notloB News
February, 2011
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
Suggested donation $12 + $1 preservation fee.
Friday, March 4 ~ Chasing Blue & Joe’s Truck Stop ~ US
Suggested donation tba
Saturday, March 19 ~ John Roberts & Debra Cowan ~ LGH
Suggested donation $15 + $1 preservation fee.
Saturday, April 9 ~ Paul Geremia ~ LGH
Suggested donation $15 + $1 preservation fee
JUST ADDED Saturday, May 13 ~ Bread and Bones ~ LGH
Suggested donation tbd + $1 preservation fee
ARTIST INFORMATION
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 instructional fiddle books 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.
Stash Wyslouch 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
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 them back to the Ball & Chain." - Barbara Ebling, Co-owner of the Ball 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 the North 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 in MaineFolkMusic.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, the Music 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.
Facebook fan page - http://tinyurl.com/inthetrad
Upcoming radio guest schedule:
1/18/11 - sandy humphries and pat o (emma's revolution)
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
5. Insider news.
Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune
'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.
26th Annual Joe Val Bluegrass Festival
February 18-20, 2011
Sheraton Hotel, Framingham, MA
6. Housekeeping.
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.com at least 24 hours prior 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:
- Website ~ http://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic
- Blog ~ http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com
- Facebook ~ notloB Folk Concerts ~ http://www.facebook.com/notloBFolkConcerts
- Facebook ~ notfarG House Concerts ~ http://www.facebook.com/notfarGHouseConcerts
- Email questions to notlobreservations@gmail.com
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
Thank you for supporting live acoustic music!
notloB Folk Concerts
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