Calendar
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calendar@corvallisfolklore.org
WINTERDANCE
a Celtic Christmas Celebration
Molly’s Revenge
special guest vocalist Christa Burch
The Murray Irish Dancers
(out of Portland) will present an evening of music, song and dance associated with the festive season. The performance will include Christmas songs both old and new, all played with a Celtic twist, as well as selections from the band’s new album.
The California-based group has toured internationally since 2000 as an acoustic band, releasing ten CDs. In 2013, Molly’s Revenge as a trio released an all-instrumental collection titled Trio, recorded at a remote windswept retreat in the redwoods of the Mendocino coast. Trio is a compelling collection of fierce and beautiful tunes encompassing Scottish pipe sets, driving Irish reels, jigs, polkas, slides, and hornpipes, French Canadian fiddle tunes, and even a set of American oldtime melodies featuring Highland pipes.
Molly’s Revenge, whose lineup includes bagpipes, fiddle, whistle, guitar, mandola, and bodhran, have toured extensively in the USA as well as Australia, China and Scotland. The band is known for its unique and infectious on-stage enthusiasm. Their arrangements of traditional jigs and reels bring these dance tunes up to date with a driving, hard-edged accent that always leaves audiences shouting for more.
Guest vocalist Christa Burch possesses a singular voice: warm, supple, expressive, intimate, and instantly recognizable. Part of a vibrant new generation of American folk singers, Christa deftly marries intuitive musicianship and storytelling through song. To balance the gentle beauty of Christa’s songs, The Murray Irish Dancers bring a percussive, joyful, and colorful exuberance to the stage. This 10th Annual Celtic Christmas Celebration will capture the traditional spirit of the season and warm the hearts of all.
The Murray School of Irish Dancing offers classes for students of all ages and levels wishing to become outstanding Irish dancers. At the Murray school we believe in supporting students through enhancing their self esteem and confidence. We also encourage our students to work hard and strive for excellence. Through this they will develop skills that will last a lifetime. We endeavor to create a safe learning environment for all students through mutual respect and responsibility towards all teachers, students and parents in The Murray School. We welcome students from all levels of dance experience and of all cultural backgrounds to learn about Irish Culture, Music and Dance and to be part of the Murray team.
Neal Gladstone
Tribute Concert
Fans of Neal Gladstone’s music are in for a treat this winter. Though Neal stopped performing after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, his musical friends in three top local bands have cooked up a Tribute concert featuring his songs and comedy, with Neal as the Guest of Honor. Like any Gladstone show, this one will be full of surprises and great music. The line up includes Neal’s long-time vocalist Audrey Perkins and her band Swing and a Ms., plus The Flow with Rita Brown and Bill Smyth, and the Plaehn-Hino Blues Band with special guests Creighton Lindsay and Bret Godfrey. The evening’s host will be MC David Grube.
Neal told us that while he was embarrassed to be the subject of this tribute, he is excited to hear his songs played by these excellent musicians. So mark your calendar for Jan. 28 for the Neal Gladstone Tribute Concert at the historic Whiteside Theatre, and get your tickets early.
Neal Gladstone Songbook Just in time for Christmas, watch for the release of the new Neal Gladstone Songbook, featuring 30 of his most popular songs, arranged for piano and/or guitar. The song books will be sold at GrassRoots Bookstore, Gracewinds, and Troubadour music. Along with tickets to the Neal Gladstone Tribute Show on Jan 28, what a perfect stocking stuffer for the Gladstone fan on your list!
FMI or to volunteer for the concert: Chere and Cliff Pereira cherep@comcast.net.
Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen
Steve Gillette is best known as a songwriter, with songs recorded by artists from Ian & Sylvia to Garth Brooks, from Jiminy Cricket to John Denver. His song Darcy Farrow alone has been recorded by more than one hundred artists since 1966, most recently by Jimmy Dale Gilmore and Nanci Griffith. Quite literally, he wrote the book on songwriting: Songwriting and the Creative Process (Sing Out Press) is a standard text in songwriting classes across the country. Steve sings in a rich baritone and is a virtuoso on guitar, using a unique fingerpicking style with a flat-pick and two fingers. His most recent solo recording is The Man (2010, Compass Rose Music), a CD featuring music from (or reminiscent of) 1920s and ’30s jazz and roots music, accompanied by a narrative Steve created, blending fact and fiction from that vibrant era. Featured prominently on the album is George Gillette, Steve’s dad, playing stride piano in the style he grew up with.
Cindy Mangsen, who married Gillette in 1989, is also a songwriter, but her focus has been on songkeeping. Cindy is a master interpreter of traditional ballads, rich in myth and legend. She plays guitar, concertina, and banjo, and is renowned for her compelling voice, described by one critic as a voice that can warm a New England winter. Her newest solo CD is Cat Tales: Songs of the Feline Persuasion (2005, Compass Rose Music), an album of songs about cats and their people.
Stuart Mason
&
John Weed
(of Molly’s Revenge)
Ireland to Appalachia
John Weed (fiddle) and Stuart Mason (guitar, mandola, banjo) will be performing traditional Appalachian, blues, and Celtic music that digs deep into the roots of American music. Long before the time of Bill Monroe or Ralph Stanley or the Carter Family, rural Americans were singing and fiddling the ballads and dance tunes of Britain and Ireland, as well as the sentimental and comedy hits of the wildly popular minstrel shows. These sources provided a wellspring of material that later formed the basis of the bluegrass and early country repertoire.
John and Stuart have just recorded a new album project–their first CD as a duo. Material for the project ranges from early American ballads and songs newly composed by their peers to beautiful melodies with Celtic and French roots. They will remain true to their love of American old timey music and Irish trad while expanding the repertoire with tunes and songs that reflect their life-long love of traditional music from all eras and all regions. The audience can expect a few surprises along with some familiar favorites, and maybe even a singalong or a humorous party piece dating back to the minstrel era. Along with brand new pieces, these concerts will showcase material from the new Molly’s revenge album “Lift” as well as songs from the lively repertoire of Little Black Train and from Stuart’s two solo albums.
Doors open 6pm with a potluck reception.
There will be daytime workshops – Irish fiddle & DADGAD Guitar $25. Contact Lisa for more information.
A house concert is an excellent opportunity to hear great music in a very intimate setting.
Irish Duo
Tommy and Saundra O’Sullivan
Tommy O’Sullivan has been aclaimed as “one of the great contemporary folk voices of Ireland” and “a stellar guitarist.” Tommy has recorded albums with Sliabh Notes and with Bothy Band piper, Paddy Keenan as well as 2 solo albums. He and his wife Saundra have matched her alto harmonies with his tenor lead vocals and they are very much a part of the vibrant music scene in Dingle, Ireland, as well as owning O’Sullivan’s Couthouse Pub.
Come and hear them in this cozy and intimate setting.
Del Rey
&
Suzy Thompson
The music, the chemistry, the talent, the fashion, the FUN!
With a fashion sense that would make Minnie Pearl smile and a virtuoso fingerpicked resonator guitar style (and resonator ukulele!) that packs a whole orchestra into just 6 (or 4) strings, fabulous country blues chanteuse Del Rey teams up with blues fiddler extraordinaire and vocalist deluxe Suzy Thompson for a few shows every year.
“Del Rey, who plays a syncopated style of guitar based on prewar blues and barrelhouse piano traditions, is one of the best fingerpickers of this or any generation. Suzy Thompson is a consummate blues fiddler who’s stolen more than her fair share of music festivals with her room-filling, vibrato-laden vocals. The pair has known each other for decades as members of the West Coast blues community, and that familiarity adds to the richness of their debut album as a duo… a welcome treat from two of the finest instrumentalists and arrangers in the business. ”
– Ian Zack, Acoustic Guitar
Please join us for an evening of music not-to-be-missed, or heard very often, especially here!
A house concert is an excellent place to hear and meet great musicians in a very intimate setting.
West My Friend
Described as everything from indie-roots to chamber-folk, West My Friend has an acoustic blend of instruments and four-part harmonies that challenges the conventions of popular music. The band features pure and thrillingly elastic vocals with catchy arrangements of bass, guitar, mandolin, and accordion that draw from jazz, classical, folk, and pop influences. Inspired by artists such as Owen Pallett, Joanna Newsom, Bright Eyes, The Decemberists, and the Punch Brothers, and forged from a sonically adventurous acoustic music scene on Canada’s west coast, West My Friend is proving to be a key part of a new generation of grassroots folk music.
Please join us for an evening of music not-to-be-missed, or heard very often, especially here!
A house concert is an excellent place to hear and meet great musicians in a very intimate setting.
Multiple Grammy-nominee John McCutcheon charms audiences with “story telling that has the richness of fine literature” (Washington Post) and his mastery of a stage full of folk instruments is simply amazing. He plays guitar, fiddle, autoharp, banjo, jaw harp, (hambone if we are lucky) and is best known for his hammered dulcimer playing. A John McCutcheon concert is always energizing, fun, uplifting, community building, and his audiences leave with a renewed sense of hope for humanity. “This notion of telling stories of ordinary people who have done great things, and carrying those stories from one place to another, of telling people ‘this is where I’ve been, these are the stories I can bring you,’ is the heart of what I do,” McCutcheon sums up. “That’s my goal. If you can recognize yourself in my songs, then I’ve done my job.” He lives in Georgia but keeps moving, toward wherever he senses there’s still a story yet to be told.
His 30 recordings have gathered many honors including 7 Grammy nominations. His most recent honors the centenary of Joe Hill’s death on November 19th, 1915. John McCutcheon brings Joe Hill’s music to a whole new audience. With fresh arrangements, stunning musicianship, and released on a palette that makes these songs feel as though they were written today rather than a century ago, there is a life and vitality that is both rare and refreshing. In honor of Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday John recorded THIS LAND: Woody Guthrie’s America. He assembled an all-star cast of songs and musicians to honor America’s most enduring folksong writer: Willie Nelson, Tommy Emmanuel, Kathy Mattea, Tim O’Brien, Stuart Duncan, Tom Chapin, Tom Paxton, Maria Muldaur and more. McCutcheon offers fresh new arrangements and exciting new interpretations of many of Woody’s most well-known songs. He has so much material we never know what he might perform, and of course he gives the audience a chance to request their favorites so plan ahead!
But it is in live performance that John feels most at home. It is what has brought his music into the lives and homes of one of the broadest audiences any folk musician has ever enjoyed. People of every generation and background seem to feel at home in a concert hall when John McCutcheon takes the stage, with what critics describe as “little feats of magic,” “breathtaking in their ease and grace…,” and “like a conversation with an illuminating old friend.”
So if you want to laugh, cry, be inspired, and feel like you are a part of a big community, then don’t miss this concert. More information about John McCutcheon his website is at www.folkmusic.com For info or to volunteer, call Chere Pereira 541-753-9224.
Whether in print, on record, or on stage, few people communicate with the versatility, charm, wit or pure talent of John McCutcheon.
Portland FolkMusic Society presents
Singtime Frolics
a spring weekend of singing, jamming, learning, sharing and good food at Portland FolkMusic Society’s annual retreat.
click HERE for more information
Thompsonia
combines Eric & Suzy Thompson’s deep devotion to southern roots music with daughter Allegra’s fresh perspective, creating feel-good music that richochets between the rowdy and the sentimental, with an abundance of groove and a bit of a quirky edge. Suzy and Allegra’s genetically-matched vocals (dubbed “The Everly Sisters sound” by Geoff Muldaur) are featured, along with stellar lead playing from Eric on mandolin and guitar. In addition to the Cajun, blues and old-time music for which Eric and Suzy have long been acclaimed, the trio also performs witty originals alongside obscurities in styles ranging from rockabilly to hokum to Americana. Standouts from their new Thompsonia CD include Suzy’s acoustic rock anthem “Very Bad Mood” (guaranteed to have just the opposite effect on the listener), Allegra’s bawdy 1920’s “He May Be Your Dog But He’s Wearing My Collar,” Eric’s proto-zydeco “French Fries” and a lovely duet rendition of Hugh Moffatt’s “Rose of My Heart.”
Eric and Suzy Thompson have performed and recorded in collaborations with David Grisman, David Nelson (New Riders), Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin, Geoff Muldaur, Jim Kweskin, Michael Doucet, Del Rey, Dave Alvin and Joel Savoy, to name just a few, and their bands have included Any Old Time, Black Mountain Boys, California Cajun Orchestra, Blue Flame String Band and many others. Allegra Thompson is the bass player of choice for multiple Bay Area bands, including the Cajun band Midnite Ramblers and the bluegrass band Wendy Burch Steel & Redwood.
Please join us for an evening of music not-to-be-missed, or heard very often, especially here!
A house concert is an excellent place to hear and meet great musicians in a very intimate setting.
David Roth
David Roth strikes many chords, hearts, and minds with his unique songs, offbeat observations, moving stories, sense of the hilarious, and powerful singing and subject matter. As singer, songwriter, recording artist, keynote speaker, workshop leader, and instructor, David has earned top honors at premier songwriter competitions – Kerrville (TX) and Falcon Ridge (NY) – and taken his music, experience, and expertise to a wide variety of venues in this and other countries full-time for more than two decades.
David’s songs (“Rising in Love”, “Earth”, “Manuel Garcia”, “May the Light of Love”, “Nine Gold Medals”, “Spacesuits”, “Rocket Science”, “I Stand for Love”, “That Kind of Grace”, and many more) have found their way to Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, several Chicken Soup for the Soul books, the Kennedy Center, Peter, Paul, & Mary’s “Discovered” (Warner Brothers), the Kingston Trio’s “Born at the Right Time”, NASA’s Goddard Space Center (“Rocket Science” went up on the Space Shuttle Atlantis’s May 2009 mission to repair the Hubble Telescope), the classic folk song books “Rise Up Singing” and “Rise Again” (sequel), and 13 CDs on the Wind River and Stockfisch (Germany) labels. Winner of 4 Positive Music Awards and the 2015 Grace Note (Unity Worldwide Ministries) for Outstanding Contribution to New Thought Music, David has also been featured on many of Christine Lavin’s seminal Rounder Records compilations. The former artist-in-residence at New York’s Omega Institute has also been a songwriting judge at Kerrville, Napa Valley (CA), Tumbleweed (WA), Eventide Arts (MA), the Avalon Festival (WV), and the South Florida Folk Festival.
David has also taught singing, songwriting, and performance at the Augusta Heritage workshops, SummerSongs and WinterSongs (NY), Common Ground on the Hill (MD), the Woods Dance & Music Camp (Canada), WUMB’s Summer Acoustic Music Week (NH), Moab Folk Camp (UT), Rowe Center (MA), Pendle Hill (PA), Lamb’s Retreat (MI), the Swannanoa Gathering (NC), the National Wellness Institute (WI), and for many other songwriting groups and associations around the country. David is also founder/director of the Cape Cod Songwriters Retreat and creator/host of Cape Cod’s “Full Moon Open Mic” which, for the past 10 years has provided a forum for musicians to connect and be heard while at the same time collecting donations ($12,000 to date) for local non-profits to help neighbors in need.
Please join us for an evening of music not-to-be-missed, or heard very often, especially here!
A house concert is an excellent place to hear and meet great musicians in a very intimate setting.
Westwind Weekend
of music and dance
A beautiful setting on the Oregon Coast. A pristine, sheltered beach, tidepools galore, wildlife in the water, woods, and air, hikes that lead to superb vistas up and down the coast. It’s a weekend at the beach, with music and friends old and new. It’s always sunny at Westwind, AND it almost always rains. Which is to say, any weather can happen.
A growing, family friendly community. More than a fourth of those who attend the Westwind Weekend are young people. Kids bring their friends. They dig in the sand, play Frisbee, hike, play cards, dance, play music, drink hot cocoa, help out, hang out, and build lasting memories.
Non-stop music jams. At any moment you’ll find swing favorites on the front porch, old-time in the shed, and Irish/contra tunes in the kitchen. Some of the finest musicians in the Willamette Valley come to Westwind and are joined by folks just learning to play and everyone in between.
Contra dancing and more. Friday and Saturday evenings feature the Westwind All Star Orchestra playing tunes, and dance programming that’s aimed at all ages and abilities. Expect family dances, contras and squares, and a set of Scandinavian favorites. Also find musicians jamming and swing or zydeco dancing underway outside the main hall.
Camper-led workshops. Gumboot dancing, daisy chain squares, swing chords, beach talk, favorite folk songs: come with your special talent to share or learn something you’ve never heard of before. Sunday morning expect time for singing the gospel of our non-denominational love of community.
A Saturday camper concert. Enjoy listening to the crazy, creative, and sublime as your fellow campers perform, or put together your own high or low art performance and step up onto the whale bone stage.
Happy, hearty vegetarian food. Beth Littlewolf has been our cook for 25+ years. She makes wonderful fare that brings us all together in the historic Wilson Lodge for family-style meals. Meals at Westwind include snack Friday evening, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday, and early-wake up breakfast fare plus brunch on Sunday.
Kate Power
&
Steve Einhorn
Kate Power and Steve Einhorn are lifelong musicians, songwriters, teachers, and were the owners of the world renowned performance venue, music school, and instrument shop, Artichoke Music in Portland, Oregon (1981-2006). Vocal Cut of the Year 2017 for Paddy’s Lament on their new release, Portland Romance, their ninth album of original and traditional folk. They won the Music2Life award for the song,”Travis John” at the Kerrville Folk Festival and have shared stages with folk luminaries including Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Odetta, and Garrison Keillor.
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.
Crooked Kate
Crooked Kate is back (now as a duo) after a 10-year hiatus. It features folk singer Rita Brown and cellist Anne Ridlington, playing a blend of folk, pop and classical music. The inventive cello provides rich harmony with Rita’s voice and guitar. Anne, who plays cello with the Eugene Symphony, also does impressive solos.
If the weather is nice, we’ll be out on the deck. If it is rainy (i.e., like it’s been forever), we’ll be in the tasting room. In either case, this is a wonderful winery in a beautiful setting, a pretty drive from Corvallis, Salem, Monmouth, Albany… really, pretty much anywhere. And the wine is quite great, too. I understand there will be a nice assortment of finger foods, and a tasting fee of $10.
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.