Wednesday, October 24, 2012

A notloB November Double Header, Keith Murphy and Becky Tracy, Mike and Ruthy


 notloB Parlour Concerts presents...

 A NOVEMBER DOUBLE-HEADER

Thursday, November 1, 8pm

Thursday, November 8, 8pm  


Both concerts presented at the historic 
Loring-Greenough House, Jamaica Plain


Keith Murphy and Becky TracyMike + Ruthy
Becky Tracy and Keith Murphy
http://blackislemusic.com/

Becky and Keith are dynamic performers of traditional music from Newfoundland, Quebec, Ireland, France and beyond. Tracy’s fiddling pulses through tasteful arrangements of dance tunes and resonates with beauty on traditional slow airs. Keith’s gentle and expressive singing in English and French is balanced by the drive and power of his guitar playing and foot percussion. Combined, they produce a range and richness of sound that is striking for a duo. 

Their playing is seamless, the result of years of playing together and touring across the U.S., Canada and in Europe. Their repertoire also includes Keith’s original compositions (many of which are included in the Black Isle Music tune collection). He is a prolific tunesmith with a writing style strongly based on traditional dance music. Keith and Becky were two thirds of the popular Vermont trio, Nightingale and are veterans of several other bands including Childsplay and Assembly (Keith) and Wild Asparagus (Becky). They can be heard on recordings of all these bands and many others. Becky released her first solo recording, Evergreen, in 2001. Keith’s album, Bound For Canaan (traditional songs from Eastern Canada and New England) was released in the summer of 2005 and he has recently rededicated himself to his work as a solo performer.

Keith Murphy
A native of Newfoundland, Keith’s traditional song repertoire is based in Eastern Canada and Quebec as well as his current home, Vermont. His direct and intimate style of traditional singing in English and French infuses old ballads and songs with a powerful immediacy while his rhythmic and percussive finger style of guitar playing brings new shape and color to his songs. His 2005 album, Bound for Canaan showcased his refined sense of balance between innovation and tradition.

Keith was a founding member of Nightingale, a trio which broke new ground in its sophisticated approach to traditional music. He is a mainstay of the Boston fiddle extravaganza, Childsplay and has also worked extensively with Tony Barrand on the song repertoire from the early twentieth century of the Atwood family from Dover, Vermont. He also appears frequently with his wife, fiddler Becky Tracy.

Keith is an accomplished composer and arranger in the realm of traditional music and has also composed for theater and film. He is a featured performer on well over a dozen recordings and a guest musician on numerous others.

Becky Tracy
Becky Tracy has dance music in her blood. Her grandparents were active in the dance scene around Boston in the 1930′s and were involved in the early years of NEFFA (New England Folk Festival Association) – still an important institution in the New England dance scene. Becky’s parents met through dancing and were leaders of community dances for many years.

Becky herself began playing for contra dancing in Maine, bending her early classical training to the demands of dance music. Later, she studied Irish fiddling styles with Brendan Mulvihill and Eugene O’Donnel and French Canadian fiddling with Lisa Ornstein. She brought things full circle when she appeared as the featured soloist with the New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra in their performance of Evan Chambers’ Fiddle Concerto.

All these elements combined to give Becky her distinctive clarity of tone, a rhythmic attack owing much to French Canadian playing and the melodic quality of Irish music. Her sound is unmistakable. She has been a defining presence in some of the most popular and innovative contra dance bands to come out of New England, being the fiddler for both Wild Asparagus and Nightingale. Becky is featured on recordings by both these groups. She has performed for dance events and concerts in about 40 states across the US, as well as Canada and Europe and is a popular fiddle teacher at summer music camps. Her solo recording, Evergreen from 2001 is an album of haunting beauty, intimacy and exuberance.


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Welcome back, Mike+Ruthy!
http://mikeandruthy.com/

As a duo Mike + Ruthy have refined their sound down to the very core of acoustic American music, demonstrating an uncommon ability to create songs as lyrically sophisticated as Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen and as harmonically beautiful as Gillian Welch & David Rawlings or Simon & Garfunkel. With their arsenal of fiddle, banjo, guitar, ukulele and their hallmark harmony singing, a Mike + Ruthy concert is overstuffed with soulful songs and stories and a timeless sound that is s 

pellbinding and pure.

Over a decade of touring has taken them worldwide where they've performed well over a thousand concerts in listening rooms, living rooms and festivals as well as performances at NYC's Carnegie Hall accompanying Arlo Guthrie in 2005 (with their former band The Mammals) and Madison Square Garden as part of Pete Seeger's 90th birthday celebration in 2009.

2012 will see Mike + Ruthy's 4th release entitled The NYC EP featuring the premiere recording of "My New York City" a beautifully revived Woody Guthrie lyric from the Woody Guthrie Archives. The song will also be included on "My Name is New York," a 4-CD compilation being issued by Woody Guthrie Publications including new recordings by Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, and Bob Dylan and more.

Mike + Ruthy are on tour in 2012; with a springtime CD release tour and another national swing in the fall.

"The essence of American music . . . this summer's must-hear acoustic album." - Performer Magazine

"Quite a few folks have done this 'set-Woody's-lyrics-to-music thing' over the past couple decades. I'm not sure anyone's ever done it better than this." - Peter Blackstock (co-founder of No Depression)

“Extraordinary . . . some of the most exquisitely expressive vocals you will hear in the roots music field" -AmericanRootsUK.com

“Mike + Ruthy are carrying the torch for simple, heartfelt acoustic music . . . the rustic kind without any smoothing out of the edges with a direct line back to the Carter Family via Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan and even the Byrds" - Maverick Magazine, UK

“Mike + Ruthy have become a force to be reckoned with in the acoustic music world, and [The NYC EP] proves their mettle . . . Bold banjos rule, fiery fiddles run wild, and an expansive sound that threatens to raise the rafters prevails.” – The Daily Freeman”

“There's perhaps no better way to summarize the lasting impact of Woody Guthrie's music than to note the quality of the very newest music being made with his words. Husband-wife Mike and Ruthy Merenda got the lyrics to "My New York City" from the Guthrie archives and set it to one of the most gorgeous melodies ever to accompany one of Woody's songs. It came out in April 2012: Brand new right now, it's destined to become a classic.” - eMusic’s 20 Best Woody Guthrie Songs (Sung By Other People)

"Mike + Ruthy channel Woody Guthrie." - Journal & Courier

"The first couple of folk rock." - Radio Free Americana

"Everything else starts from music like this." - AmieStreet.com

"Infectious new folk rock" - Boston Globe

“Seemingly descended not just from one famous folkie, but the entire folk tradition itself." - Willamette Week

“Some of the best songwriting of their generation - literate, political, melodic, alternately angry and satirical and sensual." - Michael Simmons



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Coffee from JP Licks
Pastries from Fiores

Both concerts are the same suggested donation, $14-19 (less 20% discount for JPTC members) +$1 preservation fee 
reservation requests to notlobreservations at gmail dot com

notloB website -
 https://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic/

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Sign up for our newsletter (you will receive a confirmation email which needs to be accepted).

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notloB News, November
Mike + Ruthy and much more!

The November newsletter is going out a bit early due to the fact that we are presenting two concerts over the first eight days of the month, both on THURSDAYS:
November 1, from Vermont,
Keith Murphy & Becky Tracy,
November 8, from New York, Mike + Ruthy.
...and a very special radio program on Samhain eve, October 30 with very special guests Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas

In this edition 
  1. Thank you for supporting live music
  2. Upcoming concerts
November 8 ~ Mike + Ruthy
  1. Other live music and event recommendations
  2. Volunteering
  3. Turn your radio on!
  4. Housekeeping
1.       THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING LIVE MUSIC!
notloB Folk Concerts is unique in the greater Boston area in terms of the model (admission is by suggested donation, all proceeds, less production costs, go to the artists). The series would not be possible without the support of our loyal patrons and volunteers. Join us and bring a friend or two or three to an upcoming concert!
2.      UPCOMING NOTLOB CONCERTS
Thursday, November 1
“Becky and Keith are dynamic performers of traditional music from Newfoundland, Quebec, Ireland, France and beyond. Tracy’s fiddling pulses through tasteful arrangements of dance tunes and resonates with beauty on traditional slow airs. Keith’s gentle and expressive singing in English and French is balanced by the drive and power of his guitar playing and foot percussion. Combined, they produce a range and richness of sound that is striking for a duo. Their playing is seamless, the result of years of playing together and touring across the U.S., Canada and in Europe. Their repertoire also includes Keith’s original compositions (many of which are included in the Black Isle Music tune collection). He is a prolific tunesmith with a writing style strongly based on traditional dance music. Keith and Becky were two thirds of the popular Vermont trio, Nightingale and are veterans of several other bands including Childsplay and Assembly (Keith) and Wild Asparagus (Becky). They can be heard on recordings of all these bands and many others. Becky released her first solo recording, Evergreen, in 2001. Keith’s album, Bound For Canaan (traditional songs from Eastern Canada and New England) was released in the summer of 2005 and he has recently rededicated himself to his work as a solo performer…”
Suggested donation $14-19 sliding scale + $1 preservation fee.

Thursday, November 8 ~ Returning for their 7th and 8th notloB concerts, respectively.
Over a decade of touring has taken them worldwide where they've performed well over a thousand concerts in listening rooms, living rooms and festivals as well as performances at NYC's Carnegie Hall accompanying Arlo Guthrie in 2005 (with their former band The Mammals) and Madison Square Garden as part of Pete Seeger's 90th birthday celebration in 2009….”
Suggested donation $14-19 sliding scale + $1 preservation fee.

Saturday, December 8 ~ Professors August Watters & Jose Lezcano
“Together, August Watters and Jose Lezcano explore the vibrant sounds of mandolin and guitar. From the indigenous musical traditions of Europe and Central and South America to the concert repertoire of three centuries, the duo highlights the connections between folk music traditions and more formal concert repertoire. Their timeless music captures a wide range of texture and emotion while aspiring to the highest standards of artistry and technique…”
Suggested donation $9-14 sliding scale + $1 preservation fee.

Artist complete biographies can be found at the website
Unless otherwise noted, all concerts are presented at the Loring-Greenough House, 12 South Street, Jamaica Plain. doors 7:30, concert 8:00.
Reservations are strongly recommended – notlobreservations@gmail.com

3. OTHER LIVE MUSIC & EVENT RECOMMENDATIONS

November 3 - Sarah Jarosz with Joshua Radin and A Fine Frenzy at the Orpheum Theatre, Boston.
November 9 - Jerry Douglas, at First Parish, Cambridge. HeptunesConcerts.com
November 10 - Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas at the National Heritage Museum, Lexington
November 14 – notloB alumni
Darol Anger and Emy Phelps with family & fiends at the Burren, Somerville. Info at Lord Geoffrey Presents.
November 29 & December 2 – Childsplay, featuring notloB alumni Hanneke Cassel, Ariel Friedman, Shannon Heaton, Katie McNally, Keith Murphy, Aoife O'Donovan, Lissa Schneckenburger and many more....at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington.

           
4. VOLUNTEERING. 
notloB is volunteer powered. If you are interested, please read the volunteer policy and apply via email to notlobreservations@gmail.com

5. TURN YOUR RADIO ON!
notloB’s Jeff Boudreau hosts and produces “In the Tradition” every other Tuesday, 7-9pm, on community radio WCUW, 91.3fm. Mostly old-time and traditional folk, stringband Celtic and country blues with an emphasis placed on local and nationally touring artists playing local venues.
11/13 ~ Howlin' at the Moon & Acoustic blues with very special guests Sam Bush & Andy Cohen

6. Housekeeping. notloB Folk Concerts’ past artists include the Spider John Koerner, the Sacred Shakers, The Folk Brothers (David Massengill and the late 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 own home, as was done for the Bowman and Matt Brown, can be arranged.

Reservations / information.  Sending a reservation request is appreciated and is insurance against being turned away at the door if the concert sells out. It also helps as we can contact you when the occasional concert must be canceled due to severe weather or other circumstances. Please send an email to notlobreservations at gmail dot 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.

Keeping in touch.  There are several ways to stay informed of scheduled events:
Admission is by suggested minimum donation.  A suggested minimum donation (varies by concert) is requested. If you cannot support the artists with dollars, please consider volunteering your time and energy. Your donations cover venue rental, publicity (for amplified concerts sound system rental and sound engineer) 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. And please, no credit cards or checks, cash is appreciated.

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 at gmail dot com
Since June 2, 2007, notloB Folk Concerts / notloB parlour Concerts has presented close to 100 old-time, blue/newgrass, folk, Celtic and acoustic blues artists to audiences throughout the greater Boston area. Our current venue is the historic Loring-Greenough House (built in 1760, 40+ intimate seats) in Jamaica Plain. The concerts are volunteer-run and not for profit. 100% of the patron donations go to the artists and production expenses. 
 "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 


Thank you for supporting live acoustic music!
Jeff Boudreau
notloB Folk Concerts



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