Calendar

7:30 Sharon and Dave Thormahlen

Sharon and Dave have been making beautiful music together in Corvallis for decades.  They perform traditional and new music written by Sharon, mostly on instruments made by Dave.

8:30 Wild Hog In The Woods

Stringband music from a bygone era played the way it always should have been.

The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com

7:30 Cassandra Robertson

A muse with a message, Cassandra has the heart of a lion, and the mane to match.  Accompanied by her acoustic guitar, she floors the audience like a sonic boom with captivating messages of peace, prosperity, hope and above all, inspiration.  Her unique style of “acoustic conscious folk” kick starts the heart and levitates the soul; reminding us all that we CAN positively affect the world we all share, as long as we choose planet over profit and remember to be ourselves.

8:30 GuitarMasala

“I’m very happy to let you know that after a long hiatus from playing, my hand issues have been resolved and I’m back to playing guitar, composing and performing with my band, GuitarMasala.  
We hope you will join us for our re-emergence concert. Otto Gygax will be coming down from Portland to play his world class rhythms on hand drums. We’ve managed to snag George Beekman from his busy performance schedule to lend his magic with symbols, bells and chimes.  Sherry Rosen will be adding texture, harmonies and melodies on the Indian harmonium.   We’re elated to be playing together again.” 
With strong eastern influences, and a strong supporting cast, Sid Rosen delights with his original compositions for guitar.

The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com

Gerry O’Connor
with Richard Mandel

(and afternoon workshops – see below)

From Dundalk, County Louth, Gerry O’Connor has played and recorded with such highly regarded groups as Lá Lúgh (Eithne Ní Uallacháin, Sony Music) and Skylark. Gerry has toured and recorded with members of all the legendary groups including Planxty, Bothy Band and others.  Lá Lugh’s album “Brighid’s Kiss” was voted Album of the Year 1996 by readers of the Irish Music Magazine. His solo album “Journeyman” was counted in the top five Albums of the year 2004 by the Irish Times.

Richard Mandel (guitar, tenor banjo, bouzouki) fell into the well of Irish music in the mid-‘90s and was soon driving every session he could get into.  As a first-call accompanist, Richard has performed and toured with legendary Irish musicians including Gerry O’Connor, Paddy Keenan, Jimmy Keane, Mick Maloney, Paddy O’Brien, Tony DeMarco and many others.  Richard plays in the trio Three Mile Stone with mandolinist Marla Fibish and fiddler Erin Shrader. Three Mile Stone released its debut CD, produced by John Doyle, in March 2010 and has received rave reviews.  In addition to Three Mile Stone, Richard can be heard on Christa Burch’s CD “Love of the Land”, Radim Zenkl’s, “Restless Joy”, and Tipsy House’s CD, “Sets in the City.”

[P]owerful guitar work, whether taking the form of a high-energy rhythmic input or a more intricate embellishment. —David Kidman, Living Tradition Magazine

Richard’s guitar playing is a perfect support and backdrop for Marla’s and Erin’s tune conversations. It never draws attention to itself except by its excellence and appropriateness. And he can play the snot out of the tenor banjo, too! —Roger Landes (Irish bouzouki master and Zoukfest founder)

[A] lightning right hand and spot on chord choices. He is also a precise and powerful tenor banjo player.—Kevin Carr, FolkWorks

Advance Tickets (at Grassroots Books, 227 SW 2nd St.) are recommended  as space is limited.

Afternoon Workshops on May 17 !  ($7/$5 CFS members)

2pm:  DADGAD Guitar Accompaniment w/ Richard Mandel
4pm:  Irish Tunes for all Instruments w/ Gerry O’Connor 

7:30 Dave Plaehn and Jeff Hino

Dave Plaehn and Jeff Hino are the Corvallis Blues Brothers.

Dave Plaehn & Jeff Hino have been performing their own distinct blend of acoustic blues, folk, and original material since 1990. Plaehn and Hino explore the uncluttered powerful interplay of blues harmonica, National steel guitar, and vocals in the tradition of the great country bluesmen like Robert Johnson, Elmore James, and Bukka White.

“It’s a nice reminder that not all the talented musicians in this state are based in the city at the terminus of the Willamette River. This is roots music at its finest played by craftsmen in the deepest sense. This is a duo that has a lot to say and the skills to back those voices, too.”
Greg Johnson, President,
Cascades Blues Association

“Two talented blues musicians who offer a fresh and diverse array of original and traditional acoustic based compositions. Treat you ears to a real pleasing performance.”
Rod Downing, President,
Washington Blues Society

8:30 Audrey Perkins and Friends

John Bliss (guitar, mando), Page Hundemer (bass) and Audrey Perkins (vocals), come together again for an eclectic set of swing, a tune by Peter Mayer, one by Jason Isbell, an old gospel song, a much-needed protest song and other tunes we love.

We planned this as a special double-bill as we share the evening with Corvallis favorites Dave Plaehn and Jeff Hino, the area’s premier blues duo.  Cross pollination likely.

Hope to see you there for this spring evening of Corvallis musicians!

The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodis Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com

Acoustic Beatle Fest

We will be recreating the old “Beatle Fest,” that ran for many years, mostly at the Fairgrounds. But Beatle Fest began as an evening of all acoustic arrangements, at the Old World Deli, back when Old World was the largest music venue in town. The creator of Beatle Fest, George Beekman, will be on hand to help MC this event, and to add percussion for some of the musicians who perform.

Musicians include Barbara Gladstone, Fred Towne, Audrey Perkins, Pete Kozak, Suz Doyle, Nils Nilson, Jeanne Homes, john Bliss, Bryan Yorgey, Bill Pfender, Mark Weiss, Cliff and Chere Pereira, Paul Regan, Joel Garfunkle and Larry Beekman, who  played at the very first Beatle Fest low those many years ago.

Music begins at 7:30
We will be in the Sanctuary of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe
Admission is 2-10 dollars, your choice. Kids are free and welcome.
Coffee, tea, cookies, and gluten free cookies are available for 50 cents each.
Folks may want to arrive early, to get parked close.

This show is a benefit for the Corvallis Folklore Society. We hope all members will come and support our parent organization, while enjoying some really good songs performed in original ways.

The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com

RUNA

“Best of all, RUNA sounds like no one else!” – Travis Rogers, Jr., Music Life & Times

Quickly gaining recognition as one of Irish music’s new “super-groups,” RUNA has been en- chanting audiences by pushing the boundaries of Irish folk music into the Americana and roots music formats since their formation in 2008. Interweaving the haunting melodies and exuberant tunes of Ireland and Scotland with the lush harmonies and intoxicating rhythms of jazz, bluegrass, flamenco and blues, they offer a thrilling and redefining take on traditional music.

The group has been honored internationally, winning Top Group and Top Traditional Group in the Irish Music Awards and four Independent Music Awards including Best Live Album, Best World/Traditional Song and Best Bluegrass Song.

“Timeless and flawless…” – Jim Allford, PA Music Scene

RUNA consists of vocalist and step-dancer, Shannon Lambert-Ryan of Philadelphia, Dublin-born guitarist, Fionán de Barra, Cheryl Prashker of Canada on percussion, Zach White of St. Louis on guitar, vocals and mandolin, and Maggie White of Kentucky on the fiddle and Mandolin.

RUNA recently released their fifth album, “RUNA: LIVE”, which was recorded at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown, MD on Thursday, March 17th, 2016. Receiving lavish praise on both sides of the Atlantic, the album has been hailed as “an incredible masterpiece” – Marcene Bronson, The Celtic Crier

Seeking to preserve and continue a traditional culture in a modern age, RUNA creates the backbone of its signature roots sound from the musical and geographical diversity of its individually established band members. Their strive for excellence and creativity blazes a trail for the future of folk music, earning them the reputation as one of the most innovative Irish folk groups of this generation.

“Genuine and with endless innovation…” – John O’Brien, Jr., Ohio Irish American News

The Fire

• Rebecca Lomnicky on Scottish fiddle,
• David Brewer on Highland pipes and whistles,
• Adam Hendey on guitar & bazouki

The Fire is a high energy pure-drop Scottish music band, with world class fiddling in combination with bagpipes, guitar, bodhran, whistle, and bouzouki. The group includes, International Scottish Fiddle Champion Rebecca Lomnicky, multi-instrumentalist David Brewer of the popular Celtic band Molly’s Revenge, and Adam Hendey on guitar and bouzouki.  Members of the trio have each spent copious amounts of time delving into the traditions of their respective instruments, with Rebecca and David having additionally lived and studied in both Edinburgh and the highlands of Scotland. Together, The Fire performs captivating Scottish music which bridges the gap between the fiddle and bagpipe music of Scotland—two worlds united, into a heartfelt and rousing musical experience. Between their entertaining and informative stage banter, vast array of instrument combinations and extensive repertoire, including everything from soaring slow airs to intricately arranged dance tunes, these charismatic performers will leave you on your feet with your hands together. The Fire has headlined at Celtic festivals such as The Pleasanton Scottish Highland Games, The Utah Scottish Association Highland Games, The Portland Highland Games, The Sedona Celtic Harvest Festival, The Northwest Folklife Festival, The Oregon Scottish Festival, The Yachats Celtic Music Festival, The Monterey Scottish Games and Celtic Festival, and has performed at a variety of venues throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland.

The Fire is currently based out of Santa Cruz, California, and has recorded two albums together. (Rebecca is from Corvallis)

7:30 Revel’n

Evelyn Idzerda and Ron Snyder create some wonderful sounds with sweet singing and hot guitar picking.

8:30 River Rocks

Laurie Childers, Mina Carson, Bill Veley, and Michael Everett combine to be one of our areas finest groups. Great vocal harmony and excellent instrumental work. Some fine originals and a few covers, as well.

The Best Cellar is held on the last Friday of each month of the school year. Admission is a sliding scale, 20-10 dollars, your choice. Kids are free and welcome Cookies, gluten free cookies, coffee and tea are available for fifty cents each. We’re located in the cellar of the Methodist Church, on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis.

For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com

Heron Valley

Heron Valley are an energetic, young traditional band from Scotland who have serious enthusiasm for the music they play. Their roots lie in Scottish and Irish traditional music, while taking influence from various Folk, Country and Bluegrass styles. The five-piece, energy fuelled group comprises piper/guitarist/whistle player Euan McNab, banjo player/drummer Nick Hamilton, pianist Arlene Mackechnie, guitarist/vocalist Abigail Pryde and bassist Callum Cronin.

Since their inception in 2014, Heron Valley have always ensured that they are conveying the highest amount of energy they have to every crowd they play to, ensuring that people who come to see them live have a fantastic experience. In 2015, they set themselves the challenge of releasing a music video and a debut single, to allow people to clearly see their intentions. This began with their set of tunes, Pressed for Time, and their original idea of filming out on open water on a yacht. The storyline took the band from performing out on this moving boat, to their journey to and performance at a gig. The idea of this was to convey to their audience the enjoyment people have when they come to see them live. This was extremely well received and racked up 85K views, with people all over the world purchasing the single. A year later, they released their second single ‘Home’ along with an extremely diverse music video. This time, they set off at 4AM to climb up Beinn an Lochainn, a hill in the west coast of Scotland. The video sees this journey from bottom to top and shows them playing on cliff edges in the area they all grew up. This gathered an incredible 173K views, and was shared over 2,000 times.

Due to this success, Heron Valley then quickly made a massive impact on the folk scene in Scotland, and 2016 seen them on their tour of 11 Festival stages over the UK, while 2017 seen them on a tour of over 20 festivals around the UK and Europe. Johnny Walley at Folk Music Radio was ‘particularly impressed by the structure of their set, building up the energy incrementally in a series of waves, taking the audience along with them every step of the way.’ With the unbelievable reaction they received at these gigs, and the demand for more recordings of their music, Heron Valley released their debut album, Roam, in May 2017. This has been extremely well received by the public, and has been the focus of their gigs during their 2017 Summer tour. This features 8 brand new tracks of self-penned songs and lively sets of tunes.

Birch Pereira
and the
Gin Joints

A staple of the Seattle music scene, the Gin Joints delight audiences with their western-tinged Americana and jazz originals along with modern interpretations of old blues, swing and even early rock’n’roll tunes. Born out of a love of the American song traditions, upright bassist /vocalist / composer Birch Pereira has created unique arrangements and originals that showcase the considerable talents of the Gin Joints musicians.  He is now described as “Making gems of the past sound new and writing new songs that sound like forgotten gems of the past.”   

On the way to their juried showcase at the Arts Northwest Conference, Birch Pereira will bring an expanded version of the Gin Joints for a great evening of music on Sunday, October 7th at 7 PM.  Joining the usual excellent trio of Jason Goessl on guitar and Adrian Van Batenburg on percussion will be New Orleans native Rex Gregory on sax and clarinet and Portland-basedJordan Vale on trumpet.

Through a special collaboration with the Corvallis School District Theaters, Birch Pereira and the Gin Joints will be performing at the Corvallis High School Main Stage Theater and there is a special student price.  An alumnus of CHS, Birch Pereira began his musical journey in Corvallis with elementary strings and the Heart of the Valley children’s choir.  He followed that with music programs at both high schools including Camerata Orchestra, CHS jazz choir and the Corvallis Youth Symphony.  Birch Pereira received his BA in Jazz Studies (bass performance) from the University of Washington in 2005.   Since then he has become well-known in Seattle as a highly versatile bass player, band leader, composer, producer/engineer and teacher.  With the formation of the Gin Joints he moved out front as vocalist, arranger, composer and bass player — and hasn’t looked back since.

New recording and videos at:  https://www.theginjointsband.com/

Bill Staines

Anyone not familiar with the music of Bill Staines is in for a special treat (if you buy your tickets in advance – he sold out quickly last time).  The Martha Room is a very intimate space and a great place to hear great music.

For forty-five years, Bill has traveled back and forth across North America, singing his songs and delighting audiences at festivals, folksong societies, colleges, concerts, clubs, and coffeehouses. A New England native, Bill became involved with the Boston-Cambridge folk scene in the early 1960’s and for a time, emceed the Sunday Hootenanny at the legendary Club 47 in Cambridge. Bill quickly became a popular performer in the Boston area. From the time in 1971 when a reviewer from the Boston Phoenix stated that he was “simply Boston’s best performer”, Bill has continually appeared on folk music radio listener polls as one of the top all time favorite folk artists. Now, well into his fifth decade as a folk performer, he has gained an international reputation as a gifted songwriter and performer.

Singing mostly his own songs, he has become one of the most popular and durable singers on the folk music scene today, performing over 175 concerts a year. He weaves a blend of gentle wit and humor into his performances and one reviewer wrote, “He has a sense of timing to match the best standup comic.”

Bill’s music is a slice of Americana, reflecting with the same ease his feelings about the prairie people of the Midwest or the adventurers of the Yukon, the on-the-road truckers, or the everyday workers that make up this land.

Bill Staines has recorded twenty-six albums. He has written over three hundred songs, many of which have been recorded by the likes of Peter, Paul, and Mary, Makem and Clancy, Nanci Griffith, Glen Yarborough, Celtic Thunder, and Jerry Jeff Walker. His music is sung at campfires and folk music gatherings, and in living rooms all around the country. Songs like “All God’s Critters,” “Roseville Fair,” “Child of Mine,” and “River,” have become folk classics. Many of Bill’s songs have appeared in grade school music books, church hymnals, and scouting campfire songbooks; he is one of only a few songwriters to have eight songs published in the classic song collection, Rise up Singing. Composer David Amram recently described Bill as “a modern day Stephen Foster…his songs will be around 100 years from now.”

Over the decades, you have heard Bill singing on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, HBO’s award winning series Deadwood, and Public Radio’s Mountain Stage. Additionally, his music has been used in a number of films including Off and Running, with Cyndi Lauper, and The Return of the Secaucus Seven, John Sayles’ debut as a writer- director.

In 1975, Bill won National Yodeling Championship in Kerrville Texas. Another important recognition was given to him in 2007. Presented by the Boston Area Coffeehouse Association, The Jerry Christen Award recognized Bill’s contribution to New England folk music.

As well as recordings, over 100 of Bill’s songs have been published in three songbooks: If I Were a Word, Then I’d Be a Song, Movin’ It Down the Line, and Music to Me, the latter published by Hal Leonard Corporation. His song, All God’s Critters, has been recently released as a Simon and Schuster children’s book with illustrations by Caldecott honor-winning artist, Kadir Nelson.

“Folk music is rich in the human spirit and experience. I’ve always wanted to bring something of value to people through my songs.” With these thoughts, Bill continues to drive the highways and back roads of the country year after year, bringing his music to listeners, young and old.

In the fall of 2015 Yankee Magazine, New England’s premiere magazine, published it’s “80th Anniversary Issue.” In the issue, along with the likes of Stephen King and Katherine Hepburn, Bill was chosen as “One of the 80 gifts New England has given to America.”  A true honor.

Mike and Carleen McCornack

Mike and Carleen have been entertaining adults and children in Oregon for decades with original and traditional folk tunes.  While they live in Eugene, it’s become rare to see them in Corvallis, and we should take advantage of every chance we get.

 “i

7:30 Blues and Sunshine

Blues & Sunshine features two of LB’s own, Ron Sharman & retired English prof Tom Chase, joined by Steve Sever, the inspirational mentor & father of nationally known singer/songwriter Matt The Electrician. These local guys are a garage band in the truest sense of the words. Come join the fun.

8:30 Rita Brown and Bill Smyth

Rita and Bill have been performing, together and separately, for over ten years as a duet, soloists, and as members of such groups as Where To, Crooked Kate and The Flow, after meeting as part of a Joe Cocker cover band.  They are not to be missed.

The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodis Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com

Alasdair Fraser
&
Natalie Haas

cutting-edge fiddle and cello explorations of Scottish and global music

” … you would think they’d been playing together for centuries. While his fiddle dances, her cello throbs darkly or plucks puckishly. Then [Haas] opens her cello’s throat, joining Fraser in soaring sustains, windswept refrains, and sudden, jazzy explosions. Their sound is as urbane as a Manhattan midnight, and as wild as a Clackmannan winter.”        — Boston Globe

“As many gigs as they must have played together over the past decade or so, there remains a striking spontaneity about Fraser and Haas’s music-making. He has tonal variation and attack to spare, but what makes them so consistently absorbing is the responsiveness each shows to the other. Haas is more than a cellist: she’s the rhythm section who uses the percussive chip’n’chop of her bowing and the double bass-like pulse of her pizzicato playing to great effect. The accompanist’s role moves so fluently between them, building tension all the while, and then they’ll slip into unison and it’s like floodgates opening. ”
— The Herald

“Fraser, one of the most respected of all exponents of the Scots fiddle, would look long and hard to find a more appropriate cellist as a partner…A positive joy.”
— The Scotsman

The musical partnership between consummate performer Alasdair Fraser, “the Michael Jordan of Scottish fiddling”, and brilliant Californian cellist Natalie Haas spans the full spectrum between intimate chamber music and ecstatic dance energy. Over the last 18 years of creating a buzz at festivals and concert halls across the world, they have truly set the standard for fiddle and cello in traditional music. They continue to thrill audiences internationally with their virtuosic playing, their near-telepathic understanding and the joyful spontaneity and sheer physical presence of their music.

Fraser has a concert and recording career spanning over 30 years, with a long list of awards, accolades, radio and television credits, and feature performances on top movie soundtracks (Last of the Mohicans, Titanic, etc.). In 2011, he was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame. Haas, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, is one of the most sought after cellists in traditional music today. She has performed and recorded with a who’s who of the fiddle world including Mark O’Connor, Natalie MacMaster, Irish supergroups Solas and Altan, Liz Carroll, Dirk Powell, Brittany Haas, Darol Anger, Jeremy Kittel, Hanneke Cassel, Laura Cortese, and many more.

This seemingly unlikely pairing of fiddle and cello is the fulfillment of a long-standing musical dream for Fraser. His search eventually led him to find a cellist who could help return the cello to its historical role at the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music, where it stood for hundreds of years before being relegated to the orchestra. The duo’s debut recording, Fire & Grace, won the coveted the Scots Trad Music “Album of the Year” award, the Scottish equivalent of a Grammy. Since its release, the two have gone on to record four more critically acclaimed albums that blend a profound understanding of the Scottish tradition with cutting-edge string explorations. In additional to performing, they both have motivated generations of string players through their teaching at fiddle camps across the globe.

7:30 MC Squared

Cliff and Chere Periera and Mark Weiss have been  playing and singing together for more than three decades, and they’re still going strong.

8:30 Star McMullen

While I used to say I played oldtime fiddle, the term “oldtime” has come to be used in many other ways since I started playing with the Oregon Oldtime fiddlers in 1987. What I play is Texas style oldtime fiddle which includes many tunes that originated in the U.S., sometimes as progressive development of old tunes from the British Isles. Add to that the influence of swing and ragtime, and you get what I do!
Star McMullen won the seniors division of the national fiddling championship, at Wiezer, Idaho. AND, she was Alex Hargreaves fiddle teacher.

The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com

The Trail Band

Christmas With The Trail Band features your favorite holiday songs and some original holiday tunes arranged in the versatile, energetic style that has become the band’s trademark. Songs include Joy To The World, The First Noel, and many many more.

The Trail Band has been selected numerous times to represent the state of Oregon for regional, national and international events. Representing The Oregon Economic Development Department at the prestigious American Festival in Tokyo, the band performed for thousands and received enthusiastic ovations. They also received The Oregon-California Trails Associations Meritorious Award for their contributions to American history.