at many camps and festivals, including Alasdair Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Fiddle Camp, the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina, and The American Festival of Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington to name a few. Kimberley also has experience giving workshops to string orchestras demonstrating how traditional music can be arranged for classical ensembles.
In 2006, Kimberley released her second studio album, Falling on New Ground, a winner of the East Coast Music Award for best Roots/Traditional Album of the Year. This self-produced album reflects on her experiences and growth as a musician since the release of her first studio album Heart Behind the Bow in 2000. Falling on New Ground demonstrates Kimberley’s many talents and versatility.
New York born fiddler Brian Conway is a leading exponent of the highly ornamented Sligo fiddling style made famous by the late Michael Coleman. The winner of two All- Ireland junior titles in 1973 and 1974 and the All-Ireland senior championship of 1986, Brian's early studies were with his father Jim of Plumbridge County Tyrone and with Limerick born fiddler/teacher Martin Mulvihill. However, it was the legendary fiddler and composer Martin Wynne who taught him the real secrets of the County Sligo style. Later, Brian met and befriended the great Andy McGann of New York a direct student of Michael Coleman, who further shaped his precision and skill on the instrument.
In 1979, Brian recorded a duet album, The Apple In Winter (Green Linnet) with fellow New York fiddler Tony Demarco. He released his debut solo CD, First through the Gate, on the Smithsonian-Folkways label in July 2002. This CD was voted the prestigious Album of the Year by the Irish Echo. Brian is also featured on the CD, My Love is in America, recorded at the Boston College Irish Fiddle Festival, and on the documentary "Shore to Shore" which highlights traditional Irish music in New York. He is considered one of the musical rocks of the New York area.
Brian remains faithful to the rich tradition handed down to him. The distinctness of his tone, the lift of his playing, and the deft ornamentation he brings to the tunes have placed him among the finest Irish fiddlers of any style, Sligo or otherwise. He has performed all over North America from San Francisco to New York and places in between such as Chicago, Milwaukee and Colorado. His talents have also been enthusiastically received throughout Ireland and the rest of Europe. His current CD, First through the Gate, exemplifies the versatility that characterizes his concert performances and festival appearances. He is also a noted instructor who has mentored many fine fiddle players, including several who have gone on to win All-Ireland championships.
In 2007, Brian released a CD titled A Tribute to Andy McGann on the prestigious Irish Label Cló Iar-Chonnachta. This CD pairs up Irish Music legends Joe Burke and Felix Dolan along with Brian in a CD which has received glowing accolades since it's release in the summer of 2007. Brian followed this CD with a much anticipated new Solo CD titled "Consider the Source" in deference to the rich environment from which Brian learned his music. This CD was released in 2008 on the Cló Iar-Chonnachta Label. This CD features guest appearances by music greats Niamh Parsons, Dan Milner, Billy McComiskey, Joannie Madden, Felix Dolan, and Brendan Dolan. Earle Hitchner of the Irish Echo described this CD as "Easily one of the best releases this year".
The musical imagination of Mark Simos weaves a lifetime love of many traditions into innovative musical forms. As songwriter and composer, fiddler, ‘tunesmith,’ and guitar and piano accompanist, Mark draws on long apprenticeship in a wide variety of genres—Irish, Southern old-time, New England, Quebeçois, bluegrass, and Klezmer among others—creating a musical language grounded in traditional forms, yet uniquely his own.
"... a musician's musician, versed in many musical idioms and excelling at all of them. He is one of the few musicians I know equally at home in the often incompatible roles of traditionalist and innovator." —Mick Moloney
Suggested donation $tbd/$tbd advance reservation $tbd students.Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00Reservations - notlobreservations at gmail dot com
The Earth Stringband is Sam Grisman – Bass, Vocals Andy Reiner – Fiddle, Vocals Eric Robertson – Mandolin, Vocals Stash Wyslouch – Guitar, Vocals
From their website (where one can download nine songs*)
This is Andy Reiner from The Earth Stringband! We’re all beyond excited to travel to Southeast Asia on The Rhythm Road produced by The State Department and Jazz at Lincoln Center. If you are reading this, you are in the same place that each member of the band will be posting text, videos, and pictures of the people we meet and the places we go. We’ll be travelling to Laos, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), East Timor, and South Korea. We hope you will follow our travels as well as download our free album (though please feel free to donate!) We’re leaving on September 8th and returning on October 11th so expect this site to be updated with new posts every chance we get! Thank you and come back soon for updates!
*All songs were recorded Live in Boston, MA and engineered, mixed and mastered by Andy Reiner, Fiddle Barn Productions.
While we are offering this full album for free download in order to reach as many people as possible from around the world, we are full time musicians who make our livings entirely from music. We poured our hearts, souls, and time into making this music. - so if you wish to help support us, we are providing this Donate button and we greatly appreciate your support. Your money goes directly to the band and their livelihood.
The Groton Inn was home to the "Groton (bluegrass) pickin' party" hosted by Paul Murray and "Fiddle Hell" produced by Dave and Andy Reiner.
From Paul:
Sadly to announce, the historic Groton Inn was destroyed last night as the result of a four alarm fire.
It has been a pleasure to work with the inn's ownership, staff , and all the good people who made up 4th Saturday picking party at Groton.
This event was about 15 to 20 years in the running and a place were a lot of good friends were made, great music was played, and many pickers,new to the jamming scene were, welcomed, encouraged, and made to feel at home.
We will scout the area to see what may be available to continue satisfying our bluegrass appetites.
Fiddle Hell's future is unclear, I am seeking information from Dave.
Residents flee as 4-alarm blaze destroys historic Old Groton Inn
GROTON -- Firefighters from across the region were battling a four-alarm fire last night that devastated the historic Old Groton Inn, a structure believed to be nearly a century older than the very country in which it stands.
Firefighters were called to the inn, also known as the Stagecoach Inn, at 9:40 p.m. By a little after 10 p.m. the entire second and third floors of the sprawling building were engulfed in flames.
"I feel like I'm watching history go up in flames," said Joni Parker-Roach, who has lived nearby since 1992 and owns the NOA Gallery just down the street.
The building at 128 Main St. is believed to have been built in 1678, according to a history on the inn's website. That is 98 years before the United States declared independence from England on July 4, 1776.
Parker-Roach said she first noticed something was wrong when she heard sirens outside her home and noticed they stopped nearby. She looked outside and saw black smoke coming from an upper window of the inn. More black smoke emerged, and then flames burst from the roof, Parker-Roach said.
At 10 p.m., Groton Fire Department radio broadcasts indicated a man who was unable to walk was inside the first floor of the building, but minutes later firefighters reported he had been evacuated and was unharmed.
There are four apartments in the back of the building, and Fire Department radio broadcasts indicated that people were being evacuated out the back of the building as firefighters began battling the flames.
Police Chief Donald Palma believed no injuries had been reported. "To my knowledge, everyone is out and everyone is OK," Palma said. Palma said officials were still trying to determine how many guests and residents would need to be provided for overnight. No one could say how many were inside when the fire started.
Fire Chief Joseph Bosselait and his deputies stood on Main Street directing efforts to stop the flames and could not immediately comment. Four people who gathered behind the building, including a man with crutches, declined to comment.
By 11 p.m., gables atop the front of the building had collapsed at angles into the second floor as the entire building was consumed by flames despite being surrounded by four ladder trucks and dozens of firefighters from as far away as Tyngsboro and Hollis, N.H.
Crews were expected to remain at the scene overnight, and mobile command centers from State Fire Marshall Stephen Coan's Office arrived at the scene late in the night. Even at 11 p.m., a steady stream of fire apparatus sped toward the fire on Route 119.
"It's such a central point to Groton," said Heather Hayes-Beaulac, 46, of Leominster, who grew up just down the street. "It's unfortunate."
James Desrosiers, of Groton, watched the flames with his wife, Claudia, and used a smart phone to look up the history of the inn as it burned. He said presidents had stayed in the inn. A woman nearby said she believes the inn was the oldest continuously operating inn in the country.
"This place has a lot of history, not only for Groton, but for the entire country," said Desrosiers. "It's a piece of history we're losing tonight." "It's just so sad," added Claudia Desrosiers.
For years the inn had fallen on hard times. It was purchased by George Pergantis in 1977, and renovated in 1990, according to a history on the inn's website.
Pergantis was rumored to be considering a sale of the building until that deal fell through late last year.
Parker-Roach said she has long hoped the Inn could help bring even more life to Groton Center.
A tavern at the inn can accommodate about 100 guests, and there are 16 rooms available for lodging, according to the inn's website. It was not immediately clear last night if the tavern was open when the fire began.
The tavern occasionally hosted live music in recent years, which Parker-Roach said brought a welcome source of entertainment in the rustic town center.
Dozens of onlookers gathered across Main Street from the fire and even in bushes across the driveway until firefighters and police pushed them back. Some of those watching had tears in their eyes.
"They're not going to be able to replace this," said a teary-eyed Parker-Roach. "It's awful. It's just awful."
Bringing old-time, traditional American, Canadian, British, and Celtic traditional folk, folk revival, folk rock, world, blues, roots and bluegrass/newgrass music to Somerville and Jamaica Plain. notloB Folk Concerts are volunteer run and not for profit. 100% of the patron donations go to the artists and production expenses. Concerts are presented at Unity, Davis Square, Somerville (175 seats, sound by Dana Westover) and the historic Loring-Greenough House (40 seats) Jamaica Plain.
"The concerts always have a warm atmosphere and are fun to play. From a musician's perspective, I really appreciate the effort Jeff puts into his shows. Nobody on the Boston folk scene works harder to pull a concert together."
~ Alastair Moock
"In this era of pop-driven acoustic music, notloB is keeping the folk tradition alive."
~ Jack Hardy
In this edition
Concerts
Dinner and a show
Volunteering
Turn your radio on!
Insider news
Housekeeping
1.CONCERTS
All concerts begin at 8:00pm, doors 7:30pm.
Venue Key:
US: Unity Somerville, 6 William Street (3 blocks north of the Davis Square T station), Somerville.
LGH: Loring-Greenough House, 12 South Street, Jamaica Plain.
Saturday, February 5 ~ Andy Reiner & Stash Wyslouch ~ LGH
Andy Reiner, an award-winning fiddler and violinist from Lexington, MA, grew up in a musical family. He began playing at age 5, learning fiddle from his father Dave Reiner, a fiddle contest champion and author of instructionalfiddlebooks with publisher Mel Bay. Andy took 13 years of classical violin lessons from Helene Kamen in Lexington, MA. Attending Mark O’Connor’s Fiddle Camp in Tennessee in ’97 and ’98 changed Andy’s life forever. Over many summers of fiddle camps, he studied Old Time, Bluegrass, Irish, Swing, New England, and other fiddle styles and repertoire, and internalized the spectrum of different teaching methods of the many world-class fiddlers and educators from whom he took workshops.
Upon graduating from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2008 with a BM in Violin Performance, he continued touring with several bands while taking on private students. Andy’s fiddle playing as been prolifically represented through his life, playing with the Reiner Family Band from an early age, Heavy Metal with Devil in the Kitchen, Folk/Hip- Hop with FiddleFoxx, and currently with the Earth Stringband and Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers. He has been playing with Stash Wyslouch, guitarist, for 9 years, and together, they have formed an inseparable bond that is road-tested and constantly evolving.
He teaches workshops at the Meadowlark Music Camp in Maine, Fiddle Hell in Groton, MA (where he has worked with his father to develop the educational concepts that combine learning and fun), Bancroft Strings Camp, Worcester, MA, and has also taught workshops at the Creative Strings Workshop, Columbus, OH and through the Mountain West while on tour in Salt Lake City, UT and Pocatello, ID. As well as being a member of the American String Teachers Association, Andy was one of the first teachers to be trained in teaching the new O’Connor Violin Method, created by world-famous virtuoso fiddler and violinist Mark O’Connor – putting Andy at the cutting edge of beginning violin educational techniques.
Andy has composed five major works for string orchestra, which have been performed at the Berklee Performance Center and the Kennedy Center. His experience arranging for bands and groups helps in teaching novice players, creating an ensemble sound that they really enjoy. Last year, Andy published a book of 54 original compositions for fiddle / violin; this typifies his approach to teaching the instrument in a customized and creative way. With the Reiner Family Band, he just released a 2-disc set containing 52 fiddle tunes played fast and slow. Finally, Andy is currently working on a new Mel Bay instruction book and DVD with his father on fiddle bowing patterns, chops, and other techniques.
StashWyslouch is a touring musician originally from Lexington, MA but now residing in Brighton, MA and deep in the music scene of Boston. You can find Stash touring nationally and internationally as a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter in bands such as "Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers" whose debut album 'Rousted' is being released in September featuring many of Stash's original compositions, or in the band "The Boston Boys" whose made appearances at festivals such as Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival and recently the New Bedford Summerfest. Stash also tours nationally and internationally with the band "The Deadly Gentlemen" fronted by Greg Liszt, banjo player of the band 'Crooked Still' and former banjo player of Bruce Springsteen in 2006, whose album "Carry Me To Home" is in the process of being released after spending a grueling summer recording in studios across all of the United States.
A recent Berklee graduate, Stash has studied and played with some of the best musicians in different respective genres ranging from Bluegrass to folk music to rock to jazz, taking the guitar from its limited genre possibilities to another world of individuality and creativity. Stash is fascinated by the mechanics and beauty of music and is ready and willing to expose these fundamental building blocks to a creative and fulfilled musical life. His passion flows through his writing, performing, and teaching affecting those all around him. His lively performances and enthused lessons always leave the other party wanting more and ready to tap into a deeper sense of self through music.
Chasing Blue plays a mix of original and traditional bluegrass material with unique arrangements and hard-driving style. Original material holds true to the bluegrass tradition but strong lyrical ideas and progressive musical ideas make the Chasing Blue sound. Members of Chasing Blue (Suzanne Oleson-mandolin, vocals; Mike Reese-guitar, vocals’ Trent Freeman-fiddle, vocals; Maggie MacKay-banjo; Chad Gray-bass) met at Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2008. Chasing Blue has since toured to Washington DC, Atlantic Canada, Nashville, Texas, and released two EPs.
Notable venues Chasing Blue has played:
Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival Master’s Tent, NY, ’10
Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, MA, ’09,’10
Podunk Bluegrass Festival/Band Competition, CT, ’10
IBMA Showcase, TN, ’09
North Shore Folk Festival, MA, ’10
Down East Country Festival, ME ’10
The Music Barn, NB Canada, ’10
Threadgills, TX ’10
FOX News Austin, TX, ’10
KUT Folkways Radio, TX, ’10
International Folk Festival, Berklee Performance Centre, MA, ’10
Berklee Encore Scholarship Gala, MA, ’10
Cafe 939, MA, ’10
Start on the Street, MA ’09
Joe’s Truck Stop is Lucy "i am the walrus" Cochran - Fiddle, Vocals, Guitar; Melissa "Windy" Wright! - Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals’; "Cincinnati" Joe Macheret - Mandolin, Fiddle, Vocals; Ben "Caveman" Walters - Banjo, bass, he sings too! and Nina "Neener" Pinto – Basss, who currently are conglomerated in Boston MA where they play hillbilly and old-time dance music and have been seen taking classes at Berklee.
John Roberts ~ Before coming to the United States in the 1960's, John Roberts developed his interest in folksongs in high school when he and a group of friends decided to form a folk club. While doing graduate work at Cornell University, John met fellow student Tony Barrand and the two, sharing a common heritage and interest in folksong, began a partnership in 1969 that continues to this day. Their second recording, "Across The Western Ocean" is still regarded as a classic documenting the songs of the transatlantic packet ship trade and together they have numerous recording credits on many compilations in addition to their own releases. But as well as performing with Tony, John has also continued to develop his art as a solo performer. With concertina and banjo, he sings the traditional folksongs of his native Britain in a manner that is at once authentic and authoritative, yet highly engaging and entertaining. His solo CD of sea songs, Sea Fever, was released in 2007 to critical acclaim.
Debra Cowan was once asked what kind of songs she writes. Her reply? “Bad ones. Besides, there are so many good songs out there written by others and they should be sung.” Her captivating warm alto carries each folk song she chooses with such emotion that you’ll forget that they were written by others. She performs a cappella and with guitar in the great tradition of folk singers like Joan Baez and Judy Collins, with a clear vocal that calls forth the ghosts of long past but can also offer a more modern urban landscape. In her newest release Fond Desire Farewell, she’s taken contemporary and time-honored public domain songs and put them in a modern setting. Debra’s shared the stage with artists as varied as Brooks Williams, Richard Shindell and John Renbourne. She’s performed in many prestigious UK folk clubs and for six months in the late 90’s held a residency at Sandy’ Bell’s Bar, Edinburgh's premier folk music pub. Now based near Worcester, Massachusetts, Debra tours extensively in North America and the United Kingdom.
For almost forty years, Paul Geremia has survived solely by the fruit of his musical labours. Having abandoned all other means of support in 1966, he has been travelling far and wide ever since, performing in every capacity from street singing to club and concert bookings, throughout the U.S.A., Canada and Europe.In the years since, Geremia has built a reputation as a first rate bluesman, songwriter, a "scholar" of early jazz and blues, and one of the best country blues fingerpickers ever with his tools - six and twelve-string guitars, harmonica, piano and a husky soulful voice - and with an innate sense of the humour as well as the drama of the music, he keeps traditional blues fresh and alive with his performances.Combining his interpretation of the earlier music of people like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, Scrapper Blackwell and Blind Blake, with his original compositions, he has created a style which is very much his own and which has received accolades in the U.S.A. and Europe, too numerous to mention.
Bread and Bones is a Vermont-based acoustic trio performing original music with a strong traditional-roots foundation. Made up of Richard Ruane, Beth Duquette and Mitch Barron, their sound is characterized by imaginative two- and three-part harmonies over solid guitar and bass work.
"They are entertainers of the first order, producing gorgeous harmonies, captivating lyrics, and witty banter. We are always thrilled to welcome themback to the Ball & Chain." - Barbara Ebling, Co-owner oftheBall and Chain Café, Brandon, Vermont
Bread and Bones is a Vermont-based acoustic trio performing original music with a strong traditional-roots foundation. Made up of Richard Ruane, Beth Duquette and Mitch Barron, their sound is characterized by imaginative two- and three-part harmonies over solid guitar and bass work.
They were selected for the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival's 2009 Emerging Artist Showcase. Their CD "I Know Stories" was named Vermont's Best Traditional Album of 2008. Ruane was a finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition, the Great Waters Music Festival Songwriter Contest and the Plowshares Coffeehouse Singer-Songwriter Competition. He was an award winner at the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest and the SolarFest Songwriter Showcase.
Ruane's songwriting has been compared at times to Richard Shindell, Richard Thompson and John Gorka. The sound of their harmonies has been compared to Tim and Molly O'Brien.
In addition to their original music, they also perform traditional songs from America and the British Isles, songs by other songwriters and a few jazz standards. Richard Ruane's warm baritone voice blends beautifully with Beth Duquette’s expressive alto. Ruane plays guitar, ukulele, mandolin and banjo. Mitch Barron adds his wonderful presence on fretless, fretted and upright bass and vocals.
"Bread and Bones gives a great live show. Their gorgeous 3 part harmonies are the perfect complement to the warm and heartfelt songwriting of Richard Ruane. In their show, they created a playful, warm environment for the audience and kept us all engaged until the last song." - Anna Maria Tocci, Co-owner of theNorth Star Music Café, Portland, Maine
"Their playing and singing are crisp and confident: Ruane’s work on guitar is full of finesse and creativity. Ms. Duquette’s harmony and lead vocals are clear and to the point but not overly adorned. And – to my ear at least – Barron’s sparse, deep backing on both upright bass and fretless electric puts the real stamp on this music as original, from-the-shoulder, and very much alive." - Jeff Trippe inMaineFolkMusic.com
"Bread & Bones is a trio which has a great variety of material. Many tunes are Richard's, and his music takes you from laughing to pondering. Their great musicianship, tunes and lively stage banter has made them a favorite at The Music Box." - Lisa Sammet, theMusic Box, Craftsbury, Vermont
2. DINNER AND A SHOW. Somerville concert patrons can save 10% when dining at the House of Tibet Kitchen, 235 Holland Street, 617-629-7567 (in nearby Teele Square). Simply make a concert reservation, print and bring your confirmation email and show it to restaurant staff. 10% excludes alcohol and taxes. Please tip at the pre-discount rate. For both fine restaurants, before being seated please identify yourself to the staff as attending the “notloB concert”.
3. VOLUNTEERING.
At the Loring Greenough House ~ publicity, hospitality and set-up/take-down.
At Unity ~ admission table, merchandise, hospitality & lighting.
At all venues ~ publicity & flyer/handbill duplication and distribution.
If you are interested, please read the volunteer policy and apply via email to notloBreservations@gmail.com
4. TURN YOUR RADIO ON!
notloB’s Jeff Boudreau co-hosts and produces “In the Tradition”, Tuesdays 5-8pm, WCUW-fm, broadcasting at 91.3fm and streaming at http://www.wcuw.org.
Upcoming radio guest schedule:
1/18/11 - sandy humphries and pat o (emma's revolution)
3/8/11 - Sonny Ochs
On January 8 WCUW presented Radoslav Lorkovic in its first broadcast/streamed concert. If you would like to become involved in future productions, send an email to jeffboudreau@wcuw.org
'Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune' reveals the biography of a conflicted truth seeking troubadour who, with a guitar in hand, stood up for what he believed in and challenged us all to do the same. Unyielding in his political principals and unbending in his artistic vision, Phil Ochs, though branded
See #4 above, Phil’s sister, Sonny, will be a guest on “In the Tradition” the Tuesday before the Boston-area premier.
Sometymes Why at Lizard Lounge
Friday, February 4 at 8:00pm
Sometymes Why was notloB’s first production, June 2, 2007.
The fine print. notloB Folk Concerts are volunteer run and not for profit. We present the best local and touring roots, newgrass, traditional and contemporary folk, Celtic and blues artists at several venues around the greater Boston area. Past artists include the Spider John Koerner, the Sacred Shakers, The Folk Brothers (David Massengill and Jack Hardy), Peggy Seeger, Geoff Bartley, Mary McCaslin, Bob Franke, The Rowan Brothers, The Ungar Family Band, Aoife O’Donovan, Kristin Andraessen, Mike and Ruthy Ungar Merenda, Sometymes Why, Pat Wictor, Jud Caswell, Dennis Brennan and many others. Concerts in your home, as was done for the Bowmans in May, and Matt Brown in October can be arranged.
Reservations / information. At most concerts an incentive for making a reservation is offered. Send email to notlobreservations@gmail.comat least 24 hoursprior to the concert. Information about the concert series, the venues and the artists can be found at the website or by sending an email to the reservations address.
Keeping in touch. There are several ways to stay informed of scheduled events:
Volunteering / Street team. This is a 100% volunteer-run effort. Concerts would not be possible without volunteer assistance. All interested in helping can read the Volunteer Policy. “Guerilla” publicity builds community by spreading the word to family, friends and neighbors. Posting flyers in your neighborhood music shops, book stores, coffee shops and workplace is appreciated. To register, go to http://www.reverbnation.com/notlob, then send an email to notlobreservations@gmail.com requesting printer-ready files. Be a regular guerilla and you’ll receive rewards.
Admission is by donation. A suggested minimum donation (varies by concert), often with discount to those making reservations and sometimes to students and seniors, is requested. Your donations cover rent, sound system rental, sound engineer, publicity and other production expenses. 100% of the balance goes to the artists (many of whom travel many miles). Sometimes there are shortfalls, so extra donations are gladly accepted.
Photography, video recording, & sound recording. No still, video or sound recording is permitted without permission of the artist and the house. If you would like to share photos of past concerts, email the pictures and/or web link to notlobreservations@gmail.com
