....and a new phone number - 978-226-8862
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
Thursday, March 9, 2017
notloB Music's new website is alive!
We invite you to visit, and bookmark, https://www.notlobmusic.com/
....and a new phone number - 978-226-8862
....and a new phone number - 978-226-8862
Sunday, March 5, 2017
TODAY! From Dublin to Portland, ME to Seattle and LA!
Find a sanctuary session in your neighborhood.
Background from Sanctuary Sessions: Trad Music for Civil Rights
"We decided to organize this benefit concert because of a shared feeling of dismay among Boston Irish musicians at this administration's complete disregard for social dignity, collective responsibility, women's rights, immigrants' rights, a working wage, blatant federal funding abuse, and much more.
We decided to mobilize Irish musicians across the country to organize musical events on the same day (March 5) in a show of solidarity, believing in the equality of all members of society, and believing too that targeting or scapegoating certain peoples for political and economic gain is abhorrent.
We decided to donate all proceeds to the ACLU who strive to protect the rights of all."
Find a sanctuary session in your neighborhood.
Background from Sanctuary Sessions: Trad Music for Civil Rights
"We decided to organize this benefit concert because of a shared feeling of dismay among Boston Irish musicians at this administration's complete disregard for social dignity, collective responsibility, women's rights, immigrants' rights, a working wage, blatant federal funding abuse, and much more.
We decided to mobilize Irish musicians across the country to organize musical events on the same day (March 5) in a show of solidarity, believing in the equality of all members of society, and believing too that targeting or scapegoating certain peoples for political and economic gain is abhorrent.
We decided to donate all proceeds to the ACLU who strive to protect the rights of all."
Thursday, February 23, 2017
notloB Music Returns to the Roost, Tannahill Weavers to perform in Harvard April 27
Tannahill Weavers to perform at Harvard UU
notloB Music Returns to the Roost
Harvard – Since 2007, notloB Music has been presenting “old-time, bluegrass, progressive string band, world, and Celtic concerts in unique listening room environments throughout the greater Boston area”, but actually got its start in 2006 at Harvard and Berlin coffeehouses when its principle, Jeff Boudreau, facilitated the featured artists. Then a resident of Bolton, Boudreau recently has returned to Harvard.
“In the subsequent years living just outside of Boston, I missed the woodlands and open spaces, guess you could say I was ‘pining’ to return.” Monty Python fans will get the “pining” and “notloB” references.
The initial Tannahill Weavers concert at the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church sanctuary, the Scottish band’s first stop on their two-month US tour and its only Boston-area appearance, “will be the first of many”, said Boudreau optimistically. “It’s a great opportunity to present here. Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville are musically saturated. On any given night, patrons have the option of choosing between many concerts. It is also filled with world-class musicians teaching at Berklee and NEC or just passing through. Berklee and NEC are my deep wells, I am fortunate to have made many artist friends who will be presented over the coming months in Harvard.” Berklee faculty and staff who have been presented by notloB include John McGann, Darol Anger, Brittany Haas, Natalie Haas, Maeve Gilchrist, and Mark Simos.
Both the Tannahill Weavers and the Andersons, who are siblings from Westborough, are in the notloB “quiver” of past artist offerings. The Weavers will initiate their two-month US tour with the Harvard concert.
Tickets for the concert are available through Eventbrite.com, with an “early bird” discount available until March 8. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the HUUC General Fund.
About the artists.
Tannahill Weavers
Website - http://www.tannahillweavers.com/
Listen and watch - http://www.tannahillweavers.com/listenandwatch.htm
In the late 18th and early 19th century Scotland was in a turmoil of change. Highlanders were being driven from their lands and into the burgeoning Lowland factory systems. This brought two quite distinct cultures together, the mystic Celtic culture of the North and the old Anglo/Scots culture of the Lowlands. They were married by the double barreled shotgun of necessity and the Industrial Revolution. But this forced union brought forth a cultural heritage which, thanks to people like Robert Burns and Robert Tannahill, outlasted the worst of the Industrial Revolution. It married the mystic beauty of the Celtic music to the coarse, brawling, but vitally human music, poetry and ballads of the Lowlands. It is precisely this strangely moving yet lustily stirring quality that the Tannahill Weavers have captured in their arrangements of the traditional music and songs of Scotland. All of their material is traditional, but as good musicians should, they have transformed it and brought it into the modern world, vitally alive and kicking.
The Tannahill Weavers are one of Scotland's premier traditional bands. Their diverse repertoire spans the centuries with fire-driven instrumentals, topical songs, and original ballads and lullabies. Their music demonstrates to old and young alike the rich and varied musical heritage of the Celtic people. These versatile musicians have received worldwide accolades consistently over the years for their exuberant performances and outstanding recording efforts that seemingly can't get better...yet continue to do just that.
The Tannahills have turned their acoustic excitement loose on audiences with an electrifying effect. They have that unique combination of traditional melodies, driving rhythmic accompaniment, and rich vocals that make their performances unforgettable. As the Winnipeg Free Press noted, "The Tannahill Weavers - properly harnessed - could probably power an entire city for a year on the strength of last night's concert alone. The music may be old time Celtic, but the drive and enthusiasm are akin to straight ahead rock and roll."
Born of a session in Paisley, Scotland and named for the town's historic weaving industry and local poet laureate Robert Tannahill, the group has made an international name for its special brand of Scottish music, blending the beauty of traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. The Tannahill Weavers began to attract attention when founding members Roy Gullane and Phil Smillie added the full-sized highland bagpipes to the on-stage presentations, the first professional Scottish folk group to successfully do so. The combination of the powerful pipe solos, Roy's driving guitar backing and lead vocals, and Phil's ethereal flute playing breathed new life into Scotland's vast repertoire of traditional melodies and songs.
Three years and a dozen countries later, the Tannahills were the toast of Europe, having won the Scotstar Award for Folk Record of the Year with their third album, The Tannahill Weavers. Canada came the next summer, with thousands at the national festivals in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto screaming an approval that echoed throughout the Canadian media. The Regina Leader-Post wrote, "The Tannahill Weavers personify Celtic music, and if you are given to superlatives, you have to call their talent 'awesome'."
Since their first visit to the United States in 1981, the Tannahills' unique combination of traditional melodies on pipes, flute and fiddle, driving rhythms on guitar and bouzouki, and powerful three and four part vocal harmonies have taken the musical community by storm. As Garrison Keillor, the host of "Prairie Home Companion", remarked, "These guys are a bunch of heroes every time they go on tour in the States".
Over the years the Tannies have been trailblazers for Scottish music, and their tight harmonies and powerful, inventive arrangements have won them fans from beyond the folk and Celtic music scenes. In 2011 the band was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, and in 2014 they are joined by innovative piper Lorne MacDougall. Lorne comes with a high pedigree, having arranged and performed pipes for the Disney Pixar movie “Brave”, along with a long list of other accomplishments.
With the release of the Tannahill's 17th recording, Live and In Session, on award-winning label Compass Records, they are firmly established as one of the premier groups on the concert stage. From reflective ballads to footstomping reels and jigs, the variety and range of the material they perform is matched only by their enthusiasm and lively Celtic spirits.
Elizabeth and Ben Anderson
Website - http://www.elizabethandbenanderson.com/
Videos - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLVj1ivDkK1kaXJq6yJPtug/
Elizabeth and Ben Anderson, a Celtic fiddle and cello duo, has been gaining an enthusiastic following in the Boston area and throughout New England. Blending Scottish tunes with lively rhythms and innovative harmonies, they create a sound rooted in tradition, inspired by the contemporary, and completely original. On stage, they captivate audiences with their ability to effortlessly communicate musical nuances as only siblings can.
The duo has opened for Scottish bands The Battlefield Band and Dàimh at the Burren in Somerville MA, in concerts produced by Brian O’Donovan, host of “A Celtic Sojourn” on WGBH Public Radio. They have performed at the Boston Celtic Music Festival, the Ossipee Music Festival, the notloB concert series, and in solo concerts all along the East Coast. They made their international debut in 2016 with performances in Scotland and France.
Elizabeth is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and is the 2016 winner of the Perth All Scotland Fiddle Championship and a three-time New England Scottish Fiddle Junior Champion. She has been named a Top 12 Violin Teacher in Boston by Expertise. Ben currently studies computer science at WPI in Worcester, MA, and is the 2015 third-place holder in the National Scottish Fiddle Junior Championship.
notloB Music Since 2007, notloB Music has presented close to 200 folk, old-time, bluegrass, progressive string band, world, and Celtic concerts in unique listening room environments throughout the greater Boston area. Tickets for all concerts are available at http://www.eventbrite.com/o/notlob-music-6730833315. For more information see its website – notlobmusic.com – or Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/notloBParlourConcerts/ - or email notlobreservations@gmail.com.
What: Tannahill Weavers with Elizabeth and Ben Anderson
Genre: Scots Celtic
When: Thursday, April 27, 2017, 7:30pm
Where: Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church, 9 Ayer Road, Harvard, MA 01451
Artist’s website, feature: http://www.tannahillweavers.com/
Artist’s website, opener: http://www.elizabethandbenanderson.com/
notloB website: http://notlobmusic.com/
notloB Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notloBParlourConcerts/
More info: notlobreservations@gmail.com (please do not contact the venue).
johnny cope + atholl highlanders
notloB Music Returns to the Roost
“In the subsequent years living just outside of Boston, I missed the woodlands and open spaces, guess you could say I was ‘pining’ to return.” Monty Python fans will get the “pining” and “notloB” references.
The initial Tannahill Weavers concert at the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church sanctuary, the Scottish band’s first stop on their two-month US tour and its only Boston-area appearance, “will be the first of many”, said Boudreau optimistically. “It’s a great opportunity to present here. Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville are musically saturated. On any given night, patrons have the option of choosing between many concerts. It is also filled with world-class musicians teaching at Berklee and NEC or just passing through. Berklee and NEC are my deep wells, I am fortunate to have made many artist friends who will be presented over the coming months in Harvard.” Berklee faculty and staff who have been presented by notloB include John McGann, Darol Anger, Brittany Haas, Natalie Haas, Maeve Gilchrist, and Mark Simos.
Both the Tannahill Weavers and the Andersons, who are siblings from Westborough, are in the notloB “quiver” of past artist offerings. The Weavers will initiate their two-month US tour with the Harvard concert.
Tickets for the concert are available through Eventbrite.com, with an “early bird” discount available until March 8. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the HUUC General Fund.
About the artists.
Tannahill Weavers
Website - http://www.tannahillweavers.com/
Listen and watch - http://www.tannahillweavers.com/listenandwatch.htm
In the late 18th and early 19th century Scotland was in a turmoil of change. Highlanders were being driven from their lands and into the burgeoning Lowland factory systems. This brought two quite distinct cultures together, the mystic Celtic culture of the North and the old Anglo/Scots culture of the Lowlands. They were married by the double barreled shotgun of necessity and the Industrial Revolution. But this forced union brought forth a cultural heritage which, thanks to people like Robert Burns and Robert Tannahill, outlasted the worst of the Industrial Revolution. It married the mystic beauty of the Celtic music to the coarse, brawling, but vitally human music, poetry and ballads of the Lowlands. It is precisely this strangely moving yet lustily stirring quality that the Tannahill Weavers have captured in their arrangements of the traditional music and songs of Scotland. All of their material is traditional, but as good musicians should, they have transformed it and brought it into the modern world, vitally alive and kicking.
The Tannahill Weavers are one of Scotland's premier traditional bands. Their diverse repertoire spans the centuries with fire-driven instrumentals, topical songs, and original ballads and lullabies. Their music demonstrates to old and young alike the rich and varied musical heritage of the Celtic people. These versatile musicians have received worldwide accolades consistently over the years for their exuberant performances and outstanding recording efforts that seemingly can't get better...yet continue to do just that.
The Tannahills have turned their acoustic excitement loose on audiences with an electrifying effect. They have that unique combination of traditional melodies, driving rhythmic accompaniment, and rich vocals that make their performances unforgettable. As the Winnipeg Free Press noted, "The Tannahill Weavers - properly harnessed - could probably power an entire city for a year on the strength of last night's concert alone. The music may be old time Celtic, but the drive and enthusiasm are akin to straight ahead rock and roll."
Born of a session in Paisley, Scotland and named for the town's historic weaving industry and local poet laureate Robert Tannahill, the group has made an international name for its special brand of Scottish music, blending the beauty of traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. The Tannahill Weavers began to attract attention when founding members Roy Gullane and Phil Smillie added the full-sized highland bagpipes to the on-stage presentations, the first professional Scottish folk group to successfully do so. The combination of the powerful pipe solos, Roy's driving guitar backing and lead vocals, and Phil's ethereal flute playing breathed new life into Scotland's vast repertoire of traditional melodies and songs.
Three years and a dozen countries later, the Tannahills were the toast of Europe, having won the Scotstar Award for Folk Record of the Year with their third album, The Tannahill Weavers. Canada came the next summer, with thousands at the national festivals in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto screaming an approval that echoed throughout the Canadian media. The Regina Leader-Post wrote, "The Tannahill Weavers personify Celtic music, and if you are given to superlatives, you have to call their talent 'awesome'."
Since their first visit to the United States in 1981, the Tannahills' unique combination of traditional melodies on pipes, flute and fiddle, driving rhythms on guitar and bouzouki, and powerful three and four part vocal harmonies have taken the musical community by storm. As Garrison Keillor, the host of "Prairie Home Companion", remarked, "These guys are a bunch of heroes every time they go on tour in the States".
Over the years the Tannies have been trailblazers for Scottish music, and their tight harmonies and powerful, inventive arrangements have won them fans from beyond the folk and Celtic music scenes. In 2011 the band was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, and in 2014 they are joined by innovative piper Lorne MacDougall. Lorne comes with a high pedigree, having arranged and performed pipes for the Disney Pixar movie “Brave”, along with a long list of other accomplishments.
With the release of the Tannahill's 17th recording, Live and In Session, on award-winning label Compass Records, they are firmly established as one of the premier groups on the concert stage. From reflective ballads to footstomping reels and jigs, the variety and range of the material they perform is matched only by their enthusiasm and lively Celtic spirits.
Elizabeth and Ben Anderson
Website - http://www.elizabethandbenanderson.com/
Videos - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLVj1ivDkK1kaXJq6yJPtug/
Elizabeth and Ben Anderson, a Celtic fiddle and cello duo, has been gaining an enthusiastic following in the Boston area and throughout New England. Blending Scottish tunes with lively rhythms and innovative harmonies, they create a sound rooted in tradition, inspired by the contemporary, and completely original. On stage, they captivate audiences with their ability to effortlessly communicate musical nuances as only siblings can.
The duo has opened for Scottish bands The Battlefield Band and Dàimh at the Burren in Somerville MA, in concerts produced by Brian O’Donovan, host of “A Celtic Sojourn” on WGBH Public Radio. They have performed at the Boston Celtic Music Festival, the Ossipee Music Festival, the notloB concert series, and in solo concerts all along the East Coast. They made their international debut in 2016 with performances in Scotland and France.
Elizabeth is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and is the 2016 winner of the Perth All Scotland Fiddle Championship and a three-time New England Scottish Fiddle Junior Champion. She has been named a Top 12 Violin Teacher in Boston by Expertise. Ben currently studies computer science at WPI in Worcester, MA, and is the 2015 third-place holder in the National Scottish Fiddle Junior Championship.
notloB Music Since 2007, notloB Music has presented close to 200 folk, old-time, bluegrass, progressive string band, world, and Celtic concerts in unique listening room environments throughout the greater Boston area. Tickets for all concerts are available at http://www.eventbrite.com/o/notlob-music-6730833315. For more information see its website – notlobmusic.com – or Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/notloBParlourConcerts/ - or email notlobreservations@gmail.com.
What: Tannahill Weavers with Elizabeth and Ben Anderson
Genre: Scots Celtic
When: Thursday, April 27, 2017, 7:30pm
Where: Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church, 9 Ayer Road, Harvard, MA 01451
Admission: $20 in advance / $25 general admission.
Tickets through eventbrite.com and, if not sold out, at the door the evening of the performance.Artist’s website, feature: http://www.tannahillweavers.com/
Artist’s website, opener: http://www.elizabethandbenanderson.com/
notloB website: http://notlobmusic.com/
notloB Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notloBParlourConcerts/
More info: notlobreservations@gmail.com (please do not contact the venue).
johnny cope + atholl highlanders
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
notloB Music is Awakening from Hibernation
Since our presentation of Andrea Beaton, Wendy MacIssac & Eric MacDonald on June 1, notloB Music has been hibernating. But that will be ending soon!
We are returning to the land of notloB, where it all began. On Thursday, April 27 we will present one of the finest Scottish bands in the world in the 150 seat sanctuary of the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church (HUUC).
The announcement will be made on or about February 17 first to our mailing list then to our Facebook page and our new website (now under construction, due February 21)! Mailing list subscribers will be able to access tickets first, so if you are not already subscribed, now is a good time to do so.
We will also be presenting in listening rooms in the Greater Boston area.
The hibernation is over, notloB is back!
We will also be presenting in listening rooms in the Greater Boston area.
The hibernation is over, notloB is back!
Friday, February 3, 2017
Fare thee well, Katy Daley
"Today is Katy Daley's last morning show on WAMU's Bluegrass Country. Please join her this morning 7-10a for music & memories."
- WAMU's Bluegrass Country
Fare thee well, Katy Daley.
Tune in at http://bluegrasscountry.org/
(do not tune in to the WAMU stream, you'll get NPR's "Boring Edition").
- WAMU's Bluegrass Country
Fare thee well, Katy Daley.
Tune in at http://bluegrasscountry.org/
(do not tune in to the WAMU stream, you'll get NPR's "Boring Edition").
Thursday, January 19, 2017
notloB is awakening from hibernation
Since our presentation of Andrea Beaton, Wendy MacIssac & Eric MacDonald on June 1, 2016, notloB Music has been hibernating. But that will be ending soon!
We have relocated to the land of notloB, where it all began, and hope to present locally in a 100-seat listening room.But we will also be presenting in Somerville where we have one firm date, Thursday, April 27, so mark your calendars for the return of one of the finest Scottish bands in the world! The full Spring series will soon be announced.
To be among the first to know what we have planned, please "like" (and share with friends, particularly those who live near 495 & 2, our Facebook page with friends and subscribe to our mailing list.
And stand by for the new website!
To be among the first to know what we have planned, please "like" (and share with friends, particularly those who live near 495 & 2, our Facebook page with friends and subscribe to our mailing list.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
One mystery solved, another continues
Back on July 8, 2016, I noticed
Might anyone know...
At the intersection of Mass Ave and Lowell Street in Arlington are three free-standing rocks. I thought they might have something to do with the Battle of the Foot of the Rocks, but now I am not certain.
On closer inspection today I found the left rock contains a rectangular recess which could have held a bronze plaque.
Was it never installed?
If so, what did it say?
Was it installed and stolen?
Was it never installed?
If so, what did it say?
Was it installed and stolen?
Chiseled into the center rock are the words "Foot of the Rocks 1819".
The right rock contains a bronze plaque containing narrative of the Wellington family.
I was expecting but nowhere could I find a dedication or memorial to the Battle of the Foot of the Rocks. Perhaps that is what was on the missing(?) plaque.
Substantiated information is appreciated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)