Calendar

LOCAL FOLK

the collaborative open stage program of CFS and The Arts Center has started again after a nearly ten year hiatus. The venue, as in the past, is The Corvallis Arts Center and stage. Free and open to all, the stage is open to individual musicians and groups presenting a variety of music under the large “folk” umbrella.

Sign up for a set of two or three songs for a total time of 10-15 minutes in a rotating format. Or, just come to be part of an audience appreciative of local performers.

This month featuring Suz Doyle (piano, vocals) & Niels Nielsen (bass, vocals) performing originals and covers.

Local Folk convenes monthly, on second Tuesdays, from 7-10 pm.

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.

This event has been CANCELED

The Hoolyeh International Folk Dancers meet once a month on the 2nd Monday at the UU Fellowship Social Hall, 2945 NW Circle Blvd, Corvallis, OR 97330. We will meet from 6:30 to 9:30 with beginning teaching from 6:30 to 7:15, program dancing from 7:15 to 8:00, intermediate teaching from 8:00 to 8:15 or 8:30, and request dancing from 8:30 to 9:30.

We will mix Balkan, Israeli and other folk dances each week, with occasional live music from Balkan, Israeli and other traditions. Watch the calendar for announcements about special dances, but just come to each dance and learn all sorts of dances.

LOCAL FOLK

This is a collaborative program of CFS and The Arts Center. Free and open to all, the stage is open to individual musicians and groups presenting a variety of music under the large “folk” umbrella. Sign up for a set of one to three songs (10 minutes or so) in a rotating format. Or, just come to be part of an audience appreciative of local performers. Local Folk! will continue monthly, on second Tuesdays. For more information, contact Kurt Smith at k_smith1342@comcast.net or 541-270-6369.

Local Folk convenes monthly, on second Tuesdays, from 7-10 pm.

HighTime

Ciarán Bolger is an entertainer, singer and guitarist from Garraí Árd in the village of Ardmore in Conamara. Learning whistle and traditional sean-nós singing at a young age, Ciarán developed a love and respect for the music tradition of Conamara. Focusing on guitar in his teens, Ciarán explored a mixture of traditional and contemporary music. This exploration has formed the basis for his emotive vocals and also his vibrant and expressive guitar style; drawing inspiration from a multitude of genres.

Conall Flaherty is a multi-instrumentalist and singer hailing from South Conamara in the village of Ardmore. Growing up in an area famed for its musicians, singers and dancers, it wasn’t long before Conall turned to music and singing at the young age of four. He learned the ropes from neighbour, fellow flute player and maker, Marcus Hernon who also made the flutes which Conall plays today.

Séamus Flaherty’s skills in dancing, singing and playing instruments reflect his personality. At only nineteen years old, Séamus meets each discipline with a passion and quiet zeal backed up by a love of the traditional Irish music heritage. Since the age of sixteen, he has been making waves in the fields of music, dance and singing across the globe; performing in China, U.S.A, Canada, The United Kingdom, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland and France. He had the privilege of performing more recently alongside Cherish the Ladies at the world renowned Celtic Connections in 2017.

Peppino D’Agustino

Doors open 6pm with a potluck reception.

A house concert is an excellent opportunity to hear great music in a very intimate setting.

Carrie Newcomer

John McEuen
& the String Wizards

McEuen has now assembled a unique cast for a special night to share the music and memories of the landmark Will the Circle Be Unbroken record and his incredible career with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
The cast includes:
Les Thompson bass, vocals, bouzouki an original NGDB founding member
John Cable guitar/vocals/mandolin also toured Russia as NGDB member.
Matt Cartsonis vocals/mandola/guitar 25- year music partner with John
All join host John McEuen with his banjo, guitar, fiddle, and mandolin as they share, in front of a movie screen, hits and stories behind the music leading up to that magic time when three generations came together.
His multi-media show with archival photographs, film, (including 8mm footage from 1967), Circle session photos, narrative (and early) NGDB music takes us on his 50+ year journey – interwoven with Dirt Band favorites and hot bluegrass.

Unfortunately, Tracy tore her ACL and has canceled all her concerts through October

Buy her CD, Low Tide, FOLK RADIO’S #9 MOST-PLAYED ALBUM OF 2018, as it is apparently excellent (and she needs the money).

Tracy Grammer

Tracy Grammer first appeared on the folk scene as the partner of singer-songwriter Dave Carter.  After his sudden death in 2002 she continued playing his music and started writing her own.  Today her album Low Tide is one of the most played albums on folk radio, and she tours on her own and as part of the Eliza Gilkyson Trio.

“Tracy Grammer is a brilliant artist and unique individual. Her voice is distinctive, as is her mastery over the instruments she plays.” – Joan Baez

LOCAL FOLK

This is a collaborative program of CFS and The Arts Center. Free and open to all, the stage is open to individual musicians and groups presenting a variety of music under the large “folk” umbrella. Sign up for a set of one to three songs (10 minutes or so) in a rotating format. Or, just come to be part of an audience appreciative of local performers. Local Folk! will continue monthly, on second Tuesdays. For more information, contact Kurt Smith at k_smith1342@comcast.net or 541-270-6369.

Sign up for a set of two or three songs for a total time of 10-15 minutes in a rotating format. Or, just come to be part of an audience appreciative of local performers.

This month featuring Rita Brown and Bill Smyth, singers/multi-instrumentalists.

Local Folk convenes monthly, on second Tuesdays, from 7-10 pm.

Che Apalache

A blend of Appalachian and Latin music

Immigration is a powerful topic for Che Apalache bandleader Joe Troop. A polymath, polyglot, and world traveller, Troop left home at a young age, emigrating from this country in search of a better life. Raised in the North Carolina Piedmont, in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, Troop came of age to the music of bluegrass and all-night jam sessions at festivals, but being a young, queer man in the South, at a certain point he no longer felt welcome in his own home region. He took refuge abroad, traveling Europe and immersing himself in his two great loves: music and language. He studied Spanish in Spain, spent summers in Morocco, and eventually moved to Japan to teach English. He carried his music and his fiddle with him always, picking up elements of flamenco, jazz manouche, and swing. In 2010, Joe immigrated to Argentina, and, looking to make friends and build a scene, he began teaching bluegrass.

Nine years later, Che Apalache, led by Troop, features three powerhouse Latin American musicians – two from Argentina, Franco Martino (guitar), Martin Bobrik (mandolin), and Pau Barjau (banjo) from Mexico – and has been taking audiences by storm with their fusion of Latin and American roots music. Famed banjo player and cross-genre trailblazer Béla Fleck was so taken with the band that he signed on to produce their new album, Rearrange My Heart, coming August 9, 2019 on Free Dirt Records. “I love to work with music that intrigues, excites and inspires me,” Fleck explains, “and that describes Che Apalache to a T! We first met at my Blue Ridge Banjo Camp last year. They had come from Buenos Aires and asked to play for me. I was blown away and they blew away the crowd a few days later. It’s been a blast to get to know them in the creative environment; together we’ve come up with what I believe is a truly striking album. I hope you’ll enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed producing.”

With Béla Fleck as producer and a new album on its way, Che Apalache is a success story, but Troop hasn’t returned to the States after over a decade abroad to comfort listeners. He’s here to challenge the narrative, to speak directly on what American policies and perspectives are doing to the world. “We’re trying to take our message to the people who most need to hear it.” Troop explains. “We want to have respectful dialogue with people that aren’t coming from the same place we are, and we want to challenge their way of thinking.” Opening with a traditional greeting in the Uruguayan murga style before segueing into the song “María,” which has touches of candombe, flamenco and Spanish Sephardic Jewish music, Che Apalache’s global sensibilities are clear. The heart of the album, though, lies with the powerful song “The Dreamer,” written about Troop’s friend Moises Serrano. A queer North Carolinian immigrant from Mexico and a DACA recipient, Serrano was raised in the same region as Troop. “The Dreamer” states Che Apalache’s mission: subvert the narrative from within. “We’re reeling people in with music they understand,” Troop explains, “but then we give them a twist. This is all intentional, I’ve had years living outside this country to think about how to do this.” The power of the subversion lies in how well Troop understands Appalachian and Southern audiences, and also in an honest love for the music. The band spent years perfecting Stanley Brothers-style harmonies, trying to get the sound just right. They then married that sound with brutally honest lyrics lamenting Trump’s rhetoric for “The Wall.” This level of subversion brings its own risks though. They sang the song at a famous Virginia fiddler’s convention the same day that Nazis marched in the streets of nearby Charlottesville, and had to drop everything and run for safety when an enraged audience member stormed the backstage to attack them.

Che Apalache was formed to enjoy music, to honor it, and to bridge the gap between North and South America, creating a vision of a truly “American” music. Through the controversy and the political fire that fuels Che Apalache’s music, Troop hasn’t lost sight of what first inspired him, the first moment he fell in love with the music. At just fourteen years old, in a small diner in Boone, North Carolina, he heard a humble man playing with his friends and family. That man was Doc Watson. For Troop and Che Apalache to come full circle and to create a new album with another legend of bluegrass, Béla Fleck, that’s the American dream that Che Apalache embodies.

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

Compton & Newberry
Roots of Bluegrass Tour

Nationally recognized Bluegrass duo Mike Compton and Joe Newberry have agreed to swing through Jordan while on their West Coast tour!

Compton is a Grammy award-winning mandolinist and Newberry is an IBMA award-winning songwriter who have teamed up for the “Roots of Bluegrass” tour. Their combined music industry endeavors have enabled them to entertain millions of people, including the more than 4 million regular listeners of A Prairie Home Companion, and through the Grammy Award-winning soundtracks from the movies, O Brother, Where Art Thou and Cold Mountain.

Mike Compton has entertained from Carnegie Hall to the White House – and lots of good folks’ houses in between. The New York Times calls him “a new bluegrass instrumental hero.” He has performed on 100+ CDs in a variety of genres with some of the most beloved artists of our day. At heart, Mike Compton is a preservationist, continuing the music that Bill Monroe innovated on the mandolin and which set the standard for two generations of bluegrass mandolin players.

Joe Newberry is a prizewinning guitarist, songwriter and vocalist known far and wide for his powerful banjo playing. He won the songwriting prize for “Gospel Recorded Performance” at the 2012 IBMA Awards for his song “Singing As We Rise”, and was co-writer [with Eric Gibson] of the 2013 IBMA “Song of the Year,” “They Called It Music.” A longtime guest on A Prairie Home Companion, he was a featured singer on the Transatlantic Sessions 2016 tour of the U.K., and at the Transatlantic Session’s debut at Merlefest in 2017.

Allison de Groot
&
Tatiana Hargreaves

Described as a cant-miss pair in 2019, by Paste Magazine, Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves create a sound that is adventurous, masterful, and original, as they expand on the eccentricities of old songs, while never losing sight of what makes them endure. Already leaders in the young generation of roots musicians, de Groot has become known for her intricate clawhammer banjo work with Molskys Mountain Drifters, while Hargreaves has brought her powerhouse fiddling to the stage with Gillian Welch and Laurie Lewis. Their new album on Free Dirt Records is a powerful opening statement that has been called a big step forward (CBC Q) and dives deep into the old-time style and comes up with something wonderfully fresh (Vinyl District). Ranging from intricate banjo-fiddle instrumental performances inspired by early commercial and field recordings to more contemporary tunes and songs from the likes of Judy Hyman (the Horseflies) and Alice Gerrard, their repertoire reflects on which voices we seek to hear as we explore the expansive, diverse canon of American roots music. Their rendition of Alice Gerrards song Beaufort County Jail is included in Rolling Stone Countrys 10 Best Country and Americana Songs to Hear.

de Groot and Hargreaves have used their platform to broaden our horizons, both of the music our forebears created and the causes they sought to advance in their art. ~No Depression

two of the foremost old-time virtuosos on the scene today, executing these timeless songs and melodies with a clean and straightforward approach that sacrifices neither innovative thought nor modern embellishments to do so.  ~ The Bluegrass Situation