Calendar
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calendar@corvallisfolklore.org
Máire Ní Chathasaigh & Chris Newman
Award winning harp and guitar duo from Ireland with a virtuosic blend of Irish, Ragtime, and much more.
Doors open 6pm with a potluck reception.
A house concert is an excellent opportunity to hear great music in a very intimate setting.
DRÅM
Dråm is a Swedish folk music group specialized in the sackpipa, the Swedish bagpipe. Dram means “drone” in a Swedish dialect.
Dram’s members, Erik Ask-Upmark and Anna Rynefors have both received the prestigious Zorn award and the title of Riksspelman (official master musician) for their playing and exposure of the Swedish bagpipes.
Aside from the Swedish pipes, Dram’s other instruments include different Swedish folk whistles and the nyckelharpa keyed fiddle.
Doors open 6pm with a potluck reception.
A house concert is an excellent opportunity to hear great music in a very intimate setting.
James Kline
Classical guitarist, composer, singer-songwriter, innovator of the 19 string arch harp guitar, James Kline is an artist who constantly renews and reinvents himself.
As a classical guitarist he studied in Spain under a full scholarship from the Spanish government. There he won a number of international awards, including the Ramirez Prize of Santiago de Compostella and the Tarrega Pize of Benicasim. He holds an ARCM diploma from The Royal College of Music of London and has performed throughout eastern and western Europe as well as the United States and Mexico. He has also gained recognition as a composer and was awarded an Individual Artist Grant in music composition from the Marin Arts Council of California.
As a singer-songwritter, James draws inspiration from a slightly more unusual life experience which includes years working as a commercial fisherman, working as a wilderness guide, extensive travel on four continents, and living among Mexico�s Tarahumara Indians. An interest in Renaissance and Baroque music led him to design his own version of the eleven string arch guitar, an instrument which combines the best qualities of the lute and the guitar. The urge to expand his horizons and dedicate more time to composing led James to co- found the neo Celtic group Bardou with whom he performs regularly. He has again reinvented his instrument to become the world�s only player of the 19 string arch harp guitar, a combination of lute, guitar, and Celtic harp.
A modern day troubadour, his performances reflect a wonderful diversity of life experience and musical intrigue and are often punctuated with story telling.
Doors open 6pm with a potluck reception.
A house concert is an excellent opportunity to hear great music in a very intimate setting.
New World String Project
John Weed • Aryeh Frankfurter • Lisa Lynne • Stuart Mason
Extraordinary instruments and heartwarming music rooted in the Nordic, Celtic, and American folk traditions. 98 strings on stage!
Science tells us that cross pollination can result in hybrid vigor that transcends the sum of its parts. In a parallel vein, the vibrant West Coast traditional music community has given birth to the New World String Project. Four highly skilled and well known multi-instrumentalists have joined forces to create an exciting weave of music rooted in the Celtic, Nordic and American folk traditions. Ancient and modern sounds mingle freely on Swedish nyckelharpa, Celtic harp, fiddle, guitar, cittern, bouzouki, and more. Join the New World String Project for a musical ride that will shake your boots, uplift your spirit and warm your heart.
“(New World String Project) literally pranced through their hour-long program at St. Mary’s in Pacific Grove, displaying both calculated structure and unbridled abandon.” –Monterey County Weekly (CA)
Doors open 6pm with a potluck reception.
A house concert is an excellent opportunity to hear great music in a very intimate setting.
Noctumbule
– Marla Fibish and
Bruce Victor –
Original and Traditional, harmonized poetry songs, lots of humor.
This incredible duo are our best friends from where we lived in the bay area. That could make us partial, but indeed they make some of the most beautiful acoustic music you will ever hear. Marla is my idol. She is one of the foremost Irish mandolin players in the world. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Bruce is the funniest guy we know, a great guitarist with a side hobby as a psychiatrist. They are a songwriting duo that layers incredible sounds and virtuosity with their clever and brilliant songs. They use musical settings of a broad array of poetry that they sing in harmony, original instrumental pieces, and traditional Irish tunes and songs. Aryeh recorded their first album in our home studio and whenever they play, we get to sit in. You will get to hear an unusual array of strings — fine guitars in varied tunings, mandola, mandolin, bouzouki, cittern, tenor guitar — and their blended voices. More about their music: https://www.noctambulemusic.com/us
Go to https://lisalynne.com/cedarhouse-concerts/ for location details.
A house concert is an excellent place to hear and meet great musicians in a very intimate setting.
Peppino D’Agustino
A young Sicilian artist left Italy over 30 years ago, with the dream of “playing with the greatest guitarists”. Peppino has achieved his dream and he’s now firmly planted in the “who’s who” of the guitar world.
Peppino D’Agostino emerged on the acoustic guitar scene in the early 80’s as a leading member of the second wave of the great fingerstylists that helped redefine the instrument in the ’90s. His remarkable technique, penchant for open tunings, and percussive effects are the basis of his unique compositional style which has been inspiring musicians and audiences alike for decades. Add to that his natural warmth, playfulness, and broad musical tastes and you have the recipe for what he calls “minestrone music”. His virtuosity and his emotional charge have also had a significant influence on the younger generation of fingerstyle guitarists. D’Agostino continues to evolve and grow in ways that would have been hard to predict when he first showcased his melodic yet emotionally intense style on the recordings Acoustic Spirit, Close to the Heart, and Every Step of the Way which was named one of the top three acoustic guitar albums of all time by Acoustic Guitar magazine readers.
Doors open 6pm with a potluck reception.
A house concert is an excellent opportunity to hear great music in a very intimate setting.
American Strings:
An Evening
with Carlene Carter
Hosted by the GRAMMY Museum’s Bob Santelli, director of popular music in the OSU College of Liberal Arts and the Majestic Theatre, the conversation and performance that comprises each segment of American Strings makes for a one of a kind opportunity to appreciate and know better the great American music tradition. This month will feature the daughter of June Carter Cash of the Carter Family and the step-daughter of American music legend Johnny Cash. Carlene Carter blends her traditional roots with her own take on country music. Join Bob Santelli for an American Strings evening of conversation and music as a bit of Nashville comes to Corvallis.
The American Strings series brings renowned artists from around the U.S. to Corvallis and Oregon State University for an in-depth look at how and why stringed instruments play such a profound role in American music.
Sarah Lee Guthrie
As the daughter of Arlo Guthrie and the granddaughter of the legendary folk artist Woody Guthrie, Sarah Lee Guthrie’s lineage is undeniable. But if you close your eyes and forget that her last name is synonymous with the river-legacy of a widening current of American folk music, you’d still be drawn to the clarity and soul behind her voice. There is a gentle urgency to her interpretations of the songs she sings and the classic music of her heritage. It flows from the continuity of her family, her vital artistic life today and the river of songs that have guided her to where she now stands.
(I’ve seen her solo, with her husband, and with her dad, Arlo, and she’s well worth seeing)
Join host Bob Santelli, at this rare opportunity to witness the growth of one of American’s finest young folk singers, through a conversation and live performance.
Jimmie Vaughan
Jimmie Vaughan performing in Florida. By Gage Skidmore.
A founding member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and the older brother of Texas blues legend Stevie Ray, Jimmie Vaughan brought renewed attention to Texas blues in the 1980s, ultimately leading to Austin, Texas becoming a major American blues center. A multi-GRAMMY Award winner, Vaughan’s “Baby, Please Come Home” was a 2020 GRAMMY nominee in the Best Traditional Blues Album category. He also won a Blues Music Award for Best Male Blues Artist this year.
Hosted by Bob Santelli, Oregon State University’s director of popular music and performing arts, the American Strings series offers a unique opportunity to learn about a variety of genres from across the American music tradition.
If you have any questions or require special accommodations, please contact Isabelle Nissen at 541-231-5820 or OSUFEvents@osufoundation.org.
Rosanne Cash
One of the country’s pre-eminent singer/songwriters, Rosanne Cash has released 15 albums of extraordinary songs that have earned four GRAMMY Awards and nominations for 11 more. She is also an author whose four books include the best-selling memoir Composed, which the Chicago Tribune called “one of the best accounts of an American life you’ll likely ever read.” Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, the Oxford-American, the Nation and many more publications. In addition to continual worldwide touring, Cash has partnered in programming or served as artist in residence at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, San Francisco Jazz, the Minnesota Orchestra and The Library of Congress.
Hosted by Bob Santelli, Oregon State University’s director of popular music and performing arts, the American Strings series offers a unique opportunity to learn about a variety of genres from across the American music tradition.
If you have any questions or require special accommodations, please contact Isabelle Nissen at 541-231-5820 or OSUFEvents@osufoundation.org.
Sarah Jarosz
With her captivating voice and richly detailed songwriting, three-time GRAMMY award winner Sarah Jarosz is one of the most compelling musicians of her generation.
In a break from a life of touring since she was 16 years old, Jarosz recorded her new album, “World On the Ground,” while at home during quarantine. Collaborating with producer/songwriter John Leventhal, a five-time GRAMMY award winner known for his work with Elvis Costello, Shawn Colvin and his wife, Rosanne Cash, Jarosz crafted a subtle tapestry of sound perfectly suited to her lyrical storytelling.
Sarah will talk about her creative process and perform some songs from this new album — a collection of stories from her hometown of Wimberly, Texas — revealing her remarkable gift for slipping into the inner lives of others and patiently uncovering indelible insight.
Get comfy at home, turn up your speakers and join host Bob Santelli as we get to know better this contemporary Bluegrass/Folk/Americana superstar through an intimate evening of music and conversation.
Hosted by Bob Santelli, Oregon State University’s director of popular music and performing arts, the American Strings series offers a unique opportunity to learn about a variety of genres from across the American music tradition.
If you have any questions or require special accommodations, please contact Isabelle Nissen at 541-231-5820 or OSUFEvents@osufoundation.org.
Shemekia Copeland
Providing a soundtrack for our time, Copeland sings about the world around her, blending blues, R&B and Americana into a sound that is all her own. Her riveting new album, “Uncivil War” was recently nominated for five Blues Music Awards, including Song of the Year. It builds on the musically and lyrically adventurous territory that Copeland’s been exploring for over a decade — tackling the problems of contemporary American life head on with nuance, understanding, and a demand for change. It also brings Copeland’s fiercely independent, sultry R&B fire to songs more personal than political.
The Chicago Tribune’s famed jazz critic Howard Reich says, “Shemekia Copeland is the greatest female blues vocalist working today. She pushes the genre forward, confronting racism, hate, xenophobia and other perils of our time. Regardless of subject matter, though, there’s no mistaking the majesty of Copeland’s instrument, nor the ferocity of her delivery. In effect, Copeland reaffirms the relevance of the blues.”
NPR Music calls Copeland “authoritative” and “confrontational” with “punchy defiance and potent conviction,” and says “It’s hard to imagine anyone staking a more convincing claim to the territory she’s staked out—a true hybrid of simmering, real-talking spirit and emphatic, folkie- and soul-style statement-making.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer succinctly states, “Shemekia Copeland is an antidote to artifice. She is a commanding presence, a powerhouse vocalist delivering the truth.”
The American Strings series is free and open to all via Zoom. Register below.
Los Lobos
The Oregon State University College of Liberal Arts (CLA) presents a conversation and some music with Los Lobos front men David Hidalgo and Louie Pérez on Wednesday, March 31 at 5 p.m.
The webcast event is part of CLA’s American String Series. Hosted by OSU Director of Popular Music and Performing Arts Bob Santelli, each segment of American Strings is comprised of a conversation and music by successful artists from a variety of genres, making for a one of a kind opportunity to appreciate and know better the great American music tradition.
Los Lobos (“The Wolves”) is an American rock band from East Los Angeles. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex and traditional Mexican music. The band gained international stardom in 1987, when their cover version of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” topped the charts in the U.S., the UK and several other countries. Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, accordion, fiddle, requinto jarocho) and Pérez, Jr. (vocals, drums, guitar, jarana huasteca) are two of the founding members of the band and wrote most of their songs together.
Hidalgo he has been featured on albums by T-Bone Burnett, Ry Cooder, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and Tom Waits. He is also a member of the group Los Super Seven, and of the Latin Playboys, a side project with other members of Los Lobos. Pérez, the band’s primary lyricist, started out with Los Lobos playing the jarana, a small Mexican guitar, and singing. As the band ventured more into Norteño music and rock he became the drummer, first playing with just a snare drum. Eventually he moved to the front of the stage and started playing guitar again. Pérez has also been a member of the Latin Playboys. Additionally he paints and has been the art director and artistic supervisor on many of Los Lobos’ albums.
Hidalgo and Pérez will talk with Bob about their longtime collaboration and unique experience in fusing cultures and crossing genres, and play some of their music.
The American Strings series is free and open to all via Zoom. Register below.
Register Here
Andrew Bird and Jimbo Mathus
Oregon State University presents Andrew Bird and Jimbo Mathus on the next installment of the College of Liberal Arts’ American Strings series on Tuesday, May 12 at 5 p.m.
The webcast event is hosted by OSU Director of Popular Music and Performing Arts Bob Santelli. Each segment of American Strings is comprised of a conversation and music by successful artists from a variety of genres, making for a one of a kind opportunity to appreciate and know better the great American music tradition.
Andrew Bird is an internationally acclaimed musician, songwriter and composer who has released sixteen records. He has performed around the world at festivals and at renowned venues including Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House and Walt Disney Concert Hall. A TED Talks presenter, a New Yorker Festival guest, and an op-ed contributor for the New York Times, Bird also made his professional acting debut in the cast of Fargo’s fourth installment, which premiered on FX in the fall of 2020. Bird’s 2019 album, My Finest Work Yet, was nominated for Best Folk Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Jimbo Mathus is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his work with the gold and platinum-certified swing revival band, Squirrel Nut Zippers. The group toured extensively throughout the 1990s, including performances for the 1996 Summer Olympics, The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and more. Since the early 2000’s, Mathus’ career has included work for Buddy Guy and Elvis Costello, and a vast collection of solo projects that have led to his music being heard on Shameless, Ray Donovan and more.
In many ways, Mathus and Bird are the yin and yang of contemporary roots music. Mathus hails from Mississippi and Bird grew up in Chicago. Mathus was self-schooled by an inquisitive nature and being around other musicians. Bird formally studied music at Northwestern University. Music brought them together 25 years ago, and an equal devotion to their craft and mutual respect for each other as musicians has nourished their long friendship, resulting in numerous collaborations. Now, after a near 20-year hiatus from working together, the Mathus and Bird duo have been at it again with the March release of a new album, “These 13.”
Written and produced from 2018 through 2020, These 13 captures “the warm first-take feel of two old friends having a fine old time” (MOJO). Mathus and Bird co-wrote every song through an exchange of voice memos, verses and ideas. Working with producer Mike Viola they recorded the LP live to tape, playing and singing from opposite sides of a single microphone.
Join us for a live, intimate conversation where Santelli talks to the duo about their friendship, the fun they had together in the making of this album, and the poignant story behind its opening track, “Poor Lost Souls.” Bird and Mathus will also share some of their music in a pre-recorded video they made just for American Strings.
Free and open to all. Register for link to view on Zoom
Shook Twins
Oregon State University presents Shook Twins on the next installment of the College of Liberal Arts’ American Strings series on Wednesday, October 6 at 7:30pm.
Join host Bob Santelli as we kick off another great season of American Strings with a special evening, outdoors, in the Student Experience Center Plaza on the beautiful OSU main campus in Corvallis. Bob will talk with the popular Portland-based indie-folk band SHOOK TWINS about their creative process and musical lives. Shook Twins will also perform live as a trio comprised of identical twin sisters Katelyn and Laurie Shook with longtime bandmate Niko “Slice” Daoussis.
Shook Twins’ music incorporates acoustic instruments including banjo, guitar, mandolin, glockenspiel and their signature gold egg, in a unique, contemporary sound that has never really been confined to the indie-folk world in which they’ve become well-known artists. Always performing with an adventurous spirit, the sisters are never shy to incorporate beatboxing, banjo-head drumming, vocals using a repurposed telephone as a microphone, and other ambient sources within their music arrangements.
Since the release of their debut album, “You Can Have The Rest,” Shook Twins have shared the stage with artists including Laura Veirs, Mason Jennings, Sarah Jarosz, Gregory Alan Isakov, Crooked Still and many others. They’ve appeared at premiere festivals including Summer Camp Music Festival (Ill.), Arise Music Festival (Colo.), High Sierra Music Festival (Cali.), Northwest String Summit (Ore.), Revival Fest (Minn.), Suwannee Hulaween (Fla.), and have toured Germany and the U.K.
Their recently released fourth album, “Some Good Lives,” pays homage to the people who have influenced their lives and become chapters in Shook Twins’ story. Throughout the album’s 14 tracks, Katelyn and Laurie pay homage to a number of those people — from a late grandpa and godfather, to Bernie Sanders.
Hosted by Bob Santelli, OSU director of popular music and performing arts, the conversation and live performance that comprises each segment of American Strings makes for a one of a kind opportunity to learn about the creative process, the performers and the influencers behind the great American music tradition.
Seating on the plaza is free and on a first come basis. The SEC Plaza is located between the Memorial Union and the Student Experience Center on Jefferson Street. Parking in permit restricted lots is unrestricted after 5 p.m. Future performances this season will head back to the Majestic Theatre, 115 SW 2nd Street in Corvallis, and will be posted at events.oregonstate.edu.