Sunday, August 30, 2009

Remaining 2009 Folk Festivals in New England and Eastern New York

Compiled by A. Sherman from information provided by the members of NorthEastFolknRoots. Please send new listings or corrections to NorthEastFolknRoots-owner@yahoogroups.com

Remaining 2009 Folk Festivals in New England and Eastern New York.


Aug 28-30: American Folk Festival, Bangor, ME
http://www.americanfolkfestival.com

Aug 28&30: Viva la Vinal Festival, Somerville, MA http://tinyurl.com/lfm9x8

Aug 29: Essex Music Festival, Essex, MA http://www.essexmusicfestival.com
(Canceled Weather)

Aug 29: Newport Arts Festival, Newport, RI
http://www.newportartsfestival.com/daytime_music.htm

Aug 30: Slater Mill Labor & Ethnic Heritage Festival, Pawtucket, RI
http://tinyurl.com/nvet55

Aug 30: Celebration of French Culture (Rescheduled), Pawtucket RI
http://www.pawtucketartsfestival.org/Listings

Sept 4-6: Rhythm & Roots Festival, Charlestown, RI http://www.rhythmandroots.com

Sept 4-6: County Bluegrass, Fort Fairfield, ME http://www.countybluegrass.com

Sep 5-6: Plymouth Folk and Blues Concerts, Plymouth, VT USA
http://www.plymouthfolk.com

Sep 5-7: Newport Waterfront Irish Festival, Newport, RI
http://tinyurl.com/kua4ml

Sept 6: New World Festival, Randolph, VT http://www.newworldfestival.com

Sept 7: Bread & Roses Festival, Lawrence, MA http://www.breadandroses.net

Sep 11-13: Connecticut Folk Festival & Green Expo, New Haven, CT
http://www.ctfolk.com/ctff

Sept 12: Stone Soup Folk Festival, Pawtucket RI
http://www.pawtucketartsfestival.org/Listings

Sep 12&13: Boston Folk Festival, Boston, MA http://www.bostonfolkfestival.org

Sep 12&13: Irish Cultural Centre of NE Irish Festival, Canton, MA
http://www.irishculture.org

Sept 13: Narrows Festival of the Arts, Fall River, MA
http://www.ncfta.org/festival.php

Sep 19-20: Joe Davies Folk Festival, Middleborough, MA
http://www.soulehomestead.org/jdff.html

Sept 26: Providence Sustainbility Festival, Providence, RI
http://apeiron.org/slf2009/index2.html

Sept 26-27: Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival, Portsmouth, NH
http://www.newenglandfolknetwork.org/pmff

Sept 26-27: Working Waterfront Festival, New Bedford, MA
http://www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org

Oct 9-12: Taunton River Folk Festival, Taunton MA http://www.tauntonfest.org
This site has been suspended

Oct 16-18: Eisteddfod Festival, Ellenville, NY
http://www.minstrelrecords.com/fmsny/eisteddfod

...and looking forward to 2010...

Jan 8-9: BCMFest (Boston Celtic Music Festival), Cambridge and Medford, MA
http://www.bcmfest.com

Last updated: 8/29/09 Al Sherman
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Saturday, August 29, 2009

"Sad is Not Forever"

"Sad is Not Forever" was written by Dr. Kari Groff, Chris Eldridge and Kristin Andreassen. It's part of an album they have been working on for children that addresses common mental health issues through music (Kari is a child psychiatrist...). Kristin believes the music will speak to kids of ALL ages but for now they're calling it children's music.

If they win, they get to compete nationally and sing another original children's song on NPR's Mountain Stage radio show!




Vote

Jumping Through Hoops members include Kari Groff-Denis, MD, Kristin Andreaasen, Chris Eldridge, David Moore, Paul Kowert, Charlie Shaw, Aaron Lewis, Joe Costa, Rob Hecht, Larry Toto, Stephanie Coleman, Hilary Hawke, Jared Engel, Cassie Jenkins, Brad Einhorn, Jefferson Hamer, Joel Wennerstrom, Michael Riddleberger, "The Hokes" featuring the P-squares on electric guitars, Mystery Man on bass, Coach Buster on drums, and their buddy on vocals, singing the hit song "Bully This!"

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Friday, August 28, 2009

The Heyman Celebration





The Heyman Celebration will be an uplifting musical tribute to remember Vic Heyman and to honor Reba Heyman. It will be a mini-folk festival format, benefiting the Heyman Folk Scholarship Fund and Parkinson's Disease research.

Vic Heyman died on January 6, 2009. The folk music community has lost its "Folk Angel."

Vic and his wife, Reba, shown at a folk festival in 2008, were known as the financial guardians of countless folk performers nationwide. Their generosity ranged from financial backing of folk music venues and festivals to no-strings loans to down-on-their luck musicians (for travel or CD production), to thousands of acts of random kindness.

With this musical concert celebration, nationally touring musicians pay homage to their lasting legacy.

The Basics:

  • Sunday, October 11, 2009

  • Times: 3 p.m. - 11 p.m.

    • Live Folk Music Performances: 3:00 - 5:30 p.m.

    • Dinner Break: 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

    • Live Folk Music Performances: 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

    • Golden Circle Reception afterwards: 10:00 p.m.

  • Venue:

    • Olney Theatre Center, Olney, Maryland - Historic Stage

    • www.olneytheatre.org

    • Map (click)

    • It is about 10 miles north from the Washington Capital Beltway, due north of Silver Spring, MD.

  • Performers Scheduled:

    • Ellen Bukstel

    • Terry Gonda w/ Kirsti Reeves

    • Patty Larkin

    • Kate McDonnell

    • SONiA

    • Amy Speace

    • LisaBeth Weber and Maggie Marshall

    • Vance Gilbert

    • Cosy Sheridan

    • Tom Prasada-Rao and Cary Cooper

    • Lara Herscovitch

    • Stephanie Corby

    • Plus some unannounced star performers that you know and love.

  • Tickets:

    • 125.00 - 100 Golden Circle seating, dinner & Post-concert Reception with the artists

    • $50.00 - General Reserved seating - center section

    • $25.00 - General Reserved seating - side sections (some seats may have a view that is partially obstructed) - limited number available

    • Tickets are now ON SALE (Click for information on how to order tickets)

  • Benefiting:

Concert Committee:

  • Sherry and Steve Panzer, co-chairs

  • Kristin Fuhrmann Clark

  • Jay Kohn

  • Sandy Lubin

  • Scott Moore

  • Karen Tupek

Contact Information:

Concert Committee: HeymanCelebration@gmail.com

Additional information at the official website.
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Sunday, August 23, 2009

notloB FOLK CONCERTS FALL SEASON!




notloB FOLK CONCERTS FALL SEASON!
Friday, September 11
Saturday, October 03
Friday, November 06
http://www.ariandmiafriedman.com
Friday, December 04
Jeremy Kittel Band (featuring Tristan Clarridge, Simon Chrisman and Bodek Janke)
Venue: Unity Church of God,6 William Street, Somerville, MA 02144
617.623.1212 http://www.unitygreaterboston.org/
Reservations / more information: notlobreservations@comcast.net
Public transportation/ Parking / Access: http://notlobmusic.googlepages.com/directions
Somerville – notloB Folk Concerts’ third Somerville season, featuring the best in
will be presented at the Unity Church of God, 6 William Street (3 blocks north of Davis Square).
Friday, September 11.
Doors 7:30pm, Concert 8:00pm.
Suggested donation $15 at the door, $12 with reservation at least 24 hours in advance to notlobreservations@comcast.net
" Jonathan Byrd doesn’t sing songs; he sings truth."
~ performingsongwriter.com
"Jonathan's delightful, substantive songs are rich with imagery and textures of influences from Appalachian, country, early American balladry, modern atmospheric Mideastern, urban and old timey folk music. A stalwart of modern folk music, Jonathan is constantly evolving in new musical directions and each incarnation has proven to be masterful. Like a gourmet chef, Jonathan does not create the same dish twice, so we're not sure what he will bring to the table tonight. But if music were a meal, Jonathan would prepare us a banquet. Catch this Kerrville New Folk winner as often as you can; you'll never get 'full', your appetite will only grow."
~Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse, Dallas, TX

Folk legend Tom Paxton discovered Jonathan Byrd's music and sent him a quick email, saying, "What a treat to hear someone so deeply rooted in tradition, yet growing in his own beautiful way." He had just released "Wildflowers," in late 2001, simple tales of love and death that seemed to be a hundred years old or more. In 2003 Byrd released his second album, "The Waitress" and won the prestigious New Folk competition in Kerrville, TX. That year, he set CD sales records at the festival.

For his third album, Jonathan approached his friends, the critically acclaimed world-music duo known as Dromedary, often featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. "The Sea and The Sky" is the result, a vast, poetic suite of music that weds world sounds to deeply rooted folk balladry.

A native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Jonathan grew up singing in the Southern Baptist church, where his father preached and his mother played piano. After four years in the Navy, he returned to Chapel Hill to play in rock bands in that legendary underground music scene. A friend of Jonathan's invited him to an old-time fiddle festival in the mountains of southwest Virginia, where his writing began to change. Assimilating the sounds of southern traditional music, Byrd wrote new songs in an ancient style.

One of those first songs was "Velma," a murder ballad based on the true story of Velma Barfield, the last woman to be executed in North Carolina (in 1984) and the murderer of Jonathan's own grandfather. This was the track that prompted Tom Paxton to respond so eloquently to Byrd's music.

As Jonathan grows into a contemporary artist of increasing influence, his traditional roots are always evident in his simple, poetic storytelling and classic flatpick guitar style. But, as quoted in a recent interview for Dirty Linen magazine, Jonathan says, "Everything I do is a departure from what I've done." "The Sea and the Sky" is certainly evidence of that. Keep an ear out for an upcoming electric album, sure to take us further out on a limb without forgetting our roots.
"I thought I was listening to a young Doc Watson."
~ Jay Moulon, Southeast Performer Magazine
Greg Klyma is a Buffalo-born troubadour who has been living on the road performing music full-time since August 1998. Traveling from the Rust Belt to FEMA villages with guitar and mandolin in hand, capturing the stories of the people he's met and seen for over a decade, Greg has honed his songwriting and storytelling while developing a show that lands somewhere between the worlds of Steve Earle and Steve Martin - it's literate, witty, visual, sometimes comical and forever building on tradition while seeking its own voice.
In August 2008, Greg released his 5th independent solo album, Rust Belt Vagabond, featuring the song "Two Degrees in Buffalo." Later in 2009, he'll follow up with the release of KLYMALIVE in Buffalo.
Anthony da Costa IS not afraid of nothing.

A public statement, a self-realization, an album title, a cool chance to use a double negative…or all of the above.

Not sure. But one thing is certain:
Anthony's new record is anything but careful.

In 2007, at 16, he became the youngest winner ever at the Falcon Ridge and Kerrville Folk Festivals. In 2008, at 17, he released two, critically- acclaimed albums. He also played prestigious folk festivals, including the Philadelphia Folk Festival and Tonder Festival in Denmark, and opened for music icons, like Loretta Lynn and Dan Bern.

Now, in 2009, at 18, and before heading off to Columbia University this fall, he's released a new record, "Not Afraid of Nothing." But, in this album, his 8th, Anthony ventures into new musical territory. While one foot's in folk, the other foot's loose and wandering into various genres, influenced by the work of Elliott Smith, Ryan Adams and some other, less-obvious artists, like The Smiths and Jay-Z.

"I needed to get to someplace else with this record — someplace with a little groove."

"Not Afraid of Nothing" is a homegrown record, recorded mostly on a Macbook Pro with an MBox in living rooms and basements throughout Anthony's hometown of Pleasantville, NY. As for the songs, they document his last year in high school — a year of clarity and confusion, love and loneliness, change and nostalgia and, ultimately, renewal.

"This album is definitely the most of ME that I've put out there, but I hope it can be about all of US in a way. If it's not, than I'm not doing my job."
Saturday, October 3.
Doors 7:30pm, Concert 8:00pm.
Suggested donation $17 at the door, $15 with advance reservation at least 24 hours in advance to notlobreservations@comcast.net
"May be the finest young Scottish band since Silly Wizard"
~ Boston Globe
"Malinky should be one of the folk bands of 2009"
~ The Guardian
“Scots music at its most evocative”
~ MOJO
"producing great music...another gem of Scottish folk"
~ Irish Music Magazine
"a class act...just gets better each time you play it"
~ fRoots
"just glorious"
~ Living Tradition • _____ Rock’n’Reel
BOSTON GLOBE TOP 10 PICK OF 2008
FOLK BAND OF THE YEAR NOMINEE, SCOTTISH TRAD MUSIC AWARDS 2008
With their stunning fourth album Flower & Iron, Malinky celebrate their tenth anniversary and introduce a newly revamped line-up, meanwhile underscoring their reputation as one of Scotland’s most distinctive and accomplished folk bands. While retaining their hallmark song-based repertoire, performed by three superb lead vocalists and arrayed with tastefully inventive instrumentation, Malinky today unite seasoned maturity with sparkling freshness, casting their musical net wider than ever. Formed in Edinburgh in 1998, Malinky showed their mettle early on by winning a prestigious Danny Kyle Open Stage Award at the following year’s Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. Ten years on, the two remaining members from that founding line-up – Steve Byrne (vocals/bouzouki/guitar) and Mark Dunlop (vocals/whistles/bodhrán) – are now joined by Fiona Hunter (vocals/cello), who replaced original lead singer Karine Polwart in 2005, alongside recent recruits Dave Wood (guitar/bouzouki) and Mike Vass (fiddle).
With Dunlop hailing from over the water in Antrim, and Wood from Derbyshire, their respective roots in Ulster song and English tradition add further vibrant layers to Malinky’s core Scottish sound. Malinky’s three previous recordings, Last Leaves (2000), 3 Ravens (2002) and The Unseen Hours (2005), all on top Scottish folk label Greentrax, have each won successively greater acclaim, establishing the band not only as outstanding interpreters of traditional song, but as equally gifted exponents of contemporary material. This breadth of artistry is firmly to the fore on Flower & Iron, with Hunter, Byrne and Dunlop all taking turns to shine on vocals, while Wood and Vass bring renewed dynamism and verve to the instrumental arrangements.
Combining the very best of tradition and modernity, hard-earned experience and revitalised enthusiasm, Malinky enter their second decade with the world increasingly at their feet.
Friday, November 6
Doors 7:30pm, Concert 8:00pm.
Suggested donation $15 at the door, $12 with reservation at least 24 hours in advance to notlobreservations@comcast.net
"World class fiddler... far from just offering one dance tune after another, simple settings allow the true beauty of the music to shine through" - Sing Out
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.
Ari and Mia Friedman are members of a dynamic up-and-coming folk band. Their music is all at once driving, uplifting and moving. Ari is a recent graduate of Northwestern University where she studied cello performance with Hans Jorgen Jensen. A winner of ASTA's 2009 Alternative Styles Award, she is an inventive folk cellist and, aside from gigging with Mia, she performs, tours, and records with Scottish National Fiddle champion Hanneke Cassel. She also is a member of the new Boston-based girl band, Long Time Courting, as well as New England's highly acclaimed fiddle band Childsplay. She teaches classical and folk music at a music school outside Boston ( www.creativeartsforkids.org), at various fiddle camps during the summer, and has her own private studio.
Mia is a talented fiddler, singer and banjo player studying at New England Conservatory's Contemporary Improvisation program. She won first place at the New England Regional Scottish Fiddle Champion in 2006 and performs around New England with various musicians. Both girls live in Boston and are the founding members of Fireside, a four-piece band that mixes old-time Appalachian songs and Scandinavian fiddle tunes. Visit http://konesni.googlepages.com/music for more information on Fireside.
Ari and Mia perform mostly original and traditional music. Their main influences are Southern Appalachian, old-time, folk, celtic and bluegrass traditions.
Their first CD, titled Lady and the Pants, was released in December 2006. This well received, eleven-track, self-released CD is based mainly in the folk/Celtic tradition. You can order copies on CDbaby or iTunes.
Friday, December 4
Doors 7:30pm, Concert 8:00pm.
Suggested donation $15 at the door, $12 with reservation at least 24 hours in advance to notlobreservations@comcast.net
US National Scottish Fiddle Champion and winner of 6 Detroit Music Awards leads an exceptional band whose musical roots transverse the world. With the drive of Celtic fiddling, the spontaneity of jazz, soul of bluegrass, rhythms of Africa and Latin America, layered melodies of Eastern Europe and intricacies of chamber music, the Jeremy Kittel Band consistently captivates audiences.

Fiddle: “Outstanding Michigan Celtic-jazz-bluegrass fiddle wiz Jeremy Kittel” (Boston Globe). Kittel grew up with Scottish, Irish and American music traditions and explored the rich jazz traditions of Detroit and New York as a young man, earning a Bachelors in Jazz from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Jazz Violin from Manhattan School of Music. A true multi-stylist, the 24 year-old fiddler has received numerous accolades including the U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championship, three Detroit Music Awards for Outstanding Folk Artist, two Alternative Strings Awards from the American String Teachers Association, the University of Michigan Stanley Medal and Detroit Music Awards for Outstanding Jazz Recording, Jazz Composer, and Acoustic Instrumentalist. Kittel has produced three CDs of traditional and original material, and his second, Roaming, was named the 4th best Celtic CD of 2003. He has performed at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Milwaukee Irish Fest, Detroit International Jazz Festival, and “A Prairie Home Companion” been guest artist with the Rochester Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony and Detroit Symphony orchestras; toured with fiddle legends Darol Anger and Mark O’Connor; and currently tours internationally with the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet.

Hammer dulcimer / bass: Simon Chrisman is an existentially confused hammer dulcimer player who lives in Boston and isn't very good at writing about himself. Most often, he plays with The Bee Eaters. Aside from the dulcimer, he plays double bass and various forms of body percussion, and wishes that the key of E flat didn't exist.

Percussion: Polish-born Bodek Janke is an exceptional musician in the Jazz and World Music scenes, a cultural commuter between the USA, Kazakhstan, Russia, Poland and Germany. In 2008, he received the “Jazzpreis Baden-Wirttemberg”, the highest-endowed and most acclaimed jazz award of Germany. Janke creates a distinctive style, merging drumset with a wild variety of instruments, drawing upon African, Indian, Eastern European and Latin American music traditions. Playing World music with a jazz attitude, his energetic and expressive performances and compositions captivate every audience.

Cello: A talented multi-instrumentalist from the northern mountains of California, Tristan Clarridge is the youngest person to ever win the Grand National Fiddle Championship, and he did it for three consecutive years. An inventive cellist, Tristan plays with the bluegrass sensation Crooked Still, and has toured with Natalie McMaster and Darol Anger's Republic of Strings. For six years he’s been an instructor at Mark O'Connor's String Conference and Alasdair Fraser's Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School. Mark O'Connor says,"...[Tristan] has a lot going on in that musical mind of his and will step out in life to make wonderful contributions through his music".
Dinner and a show! Phone ahead for reservations ~ 781-648-8882, present your printed reservation confirmation and get 10% off your dinner check at House of Tibet Kitchen, 235 Holland Street, Somerville, Ma 02144. Reservations recommended.
And desert! Members of the Unity Church of God Church will be providing deserts, teas and coffee, so save room for desert.
Admission is by donation (check the website as the suggested amount and discounts vary by concert).
About the series. notloB Concerts are volunteer run and not for profit. Whether presented at historic and intimate museum houses like the Loring-Greenough House in Jamaica Plain or the Jackson Homestead in Newton, or at one of several church venues, or at private residences, all are run as house concerts where, after expenses, 100% of the patrons’ donations go to the artists. More information about the concert series can be found at the notloB website, http://notlobmusic.googlepages.com
"In this era of pop-driven acoustic music, notloB is keeping the folk tradition alive."
~ Jack Hardy
notloB Folk Concerts
Bringing traditional American, Canadian, British, and Celtic folk, folk revival, world, blues, roots and bluegrass/newgrass music to
Arlington, Newton and Somerville.
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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Timothy Mason & Tom Begich

Timothy Mason

&

Tom Begich


Saturday, August 15, 2009 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM EDT

notloB Folk Concerts is proud to announce the next "kitchen" concert at the historic Jackson Homestead, 527 Washington St., Newton, MA 02458, located at the corner of Washington Street and Jackson Road, between Newton Corner and Newtonville.

Phone 617-796-1496

Suggested donation $10, $40 family maximum.

Doors 7:15pm
Concert 7:30pm

About Timothy Mason
http://www.timothydmason.com/
http://www.myspace.com/timothydmason

The poetry blends with the musicians present - not exactly free form but free flowing............................................................................... ..............................................................................................

.................. Now bi-coastal Tim spends half his time in Boston, managing the bookings for Club Passim (no don't ask for a gig here) and working with the very hip web based business platform for professional independent musicians, Nimbit (check it out in the "Top 8") and trying to keep up with his teenage daughter Ruby. (who just happens to be the coolest kid on the planet)........................................................................................................................................................................................ The balance of his time is spent in the East Bay getting to know the West Coast scene and working with Shannon Flattery on her innovative community buliding arts and oral history project TOUCHABLE STORIES, now associated with UC Berkeley and based in Richmond CA, visit www.touchablestories.org for the scoop on this. Its very cool .................................................................................... .................................................................................................................. Whichever coast he hangs his hat on the poetry is what keeps it together.

About Tom Begich
http://www.myspace.com/tombegich

"It's the words that tell the story." That is Tom Begich. The bohemian son of a family steeped in Alaska politics and the product of a life of music, Tom's music resonates with stories and the conflicts of the human condition.

Part of the Alaska music scene in the early 1980's, Tom dropped out and tuned in to the world of politics and business for a decade before finding his way back to local coffee shops, street corners, and music festivals. Since returning to performing and recording, Tom has opened for recording artists Stephen Fearing, Don Morrell, Paul Geremia, and Kim Richey. Tom also hosted a monthly Songwriter's Showcase in his hometown of Anchorage for three years and has performed live on numerous radio stations and on the nationally syndicated radio show "West Coast Live" (October 1999).

Tom has released four CDs, "Such a World" in 1997, "Hotel Metropol" in 1999, and "Albuquerque Road" in 2001. His latest CD, "Cool Blue Light", was released November 20, 2004 and has already garnered favorable reviews.

Tom continues to play in Alaska and small venues throughout the country. Citing musicians as different as Taj Mahal, Harry Chapin, and Christopher Parkening as influences, Tom combines an easy picking style with blues rhythms and storytelling skill to create a musical montage that is always interesting to the ear. His music includes a wide-variety of music ranging from acoustic instrumentals to blues and folk rock. A musician with a wholly original sound, Tom Begich will keep you humming for more long after he's done.
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Monday, August 10, 2009

Mike Seeger, American Folk Revivalist and Historian

From Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Today at 2:27pm
August 8, 2009

"Old-time rural music remains at the center of my life. It's a tactile, emotional, aural pleasure — the words are my Shakespeare and my mysteries, the music is my Bach, my pastime, and it makes me want to dance...Classic, timeless qualities in this music endure. For me, there ain't no way out but nature, and I'll make the most of it."

-Mike Seeger (from the liner notes to the 1997 album There Ain't No Way Out by The New Lost City Ramblers)

Mike Seeger, who devoted his life to documenting, teaching, keeping alive, and carrying forth the sounds of traditional music of the American South, died from cancer August 7th at the age of 75. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist and singer, Seeger's 50-plus-year career included recordings as a solo performer, as a founding member of the influential group The New Lost City Ramblers, and as a documenter of many of the finest 20th-century performers of the genre including Dock Boggs, Elizabeth Cotten, and Kilby Snow.

We invite all fans of Mike to share thoughts, memories, and stories on the Smithsonian Folkways official Facebook page or email them to SmithsonianFolkways@SI.EDU
. Selected submissions will be posted on www.folkways.si.edu

Seeger's career highlights include producing the first long-playing bluegrass album, American Banjo: Three-Finger and Scruggs Style, earning six GRAMMY nominations (including nominations for Smithsonian Folkways albums Southern Banjo Sounds and 1997's There Ain't No Way Out with The New Lost City Ramblers), and earning the 2009 Bess Lomax Hawes Award from the National Endowment for the Arts among many other awards and grants. In all, Mike Seeger contributed to 75 Smithsonian Folkways albums, most recently a box set available August 25th, 2009 celebrating the 50th anniversary of The New Lost City Ramblers, and numerous Smithsonian Folklife Festivals as a researcher, presenter, and performer, including the first-ever festival in 1967. Mike Seeger will be remembered as tireless preserver, performer, and teacher of traditional music.

Please visit http://folkways.si.edu/explore_folkways/mike_seeger.aspx for a profile of Mike Seeger, including video and audio samples.


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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Summer/Fall NE Folk/Roots/Celtic/Bluegrass Festivals

Summer's heat is finally kicking in, so get out and enjoy these remaining Summer/Fall festivals.

Feel free to share, but please cite the source.

Aug 8: Prescott Park Rhythm & Roots Fest, Portsmouth, NH http://www.prescottpark.org/events/music_festivals
Aug 8: Naukabout Music Festival, East Falmouth, MA http://www.naukabout.com/festival.htm
Aug 8: Valley Stage Music Festival, Huntington, VT http://www.valleystage.net
Aug 8: Rutland Long Trail Festival, Rutland, VT http://www.longtrailfestivalvt.com
Aug 9: Wachusett Valley Folk Festival, Westminster, MA http://www.wachusettmusic.com
Aug 14-16: HickoryFest, Wellsboro, PA http://www.hickoryfest.com/
Aug 15: Berkshire Womaen's Muse Fest, Pittsfield, MA http://www.bwmusefest.com
Aug 22: Great Waters Folk Festival, Wolfeboro, NH http://www.greatwaters.org
Aug 22: Move the Muse Fest, Brockton, MA http://www.movethemusefest.com
Aug 27-30: Blistered Fingers Bluegrass Music Festival, Sidney, ME http://www.blisteredfingers.com
Aug 28-30: American Folk Festival, Bangor, ME http://www.americanfolkfestival.com
Aug 29: Essex Music Festival, Essex, MA http://www.essexmusicfestival.com
Sept 4-6: Rhythm & Roots Festival, Charlestown, RI http://www.rhythmandroots.com
Sept 4-6: County Bluegrass, Fort Fairfield, ME http://www.countybluegrass.com
Sep 5-6: Plymouth Folk and Blues Concerts, Plymouth, VT USA http://www.plymouthfolk.com
Sept 6: New World Festival, Randolph, VT http://www.newworldfestival.com
Sept 7: Bread & Roses Festival, Lawrence, MA http://www.breadandroses.net
Sep 11-13: Connecticut Folk Festival & Green Expo, New Haven, CT http://www.ctfolk.com/ctff
Sept 12: Stone Soup Folk Festival, Pawtucket RI http://www.pawtucketartsfestival.org/Listings
Sep 12&13: Boston Folk Festival, Boston, MA http://www.bostonfolkfestival.org
Sept 13: Narrows Festival of the Arts, Fall River, MA http://www.ncfta.org/festival.php
Sept 26-27: Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival, Portsmouth, NH http://www.newenglandfolknetwork.org/pmff
Sept 26-27: Working Waterfront Festival, New Bedford, MA http://www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org
Oct 9-12: Taunton River Folk Festival, Taunton MA http://www.tauntonfest.org
Oct 16-18: Eisteddfod Festival, Ellenville, NY http://www.minstrelrecords.com/fmsny/eisteddfod
Jan 8-9: BCMFest (Boston Celtic Music Festival), Cambridge and Medford, MA http://www.bcmfest.com
Last updated: 7/16/09 Al Sherman, with help from members of NEFolknRoots.
Please send additions and corrections to NorthEastFolknRoots-owner@yahoogroups.com
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