notloB Music

notloB Folk Concerts presents Kimberly Fraser, Brian Conway & Mark Simos, 2/17, Somerville

2012-02-06T09:31:00.004-05:00

notloB Folk Concerts

presents.....

Kimberly Fraser, Brian Conway & Mark Simos

On Friday, February 17 8pm at Unity Somerville notloB Folk Concerts will present three of the finest traditional musicians of their genre – Kimberly Fraser (Cape Breton), Brian Conway (Sligo) and Mark Simos (Irish, Southern old-time, New England, Quebeçois, bluegrass, and Klezmer.

Kimberly Fraser

Kimberley Fraser was born on Cape Breton Island, and nurtured within its rich musical heritage. She first began to impress audiences at the age of three with her step-dancing talents. Soon after that she took up both the fiddle and the piano. Though still in her 20s, Kimberley’s already has a distinguished career. She has traveled the world, from Victoria to Afghanistan, performing at venues such as The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. bringing Cape Breton music with her wherever she goes. Dan MacDonald of the Cape Breton Post says about Fraser’s versatility, “She has matured to become one of the stellar players of the Cape Breton fiddle tradition, equally at home at a house party, playing for a square dance or on stage for a concert in Bras d'Or or Boston, Scotsville or Scotland.” Kimberley has shared the stage with the finest acts in Celtic music, such as Alasdair Fraser, Martin Hayes and Lunasa. Kimberley is also in demand for her piano skills, accompanying musicians at home and abroad.

Kimberley holds a degree in Violin performance from Berklee College of Music and in Celtic Studies from St Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Education is important to her, reflected in Kimberley’s dedication to teaching Cape Breton music both at home and abroad. A master at the trio of fiddling, step dancing and piano, Kimberley is a much sought after teacher for all three. Her reputation as a teacher has brought her to conduct workshops at many camps and festivals, including Alasdair Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Fiddle Camp, the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina, and The American Festival of Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington to name a few. Kimberley also has experience giving workshops to string orchestras demonstrating how traditional music can be arranged for classical ensembles.

In 2006, Kimberley released her second studio album, Falling on New Ground, a winner of the East Coast Music Award for best Roots/Traditional Album of the Year. This self-produced album reflects on her experiences and growth as a musician since the release of her first studio album Heart Behind the Bow in 2000. Falling on New Ground demonstrates Kimberley’s many talents and versatility.

Brian Conway

New York born fiddler Brian Conway is a leading exponent of the highly ornamented Sligo fiddling style made famous by the late Michael Coleman. The winner of two All- Ireland junior titles in 1973 and 1974 and the All-Ireland senior championship of 1986, Brian's early studies were with his father Jim of Plumbridge County Tyrone and with Limerick born fiddler/teacher Martin Mulvihill. However, it was the legendary fiddler and composer Martin Wynne who taught him the real secrets of the County Sligo style. Later, Brian met and befriended the great Andy McGann of New York a direct student of Michael Coleman, who further shaped his precision and skill on the instrument.

In 1979, Brian recorded a duet album, The Apple In Winter (Green Linnet) with fellow New York fiddler Tony Demarco. He released his debut solo CD, First through the Gate, on the Smithsonian-Folkways label in July 2002. This CD was voted the prestigious Album of the Year by the Irish Echo. Brian is also featured on the CD, My Love is in America, recorded at the Boston College Irish Fiddle Festival, and on the documentary "Shore to Shore" which highlights traditional Irish music in New York. He is considered one of the musical rocks of the New York area.

Brian remains faithful to the rich tradition handed down to him. The distinctness of his tone, the lift of his playing, and the deft ornamentation he brings to the tunes have placed him amo ng the finest Irish fiddlers of any style, Sligo or otherwise. He has performed all over North America from San Francisco to New York and places in between such as Chicago, Milwaukee and Colorado. His talents have also been enthusiastically received throughout Ireland and the rest of Europe. His current CD, First through the Gate, exemplifies the versatility that characterizes his concert performances and festival appearances. He is also a noted instructor who has mentored many fine fiddle players, including several who have gone on to win All-Ireland championships.

In 2007, Brian released a CD titled A Tribute to Andy McGann on the prestigious Irish Label Cló Iar-Chonnachta. This CD pairs up Irish Music legends Joe Burke and Felix Dolan along with Brian in a CD which has received glowing accolades since it's release in the summer of 2007. Brian followed this CD with a much anticipated new Solo CD titled "Consider the Source" in deference to the rich environment from which Brian learned his music. This CD was released in 2008 on the Cló Iar-Chonnachta Label. This CD features guest appearances by music greats Niamh Parsons, Dan Milner, Billy McComiskey, Joannie Madden, Felix Dolan, and Brendan Dolan. Earle Hitchner of the Irish Echo described this CD as "Easily one of the best releases this year".

Mark Simos

The Musical imagination of Mark Simos weaves a lifetime love of many traditions into innovative musical forms. As songwriter and composer, fiddler, ‘tunesmith,’ and guitar and piano accompanist, Mark draws on long apprenticeship in a wide variety of genres—Irish, Southern old-time, New England, Quebeçois, bluegrass, and Klezmer among others—creating a musical language grounded in traditional forms, yet uniquely his own.om

"... a musician's musician, versed in many musical idioms and excelling at all of them. He is one of the few musicians I know equally at home in the often incompatible roles of traditionalist and innovator." —Mick Moloney

Suggested donation $15/12 advance reservation. $10 student rush will start a few minutes before 8pm.

More info - https://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic/

Reservations - notlobreservations at gmail dot com

p.s. Read a wonderful profile of Brian Conway by Sean Smith in the Boston Irish Reporter.

Fiddler Conway learned his music ‘pure’ – Sligo style

By Sean Smith, special to the BIR, February 2, 2012

Brian Conway makes no bones about it: He understands that his particular tutelage in the Irish music tradition was a profoundly rare thing, and he feels very fortunate as a result. “I think that, in my upbringing, I definitely got the music pure,” says Conway, who will bring his widely admired fiddle-playing talents to the Boston area later this month....

notloB Parlour Concerts presents Julie Metcalf and Andy Reiner, JP, 2/4

2012-02-01T21:05:00.000-05:00

notloB Parlour Concerts

presents.....

Julie Metcalf and Andy Reiner

Julie Metcalf (fiddle, viola, jawharp, harmonica, 5-string banjo, vocals)

Andy Reiner (octave mandolin, tenor banjo, 5-string fiddle, vocals)

“Fiddle tunes from our hearts! We will play and sing tunes we've written and tunes we just love to play together. A colorful mix of old and new, delicate and raging, familiar and foreign, bowed, plucked, strummed and sung.”

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00

Loring-Greenough House

12 South Street

Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

notloB Parlour Concerts is proud to once again present Julie Metcalf and Andy Reiner. Julie's first notloB performance was on 4/11/09, with the Folk Arts Quartet. She since performed with Mariel Vandersteel (Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers) on 12/4/10. Andy has performed for notloB three times, twice with Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers (5/23/09 & 1/23/10) and once with BMUZ mate Stash Wyslouch (2/5/11).

Julie Metcalf

Fiddler Julie Metcalf began as a classical violinist in Worcester, MA. Coming from a family of musicians, she was encouraged to make music from an early age; Julie picked up the violin for the first time when she was 4 years old and has been playing ever since. When she was twelve, Julie discovered fiddle music and jazz through PBS and country radio, and began learning Celtic tunes on her own.

Julie studied classical violin at Boston University's College of Fine Arts. Recently, she has immersed herself in the study of both traditional folk and contemporary styles of music, including Celtic, Appalachian, bluegrass, jazz, and Latin music. She is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in Violin Performance.

Julie plays viola in the Paper Star Trio, formerly the Folk Arts Quartet. The Paper Star Trio is a grooving chamber-folk string ensemble that plays contemporary arrangements of world fiddle music. She can also be spotted playing violin with Mariachi Palenque.

Andy Reiner

Andy Reiner grew up in a musical family in Lexington, Massachusetts. He began playing at age 5, learning fiddle from his father, (award-winning and Mel Bay Published Author) Dave Reiner, as well as taking classical violin lessons. Just when the young Andy was struggling with the issues of whether playing the fiddle was “cool”, attending Mark O’Connor’s Fiddle Camp in Tennessee in ’97 and ’98 changed his life forever.

Andy continued to attend fiddle camps over many summers which were a constant source of inspiration, learning, and jamming. Traveling from Maine to Colorado and even to Cape Breton NS, he took classes with many legends including Vassar Clements, Darol Anger, Richard Greene, Natalie MacMaster, Buddy Spicher, Jerry Holland, Bruce Molsky, Ashley MacIsaac, Becky Tracy, Rachel Maloney, Casey Driessen, Mark Wood, Laura Risk, and Aubrey Haynie.

In high school, Andy was priveleged to participate in a renowned jazz program which helped to lay the groundwork of a future uninhibited by any kind of stylistic barrier. As well, he was deep into an obsession with heavy metal, which, combined with his love for traditional folk music, resulted in the fiddle speed metal band Devil In The Kitchen. He entered and won many fiddle contests, most notably at the Lowell, MA Banjo and Fiddle Contests, where he has won 1st in Bluegrass Fiddle, 1st in Ethnic Fiddle, three 1sts in Twin Fiddle, and the Andy Wolf Award for Musical Excellence.

Andy soon realized that music was the only option. He moved to Boston and earned his BM in Violin Performance from Berklee College of Music, graduating in May 2008. Through his mentors at Berklee - Eugene Friesen, Mimi Rabson, Christian Howes, Stephen Webber, Bruno Raberg, and many others - Andy further developed his sound, ears, and chops.

Along the way, two original pieces of his were performed in the Berklee Performance Center by the Berklee String Orchestra, and he shared the stage with Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, Gloria Estefan and more at Berklee’s 60th Anniversary Concert, which sold out the Wang Center in Boston.

Andy found true happiness in Boston as he created a network of hardcore jammers who would descend upon his apartment, “The Fiddle Barn,” to form a unique groove that represented styles from all over the world. Berklee proved fertile ground for meeting unbelievable musicians. Between jamming and gigs, he met all the future band members of Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers and FiddleFoxx. Stash Wyslouch, guitarist of Devil In The Kitchen, was finally convinced after a year of studying civil engineering at Tufts to come to Berklee to focus on music. The two are musical soulmates of groove, travelling in countless wacky situations and playing music everywhere from Montreal to Berlin.

After a temporary relocation for a winter to Salt Lake City to be a music ski bum on the legendary powder and steeps of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Andy now resides in Brighton, MA where the jamming never ends. Andy tours with Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers, The Earth Stringband, and Intergalactic Blam as well as teaching lessons, composing, and running his own production and publishing companies! While Boston shines brightly as a new mecca for acoustic musicians, who knows what the future may hold! One thing is for sure: Andy Reiner is a powerful musical force that will be playing and creating wherever he is for a long time.

Suggested donation $10 + $1 preservation fee

Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00

Reservations - notlobreservations at gmail dot com

notloB News, feBruary 2011

2012-01-31T22:32:00.000-05:00

notloB News, feBruary 2011

Since June 2, 2007, notloB Folk Concerts has presented local and touring old-time, blue/newgrass, traditional folk, Celtic and blues artists to audiences throughout the greater Boston area. Our current venues are the historic Loring-Greenough House (built in 1760, 40+ seats, unplugged) in Jamaica Plain and 175 seat Unity in Somerville. The concerts are volunteer run and not for profit. 100% of the patron donations go to the artists and production expenses.

"The concerts always have a warm atmosphere and are fun to play. From a musician's perspective, I really appreciate the effort Jeff puts into his shows. Nobody on the Boston folk scene works harder to pull a concert together."

~ Alastair Moock

"In this era of pop-driven acoustic music, notloB is keeping the folk tradition alive."

~ Jack Hardy

In this edition

Thank you for supporting live music
Upcoming concerts
Festival recommendation
Dinner and a show
Volunteering
Turn your radio on!
Housekeeping

1. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING LIVE MUSIC!

notloB Folk Concerts is unique in the greater Boston area in terms of the model (admission is by suggested donation, all proceeds, less production costs, go to the artists. The series would not be possible without the support of our loyal patrons. So why not share the news? Bring a friend or two or three to an upcoming concert!

2. UPCOMING CONCERTS

Julie Metcalf & Andy Reiner
http://www.myspace.com/juliemetcalf
http://www.andyreiner.com/
Loring-Greenough House, 12 South Street, Jamaica Plain
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00pm

Kimberly Fraser, Brian Conway & Mark Simos
http://www.kimberleyfraser.com, http://www.brianconway.com, http://www.devachan.com
Unity, 6 William Street, Somerville
Friday, February 17, 2012
Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00pm

Katie McNally & Eric McDonald
http://www.katieandericmusic.com/
Loring-Greenough House, 12 South Street, Jamaica Plain
March 2, 2012
Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00pm

See the website for artist biographies and full details.

3. FESTIVAL RECOMMENDATION.

Like notloB Folk Concerts, the Boston Bluegrass Union-produced Joe Val Bluegrass Festival is volunteer run. This year is the festival’s 27^th!

February 17-19, 2012
Sheraton Framingham
Framingham, MA
Artists:
Blue Highway (Sun)
Michael Cleveland and FlameKeeper (Sat)
The Whites (Sat)
Special Consensus (Sat)
Sierra Hull and Highway 111 (Fri)
Steep Canyon Rangers (Fri)
The Claire Lynch Band (Sat)
The Spinney Brothers (Fri)
Bill Keith and Jim Rooney Reunion
Berklee Bluegrass All-Stars (Fri)
Joe Sings Joe (Fri)
Flatt Lonesome (Sun)
Bluegrass Gospel Project (Sun)
Amy Gallatin and Stillwaters (Sat)
The Reunion Band (Sat)
Della Mae (Sun)
Evergreen (Sat)

For more information go to its website, http://www.bbu.org/jvhome.htm

We hope to see you there!

4. DINNER AND A SHOW. Somerville concert patrons can save 10% when dining at the House of Tibet Kitchen, 235 Holland Street, 617-629-7567 (in nearby Teele Square). Simply make a concert reservation, print and bring your confirmation email and show it to restaurant staff. Please tip at the pre-discount rate. Before being seated please identify yourself to the staff as attending the “notloB concert”.

5. VOLUNTEERING.

At the Loring Greenough House ~ publicity, hospitality and set-up/take-down.

At Unity ~ admission table, merchandise, hospitality & lighting.

At all venues ~ publicity & flyer/handbill duplication and distribution.

If you are interested, please read the volunteer policy and apply via email to notloBreservations@gmail.com

6. TURN YOUR RADIO ON!

notloB’s Jeff Boudreau co-hosts and produces “In the Tradition”, every otherTuesday, 7-9pm, WCUW-fm, broadcasting at 91.3fm and streaming at http://www.wcuw.org.

Facebook fan page - http://www.facebook.com/InTheTradition

Upcoming radio guest schedule:
February 7 ~ Joe Val Bluegrass Festival Special w/ phone guests Claire Lynch, Darol Anger and Amy Gallatin.

February 21 ~ Bleeding Hearts, with in-studio guest Marylou Ferrante

7. Housekeeping. notloB Folk Concerts’ past artists include the Spider John Koerner, the Sacred Shakers, The Folk Brothers (David Massengill and the late Jack Hardy), Peggy Seeger, Geoff Bartley, Mary McCaslin, Bob Franke, The Rowan Brothers, The Ungar Family Band, Aoife O’Donovan, Kristin Andraessen, Mike and Ruthy Ungar Merenda, Sometymes Why, Pat Wictor, Jud Caswell, Dennis Brennan and many others. Concerts in your own home, as was done for the Bowman and Matt Brown, can be arranged.

Reservations / information. Sending a reservation request is appreciated. It also helps as we can contact you when the occasional concert must be canceled due to severe weather. Please send an email to notlobreservations at gmail dot com at least 24 hours prior to the concert. Information about the concert series, the venues and the artists can be found at the website.

Keeping in touch. There are several ways to stay informed of scheduled events:

Website ~ http://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic
Mail list ~ http://groups.google.com/group/notlobmusic
Blog ~ http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com
Facebook ~ notloB Folk Concerts ~ http://www.facebook.com/notloBFolkConcerts
Email questions to notlobreservations at gmail dot com

Volunteering / Street team. This is a 100% volunteer-run effort. Concerts would not be possible without volunteer assistance. All interested in helping can read the Volunteer Policy. “Guerilla” publicity builds community by spreading the word to family, friends and neighbors. Posting flyers in your neighborhood music shops, book stores, coffee shops and workplace is appreciated. If interested, please send an email to notlobreservations@gmail.com

Admission is by suggested minimum donation. A suggested minimum donation (varies by concert), often with discount to those making reservations and sometimes to students and seniors, is requested. Your donations cover venue rental, sound system rental, sound engineer, publicity and other production expenses. 100% of the balance goes to the artists (many of whom travel many miles). Sometimes there are shortfalls, so extra donations are gladly accepted. If you cannot afford the suggested donation amount, consider volunteering!

Photography, video recording, & sound recording. No still, video or sound recording is permitted without permission of the artist and the house. If you would like to share photos of past concerts, email the pictures and/or web link to notlobreservations@gmail.com

Thank you for supporting live acoustic music!

notloB Folk Concerts

Website, Facebook. Mail list

notloB Parlour Concerts presents Julie Metcalf and Andy Reiner, 2/4

2012-01-30T12:55:00.000-05:00

notloB Folk / Parlour Concerts

presents.....

Julie Metcalf and Andy Reiner

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00

Loring-Greenough House

12 South Street

Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Julie Metcalf

Andy Reiner

Suggested donation $10.

Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00

Reservations - notlobreservations at gmail dot com

More Chopped Liver or Alleluia, The Great Storm Is Not Over!

2012-01-23T11:23:00.006-05:00

Since 2007 or 2008 I have been having a running battle with "public" radio WUMB about its concert event policy that censors artist names, a policy some in the artist, producer and and patron communities have dubbed to be "insane" . It is my own contention that WUMB management has an agenda of supporting and promoting only artists it deems worthy of the "WUMB music mix", going out of its way to censor the names of artists sharing local concert bills. Whose interest does this serve? The ironic part about this policy is many artists it has censored have gone on to be WUMB favorites.

Since 2008 I have been asking for a) justification of the policy and b) replacement of its dual ("music" and "community") calendar system with just one. No response has been offered and the labor-intensive dual calendar system remains in effect.

All the background one needs to know can be found in the following two blog articles:

notloB Music: Chopped Liver Dec 29, 2008 WUMB has an insane policy that serves absolutely nobody in the music community. When an artist or venue or producer submits a calendar listing and... 1. ...if the artist or artists are on their play list, the event is posted to its ...http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com/

notloB Music: Alleluia, The Great Storm Is Over! Mar 04, 2009 Former folk radio station (now AAA format playing "WUMB music mix") has partially rescinded its insane calendar artist exclusion policy. First reported yesterday in NEFolknRoots, this has been at least 21 months in coming.http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com/

WUMB's policy has evolved over time.

As of December 29, 2008:

WUMB Music Calendar
Below, are listings for musicians performing in the greater Boston area, who you can hear on WUMB during our Monday through Friday, 6am-7pm music shows. A link to each venue is included to confirm show times, for additional artists, or for more information.
Note that this calendar does not contain listings for artists heard only during our Weekend shows, or on our nationally syndicated programs. You can find those and more listings here on our Community Calendar, which also includes listings for local arts and cultural events.

As it appears today:

WUMB ON-AIR MUSIC CALENDAR
Below, are listings for musicians, arts and cultural events in the greater Boston area, A link to each venue is included to confirm show times, for additional artists, or for more information.
You can find those and more listings here
You can also find out more about many of the coffeeshouses in the greater Boston area through the Boston Area Coffeehouse Association.
To submit your listings, use the "Calendar Submissions" link under the Calendar + Events menu above.

Note "you can hear on WUMB during our Monday through Friday, 6am-7pm music shows", which infers the listings are all-inclusive as submitted by the artists and producers, has cleverly and conveniently been dropped, with "A link to each venue is included to confirm show times, for additional artists, or for more information" added. Clear the smoke and one can see the defacto censorship practice continues.

A case in point. On February 17 notloB Folk Concerts is presenting Kimberley Fraser, Brian Conway and Mark Simos at Unity Somerville; the next day the trio appears in Rhode Island. On or about November 18 notloB submitted the concert listing via the WUMB events portal but was edited to "Mark Simos" (Mark is approved for Monday through Friday airplay, Kimberly and Brian apparently are not). As the result of a couple of email exchanges with WUMB management, and with the involvement of one or more of the artists, the listing was edited to its current form (see below). At about the same time or soon after, the Blackstone River Theater submitted its event as "Kimberley Fraser and Brian Conway with Mark Simos"; WUMB censored it to "Mark Simos", as it appears today (see screen captures below).

So has the WUMB events calendar policy been changed as conveyed by Jay Moburg on March 9, 2009: "They just changed the policy last week to include any artist we've ever played into the on air section of the concert listings..."? Is the currently stated policy "Below, are listings for musicians, arts and cultural events in the greater Boston area" misleading?

This "community service of UMass Boston" continues to give the music community lip service while keeping its censorship policy intact. Its censorship policy serves nobody in the arts community and must be ended.

=========

Copied this morning from http://www.wumb.org/calendar/musiccalendar.php

WUMB ON-AIR MUSIC CALENDAR

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Kimberly Fraser, Brian Conway & Mark SimosUnity SomervilleSomerville, MA8:00 pm
000-000-0000
Venue Web Site

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Mark SimosBlackstone River TheatreCumberland, RI8:00 pm
401-725-9272
Venue Web Site

================================

notloB Folk Concert's listing. Source

Kimberly Fraser, Brian Conway & Mark Simos

Friday, February 17, 2012

Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00

Unity

6 William Street

Davis Square

Somerville

Kimberly Fraser

http://www.kimberleyfraser.com/

Brian Conway

http://www.brianconway.com/

Brian remains faithful to the rich tradition handed down to him. The distinctness of his tone, the lift of his playing, and the deft ornamentation he brings to the tunes have placed him among the finest Irish fiddlers of any style, Sligo or otherwise. He has performed all over North America from San Francisco to New York and places in between such as Chicago, Milwaukee and Colorado. His talents have also been enthusiastically received throughout Ireland and the rest of Europe. His current CD, First through the Gate, exemplifies the versatility that characterizes his concert performances and festival appearances. He is also a noted instructor who has mentored many fine fiddle players, including several who have gone on to win All-Ireland championships.

Mark Simos

http://www.devachan.com/

The musical imagination of Mark Simos weaves a lifetime love of many traditions into innovative musical forms. As songwriter and composer, fiddler, ‘tunesmith,’ and guitar and piano accompanist, Mark draws on long apprenticeship in a wide variety of genres—Irish, Southern old-time, New England, Quebeçois, bluegrass, and Klezmer among others—creating a musical language grounded in traditional forms, yet uniquely his own.

Suggested donation $15/12 advance reservation $10 students.

Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00Reservations - notlobreservations at gmail dot com

More info - https://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic/Join the mailing list - http://groups.google.com/group/notlobmusic

The Blackstone River Theater's concert listing. Source

Saturday, February 18, 8 PM, $15.00
KIMBERLEY FRASER and BRIAN CONWAY with MARK SIMOS

Kimberley Fraser was born on Cape Breton Island and nurtured within its rich musical heritage. She first began to impress audiences at the age of three with her step-dancing talents. Soon after that she took up both the fiddle and the piano. Like many in Cape Breton, music is not new to Kimberley's family... she proudly owns the fiddle of her great great grandfather, spanning the musical tradition within her family over a hundred years. Though still in her early twenties, Kimberley's career is already a distinguished one having played with Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie MacMaster, Alasdair Fraser, Lunasa and Martin Hayes. A master at the trio of fiddling, step dancing and piano, Kimberley is a much sought after teacher for all three and has been a long-time instructor at the renowned Gaelic College in Cape Breton. Fraser is continuing her music education by attending the acclaimed Berklee College of Music in Boston. Her CD "Falling on New Ground" won the 2008 East Coast Music Award for best "Roots/Tradtional Album of the Year." New York-born fiddler Brian Conway is a leading exponent of the highly ornamented Sligo fiddling style made famous by the late Michael Coleman. The winner of two All-Ireland junior titles in 1973-1974 and the All-Ireland senior championship of 1986, Brian learned from legendary fiddler Martin Wynne and later befriended the great Andy McGann, a direct student of Michael Coleman, who further shaped his precision and skill on the instrument. He released his debut solo CD, "First through the Gate," on the Smithsonian-Folkways label in 2002. This CD was voted the prestigious Album of the Year by the Irish Echo. Brian remains faithful to the rich tradition handed down to him. The distinctness of his tone, the lift of his playing, and the deft ornamentation he brings to the tunes have placed him among the finest Irish fiddlers of any style, Sligo or otherwise. The musical imagination of guitarist Mark Simos weaves a lifetime love of many traditions into innovative musical forms. As songwriter and composer, fiddler, and accompanist, Mark draws on a wide variety of genres-Irish, Southern old-time, New England, Quebeçois, bluegrass, and Klezmer among others-creating a musical language grounded in traditional forms, yet uniquely his own. Don't miss an amazing evening with two of the top fiddle players performing today!

Stop SOPA!

2012-01-18T10:21:00.000-05:00

View a gallery of protest action taken by some of the web's highest profile websites

Were You in Boston in 1919?

2012-01-15T12:29:00.001-05:00

From Steve Suffet

Old Fashioned Folksinger

http://www.stevesuffet.com/

Greetings:

Today is the 93rd anniversary of the Great Molasses Flood. On January 15, 1919, a huge storage tank belonging to US Industrial Alcohol Company burst, sending 8.7 million liters of molasses crashing through the North End of Boston. The flood, which reached 12 meters in height, killed 21 people and injured 150. Some claimed that anarchists blew up the tank; others said Germans or Russians were to blame. It was none of the above. The disaster happened because the tank had been poorly maintained, rarely inspected, and in this instance overfilled. Corporate greed is not a new phenomenon.

Were You in Boston in 1919? is a song I wrote about the Great Molasses Flood. You are welcome to follow this link to listen to it online and/or to download it for free:

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=6820126

That's me on the lead vocals and guitar, Laura Munzer on the back-up vocals, and Gina Tlamsa on the fiddle. The front page below is from The Boston Post of the following day.

Go for it!

--- Steve

Read wiki's description of the "Boston Molasses Disaster" here .

Hanna Read's Pledge Project for her debut solo CD, "Wrapped in Lace"

2012-01-14T11:42:00.002-05:00

notloB not only supports rising musicians by presenting them in live performance, we also support them when they go into the recording studio to produce their first (and subsequent) CD('s). This occasion is no exception.

Hannah first performed for notloB when as a Berklee undergrad on April 11, 2009, she was a founding member of the Folk Arts Quartet.

If you are not already familiar with Hannah, you soon will be.

My Debut Album

January 2012

Dear all,

Having grown up in Scotland and lived in Paris, Boston and now currently residing in New York City – I have managed to gather many many stories and experiences to form a little group of original songs, which I am binding together to form my debut album!

In late November last year, my band, alongside some very special guests, took to a central Manhattan studio to record a collection of my new songs. I am absolutely thrilled to have completed this initial step of the recording process, however for my album to be taken to the next step of mixing, production, printing and distribution, I need YOUR help!

Today is the first day of a 30 day campaign and I am working with PledgeMusic in order to raise funds for my record. PledgeMusic allows musicians like myself to connect with friends around the Globe, creating a cooperative, whereby we can work together to make projects like my album, come to life! In exchange for a donation, we offer a variety of gifts such as signed CDs, new t-shirts, fiddle lessons and even house concerts (read the full list on myPledgeMusic page). All proceeds raised go directly towards funding the remaining production processes. Also, all funds raised after the campaign goal is met will be donated to the UK based charity, Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Any contribution made is much appreciated, be it a pledge or even mentioning this project to a friend. This record can only be made possible because of you and I promise to give my very best work in return. I can't wait to share this music with you!

Love,

Hannah

Click here to go to Hannah's PledgeMusic Page

The wonderfully talented group of people involved are:
Hannah Read (vocals & fiddle)

Christian Li (all keys)
Kenji Herbert (electric guitar)
Gabriel Smith (drums & percussion)
Mike Bono (acoustic guitar)
Jared Henderson (double bass)
Charlie Van Kirk (producer)
and some other very special guests.

View Hannah's Pledge video!!

notloB Folk Concerts wishes you and yours Seasons' Greetings and a Happy New Year.

2011-12-25T15:32:00.001-05:00

notloB Folk Concerts wishes you and yours Seasons' Greetings and a Happy New Year.

Our live music series is possible through the support of you, the patrons and our volunteers. We are especially grateful to our 2011artists...

February 5 ~ Stash Wyslouch & Andy Reiner
March 4 ~ Chasing Blue & Joe's Truck Stop
March 19 ~ John Roberts & Debra Cowan
April 8 ~ The Bee Eaters
May 7 ~ Tornado Rider
May 13 ~ Bread and Bones
September 1 ~ Jim Hurst
September 23 ~ Kyle Carey
October 20 ~ Flynn Cohen & the Deadstring Ensemble, featuring John McGann, Matt Heaton, and Danny Noveck

...and look ahead to 2012, our fifth year!

January 14 ~ Jenni Lyn Gardner and Friends
January 21 ~ Susie Burke & David Surette
February 4 ~ Julie Metcalf & Andy Reiner
February 17 ~ Kimberly Fraser, Brian Conway & Mark Simos
March 2 ~ Eric McDonald & Katie McNally

notloB Folk Concerts
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Star In the East by Debra Cowan

2011-12-24T14:40:00.000-05:00

Debra Cowan has sent this along as a holiday gift. Debra is a notloB alumna, having performed with John Roberts 3/19/11.

"For the Christmas Holiday. From the upcoming new release, "Among Friends". Recorded at Bacca Pipes Folk Club, Keighley, W. Yorks. Nov. 2006 "

<p>&amp;lt;a href="http://music.debracowan.com/track/star-in-the-east-2"&amp;gt;Star In the East by Debra Cowan&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;</p>

Pirate Santa Went and Joined the Pirates for the Good of the World!

2011-12-24T14:28:00.000-05:00

From my friend, fellow traveler and notloB alumi David Rovics. Enjoy!

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Basin & Range

2011-12-19T17:41:00.001-05:00

Berklee World Strings directed by Eugene Friesen. "Basin & Range" composed by and featuring fiddler Darol Anger. First Church Boston, December 5, 2011.

The notloB connection? Through Rushad Eggleston. Darol has been a surprise guest (Tornado Rider, 9/18/10) and Eugene was Rushad's principal mentor at Berklee.

notloB Artists Anchor Christmas Celtic Sojourn

2011-12-17T23:38:00.000-05:00

Sunday at the Cutler Majestic Theater will be your last opportunity to see this year's production of a Christmas Celtic Sojourn. It is especially heartening because it is is anchored by notloB alumni Hanneke Cassel, Laura Cortese, Lissa Schneckenburger, Simon Chrisman and Flynn Cohen.

Youth Dancers

Simon Chrisman, Laura Cortese, Lissa Schneckenberger, Hanneke Cassel and Flynn Cohen behind.

See Bronwyn Bird in the Christmas Revels

2011-12-16T13:35:00.000-05:00

notloB 2x alumna Bronwyn Bird (Blue Moose and the Unbutton Zippers) is appearing in the Christmas Revels at Sanders Theater, 12/16-29.

In the Tradition 12/13 ~ BCMFest

2011-12-13T14:13:00.001-05:00

I have been creating Facebook events for my Tuesday evening radio program, expanding starting today to the notloB Music blog to share more widely. My turn at doing the program is broadcast every other Tuesday, 7-9pm eastern. WCUW is a community radio station located in Worcester, Massachusetts, broadcasting at 91.3fm and streaming at www.wcuw.org.

Photo courtesy of the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club

During the first hour, Sean Smith, a BCMFest director, will be calling about 7:15 to talk about the indoor Celtic festival held each January in Cambridge. Music by many of its performing artists will be played before and after the interview.

Sean Smith, a BCMFest director, will be calling about 7:15 to talk about the indoor Celtic festival held each January in Cambridge. Stuart Peak of the band NØÍR will call about 7:30; Eric Eid-Reiner (The Reiner Brothers) about 7:45; Bob Jennings (FOVS) about 8:00.

Partial list of artists whose music will be featured:
Flynn Cohen
Sean Smith
FOVS
NØÍR
The Whiskey Boys
Bob Bradshwaw
The Stoneybatter Band
Jane Gilmartin
Ken Perlman & Jim Pendergrast
Adrienne Howard & Emily Peterson
The Reiner Brothers
Fellswater
Triple Spiral
Kyle Carey
The real-time playlist can be viewed at http://www.spinitron.com/radio/playlist.php?station=wcuw

BCMFest
http://bcmfest.com/
"Boston's Celtic Music Fest (BCMFest) will celebrate its ninth anniversary on January 6 and 7, 2012, and continues looking forward to a bright future of exciting possibilities and opportunities. Besides sponsoring a festival that features more than 100 performers of great variety, BCMFest organizes a monthly collaboration with Club Passim, "Celtic Music Mondays," spotlighting Boston area Celtic musicians and singers; BCMFest also holds special events such as a Celtic Music Cruise and the Boston Urban Ceilidh. Above all, BCMFest continues to uphold its mission: making music our first priority."

BCMFest Mission:
To produce locally-based Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton music and dance in an upbeat and all-ages friendly environment.
To bolster appreciation for traditional Celtic music and dance among youth and the greater Boston community.
To support a living, changing tradition by encouraging cross-genre collaboration and innovation among dancers and musicians of all generations.
To produce a variety of collaborative projects and performances for, in and of the greater Boston community.

BCMFest 2011 Artists:
Andy and Eric Reiner
Triple Spiral
Hanneke Cassel
Fellswater
Kyle Carey
Bob Bradshaw
Adrienne Howard and Emily Peterson
Katie McNally and Eric McDonald
NØÍR
Lynn Noel, Lynn Feingold, Anabel Graetz and Deborah Goss
Corvus
Ken Perlman and Jim Prendergast
Hannah Sanders and Liz Simmons
Amanda Cavanaugh and Nic Gareiss
Neil Pearlman's Scottish Infusion
Dylan Courville and Wells Burrell with Bob Jennings
Chasing Redbird
The Whiskey Boys
Flynn Cohen and The Deadstring Ensemble
The Stoneybatter Band
Royal Scottish Country Dance Society of Boston
Kyte MacKillop

BCMFEST ARTISTS:Send your CD to WCUW for inclusion in this program and future play on the several other WCUW folk and Celtic programs. Mail to WCUW, (music genre), 910 Main Street, Worcester MA 01610.

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Playlists from the Tuesday edition of "In the Tradition" can be viewed during the show athttp://www.spinitron.com/radio/playlist.php?station=wcuw and are submitted soon after the show's end to the Folk DJ list -http://lists.psu.edu/archives/folkdj-l.html

Read descriptions of other WCUW program specials at http://www.wcuw.org/modules/news/

Listen to WCUW at 91.3fm or streaming at wcuw.org or live365 app for your mobile device.

Geoff Bartley's Monday Night Open Mic at the Cantab Celebrates 20 Years

2011-12-11T16:34:00.007-05:00

Geoff Bartley may or may not be a national treasure, yet, but he has been instrumental to the careers of many "FOLKSINGERS, singer-songwriters, finger-style guitar players, flatpickers, bluesmen, blueswomen, traveling minstrels, balladeers, acoustic rockers, touring and recording artists, traditional and contemporary solos, duos and trios, a cappella singers, musicians and instrumentalists of all styles!" over the years. On Monday, December 12 Geoff Bartley's Monday Night Open Mic at the Cantab will enter into its third decade, celebrating (with cake, I hear) 20 years!!! Congratulations, Geoff!

Don't believe me, read the words of Tom Paxton and Brad Paul:

"So you've been looking for real. You like it with the bark still on it, doncha? Look no further: Geoff Bartley's Put the Big Stone Down is right in the middle of the tradition (and) classy all the way. I love it."
~ Tom Paxton (January 26, 2010)
“Geoff is an amazing player, he writes wonderful songs that speak to the heart and if that weren’t enough, he is a great person who really cares about folk and roots music and the people who make it.”
Brad Paul – Former Producer/Host "Folk on WGBH"

...and specific to the 20th anniversary:

"Wow! Congratulations. The same job for 20 years, some 500 shows, around 2,000 opening songs. Heroic!"
~David Fishken

....all this reminds me I need to settle with the Republic of Cambridge for a parking ticket I got the night I brought David Massengill to the Cantab as the Monday night featured artist and the back lot had just been converted from parking meters to a computerized zone system. As Bob Dylan had warned, "don't follow leaders, watch your parking meters." How true.

If you want to see what makes Geoff the real deal, get to the CanTab about 4pm. That's the time Geoff arrives to load in and set up his personal sound equipment used for not only the Monday night open mic, but also the Tuesday night pickin' party, now in its 18th(?) year. But don't get in his way, he has his methods, carefully refined over 20 years.

And remember, watch the parking meters!

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This is the notloB Music Blog, I would be remiss to remind the reader that Geoff has graced notloB stages not once, not twice but thrice:
August 18, 2007 Loring-Greenough House (Eliza Blue opened)
November 15, 2008 Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church (co-feature with Mary McCaslin)
March 10, 2010 Jackson Homestead (solo Feature)

Maybe it's time to ask for another performance before his booking calendar is filled by venues just catching on to this national secret (and his fees go up), a wonderful artist and man.

"Woody Sez" at A.R.T., May 5, 2012 - May 26, 2012

2011-12-06T18:43:00.000-05:00

"Woody Sez" at American Repertory Theater, May 5, 2012 - May 26, 2012

"A high-spirited celebration...stirringly captures the rebellious spirit of Guthrie's times, and of our own."
— The Guardian

Woody Guthrie is a musical hero of legendary proportion who transformed folk music into a vehicle for social protest and evoked the restless spirit of the Dust Bowl generation. Woody Sez brings the giant to life in a joyous, toe-tapping, and heartfelt theatrical portrait that uses Woody's words and songs to transport the audience through his fascinating, beautiful, and sometimes tragic life. Featuring many classic Woody tunes including "This Land is Your Land" and "Bound for Glory," Woody Sez captures the heart and spirit of Woody Guthrie and the stories of America.

Creative Team
words and music by Woody Guthrie
devised by David M. Lutken with Nick Corley