Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 8:00pm

Ari Hest & Chrissi Poland

The partnered charity for this concert is God's Love We Deliver

Ari Hest

Ari is a Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter who began his career as an independent artist in 2001. He built a loyal following touring the college circuit extensively between 2000 and 2003, after which he released two albums on Columbia Records, Someone To Tell (2004) and The Break-In (2007) all the while touring both in the U.S. and abroad with artists such as Martin Sexton, Suzanne Vega, and Ani Difranco.

In 2008, Ari wrote, recorded and released a new song every Monday in his 52 project, and released Twelve Mondays in 2009, a collection of re-mixed fan favorites from 52. From 2010-2016, Ari continued to tour relentlessly and released four other LP's: Sunset Over Hope Street(2011), The Fire Plays(2012), Shouts And Whispers(2015), and the Grammy- nominated Silver Skies Blue(2017), a duets album with Judy Collins.

Many of Ari's songs have appeared on TV and film - The Path, The Lincoln Lawyer, Private Practice, Army Wives, and One Tree Hill to name a few.
To mark 20 years of making music, Ari released a retrospective album entitled I Remember When in December of 2021.

Chrissi Poland

When Grammy-award winning producer Nile Rodgers called Chrissi Poland on the phone to personally request her in the studio that same day for a recording session, the Massachusetts native was "ready for that fire", she recalls.

Singer, songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist, Poland weaves together the sounds of soul, blues, jazz and pop to create a uniqueness that has elevated her as an artist and linked her with some of the best in the business. A vocalist with such a diverse stylistic range, Chrissi has drawn comparisons from Aretha Franklin to Adele, Joni Mitchell to Prince A touring member of Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame legend Sam Moore's band (Same & Dave) from 2008-2012, Poland also appeared with Bette Midler as an official "Harlette" for Bette's 2014 album release promo tour of "It's The Girls", again exhibiting her vast diversity as a performer. Poland's original songs have appeared on the HBO, NBC, Bravo networks, as well as Netflix. Her song "Possible" has been featured in a Bare Minerals TV campaign in the UK and in Season 2 of Bravo's "Girlfriend's Guide To Divorce". She has toured with and opened for a wide range of artists, including the Grammy-winning Blood, Sweat & Tears, Marc Cohn, and Suzanne Vega. Currently splits her time between touring with Grammy- winning soul singer Michael Bolton as his duet partner and writing/recording/producing from her home studio. With four solo albums, three EP's and a slew of singles released, Poland will be releasing singles and EP's throughout 2021.

In a recent review, John Barry of The Poughkeepsie Journal writes: "She crafts original tunes that harness soul; rhythm and blues; and rock. And she wraps it all up in reflective lyrics that give the music thrust and momentum, without sacrificing any tenderness."

In a recent review, John Barry of The Poughkeepsie Journal writes: "She crafts original tunes that harness soul; rhythm and blues; and rock. And she wraps it all up in reflective lyrics that give the music thrust and momentum, without sacrificing any tenderness."

arihest.com

chrissipoland.com

Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 8:00pm

Lipbone Redding with Loretta Hagen

The partnered charity for this concert is Teaneck Food Panty

Lipbone Redding

Lawrence "Lipbone" Redding is a one-man orchestra who turns story into song. He has humble roots in North Carolina, and after several years in New York City, he began busking in the Manhattan subways and parks. He used these very public places to work on his original material.

Uncompromisingly true to his own voice, Lipbone tells his life-story through his unique music, vocals, guitar and...other stuff. Lipbone has a style that adheres to no style at all. Musical, upbeat and imaginative, sometimes soft and soulful, his story is peppered with vocal trombones and throat-singing birds, fantastic animals and a host of poignant characters.

Lipbone engages the audience as if they are additional band members, and invites them to employ their voices, claps and dance moves for the greater good.
When not on the road making music and friends, Lipbone is artist-in-residence at Oak Grove Retreat in Tarboro, North Carolina.

Check out what fans have to say about Lipbone Redding...

"Folksy, classy, natural entertainer and immaculate songsmith. A voice to love." -- Mitch Bowen

"The Lipbone Show is performance art! Prepare to be fully entertained!" -- Alice Zincone

"Rejuvenating, empowering and heart-warming" -- Pamela Eaton

Loretta Hagen

Reviewers describe award-winning singer-songwriter, Loretta Hagen, as 'heart driven, soul-filling, Folk Americana.' April 1, 2021, Loretta released her new single "Not Now", in advance of her upcoming album.

With 4 critically acclaimed CDS to her credit, Lucky Stars (2017), Mud and Stone (2012), Sundown Till Dawn (2008), and Something More (2002), Loretta's rich alto voice and strong songwriting skills have led her to win many awards, including a JAM Awards' (Jersey Acoustic Music Awards) "Top Female Songwriter of the Year," JAM nomination for "Album of the Year," 4-time nominee Just Plain Folks Music Awards, 2018 PureM Magazine winner for Best Song and nominee for Best Album, winner of the NJ Folk Festival Songwriter Competition and 2-time designation as a CT Folk Festival finalist.

Here's what music insiders are saying about Loretta Hagen..

Loretta Hagen writes songs that sound like they can come from the Heartland, but they also really come from the heart." - John Platt, WFUV 90.7 FM

Loretta's honeyed voice and uplifting melodies help us find a way through."
Joltin Joe Pszonek - Radio Nowhere
"Loretta's manner and voice are imbued with such quiet, unassuming grace that you don't realize at first that she has completely stolen your heart!" - Laura Ford, Heights House Concerts

lipbone.com

lorettahagen.com

Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 8:00pm

Alice Howe & Freebo

The partnered charity for this concert is Southern Poverty Law Center

alicehowe.com

Alice Howe, Best Female Artist at the 2023 International Acoustic Music Awards, teams up with legendary rock bassist Freebo with unique chemistry.
To hear Alice Howe sing is to be enraptured by the natural, unaffected beauty of her voice, "a marvelous instrument, strong and effortlessly musical, yet also capable of the sort of nuance that adds layers of meaning" (The Patriot Ledger). The Los Angeles-based, Boston-bred singer-songwriter-guitarist was named Best Female Artist at the 2023 International Acoustic Music Awards. Her second and latest album, Circumstance was produced by her creative partner Freebo, the legendary rock bassist best known for his decade of touring and recording with Bonnie Raitt and recorded at iconic FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. On the album, Alice displays her vocal prowess and introspective writing in abundance, mining both her heart and her musical tastes for a deep, personal journey across an Americana soundscape dotted with blues, folk, country, soul and rock.

Freebo is the Folk-Rock-Blues icon who first came to national prominence as Bonnie Raitt's bass player for 10 years beginning in 1971. For over 30 years, he played bass on classic recordings and toured with some of the great artists of our time including John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, CSN, Maria Muldaur, Ringo Starr, Michelle Shocked, Neil Young, Loudon Wainwright III, Dr. John, and many others. He has also appeared on Saturday Night Live, Midnight Special, Muppets Tonight, and in concert with the legendary Spinal Tap. It was his yearning for more creative expression, however, that drove Freebo to begin a process of deep inner discovery, and this has led to his successful transition as a singer/songwriter. Freebo's music and message touches your heart with songs of life, love, the human condition, and even dogs!

Friday, December 8, 2023 at 8:00pm

Joe Jencks with Carol Crittenden

Joe Jencks

Joe Jencks is an international touring musician, award-winning songwriter, and celebrated vocalist known for his performances of musical beauty, social consciousness and spiritual exploration. A 25-year veteran of the international Folk circuit, Jencks has released 15 CDs in that time. Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing, Joe delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove and grit. Blending well-crafted instrumentals and vivid songwriting, Jencks serves it all up with a lyric baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel.

Joe's most recent solo CD - The Coming of the Years - released August 1 2022 - is an album centered around songs Joe Jencks wrote while on tour in Ireland over a 12-year period. This album emerges as a synergistic blend of Jencks' Irish and Celtic heritage with themes of immigration spanning multiple generations. As a dual U.S./Irish citizen, Jencks has been swimming in these waters musically and personally for decades. The Coming of the Years is a deep musical exploration of identity and place, carried forward by beautiful melodies, expressive vocals and rich lyric narrative.

"The key to the future is people joining in. The music of Joe Jencks captures this essential spirit. Joe is a fantastic singer who carries on the traditions."
-- Pete Seeger

"If one can master a craft after investing 10,000 hours, Joe Jencks' hours are showing! I am literally stunned by this new album. Poets, Philosopher, Workers & Wanders tells our stories, his story, and the untold stories, as an American folk master can - with heart and unfettered perfection. Add this one to the folk canon! "
-- MarySue Twohy, SIRIUS XM Radio - The Village / The Bridge

"In these times, we need the singers who will do the homework and tell the stories! Joe Jencks is among the fine next generation singers who are ready to carry on the tradition as well as look into the future"
-- Holly Near

"Poets, Philosophers, Workers & Wanderers -is absolutely Joe Jencks' finest effort thus far. Jencks' captivating tenor voice, lofted by flawless production, demonstrates music of conscience and provides a feast for the ear as well as nourishment for the soul."
-- Rich Warren, The Midnight Special - WFMT, Chicago, IL

Carol Crittenden

Singer-Songwriter, Carol Crittenden, has been known to "light up the stage" with her sweet soaring vocals and thoughtful, melodic tunes. She weaves her personal experience and perspective into her work, whether in her emotionally intimate or acclaimed social-justice-minded songs. She was selected to perform at the highly regarded NERFA Folk DJ Showcase in 2019 and received accolades for her song, "RISE." She was recently honored to perform at WFUV 90.7FM NYC DJ John Platt's "On Your Radar" at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC.

She has recorded and toured the country as lead singer of Four Celtic Voices, with a #1 CD on the Billboard World Music Chart. Her voice can also be heard on national/regional commercials. An actress as well, she has toured in productions of Dracula and Hamlet with the New Vic Theatre of London and has been seen on stage with various NYC and LA theatre companies.

Some words from people in the know:

"Anthemic" - Greg Torrington, Stingray Music

"A delight! Upbeat songs with a gorgeous voice, sure, but her serious message songs (like the new single "RISE") show her passion for important causes too!" - Joltin Joe Pszonek, bluesandrootsradio.com

"What an amazing songwriter with a voice that melts your heart. She should be on your radar." - Ron Olesko, WFDU-FM's Traditions, Folk Music Notebook

"Awesome, angelic, and worth seeing and hearing!!!" - Jon Stein, Hootenanny Cafe, WTBQ-FM (NY/NJ)

joejencks.com

carolcrittenden.com

Thursday, October 20, 2022 at 7:30pm

Ethical Brew presents: Scott Cook

Please click "Donation" for Tickets

In 2007, Albertan songwriter Scott Cook quit his job teaching kindergarten in Taiwan and moved into a minivan. He's made his living as a troubadour ever since, touring almost incessantly across Canada, the US, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere, averaging 150 shows and a dozen summer festivals a year, and releasing seven albums of plainspoken, keenly observant verse along the way. His latest collection Tangle of Souls comes packaged in a cloth-bound, 240-page hardcover book of road stories and ruminations, equal parts introspection and insurrection. The album spent two weeks at #1 on Alberta's province-wide community radio network CKUA, and earned Scott his third Canadian Folk Music Award nomination, for English Songwriter of the Year. Its second single "Say Can You See" was the second most-played song of 2020 on Folk Alliance International's folk radio charts, and took top honours for the folk category in both the 2020 UK Songwriting Competition and the 2020 Great American Song Contest. In 2022 he's touring the album all over North America, believing more than ever that songs can change your life, and your life can change the world.

scottcook.net

"As good a modern folkie as we have these days. A voice perfect for the genre. An understanding beyond the norm."
-No Depression

"Damn, this is a gorgeous album. Scott Cook's voice - vocally and lyrically - is as clear-eyed, optimistic, and straightforward as ever... Tangle of Souls is the medicine we could all use right now." -Rachel Cholst, Adobe and Teardrops

"He sings his heart and soul, and in doing so lets light flood into your own... Truly one of Woody Guthrie's children."
-RnR Magazine

Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 7:30pm

"JOAN & JONI"

Allison Shapira and Kipyn Martin - last sale date 2/18

The partnered charity for this concert is The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County

joanandjoni.com

"That was one of the best tributes I can recall. It was totally respectful to the originals. Allison and Kipyn don't try to copy Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell; they play the songs in their own way. It was one of the most enjoyable shows of the year for me." Anne Saunders, Artistic Director, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

On Saturday, February 20th, Ethical Brew will be presenting, "JOAN & JONI," a special fundraising event with proceeds to benefit our very own Bergen Society.
Joan & Joni is a tribute to music icons Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell, performed by singer/songwriters Allison Shapira and Kipyn Martin. Allison and Kipyn are both classically trained musicians from the DC-area folk music scene. In Joan & Joni, Allison and Kipyn bring to the stage many of Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell's well-known originals and folk songs, as well as a few hidden gems. They also highlight the impact these legendary women have had on their own songwriting and performance.
The concert which will take place at 7:30pm, will be broadcast in high-quality sound via a Zoom livestream. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through the website ethicalbrew.org. Ticket purchasers will receive a link via email prior to the show.
Don't miss this opportunity to enjoy some of your favorite J&J tunes while supporting our Society and these two masterful musicians at the same time. Mark your calendar now!

Important: Tickets sales close 2/18 at 12 noon

Saturday, December 19, 2020 at 8:00pm

Alice Howe & Freebo

The partnered charity for this concert is Fair Fight

Ethical Brew invites you to join Alice and Freebo for this special holiday concert featuring a very merry selection of songs and lots of good cheer, plus an opportunity to help turn out the vote in Georgia on January 5th. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Fair Fight (fairfightinitiative.org), an organization founded by Stacey Abrams. But the fun doesn't stop there! There will be a special after-concert Zoom party where you can get to chat with Alice and Freebo included with a full-price ticket purchase of $25 or more. Tickets for his concert are on a sliding scale of $15 - $250 with perks see ticket link for full info.

Alice Howe

With her soulful, impeccably tuned voice and crafted poetry, singer and songwriter Alice Howe offers a modern love letter to 60s and 70s folk and timeless blues. Vistas and the faces and emotions they summon unfurl with compelling grace on Visions, Howe's anticipated debut album, released last May. Produced by former long-time Bonnie Raitt bassist Freebo with a stellar cast of musicians and recorded in Bakersfield, California, Visions features new originals alongside Alice's interpretations of iconic songs from her family's vast record collection. A young artist discovering her own power, Alice pays homage without succumbing to imitation. Early praise for Visions has streamed in from gatekeepers such as American Blues Scene and smitten local press alike. "Sometimes we're lucky enough to catch an up-and-coming artist as they fly into our radar," critic JD Nash writes. "This is one of those times."

While Visions marks a stunning full-length debut, Howe has been marked as one to watch for several years: She released an EP entitled You've Been Away So Long in 2017, which bowed on the FOLK-DJ chart with a no. 1 Most-Played Song, "Homeland Blues." In addition to being a NewSong Music Songwriting and Performance Competition Finalist in 2018, she spent fall of that year on a critically acclaimed tour of the UK and the Netherlands. Howe is also a veteran of the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance and FAR-West Folk Alliance conferences, where she has performed formal showcases. In 2019, she was selected as a Kerrville New Folk Finalist.

Here is was music insiders are saying...

"There's an uncomplicated beauty to Alice Howe's music, and on Visions' ten songs, the beauty rarely falters." - PopMatters

"Howe not only has a luminous alto voice full of warmth and delectable nuance, but she also writes smart and affecting lyrics flavored with wit and irreverence." - The Patriot Ledger

"Sometimes we're lucky enough to catch an up-and-coming artist as they fly into our radar. This is one of those times." - American Blues Scene

"I always wondered what it would have been like to be at Club 47 when Joan Baez first walked into perform. Now I know when Alice started singing in our studio tonight. She possesses one of the finest voices of any female singer-songwriter coupled with a warm and engaging stage presence."
- Rich Warren, host, WFMT Chicago's Midnight Special and Folkstage

"How can a singer-songwriter have a voice like a broken angel's bell and write songs that could be a week or a hundred years old all at once? Alice Howe, that's how."
- Vance Gilbert

"Classic emotive folk reminiscent of Kate Wolf, Alice Howe's earnest lyrics and heart-melting vocals might be the musical equivalent of lying in the dark beneath a clear sky of stars."
- Robby Hecht

Freebo

FREEBO is an award-winning singer/songwriter (2008 Posi Award for "Best Song"in The Most Uniting Category, The '07 Los Angeles Music Awards "Best Folk Artist", Winner '07 South Florida Songwriting Contest, finalist in 2009 The Great American Songwriting Contest), but he is probably best known as a Folk-Rock-Blues Icon. For 30 years, Freebo played bass on recordings and toured with some of the great artists of our time--people like Bonnie Raitt (10 years), John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, CSN, Maria Muldaur, Ringo Starr, Michelle Shocked, Neil Young, Loudon Wainwright III, Dr. John, and many others. He has alsoappeared on Saturday Night Live, Midnight Special, Muppets Tonight, and in concert with the legendary Spinal Tap. It was his yearning for more creative expression, however, that drove Freebo to begin a process of deep inner discovery, and this has led to his successful transition as a singer/songwriter.

From world renowned bassist (Bonnie Raitt 10 years, CSN, John Mayall, Maria Muldaur, Ringo Starr, Neil Young, Dr. John, Loudon Wainwright) to award winning singer/songwriter, Freebo's music touches your heart with songs of life, love, dogs, and the human condition. He is well regarded for his high level of musicality coupled with his thoughtful and powerful use of words in song lyrics as well as in prose and narrative. He has also appeared on the classic TV shows Saturday Night Live, Midnight Special, The Tonight Show, and in concert with the legendary Spinal Tap.

Here's what critics are saying about Freebo:

"Freebo is more than one of LA's best players, he's also a richly gifted and distinctive songwriter, as expressive in his writing as on a bass"
- Paul Zollo, Songwriters On Songwriting

"Freebo's intimate and go-down-easy personable vocals tie in light-hearted fare, social commentary and spiritual quest with love-sweet-love, and make it sound seamless."
- Janet Goodman, Music News Nashville

"Standing Ovation is an astounding song which encompasses a profound view of life, destined to become a classic."
- Russ Paris, Folkworks.org

"Listening to Freebo is like riding on a cumulus cloud of peaceful awareness, a cosmic blend of folk/country/rock/soul ear-pleasing genre-defying music."
- Walt Falconer, Cool Album Of The Day

"'Freebo sounds as if he's not really singing to you; he's talking to you. One of the best albums of the year."
- John Shelton Ivany, jsitop21.com

alicehowe.com

freebomusic.com

Friday, May 15, 2020 at 7:30pm

David Jacobs-Strain

Our 1st online streaming concert

The partnered charity for this concert is New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund

David Jacobs-Strain

David Jacobs-Strain is a fierce slide guitar player, and a song poet from Oregon. He is known for both his virtuosity and spirit of emotional abandon. David displays a range that ties him to his own generation and to guitar-slinger troubadours like Robert Johnson and Jackson Browne. "I try to make art that you can dance to, but I love that darker place, where in my mind, Skip James, Nick Drake, and maybe Elliot Smith blur together."

A word from those in the know:

"David Jacobs-Strain and Bob Beach blew me away last summer at Swannanoa. As we say at home, they knocked my hat in the creek. I can't envision the audience that could fail to take to them from the first chord and to the last. Hear them yourself as soon as you can". -Tom Paxton

"David Jacobs-Strain sings and plays slide-driven country blues with a passion and authority that few artists of any age can muster. But besides firing off compelling covers of traditional tunes. . . his original songs have served to update and evolve the idiom, winning widespread respect from the contemporary blues community."-Guitar Player Magazine

Special Note about this show

This concert marks Ethical Brew's first foray into the online streaming arena. It is our desire to continue to bring you the remarkable performances you have come to expect from us, while supporting the talented musicians whose touring careers have been sidelined by COVID-19.

This concert will not be your usual cell phone quality stream, but will be presented with top-quality sound in a high-resolution, two camera format. Please note that this concert will be offered as a "pay-what-you-wish" event. While the suggested donation is $15 per view, we recognize that these are difficult times and both we and our artist, do not wish to exclude anyone based on ability to pay. Therefore, please be as generous as you can, and keep in mind that your ability to donate more can help offset those who cannot.

Please note that Ethical Brew will be hosting this event in conjunction with Baker Booking, but all proceeds will go to our performer, David Jacobs-Strain. In keeping with Ethical Brew's founding ideals, David has generously offered to donate 20% to the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund which raises funds, organizes and coordinates resources to fight the medical, social and economic impact of COVID-19 on New Jersey's most vulnerable.

To view this wonderful presentation, all you need do is click the orange box on the show page above the videos for the link to the "livestream" or go to the Ethical Brew Facebook Page. There is no need to donate in advance. You can click the "donate" button at any time before, during or after the show until midnight and it will bring you to a page where you can make a secure direct donation to the artist.

We know you will enjoy this wonderful performer and thank you for your continued support.
Be well.
Beth & Perry

davidjacobs-strain.com

facebook.com/ethicalbrew/live

Saturday, April 18, 2020 at 8:00pm

BOBTOWN with special guest Dan Rauchwerk CANCELLED - Due to COVID-19

BOBTOWN

In The Press:

"...poised to enter the top tier of Americana groups." - John Platt / WFUV Radio

"...typically impeccable harmonies..."
- Richard Cuccaro Acoustic Live Magazine

"If you're looking for acoustic gothic-folk-americana kissed with gorgeous harmonies then look no further." - Jonathan Aird, Americana UK

"...intricate and frankly beautiful harmonies..." - Matthew Boulter, Americana UK

"Wow, NEW CD from BOBTOWN...sometimes sounds like children of Carolina Chocolate Drops and other times sounds like Children of the Corn, and then there's the harmony..." - NewFolkRadio

"Wow, NEW CD from BOBTOWN...sometimes sounds like children of Carolina Chocolate Drops and other times sounds like Children of the Corn, and then there's the harmony..." - NewFolkRadio

"This five-piece group based in New York make moody, rustic songs for the moonlit backroads." - NPR's All Songs Considered / Second Stage

Dan Rauchwerk

Best described as a "musical Wikipedia," songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Dan Rauchwerk seeks to educate as he entertains. A founding member of the internationally touring folk band The Lords of Liechtenstein, Dan has recently embarked on a solo career. "We Are More Than What We Leave Behind," his debut solo album, was released in 2018.

Dan in the Press:

"This New Yorker plants his foot firmly in folk troubadour territory and serves up a fertile source of stories spinning history into different perspectives. The style is raw and simple, akin to a refined Billy Bragg, but awash with a desire to listen intently. A singer-songwriter's dream scenario."
- Three Chords and the Truth UK

"...in Dan Rauchwerk I think I've unearthed another musical diamond."
- The Rocking Magpie"

[Dan] is a troubadour in the classic sense of the word. His songs are beautiful stories that are told with passion."
- Madness To Creation

"Lyrically profound and thoughtful, like a mandola strumming Philip Larkin..."
- Time Past and Time Passing

bobtownmusic.com

danrauchwerk.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020 at 8:00pm

Joe Crookston & Pat Wictor CANCELLED - Rescheduled date TBA

The partnered charity for this concert is This Is My Brave

Joe Crookston

Dear Friends of Ethical Brew,
Ethical Brew has always considered the health and safety of our community, both patrons and artists our first priority. In light of the current situation with regard to the increasing threat of the COVID-19 virus, and in compliance with the recommendations issued today by the town of Teaneck, NJ, we feel it is necessary to cancel our upcoming concert scheduled for this Saturday, 3/14 with Pat Wictor and Joe Crookston. While this was a difficult decision to make, we feel it is the correct one.
It is our plan to reschedule and will let you know when we have a date in place.
Thank you for your support!

Singer, songwriter, guitarist, fiddler, slide player, painter. As a performer, Joe Crookston is a true artist, painting compelling portraits of the unsung anti-heroes who populate the American landscape. From the depths of despair in the prison cell of high school dropout, Freddie "the Falcon", to high above the New York skyline where a window washer sings of his young child who thinks he can fly, Joe's masterfully crafted lyrics will take you on an emotional journey that will delight your ears and engage your heart.

Joe is a consummate storyteller and skillful musician whose dexterity on guitar, claw hammer banjo and violin to name a few, is sure to astound you. His songs have been performed and recorded by Irish harpers, acapella gospel choirs, solo artists, bluegrass bands and even by a certain Buddhist sect in France! His heart-wrenching song, Blue Tattoo, based on the life of concentration camp survivor Dina Jacobson, was the inspiration for a documentary of the same name, and was featured this summer in a special news segment on ABC. Joe was awarded a year-long songwriting grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to travel throughout New York State, to collect stories and write original songs, and in 2016, he was named Artist-In-Residence by Folk Alliance International. Joe has appeared at countless festivals and venues here and abroad, playing alongside the very best including Suzanne Vega, John Gorka, David Francey, Dar Williams, John McCutcheon and Judy Collins.

When not touring, Joe enjoys painting as well as teaching and facilitating at songwriting workshops across the country. His impressive discography includes Georgia I'm Here (2014), Darkling & The Bluebird Jubilee (2011), Able Baker Charlie and Dog (2008), Fall Down As The Rain (2004).

Get the word on Joe Crookston...

"At every festival I hope to find the gift of one artist whose songwriting and preforming stand out. Joe Crookston was that gift for me this year at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Stunning performance, great songs, and not a word wasted! I LOVE that!"
-- David Francey, Songwriter Ontario

"Notably, Crookston's no newcomer, and so it's no surprise that his music sounds savvy and assured, lacking any hint of pretense or needless redundancy. This is wonderful, engaging and gorgeous music, born from an artist who fully deserves a boatload of acclamation."
-- Lee Zimmerman - No Depression

With all the performers out there, an artist has to go beyond good... and Joe does"
-- Sing Out Magazine

Pat Wictor

Pat Wictor first burst on the folk and acoustic scene as an innovative slide guitarist known for fresh and memorable interpretations of traditional and contemporary songs. He has since made his mark as a singer-songwriter penning lean and poetic songs that honor - and subvert - rural blues and gospel traditions. For seven years, he toured as one-third of Brother Sun, the powerful harmonizing trio with Joe Jencks and Greg Greenway, garnering critical acclaim and two #1 CDs on the Folk DJ charts plus a continent-spanning tour schedule. His latest solo release, This Is Absolutely Real: Visions and Versions of Phil Ochs, was nominated for an Independent Music Award in their Best Tribute Album category.
An adept improviser and accompanist, he is sought after as a collaborator, sideman and session musician with over 60 recording credits to date, including recent releases by Sloan Wainwright, Joe Vezner, Joe Crookston and David LaMotte. He is a music educator of note, teaching workshops, songwriting, interpreting and rearranging songs on slide guitar and other guitar techniques, vocal and instrumental improvisation and various topics of music history.
Among his many accomplishments, Pat won the Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist Showcase, was nominated as Emerging Artist of the Year by the Folk Alliance, was nominated for Gospel Song of the Year by the Independent Music Awards, and was a finalist in the Kerrville New Folk songwriting contest. His CDs, "This is Absolutely Real" and "Sunset Waltz, both reached #2 on the Folk-DJ charts and songs "Heaven is so High" and "Waiting for the Water", both reached #4

"If you can make it to only one concert this year, let it be a show by Brooklyn's own Pat Wictor, who plays heart-felt blues-based roots music like the only begotten son of Bonnie Raitt (same red hair!) and Chris Smither. And unlike blues interpreters who have seen too many stormy Mondays with hellhounds on their trail, Pat is also an excellent songwriter whose new/old compositions will send you on a journey through the old Dock Boggs and Son House 78s. But these aren't old songs, they're originals that, to paraphrase Mr. Smither, are "still flopping around on the deck."
-Jim Motavalli, WPKN, Bridgeport, CT

"Unquestionably, anyone who has ever heard a Wictor show will permanently place him in the company of the best in the genre- Harry Manx, Kelly Joe Phelps and Ed Gerhard."
-Frank Matheis, TheCountryBlues.com

"Pat's Zen-like quality instantly puts the audience at ease, and I'm afraid it underestimates his skills. Like Joe Dimaggio could make a spectacular catch look rudimentary, Pat Wictor delights in sharing original and traditional songs in his unique style. His original songs are gaining a lot of attention and a number of artists are beginning to record him."
-Ron Olesko, WFDU Teaneck, NJ

"...the clarity of his voice is an interesting juxtaposition to the glorious grit of his musicianship.....He manages to creatively absorb the work of others, leaving their musical intentions beautifully intact, while adding his own sonic signature to the mix."
-Ellen Geisel, Dirty Linen

joecrookston.com

patwictor.com

Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 8:00pm

Abbie Gardner / Crys Matthews Live in Concert

Abbie Gardner

Abbie Gardner is a fiery dobro player with an infectious smile. Whether performing solo or with Americana darlings Red Molly, her acclaimed tales of love and loss, both gritty and sweet, are propelled by her impeccable slide guitar chops. Her live show is truly unique - as both an award winning songwriter and interpreter of folk styles, a captivating vocalist, and a world class lap style dobro player, she has an unmistakable sound all her own. Her latest CD, Wishes on a Neon Sign was released in January 2018, and features twelve original songs, including a co-write with Chris Stapleton. She has opened for Lori McKenna, Hot Rize and Martina McBride.
Abbie's background is as varied as the songs she writes. She has listened to the sweet sound of high lonesome harmonies since her first bluegrass festival at the age of three. Her father, Herb Gardner, is a swing jazz and stride pianist and dixieland trombonist. Watching him laugh as he went off to "work" every day was her first introduction to the joy of being a musician. Abbie's first full-length recording, My Craziest Dream (2004) is an album of jazz standards featuring her father on piano. It earned her an entry in the 2009 Hal Leonard book "The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide." Abbie studied classical flute growing up, but once she started playing Dobro in 2004 she found her main instrument. She traveled to Lyons, CO and Nashville, TN to study with Rob Ickes and Sally Van Meter. Her CD releases include Honey on My Grave (2006), Bad Nights/Better Days (2008, with Anthony da Costa), and Hope (2011), which features three different kinds of slide guitar (dobro, lap steel and National bottleneck).
Abbie has been recognized as an award-winning songwriter, with such accolades as; 2006 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase (2nd place), 2008 Lennon Award Winner (folk) for "The Mind of a Soldier" and 2008 American Songwriter Magazine Grand Prize Lyric Winner for "I'd Rather Be." "The Mind of a Soldier" was also featured on Lufthansa Airlines in 2010. Abbie has had the honor of being part of the songwriting faculty at Swannanoa Gatherings (2010, 2011) and Ellis Paul's New England Songwriters Retreat (2017, 2018). In 2018, she taught Dobro at both the Targhee Music Camp and the Nashville Dobro Camp. She wrote and released a song per week for a year as part of the 2013 Real Women Real Songs project and continues to attend Jack Hardy's Monday night Songwriter's Exchange in NYC to hone her writing skills.

High Praise for Abbie Gardner...
"Not only a first-rate Dobro player, but a songwriter to be reckoned with."
-John Platt, WFUV

"Abbie Gardner shows her prodigious writing chops in her album, Hope. Tales of love and loss, both gritty and sweet, ride the back of her by-now familiar, formidable slide guitar licks. She channels Lucinda and Bonnie, but remains pure Abbie."
- Richard Cuccaro, Publisher, Acoustic Live

Crys Matthews

A southeastern North Carolina native who now calls Herndon, Virginia home, Matthews blends Americana, folk, jazz, blues, bluegrass and funk into a bold, complex performance steeped in traditional melodies and punctuated by honest, original lyrics. Having been compared to everyone from Toshi Reagon to Tracy Chapman to Ruthie Foster, Matthews' eclectic infusion of genres has won her honorable mentions at the 2017, 2013 and 2014 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest and extensive radio play from Woman of Substance radio to WTJU-Charlottesville and WMRA-Harrisonburg to KBOO-Portland.
Equally at home in an acoustic listening room as she is on stage at large music festivals, Matthews has quickly gathered a loyal following on the east coast playing such prestigious venues as the Sundance Film Festival, The Birchmere, The Hamilton, and Jammin' Java. Matthews' festival and showcase roster has included BMI's Island Hopper Songwriter Festival, the 40th Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, Folk Alliance International, 30A Songwriters Festival, Northeast Regional Folk Alliance and many more. Most notably, Crys was named as Grand Prize Winner of the NewSong Music Competition, which took place in 2017 at Lincoln Center, beating out ten other finalists selected from over 5,000 musical competitors.
A prolific lyricist and composer, Matthews has found inspiration in her surroundings; from driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains to the compelling and heart-breaking love story of Richard and Mildred Loving. Thoughtful, realistic and emotional, Matthews' songs speak to the voice of our generation and remind us why music indeed soothes the soul.

Here's what her music insiders are saying about Crys Matthews...
Crys Matthews is a necessary voice. Her depth coupled with her openness and approachability was unmatched. She has a spark that is contagious and shares music that unites us and makes us think.
Viviana Benitez, Associate Producer at Lincoln Center and 2017 NewSong judge

Matthews won hearts and minds with her infectious folk/blues songs that boldly explored everything from the follies of the human heart to our current political milieu. By wrapping honest emotions around her socially conscious messages and dynamically delivering them with a warm heart and a strong voice, she lifted our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times.
Erik Philbrook, ASCAP VP/Creative Director and NewSong Music Judge

abbiegardner.com

crysmatthews.com

Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 2:00pm

Pre-Concert Songwriting Workshop with Abbie Gardner

Workshop @ 2pm -- Concert @ 8pm (see sidebar)

abbiegardner.com

High Praise for Abbie Gardner...

"Not only a first-rate Dobro player, but a songwriter to be reckoned with."
-John Platt, WFUV

"Abbie Gardner shows her prodigious writing chops in her album, Hope. Tales of love and loss, both gritty and sweet, ride the back of her by-now familiar, formidable slide guitar licks. She channels Lucinda and Bonnie, but remains pure Abbie."
- Richard Cuccaro, Publisher, Acoustic Live

Join us for an afternoon songwriting workshop full of playful techniques to stimulate your creative side! Abbie will lead this small group through a series of writing exercises exploring melody, rhyme, rhythm and repetition. You'll leave with lots of new song ideas, so please bring paper/pen and a recording device to capture them! Also helpful is an instrument, if you play one (you'll be fine without one too). This class will be useful to new songwriters, those who've been writing for awhile and even professionals looking to generate a crop of new ideas!

Abbie has has written and co-written Folk, Blues, Jazz and Americana songs for over 20 years. Her writing has won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, American Songwriter Magazine's Grand Prize, and the Great American Song Contest (runner up, but it's all good!). She has taught songwriting at The Swannanoa Gathering, Tribes Hill, Summer Songs, and Ellis Paul's New England Songwriting Retreat. Encouraging other people's creativity is something that fires her up and brightens her smile.

Note: Limited to 20 people

Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 8:00pm

Greg Greenway & Reggie Harris

"Deeper Than Skin"

The partnered charity for this concert is Equal Justice Initiative

Greg Greenway and Reggie Harris present a shared exploration of place, race, and heritage through collaborative song and storytelling. Born just three days apart, Greg Greenway (a soulful, moving singer, powerful poet, and sparkling entertainer, most recently touring and recording as part of folk trio Brother Sun, who has been cited as "one of the strongest and finest voices in folk music") and Reggie Harris (well-traveled folk performer, lecturer, cultural ambassador and protest song writer, known for over 40 years as one-half of the eminently prominent duo Kim & Reggie Harris) have built a bridge through 30 years of friendship and music. They also share a connection to place, specifically to Richmond, Virginia - where Greg grew up, and where Reggie's ancestor lived as a slave. In this moving performance, Harris and Greenway explore the commonalities and diversities of their lives and legacies - as musicians, as autobiographical historians, and as committed folk singers with an eye towards social justice. "This is Deeper Than the Skin" The presentation begins with a song... followed by another song... that moves into a poem and then... an invitation. This is not just another evening of talk. This is not just a concert of songs that just entertain. Deeper Than the Skin" is a experience of singing and listening... of experiencing a connection so deep that it makes you laugh,smile, cry and reconsider what you know about our history. It's an invitation to open your heart and mind to a story of shared humanity that resonates with your own. Two friends... one Black, one White... one from the North... one from the South! Musicians, storytellers, students of history and world travelers... born 3 day apart! Two separate narratives forged into one powerful friendship aimed at finding common ground and helping others to do the same. Deeper Than the Skin brings together a remarkable journey that started 30 years ago and is now offering hope to people all over the nation. It's a presentation that ends with an open dialogue that moves the audience from emotion into action...that gives voice and direction to the question "What can I do?" Deeper That the Skin is an interactive, engaging invitation to take a step into a new reality. It's an affirmation of the notion that a more perfect union begins.... with us!

Reggie Harris

Reggie Harris is a singer-songwriter, storyteller, and cultural ambassador on a mission to educate, entertain, and inspire. For over 40 years, he has captivated audiences to standing ovations in the US, Canada, and across Europe.

A songwriter of great depth and insight, Reggie writes from a personal but accessible place that reveals his deep sense of humanity and a uniquely positive worldview. He is a trailblazer who performs for audiences of all ages. His effervescently humorous and hopeful presence has led fans to label him the "Ambassador of Joy, Hope, and Freedom."

An educator who entertains, Reggie's songs reveal the subtle truths of issues that touch our lives regardless of color, background, age, or nationality. It's about the laughter and the tears... the challenges and the joy... the global and the personal. It's about history and the present day... the sacred and the laugh out loud funny moments that define us.

Reggie received a life-saving liver transplant in 2008. He uses the inspiration and triumph of that gift of life to spread light and hope.

Averaging over 250 dates per year, this versatile performer is in high demand at arts centers, schools, universities, and festivals. Reggie is an intuitive presenter in workshops on history, song writing, and performance.

Reggie is a teaching artist for the John F Kennedy Center's CETA program, a Woodrow Wilson Scholar, and the Director of Music Education for the UU Living Legacy Project. He is a master song leader who deeply values the power of song and the dignity of every human being.

Previously known as one-half of the acclaimed folk acoustic duo Kim and Reggie Harris, this natural collaborator, also invigorates his solo touring with occasional partnerships, most notably with Greg Greenway (Deeper Than the Skin) Scott Ainslie (Long Time Coming), and Pat Wictor.

Reggie leads workshops and seminars on songwriting, race relations, and performance at colleges and universities, retreat centers, and festivals. A partial list includes the Kennedy Center Summer Education Institute, The Swannanoa Gathering, Boston's Summer Acoustic Music Week (SAMW), the People's Music Network, and the Southeastern Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute (SUUSI).

"Deeper Than The Skin is an absolutely amazing experience. Not a performance (although these are two fine performers) but an experience. If you are anywhere within reach of this, don't miss it." - Selma Civil Rights activist Rev. Gordon Gibson,
author of Southern Witness, Knoxville, TN

Greg Greenway

Originally from Richmond, VA, Greg moved to Boston for its rich Folk Music tradition and has become one of its most unique and superlative emissaries. His "In the Name of Love," a lead in to the U2 classic, "Pride," was the #5 song on the Folk DJ list in 2013. It has become a defining piece on his journey to becoming an international artist capable of addressing sensitive topics like Race in a way that connects audiences to their humanity while entertaining them at the same time.

He has been described as "one of the strongest, and finest voices in folk music." The Boston Globe wrote, "Confessional one moment, rambunctiously disarming the next, few modern folk singers can own a coffeehouse stage as completely as Greenway." Another reviewer perhaps described it best, "A profoundly rich poet and musician. Folk Music is too narrow a description."

Musically, his guitar, piano, and ukulele reflect inspiration from all over the map-gospel, rock, blues, Jazz, and world music. But his center is in the singer/songwriter tradition that traces it roots all the way back to the social awareness of Woody Guthrie. His central appeal is that it all comes through the singular lens of Greenway's own humanity and affinity for the audience. He has legendary energy, couched in a presentation of high spirited give and take of such good humor that audiences unfailingly walk away uplifted.

Brother Sun
From the end of 2010 to the present, Greenway has been one third of one of the most successful Folk trios in North America, Brother Sun. With Joe Jencks and Pat Wictor, Greenway has, as Brother Sun, produced three CDs, Brother Sun, Some Part of the Truth (produced by Grammy award winning producer, Ben Wisch), and Weights and Wings. Brother Sun remained on the Folk DJ charts for a year and a half, while Some Part of the Truth was the #1 CD for the entire year of 2013, and Weights and Wings did the same for 2016. Their remarkable three part harmony has brought them standing ovations from mainstages from Massachusetts to Vancouver Island.

Among Greenway's solo highlights are a show at Carnegie Hall in the New York Singer / Songwriter Festival which was rebroadcast on NPR's World Cafe, an appearance on nationally syndicated Mountain Stage, and a show at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoring Phil Ochs. Greenway was seen world wide on CNN's World Beat in a segment on socially conscious artists. He was filmed at the Clearwater Hudson River Revival Festival performing along with Folk legend Pete Seeger and others. Greenway has been featured on the weekend edition of NPR's All Things Considered, and his dreams were fulfilled when "Driving in Massachusetts" was played on Car Talk.

reggieharrismusic.com

c9tuning.wordpress.com/blog

Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 8:00pm

Kirsten Maxwell / Rachael Kilgour

Kirsten Maxwell

Kirsten Maxwell is a New York raised, Nashville based singer, songwriter, and artist. She has toured extensively over the past 4 years, playing anywhere from small folk clubs to notable venues like NYC's Cutting Room and Nashville's Bluebird Cafe. Maxwell has also shared stages with such musical greats as Melissa Etheridge, Tanya Tucker, Karla Bonoff, and Paul Shaffer. In a review of her latest self titled EP, John Apice of No Depression writes, "Her voice alone wraps itself around your ears...this is an artist still in the making and not just a singer."

This marks Kirsten's third visit to Ethical Brew. (The first two sold-out!)

"I once saw Kirsten Maxwell take the stage in a raucous bar. The patrons were there to drink, not listen. She began a delicate ballad, and by the third line, she had them in the palm of her hand. Kirsten is a strikingly special performer."
Paul Shaffer

"She opens her mouth and birds fly out."
Vance Gilbert

"When Kirsten Maxwell first emerged several years ago, the folk world was captivated by her gorgeous voice and songwriting ability - and inevitably curious to see how this exciting young talent would develop. Kirsten's new EP offers some clues, as she spreads her wings to embrace not only folk, but Americana, pop, and indie influences. The journey has just begun!"
John Platt WFUV

Rachael Kilgour

Rachael Kilgour is a Minnesotan songwriter and performing artist whose sincere, lyric-driven work has been called both brave and humane. The 2015 grand prize winner of the esteemed international NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition and winner of the 2017 Kerrville New Folk Contest, Kilgour has been featured at NYC's Lincoln Center, at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and by the ASCAP Music Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival.
Married in her early twenties, Kilgour devoted her young adulthood to parenting her stepchild and building family and community. Her work from that time (Self-Titled 2008, Will You Marry Me? 2011, Whistleblower's Manifesto 2013) chronicled her life as a young parent in a same-sex partnership and addressed sociopolitical issues from government corruption to income inequality and religious hypocrisy. Kilgour's music career took a backseat during those years as she lived a slow, home-focused life.
In 2014, divorce brought an unwanted end to her role as a member of the family she had helped to grow. In the aftermath, Kilgour found solace in songwriting. Her third full-length album, Rabbit in the Road (2017), was born out of that time.
Called "...a heartfelt slice of master crafted indie folk brimming with the battle-tested capacity to endure the worst in others" by Billboard, Rabbit in the Road took an intimate and often painful look at the failed marriage and loss of family. Kilgour's writing and delivery cut deep, with resolute simplicity. Ravelin Magazine observed "this sort of metonymic ability to evoke the whole of someone or the entirety of a feeling is typical of Kilgour's poetic songwriting."
In February of 2019, Kilgour follows up with the release of her new EP, Game Changer. The aptly titled work examines the artist's tentative first steps into a new world, post-heartbreak. With a clear head, Kilgour touches on the complicated nature of romance and relationship, sets up a stunning defense of queer love, and reassesses her priorities as a citizen of a changing wider world.
Recorded in Asheville, NC at Echo Mountain Studios and produced by Gar Ragland, the EP will be released on NewSong Recordings and features string arrangements by violinist/composer Sara Pajunen.

Here's what music insiders are saying about Rachel Kilgour...

"...a heartfelt slice of master-crafted indie folk brimming with the battle-tested capacity to endure the worst in others."
-- Chris Payne, Billboard

kirstenmaxwell.com

rachaelkilgour.com

Saturday, October 12, 2019 at 8:00pm

Ryanhood / Sophie Buskin

The partnered charity for this concert is Farmer's Footprint

Ryanhood

Cameron enrolled as an art student at the University of Arizona, and they started what they would call "a long-distance musical relationship", mailing each other minidiscs of new song ideas and getting together during academic breaks to rehearse and perform. Within weeks of graduating college, Cameron took a leap of faith and moved to Boston to join Ryan. Determined to make a living as musicians, Ryanhood became full-time street performers at Boston's historic Quincy Market where they developed a rapport with audiences that has become a hallmark of their shows.
They soon took this high-energy, highly-interactive street-performers approach to the college market, where they quickly became one of the most popular bands on the circuit, playing upwards of 130 college dates a year. Cameron Hood's rich and folky lead vocals, Ryan Green's explosive guitar and mandolin riffs, and their airtight vocal harmonies prompted the Arizona Daily Star to call them, "a match made in radio heaven."
They would go on to tour with Jason Mraz, record an album with grammy-winning producer Ross Hogarth, share stages with Matt Nathanson, Train, American Authors, and Lifehouse, and even get tweeted about by Ellen DeGeneres. Ryanhood has collectively performed more than 800 shows in 45 U.S. states, where their cross-generational sound has been equally at home in colleges, coffee-houses, concert halls, churches, and living rooms.
And now, twelve years after their street start, Ryanhood's star is still on the rise as they were named "Best Group/Duo" in the 2014 International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMAs). Their sixth and newest album, Yearbook, released on March 3, 2017, and has been described as ""nestled in a great pocket, feeling all at once focused on storytelling and intimacy while not being afraid to wield a big musical stick" by For Folk's Sake.
They currently reside in their hometown of Tucson, AZ, where they have won more than a dozen Tucson Music Awards including "Best Folk Band" and "Best Rock Band" (you can decide for yourself which is most accurate).

"Discovery of the year . . . Fabulous harmonies and awesome musical chops."
- John Platt, WFUV New York City

"The duo's rock roots are evident in their high-energy performances but their music taps into contemporary folk and pop too, showcasing tight vocal harmonies as much as instrumental interplay."
- Acoustic Guitar Magazine

"True showmanship . . . They consistently deliver an amazing live performance."
- CD Blender

"Nestled in a great pocket, feeling all at once focused on storytelling and intimacy while not being afraid to wield a big musical stick."
- For Folk's Sak

Sophie Buskin

Raised in the heart of New York City by two accomplished musical parents, singer-songwriter Sophie started studying piano at age three and first set foot in the studio at four. Her parents recall she was undaunted by the adult singers as she sat on the tallest stool to be close enough to the microphone: "...the headphones were bigger than her head!" She caught the harmony bug and began working extensively as a child jingle singer, featured on many TV/radio spots from GE and Hess Trucks to Six Flags and the Kidz Bop CD series.
Completely at home in the studio, Sophie was initially shy about performing onstage. While continuing lessons in guitar and voice, she poured herself into another lifelong passion, earning a specialized degree in visual art from New York City's LaGuardia High School. In 2008 Sophie was accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston and fully embraced her musical side. She joined Berklee's celebrated Gospel Choir and the Motown ensemble, and fell in love with collaboration. She wrote her first song in 2009 and began steadily writing and performing, often alongside her father, David Buskin.
A decade later, Sophie is based in Brooklyn and has more than outgrown her initial stage fright, appearing at venues such as Rockwood Music Hall, the Cutting Room, Passim, the Red Lion, and White Eagle Hall. She has performed with Judy Collins, Mason Jennings, Little Anthony, Livingston Taylor and Paul Schaffer and founded the songwriters' circle at Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn. Her first solo CD, "Sweet Creature", recorded and produced by Jagoda and Neale Eckstein at Fox Run Studios, is a testament to her ongoing journey of artistic self-discovery.

"Oh my god...She is amazing!! [This] CD should be everywhere!"
-Judy Collins

The Roots Music Report's Weekly Top 50 Alternate Folk Airplay Chart
February, 2019: "Sweet Creature" Debuts # 1 Top Album

ryanhood.com

sophiebuskinmusic.com

Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 8:00pm

Guy Davis

The partnered charity for this concert is Strengthen Our Sisters

Ethical Brew proudly presents for our season premiere: 2018 GRAMMY-nomintated blues guitarist Guy Davis

Guy Davis

Guy Davis once said, "I like antiques and old things, old places that still have the dust of those who've gone before us lying upon them." Blowing that dust off just enough to see its beauty is something Guy has excelled at for over twenty years of songwriting and performing. It's no wonder his reverence for the music of the Blues Masters who've gone before him has been evident in every album he's ever recorded or concert he's given.
His parallel careers - as a musician, an author, a music teacher and a film, television and Broadway actor - mark Davis as a Renaissance man, yet the blues remain his first and greatest love. Growing up in a family of artists (his parents were actors/activists Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis), he fell under the spell of Blind Willie McTell and Fats Waller at an early age. Guy's one-man play, The Adventures of Fisher Waters: In Bed With the Blues, premiered Off-Broadway in the '90s and has since been released as a double CD. He went on to star Off-Broadway as the legendary Robert Johnson in Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil, winning the Blues Foundation's "Keeping the Blues Alive" award. He followed the footsteps of another blues legend when he joined the Broadway production of Finian's Rainbow, playing the part originally done in 1947 by Sonny Terry. Along the way, he cut nine acclaimed albums for the Red House label and four for his own label, Smokeydoke Records, and was nominated for nearly a dozen Blues Awards.
Guy has had his musical storytelling influenced by artists like Blind Willie McTell and Big Bill Broonzy, and his musicality from artists as diverse as Lightnin' Hopkins and Babatunde Olatunji. However, there's one man that Guy most credits for his harmonica techniques, by stealing and crediting from him everything that he could, and that man is the legendary Sonny Terry.
Guy's newest album, "Sonny & Brownie's Last Train - A Look Back at Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry" pays homage to these two hugely influential artists, not only on Guy's career, but to thousands of musicians around the world. One such artist is the Italian harmonica ace, Fabrizio Poggi, who collaborates with and produced this recording.
Guy Davis has spent his musical life carrying his message of the blues around the world, from the Equator to the Arctic Circle, earning him the title "An Ambassador of the Blues". His work as an actor, author, and music teacher earmark him as a renaissance man of the blues. What music and acting have in common, he explains, "is that I don't like people to see the hard work and the sweat that goes into what I do. I want them to hear me and be uplifted. And I want some little eight--year--old kid in the front row to have big eyes and say, 'Hey, I want to do that!'."

"Truth be told, there just aren't many who can deliver Americana in as interesting and entertaining a manner - or give acoustic traditional blues such a contemporary sound - as Davis, and it sure is a lot of fun hearing him explore the different sides of the genre here on Kokomo Kidd."
- The Blues PowR Blog

Honors

2018 GRAMMY-nomintated blues guitarist

Guy Davis was a recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor, at which he received a medal alongside other recipients such as Warren Beatty, Elton John and composer John Williams from the President of the United States.

Davis has done residency programs for the Lincoln Center Institute, the Kennedy Center, the State Theatre in New Jersey, and works with "Young Audiences of NJ", doing classroom workshops and assembly programs all across the country and in Canada for Elementary, High School, and College students.

Davis appeared in the PBS special on the jazz and blues artist Howard Armstrong.

guydavis.com/wp

Saturday, May 4, 2019 at 8:00pm

Alice Howe & Freebo

Alice Howe

With her soulful, impeccably tuned voice and crafted poetry, Boston's Alice Howe is "at once of the moment and timeless, personal and universal" (Americana UK). Her pure, distilled sound reflects a musical sensibility rooted in '60s folk and '70s Southern California songwriters. 2017 was the year that Alice began making big waves in the folk world. Her EP You've Been Away So Long debuted on the April Folk-DJ charts with a #1 song - "Homeland Blues" - and #11 album. Alice was selected as a Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist, an Official Showcase Artist at FAR-West Folk Alliance, and a Formal Showcase Artist at Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. She has been touring consistently in support of her EP, playing at such venerable Northeast venues as Club Passim, Caffe Lena, and Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. In March 2018 she appeared to rave reviews on WFMT Chicago's iconic program "Folkstage" hosted by Rich Warren. She recently completed recording her first full-length album, Still On My Mind, in Bakersfield, California, produced by Freebo (Bonnie Raitt 10 years, CSN, Maria Muldaur, Dr. John, and many others). The release is expected in late 2018.

Here is was music insiders are saying...

"A gem...at once of the moment and personal, timeless and universal."
- Mark Walton, Americana UK

"Up there with the very best of Mary Chapin Carpenter, Gretchen Peters and Dar Williams" -- Folking.com

"This music is visceral, real and simple"
- Folkwords

"I always wondered what it would have been like to be at Club 47 when Joan Baez first walked into perform. Now I know when Alice started singing in our studio tonight. She possesses one of the finest voices of any female singer-songwriter coupled with a warm and engaging stage presence."
- Rich Warren, host, WFMT Chicago's Midnight Special and Folkstage

"How can a singer-songwriter have a voice like a broken angel's bell and write songs that could be a week or a hundred years old all at once? Alice Howe, that's how."
- Vance Gilbert

"Classic emotive folk reminiscent of Kate Wolf, Alice Howe's earnest lyrics and heart-melting vocals might be the musical equivalent of lying in the dark beneath a clear sky of stars."
- Robby Hecht

Freebo

alicehowe.com

freebomusic.com

Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 8:00pm

Jacob Johnson with special guest: Genevieve

The partnered charity for this concert is Guitars For Vets

Jacob Johnson

Part virtuoso and part storyteller, you might say that Jacob Johnson does with a guitar what Gene Kelly did with dance. Although his songwriting has won awards and his guitar-playing has put him on stage with Tommy Emmanuel and Phil Keaggy, his ability as an entertainer is what has won fans throughout the southeast. He refers to himself as "a ham that just wants to be on stage" but he's much more than that. Jacob is an amazingly talented guitarist and songwriter which, combined with a bit of a personality, makes for a wildly impressive stage performance.

Johnson began playing when he was 10 years old, thanks primarily to his grandmother. "She played with pickup bands back in the '40s," he says. "When country acts would tour, they would just book a band in whatever city they were playing in. So she played with Ernest Tubb and Hank Snow and a lot of people like that. She taught me the first three or four chords I ever learned and said, 'Jacob, if all you ever learn on the guitar is these three or four chords, you will always be able to pick up a guitar and play songs for people.'"

"He was one of the first players who got into two-handed tapping, alternate tuning, that kind of stuff. At a certain point I decided to focus on the acoustic guitar because there was just something about it. It seemed like this was the instrument that was going to give me my voice; that would allow me to develop my singing and songwriting in a way that my electric playing didn't."
Since dropping out of college in 2007, Jacob has traveled the country in (so far) six mini-vans, honing his craft, and making friends and fans along the way. Most of these were friendly now-forgotten faces that offered a warm meal and a couch to sleep on, but some were able to offer more. Such was the case with Grammy-nominated Australian guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel. Emmanuel put Jacob, as his opening act, on such notable stages as The Birchmere in Virginia, The State Theater in Maine, and The Newberry Opera House in South Carolina.

The songs and performances that developed in those touring years became the basis for Jacob's most recent album, "One-Take Jake". "One-Take Jake" features 11 of Jacob's most requested songs recorded live in-studio with no-overdubs. The songs range from his own award-winning "The Ferryboat Waltz", to his unique take on the Disney classic "Chim-Chim Cheree" by the Sherman Brothers. Few mistakes slip through the raw, understated production, but they underscore an important truth. While his talent may seem otherworldly, it's not magic. It's real, which is even better.

What those in the know are saying about Jacob Johnson:

"Jacob rocks!"
-Tommy Emmanuel

"Johnson sounds like Norman Rockwell paintings and the open road. He is a virtuoso, expressing a working comprehension of dozens of techniques and styles. He has blended and blurred the lines of genres to craft a sound he calls 'Neo-Acoustic Folk/Funk'."
- The Florence Morning News (Florence, SC)

"Jacob is a great performer who has a way with words that will cause even the most curmudgeonly person to grin. The world needs more talent like this."
- Mossip Music Blog

"He surrenders to the passion that drives his guitar playing... Very entertaining and inspiring."
- Maine Music Blog

"Part of the new breed of folk musicians who make their own rules"
-The Savannah Morning News (Savannah, GA

Genevieve

An eclectic talent with the voice of a fallen angel, the witty intelligence and whimsy of a Monty Python skit, and a musical diversity matched in scope only by the variety of wildlife she's worked with, Genevieve is one unique artist you won't want to miss.

Balancing sweet and sexy, smart and sassy, Genevieve is an all-around entertainer, a charismatic and unique talent who has been wowing audiences as a singer/songwriter since first taking the stage at 6 years old.

It's possible to categorize her as an adult-contemporary artist because of the depth and sentiment of her lyrics, but her music spans multiple genres, incorporating elements from folk traditions to blues and jazz nuance to pop hookiness. And, with a voice blessed with impressive dynamics and range, she shifts seamlessly between sultry and Scotch-soaked chanteuse to pure Disney princess in a matter of notes. It's not surprising that her music and her voice have found homes in a variety of mediums, from tv/film and commercials to video games and educational programs.

After several years in the biz, she felt burnout approaching, so she took a sharp left and disappeared into the South African bush, using her other skills as a writer and photographer to pursue another passion in life: wildlife conservation. For several years, she ran around after animals, documenting them for local and international NGOs and managing to not get eaten by anything (though she did get bitten by a cheetah). And while she did maintain a tether to the musical world through a connection in Cape Town (where she did session work on the rare times she WAS in civilization), she still felt a musical void. She did get the opportunity to sing a Zulu lullaby for a Pampers commercial, though, so that's something.

However, due to limited time around technology, musical opportunities were rare. Most days, her audience consisted of little more than meerkats, lions, and rhinos. At one point, she even taught music classes to children on one of the reserves she worked on, few of whom spoke any English, which was possibly more challenging than not getting eaten by a lion. It was all good for a story, but not for a career. The musical beast was starving and needed feeding, which meant stepping out of the wilds of Africa and back into the, well, wilds of music. So she returned to the US.

Now back in the US, she's hitting stages and gracing soundtracks with her timeless tunes and stellar voice.

"Like Belle on a bender" - I don't know who said this, but I so wish I did

"Fabulous musical talent, and has the super creative gene that just keeps on creating!" - James O'Connor, dHarmic Evolution podcast series

"Genevieve is probably a relatively unknown name for most people, or at least for now. This young and versatile singer/songwriter has a very wide range of influences and is an absolute vocal talent. With her strong vocals and natural sound she connects to the listener on a very personal and comfortable level." - Inner Ear Media

"Wow! What a powerful soulful voice and wide melodic range! Genevieve takes you on a wonderful ride with her mixture of up-tempo happy-sad songs, fun tunes and powerful ballads." - Lori Doswell, CD Baby

"I'll tell what can't ever be called a "little thing"-Genevieve's voice. Her voice is the cornerstone from which she builds off tremendous songwriting. The sound is a bit of contemporary pop mixed in with roots folk and piano ballads. Most singer/songwriters wish they had half this much talent. " - Smother Magazine

See more videos on Jacob's website

genevieve-music.com

Sunday, March 31, 2019 at 4:00pm

Joe Jencks / Judy Kass

Please Note: This is a Sunday Afternoon @ 4pm

The partnered charity for this concert is Northern NJ Sanctuary Coalition

Joe Jencks

Joe Jencks is an 18-year veteran of the international folk circuit, an award-winning songwriter, and celebrated vocalist based in Chicago. Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing, Joe delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove and grit. Having penned several #1 Folksongs including the ever-relevant Lady of The Harbor, Jencks is also co-founder of the harmony trio, Brother Sun. From Festivals like Falcon Ridge, Kerrville, Mariposa, and Old Songs, to venues like Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, Jencks has enthralled diverse audiences with his approachable style. Joe is noted for his unique merging of musical beauty, social consciousness, and spiritual exploration. Blending well-crafted instrumentals and vivid songwriting, Jencks serves it all up with a lyric baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel.

Joe has a dozen CD releases to his credit, most recently The Forgotten (2018), and is the recipient of dozens of songwriting honors and awards as well. He has performed on stage with some of the greatest names in folk including Pete Seeger, Susan Werner, Holly Near and John McCutcheon plus many others. Throughout his work, he weaves a diverse web of stories with brilliant musical skill, ensnaring even the most rigid of hearts, inviting them to open.

High praise from his musical peers...

"The key to the future is people joining in. The music of Joe Jencks captures this essential spirit. Joe is a fantastic singer who carries on the traditions."
-Pete Seeger

"In these times, we need the singers who will do the homework and tell the stories! Joe Jencks is among the fine next generation singers who are ready to carry on the tradition as well as look into the future"
- Holly Near, Ukiah, CA

"Joe Jencks is the type of musician that will cause you to drop that morning newspaper or pull your car to the side of the road when you hear his songs. He is the type of artist that will turn heads in his direction when he walks onto a stage. His voice will instantly draw you into his passionate songs. He is the type of musician whose music will become part of you. His craft and artistry will remind you of the best efforts of Phil Ochs, Stan Rogers, and Woody Guthrie. The troubadour tradition is alive and well in the 21st century with the music of Joe Jencks."
- Ron Olesko, WFDU "FM Teaneck, NJ

Judy Kass

Growing up in a family of musicians, New York-based Judy Kass began playing at an early age moving from her classical piano training to accompanying the songs she soon started to write on both keyboard and guitar. Her music reflected the diverse genres and styles of the musicians she listened to from Laura Nyro, Janis Ian, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young to Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughn, Keith Jarrett and Rachmaninoff.

Judy spent her teens and early twenties making music but graduate studies and other life ventures drew her away from regular performance although she continued to write and play. A passion for music education led her to found a community program (MusicWorks) in 2008 that provides talented students from low income families the opportunity to receive private lessons and mentoring. Funded by grants and community donations, MusicWorks has continued to grow since its inception giving students and their families the gift of serious music study and professional live performances.

The loss of nearly 300 colleagues to the 9/11 terror attacks propelled a shift in focus to healing herself and others and a return to her first love of acoustic music performance. The stories she gathered along the way together with some of her own would inspire the songs that grace Judy's debut album, Better Things (2014) and her recently released album Beyond the Ash and Steel (2016). Both albums have received strong airplay, appearing on the Folk DJ List of Top Albums and Songs charts for months after their release and on the Folk DJ List of Top albums for the years 2014 and 2016 respectively. She can be heard in a variety of regional venues as well as on the airwaves as both albums continue to gain national attention in the folk music arena.

Here's what folk folks are saying about Judy Kass...

"Judy Kass seamlessly blends touches of traditional folk, jazz, and blues with evocative, sensitive songwriting."
- Carter Smith, Common Ground Community Concerts

"Judy Kass has a knack for tapping into both the introspective and the playful aspects of songwriting! Her voice shimmers and dances with each turn of phrase. Beyond the Ash and Steel is a devastatingly beautiful song! And there's even more in her new CD of the same name!"
- Joltin Joe Pszonek, Radio Nowhere WMSC, Upper Montclair, NJ

"The brilliance of Better Things rests on Kass' expressive singing, gifted storytelling and sterling musicianship...Blessed with a beautiful voice just this side of soprano, Kass easily touches listeners with her songs."
- Thomas Staudter, Hudson River Journal

joejencks.com

judykass.com

Friday, March 1, 2019 at 8:00pm

Ellis Delaney with special guest: Katherine Rondeau

Please Note: This is a Friday Night 8PM Show

The partnered charity for this concert is First Friends of NJ and NY

Ellis Delaney

There's just something about Ellis. She is funny, wise, thoughtful and uninhibited, and her captivating voice is matched by her uplifting lyrics. Her irrepressible spirit comes through in her transformational performances, leaving her audiences better than she finds them, with softened edges and opened hearts.

A winner of numerous awards and honors including the Grass Hill New Folk Contest in 2013, Ellis has been recognized both for her songwriting skills and engaging performances. She has claimed "audience favorite" honors at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Moab Folk Festival, and Sisters Folk Festival. Ellis has also been a repeat guest on A Prairie Home Companion.
"Ellis is one of the most engaging personalities that I've ever witnessed on a stage. Within seconds you'll fall in love with her bubbling attitude for life, and her captivating laugh has been echoing in my heart all week!"
Ron Olesko, WFDU Public Radio

If ever there was a feel-good folk musician, this is the woman - somebody who really does send you off feeling better about the world."
John Davy, No Depression

"Ellis walks on stage, flashes a bashful grin and does what she does best: singing her heart out every single time."
Dale Schiff, Just Out Magazine

If ever there was a feel-good folk musician, this is the woman - somebody who really does send you off feeling better about the world."
John Davy, No Depression

"Ellis walks on stage, flashes a bashful grin and does what she does best: singing her heart out every single time."
Dale Schiff, Just Out Magazine

Katherine Rondeau

Katherine Rondeau is a full-throttle singer-songwriter who focuses her passion for classic folk music through a thoroughly modern lens. After bursting onto the Philly folk scene in 2015, she was quickly recognized for her rich, bold voice and warm, engaging personality. Selected as a 2018 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Grassy Hill Emerging Artist, the folk world is taking note of her passionate songwriting and performance style.

How to describe Katherine's music? Her voice - strong, soulful, warm - rings out like a bell on a clear summer's night. Her original songs draw audiences in and take them on journeys both real and imagined. Whether sharing stories of love lost and found, calling out robust anthems of peace and justice, or reimagining classic songs from the Folk Revival, there is no mistaking she has earned her place at the folk table.

Katherine has since made her mark at venues throughout the region including Godfrey Daniels, the Hurdy Gurdy Folk Club, the Folk Project, World Cafe Live, Spring Gulch Folk Festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Burlap and Bean, and as a 4-time Philadelphia Folk Festival performer (2015/16/17/18).

In 2017 Katherine earned a rare honor as a double showcaser at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance conference (NERFA). Her 2016 release New Hope Chateau hit the top 20 on the Folk DJ charts with a #9 song and received kudos from folk DJs and journalists alike.

Katherine's sophomore recording project Unfortunate Point of View is set for release in early 2019. A New Jersey native, she's thrilled to share her music at the Ethical Brew, right up the road from her birthplace of Montclair, NJ.

With her powerhouse vocals leading the way, Katherine Rondeau delivers a rootsy performance that harkens back to the best of the Folk Revival with a modern style. Ron Olesko, Traditions, WFDU-FM

There is a siren inside of songs of Katherine Rondeau on her latest release, New Hope Chateau. Her vocals are flames for fluttering moths of tenderness, inspiration, and fortitude...Strength and Soul in the words... The Alternate Root
Katherine Rondeau's got a big bold voice that raises the roof with very little effort. Her compelling story songs take on a myriad of themes, from love lost and love preserved to robust political anthems. Midwest Record

ellis-music.com

katherinerondeau.com

Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 8:00pm

The End of America

The End of America is a band of friends, singers and travelers who blend three-part harmony with rock and Americana. The Philadelphia-based outfit harnesses a style that resonates with fans of Ryan Adams, CSNY and Dawes.

All frontmen of previous bands, Brendon Thomas, James Downes and Trevor Leonard met on tour in 2005. They went on to form a trio that highlights their vocal chemistry and captures the raw honesty of their performances. TEOA recently released their debut LP (self-titled), a follow-up to their previous EPs, Shakey and Steep Bay.

The new album was written in the wake of a series of close calls: one involving a van accident on tour, and the other when drummer Jarrod Pedone was involved in a hit-and-run that left him in a coma for months. Fortunately the band walked away unscathed, and Jarrod made a stunning recovery. The following winter all members relocated to Philadelphia to write and hone their new sound. Joining forces with longtime friend and engineer Dave Downham in the producer's chair, the band tracked 11 new songs at nearby Gradwell House Recordings in Haddon Heights, NJ.

With the album released, the band has spent the last hear in a heavy rotation of touring. Anyone who has seen TEOA can attest to their powerful harmonies and stage presence.

The End of America has performed at SXSW, Savannah Stopover and the Philadelphia Folk Fest. They have shared the stage with Graham Nash, Old Crow Medicine Show, Larry Campbell, David Bromberg, Gary Louris (The Jayhawks), Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers) and joined Beck in Los Angeles to perform for his Song Reader sheet music release show. The trio's appearance at the show aired live on KCRW and received praise from Spin, Filter and The Hollywood Reporter.
Voted "Favorite Newcomer" of the 2016
Philadelphia Folk Festival

Voted "Most Wanted" band of 2017
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

"[TEOA exhibits] soulful Low Anthem harmony & strum."
Spin Magazine

"They sound great and they seem to be loving doing it."
David Crosby via Twitter

theendofamericamusic.com

"They sound great and they seem to be loving doing it." David Crosby

Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 8:00pm

Jesse Terry / Shawna Caspi

Jesse Terry

A true musical journeyman, Jesse Terry has made it his mission to share his love of music fully and completely, without regard for shading his emotions or tempering his convictions. By his own definition, he's never been a cautious individual, but rather one who finds inspiration and optimism in the solace and joy making music brings him; and that which he can impart to others. In that regard, his artistic quest has become satisfying and self-fulfilling.

"Things happen for me at the right place and time when I'm focusing on my art and connecting with people," Jesse suggests. "I've always had the desire to spread peace and unity through my music. This gives me a tangible purpose, even when life doesn't seem to make much sense."

That ability to create a connection, to bare his soul and express his emotions through his songs have been the defining thread in a career that's spawned five albums (The Runner, Stay Here With Me, Empty Seat on a Plane, and his latest pair, Stargazer and Natural) as well as an EP (The Calm and the Storm) as part of a career that began in 2010. It's evolved and expanded ever since, thanks to a tour schedule that's found him playing over 1,000 shows in the past eight years and taken him across the country and to points well beyond - The UK, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Greenland, and New Zealand included. It's given him a fresh perspective on the world and additional insights into its common humanity, sentiments and a sensibility that continues to impact his music.

"It's about inclusiveness," Jesse insists. "I love that music can bring all kinds of people together. I feel so lucky to be making music for a living. I don't mind the long drives and the long hours, because that's all part of the journey. And once you stop loving it, you stop living it."

Indeed, that's at the core of his convictions. "So much of my music is about expressing the joy of the journey and finding strength and resiliency to battle through the difficult times," he muses. "Touring the world has given me a very different perspective. We're all part of a global family."

Here's what music insiders are saying about Jesse Terry....

"...he's a force to be reckoned with. His well-crafted songs rank right there with Ryan Adams, Rhett Miller and other masters of alt-country."

-- John Platt, WFUV, NYC

"Every once in a while an artist comes along and captivates our audience by inviting us into their unique lives through song and performance. Jesse Terry is one of those artists. His ability to craft memorable songs is complimented by his supreme ability to deliver them in a sometimes funny, sometimes gut-wrenching, but always sincere and authentic manner. One leaves a Jesse Terry concert feeling like you've taken a road trip with him and tasted his flavor of the richness of life..."

-- Dave Dircks, Host of Acoustic Long Island

Shawna Caspi

Toronto-based singer-songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist Shawna Caspi hadn't done much travelling before tapering off a series of administrative jobs to start touring full-time. She had never even rented a car. She had never been camping before performing at the Blue Skies Music Festival in 2014.

Since then, Shawna has toured throughout Canada and the United States, including performances at the Ottawa Grassroots Festival, the Shelter Valley Folk Festival, the Summerfolk Festival (ON), and the Deep Roots Music Festival (NS), and concert series including the Calgary Folk Club, the Nickelodeon, the Northern Lights Folk Club (AB), the Greenbank Folk Music Society (ON), the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse (MA), On Your Radar (NY), and Six String Concerts (OH).

Shawna's fourth album Forest Fire, released in September 2017, is a collection of songs about burning things down and building them up again. Engineered and produced by Don Kerr (Rheostatics, Bahamas, Ron Sexsmith), the elegant arrangements draw the listener into the depths of haunting, atmospheric tracks, then lift them out with airy, bluegrass instrumentation and hopeful narratives for brighter days. It's dark granite stone with a shot of glimmering quartz through the middle. When the words get heavy, they are held up to the light of love, grace, and gratitude. With these songs, Shawna strives to be unafraid, to embolden quieted voices, to tell the truth above all else.

It's an album about cycles, about playing the long game. That's why it's called Forest Fire - something that seems huge and devastating when it happens, but in the relative vastness of space and time, it's just one small moment on a much grander scale, a necessary catastrophe that leads to new growth.

Shawna's vocals are brewed by years of classical training followed by years on the road finding her own voice singing folk songs. She combines power, intensity, character, and closeness. She has a whole band under her fingertips, with a remarkable lyrical fingerpicking guitar style. Her performances capture audiences with grace and intimacy whether the setting is a living room, a festival stage, or the bar car of a passenger train.

After taking one painting course in university, Shawna put away her brushes and bottles for the next seven years. But the overwhelming beauty of the landscapes she saw on tour was too much to keep to herself, whether it was coastal beaches, jagged canyons, endless prairie skies, charming fishing villages, tidy Midwestern farms, or the rugged pink rock of the Canadian Shield. She started painting again to share the visual landscapes of her travels, the places she was already weaving into her songs, and now creates one-of-a-kind works of art inspired by the rich scenery she sees on the road. She has sold over one hundred original works and continues to create more. Forest Fire features Shawna's paintings on the front and back cover and throughout the album artwork design.

"Some musicians make songwriting sound less of a craft and more of a life affirming obsession. Caspi's compositions stand out as beautiful, complex and intricate even in an increasingly crowded folk scene." - NOW Magazine

"Shawna taps into her Canadian folk roots to share songs with beauty, humor and a keen eye for the world around her. Add to the fact that she is a classically trained guitarist with a stunning voice, and you have an artist that is destined to be an important artist on the folk circuit." - Ron Olesko, Sing Out! Magazine

jesseterrymusic.com

shawnacaspi.com

Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 8:00pm

Jann Klose and special guest: Josette Diaz

Jann Klose

Jann Klose is an award-winning pop singer-songwriter, who has released five albums and two EPs. Jann was raised in Kenya, South Africa, Germany, and the United States and now resides in New York City. His music has been streamed over 1,000,000 times online and his song 'Make It Better' is featured on the Billboard Top 10 charting compilation album 'Action Moves People United.' His new single 'Don't Give Up' (Peter Gabriel) featuring vocal legend and visual artist Annie Haslam of the classical rock group Renaissance, is now available worldwide and his new album IN TANDEM released by Gallo Records in 2018. Jann is an ambassador for Desmond Tutu's Tutudesk campaign.

Jann's solo album, MOSAIC featuring 'Make It Better' entered the Roots Rock charts at #22 and won three 2014 Independent Music Awards. The record also made the first round of the 2014 Grammys(r) in the categories Pop Vocal Album and Album Of The Year.

His voice is featured in the movie 'Greetings From Tim Buckley' (Universal) as the voice of Tim Buckley starring Penn Badgley and Imogen Poots. His songs have been heard on the Grammy(r) nominated 'Healthy Food For Thought' compilation as well as MTV Cribs and movies 'Dead Broke' (Warner Bros) featuring Paul Sorvino and 'A Venue For The End Of The World' (BrinkVision) featuring Dick Cavett and Ian Anderson. Most recently Jann scored the music for the award-winning short 'The Beauty of Disaster.'

He has performed as an actor and singer in touring companies of Broadway musicals, including 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' 'Jekyll & Hyde,' and 'The Who's Tommy.' In 2005, the off-Broadway production 'Moonlight Interior,' a musical based on Klose's music, premiered in New York City.

Jann Klose has periodically collaborated with members of classical rock group Renaissance and tours regularly in the U.S., Europe, Africa and Asia. He has worked with a wide range of artists including Pat Benatar, John Oates of Hall and Oates, Suzanne Vega, Paula Cole, Annie Haslam, Ann & Liz Callaway, Gary Lucas, Brett Dennen, Rusted Root, Vonda Shepard, Ben Taylor, RJ Benjamin, Karen Zoid, Tamara Day, ZIYON (Liquideep), Shekhinah, Amanda Black, Majozi, Jeffrey Gaines, Bret Michaels, Rosanne Cash, The Byrds' Roger McGuinn, Marty Stuart (Johnny Cash), The Yardbirds' Jim McCarty, Pete Seeger and Les Paul.

What the critics are saying about Jann Klose...

"TAKE ME 2 FOREVER has strong African and house influences to it and the track clearly celebrates the celebratory feeling Jann discovered during his time in South Africa. His vocal is clear and strong which is necessary for the sonic direction he has decided to explore. The star's sound is exciting and current and we can't wait to hear what he has in store for us on IN TANDEM." - People Magazine South Africa

"Klose wins over the listener with his soaring voice, which may well be a staple of chamber pop for a long time to come." - Alexander F. Remington, Washington Post

"Singer-songwriter Klose shows he can create diverse new tunes that rival those of such masters as (Tim) Buckley. His songs offer hard-to-resist energy, memorable melodies and intelligent, well-crafted lyrics." - Paul Freeman, San Jose Mercury News

"Love, passion and intelligence come to the forefront in a strong display of craft and talent." - Phil Rainone, JerseyBeat.com

"Stylistically, his voice and songwriting split the difference between Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen. He's one of the most talented cats you'll hear all year." - Michael McCarty, Love Is Pop

"Ear-grabbing pop singer-songwriter has a confident yet gentle voice, with tints of soul gospel and Afropop rhythms. The latter reflects his childhood in Nairobi, Kenya and South Africa." - Philadelphia Daily News, Jonathan Takiff

"The first thing that's totally unmistakable about Jann Klose is that voice - which is just light years beyond that of the typical singer/songwriter ... a sound that is classy, distinctive and often irresistible." - Advance Newspaper Wire Service, MassLive.com, Kevin O'Hare

Josette Diaz

Josette is an 19 year old singer - songwriter based in Northern New Jersey. At a young age, she realized the stage was her home and began performing on grand platforms. Her passion and love for music inspired her to begin writing her own music at the age of 7 and soon after, she taught herself how to play the guitar and piano.

Memorable experiences such as singing at the "Apollo Theatre" and on NBC's "The Voice", further motivated Josette to pursue her career as an artist. Through writing, performing and producing, she makes sure to remember why she initially fell in love with music. She says: "My goal is to make people feel like their emotions are nearly tangible. No other language can paint feelings as beautifully and as vividly as music can."

jannklose.com

Josette

Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 8:00pm

Carolann Solebello and Robinson Treacher

Co-Bill

The partnered charity for this concert is Clearwater

Carolann Solebello

"There's nothing not to like - creative and engaging songwriting, beautiful production, and just plain great music. The crowning jewel is Carolann's superb vocals - soulful, compelling, full of raw emotion, and simply beautiful."
- Al Kniola, WVPE 88.1 FM, Elkhart IN

CAROLANN SOLEBELLO is a performing songwriter born and bred in New York City. Best known to folk audiences as a founding member of Americana trio Red Molly, she now tours both solo and with modern folk quartet No Fuss and Feathers. Carolann's smooth, compelling voice and warm acoustic guitar style surely nod to rural folk traditions, yet her decidedly urban sense of rhythm and sophisticated vocal phrasing bend those traditional forms into more contemporary shapes. She is a proud member of the Jack Hardy Songwriters' Exchange and has won numerous songwriting awards. Carolann released her fifth solo album, Shiver, in February 2018.

Carolann in the Press:

"I think of Carolann Solebello as a painter with words. An illustrator could have a field day with the imaginative storytelling [in this] book of tales... Whether it's divine aid or some other muse, Carolann Solebello shows off some major chops with Shiver.
~ Richard Cuccaro, Acoustic Live in NYC

"Shiver is a strong effort showcasing Carolann Solebello's smart songwriting chops and bell-clear singing voice... While she may mix in a few other musical styles, it's clear her bread and butter is traditional folk singing and songwriting... real-deal folk music.
~ Dan MacIntosh, Music Matters Review

"It's refreshing to hear a singer-songwriter from Brooklyn who's actually from Brooklyn... Steel and Salt is nothing if not a love song to New York City... This is an album about home. Whether you're from my home or not. In "Movie Queen," Solebello sings that "We will never be celebrities." While that's probably not a bad thing, it would also be a shame to let this album fade into obscurity."
~ Rachel Choist, Adobe and Teardrops

"With the release of Threshold, it seems Solebello has found her own voice in a manner that is both winsome and full of frolic, but there is also a maturity in the writing that speaks to adult matters. We have here an artist who has found herself by going it alone, and thus has become complete and completely one with her work. It is a joy to hear."
~ Michael Jaworek, The Birchmere, Alexandria VA

Awards
2016 Silver Award (Folk/Acoustic) and Director's Choice Award
33rd Annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, Washington DC
2015 Winner
Musicians on a Mission Songwriting Contest, Belmar NJ
2014 Third Place
SolarFest Songwriter Showcase Competition, Tinmouth VT
2014 Finalist
South Florida Folk Festival Songwriting Competition, Ft. Lauderdale FL
2011 Winner
Susquehanna Music & Arts Festival Songwriting Competition, Havre de Grace MD

Robinson Treacher

If entertainment can be defined as an agreeable occupation of the mind, then Robinson Treacher has found a way to encompass this in every aspect of his contribution to music-kind. Whether playing the role as front man to the soul-rock infused Delaware Hudson, as co-collaborator to the Alt-Country based Tensleep, or as a solo singer/songwriter, Treacher seems to drain himself of energy in the ceaseless pursuit of portraying moments of musical passion. This passion is evident in every attempt he makes to involve us, the listeners, in the spiritual orchestrations of emotion that have been meticulously tempered into songs.

Just like the long list of New York City artists before him, Robinson feeds off the honest grit found among the "huddled masses"...coupling the blatantly obvious (to a New Yorker at least) with the deeply personal. Chameleon-like in his approach to his songwriting, he refuses to be pigeonholed into one particular genre. Believing that each song is forged from its own unique terrain, he takes great pains in choosing the vehicle by which passengers might best weather the bumps, potholes, and blind curves found between the first note and the last. Admittedly susceptible to the affectations of the senses himself, he asks his audience to participate emotionally as well as physically in a "whole self " conceptual challenge, a 360 degree soul search comprised of the most joyous elation to the bitterest of pains.

With the emergence of a true "world" community of listeners and the dissolving of the old guard record company elitists, Treacher's eclectic songwriting can be allowed to burgeon...flowing freely among the throngs of liberated music enthusiasts...authentic and unabashed in its purity and form.

In live performance, there's an electric quality, a charge that stretches across the decades, back to the thrill of first hearing certain '60s folk rockers. There are elements of Tim Buckley, Donovan and John Fogarty (Creedence) as well as the aforementioned Van Morrison. At times, in his use of rapid strumming and powerful vocals, he seems like the second coming of Richie Havens. It would be tempting to place his picture in the middle of an Owsley-style Grateful Dead poster.

In case it needs restating, we're really pumped about Robinson Treacher. We hope you'll join us in seeing him at every opportunity.

Robinson has been featured on Sirius/XM's "The Loft: Live from The Living Room" series and has been named "Singer Universe's Vocalist of the Month". He has even been touted by legendary songwriter Don Schlitz ("Forever and Ever Amen", "When You Say Nothing At All", "The Gambler") as being, "...impossible to follow in concert." Recently, he has been nominated for a Nashville Music City Award for his song "This Bar" as well as for an NSAI/CMT country music People's Choice Award and an Independent Music Award nomination for his song "Long Day Good Night" and is currently supporting his upcoming release with shows in NYC, Nashville, and all points in between.

carolannsolebello.com

robinsontreacher.com

Saturday, September 15, 2018 at 8:00pm

Claude Bourbon: Medieval & Spanish Blues + It Had To Be You -- Gypsy Jazz band!

The partnered charity for this concert is National Immigration Law Center

Warren Sirota and David Levitt; It Had To Be You -- Gypsy Jazz!

Claude Bourbon - Medieval & Spanish blues

Ready for a unique and talented take on a wide range of musical traditions? Claude Bourbon is known throughout Europe and America for amazing guitar performances that take blues, Spanish, and Middle Eastern stylings into uncharted territories.
Claude's inimitable style incorporates all five digits on each hand dancing independently but in unison, plucking, picking and strumming at such speed and precision that his fingers often seem to melt into a blur. Thousands of people in the UK, Europe and USA have enjoyed listening to this virtuoso and for the majority of his audience it is an experience that compels them to return again and again to hear and watch him play, as his fingers lightly dance over the strings of his guitar and create a unique sound that is 'Claude'.
It is very hard to describe the almost endless amalgam of different influences in Claude's playing, all melting into each other, as he moves from classical openings, across a whole continent of cultural roots, from the Balearic's to the Balkans, and then across to the Mississippi Delta, and shoehorned into all that is music that would not have been out of place in the courts of Emperors and Kings.
Claude Bourbon weaved his songs through the audience as if on a journey through life taking in different flavours of Europe and beyond. His Spanish medieval blues evolved into Gypsy, Eastern European, with a splash of Paco de Lucia, Delta Blues and more. Holding audience attention under a musical spell.
It's not easy to begin to describe the breadth or mastery of the music you will hear if you are fortunate to catch one of Claude's gigs, it is a sort of sensory experience like no other. A top master of his craft and never appearing to be rushed, he has impeccable timing and makes things that one can only marvel at seem simple.
Now based in the UK, some of this guitarists' influences allow us a fascinating insight into this remarkable musician; Paco De Lucia: Deep Purple's Richie Blackmore; Joaquin Rodrigo; JJ Cale; JS Bach....
Claude has played countless venues, including Glastonbury Festival, Isle of Wight Festival, Colne Great British & Blues Festival, Rock O'Z Arene, Avenches, Switzerland, among others. He has shared the stage in Europe and the USA with countless musicians, Calvin Russel, Charlie Morgan (Elton John, Gary Moore), Jan Akkerman (Focus), Steve Grossman (Miles Davis), Herbie Armstrong ( Van Morisson), Jose barrense Dias and many more.

Experience an evening of exploration in the unique ambiance of the Thumb!
" Claude Bourbon is a unique figure today... his playing is almost indescribable" - The Hook, Charlottesville, USA

"Never heard anyone get that much beautiful sound out of a J-45", Bob, Tucson, AZ
"A breathtaking acoustic fusion of blues, jazz, folk, classical and Spanish guitar from a stunning guitar virtuoso..."Altadena News, USA"
"...This accomplished artist offers tender, compelling performance through highly developed precision. His sound instantly creates ambience - from haunting Spanish moods to lyrical, romantic jazz, Claude Bourbon provides both a rich evening of music for lovers, and a real treat for music lovers...", BBC, UK

Warren Sirota and David Levitt; It Had To Be You -- Gypsy Jazz!

Warren Sirota and David Levitt are veteran musicians who formed the It Had To Be You band in order to share the joy and excitement of "gypsy jazz" with audiences everywhere. This style of music, created by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in the early 20th century, features foot-tapping numbers with hot solos, driven by rhythm guitars pushing out chords in the unique "le pompe" style.

Warren and Dave, along with their frequent special guests, play songs from the gypsy jazz repertoire (which includes quite a few jazz standards given unique treatments) with panache and humor, and occasionally skill. You'll come away with your fingers snapping, humming an infectious melody, and knowing a little more about the legacy of the great genius of the guitar, Django Reinhardt.

Audience members agree:

"Warren and Dave are outstanding musicians who very clearly enjoy playing together. The result is a thoroughly impressive gypsy jazz performance we guarantee you will enjoy."
Scott and Pam

"These guys have great chemistry and spur each other on to be their best guitaring selves. I've also followed Warren through his rock, electronic, and classical days and love seeing him bring all his chops to gypsy jazz."
Brian from Manhattan

claudebourbon.org

ithadtobeyouband.com

Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 8:00pm

THE EVERLY SET: SEAN ALTMAN & JACK SKULLER approximate The Everly Brothers

introducing Joshua Garcia

The partnered charity for this concert is Musicians On Call

SEAN ALTMAN & JACK SKULLER

We would like to thank SEAN ALTMAN & JACK SKULLER for generously donating their time on talent on behalf of "Musicians On Call".

In 1957, teenagers Phil and Don Everly, supercharged the vocal sound of Rock'n' Roll with the sparkling brotherly harmony that would influence The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beach Boys, The Hollies, Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul & Mary and the Bees Gees, releasing "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Susie" in the same year.
Now 60 years later, acclaimed NYC singer-songwriters and Everly devotees, Sean Altman (Rockapella founder, Carmen Sandiego theme song composer, Jewmongous creator) & Jack Skuller (winner of The Songwriters' Hall of Fame's Holly Prize in songwriting) are The Everly Set. Together, this dynamic duo approximates The Everly Brothers, presenting in concert: Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, Cathy's Clown, All I Have To Do Is Dream, When Will I Be Loved, Crying In The Rain, Love Hurts, Bird Dog, Claudette, Walk Right Back, plus many more classic hits and historic rarities.
Altman, and NJ native, Jack Skuller met on stage at the famed NYC tribute series, "The Loser's Lounge" in 2011 when Jack was just 14. In 2015, they formed The Everly Set and bought their first matching shirts. With their precision harmonies, masterful playing and engaging stage presence , they have been spreading joy and bringing audiences to their feet ever since.

"I was blown away... The Everly set is AMAZING! You'll feel like you traveled back to the '50s.....sounded as good as the actual Everly Brothers, maybe better. A fabulous night!"
NYC entertainment critic Neil Genzlinger

His silky tenor voice produced chills....The Ricky Nelson of the New York City club scene.
The New York Times

... In terms of vocal talent, Altman is light-years ahead of most singers...
New York Press

Power-pop mensch and aspiring teen cult leader Sean Altman (yeah, he gets the press), of "Carmen Sandiego" fame, was another recent Loser's Lounge winner with his smooth, plummy "Golden Years" - better than Bowie's!
The Village Voice

Joshua Garcia

Joshua Garcia is a folk-singer/songwriter whose music and writing style draw from the influences of his musical heroes Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Joshua spent time writing and performing in Providence, RI before settling in Astoria, Queen.

A firm believer in the power of song and 'the album' as an artistic format, Joshua is currently in pre-production for his first official release.

Joshua thanks you for stopping by, and as he often tells his audiences:
"If you do your best to listen; I'll do my best to remember the words!"

"Garcia sings in a strong, confident baritone that harks back to the more purposeful folk voices of the 1950s folk revival: in other words, he isn't trying to be Dylan or, for that matter, John Mayer. Likewise, his guitar picking is steady, and fluid, and fluent in several bluesy styles. He writes in images: rather than telling you what's going on, he gives you an audio movie to figure out. He's got a deadpan sense of humor that can be very grim, which makes sense considering who's in the Oval Office right now."
-New York Music Daily Blog

"It was a special night at Cafe Vivaldi on that summer day last year. Vivaldi's dimmed lights and low ceilings were packed to the brim with people, and the excitement was brewing. So many talented songwriters played one after the other that I was in awe. I felt hopeful. And among all of those incredible songwriters, one stood out to me-Joshua Garcia. He had a booming voice that gave you shivers. When the first few words poured from his mouth, it shocked me dead silent. I turned my body toward him and listened until the moment he was finished. Everyone in the audience was silent, hypnotized by him. 'You can buy yourself freedom, but you can never be free' was one line. 'I'm sewin' my dreams in the suitcase factory' was another. His lyrics are subtle and they project honesty and humanity, which is rarely found. He also doesn't fall into the nearly universal genre of love-song writers. He is one of the last of a dying breed of topical singer/songwriters, and he is one of a select few in that category who write great songs."
-Jeremy Aaron

facebook.com/theeverlyset

facebook.com/joshuagarciamusic

Saturday, April 21, 2018 at 8:00pm

Matt Nakoa / Kirsten Maxwell

Thank you so everyone! This show is SOLD-OUT. If you would like to placed on the waiting list please email your request to bethj.stein@gmail.com For other opportunities to see these fine artists please check their tour schedules on their websites: www.mattnakoa.com & www.kirstenmaxwell.com We hope to see you at our season finale on May 12th Again thank you so much for your support. Best, Perry & Beth Ethical Brew

Matt Nakoa

MATT NAKOA is an internationally touring singer/songwriter, recently appearing at The White House, throughout India, and regularly with folk icon Tom Rush. Growing up on a small goat farm in rural NY State, Matt discovered music as a means of teenage escape and trained to be a concert pianist. Matt was ultimately accepted as a vocalist to Berklee College of Music where he studied alongside soon-to-be Grammy winners St. Vincent and Esperanza Spalding among others. After school, Matt landed in NYC's vibrant piano bar scene. There he quickly became a star performer at Manhattan's famous Brandy's Piano Bar, with lines waiting outside the door each Saturday night.
As if illustrating two sides of himself, Matt's first album, Light In The Dark (2012), is a sweeping pop opus, while A Dozen Other Loves (2014) explores an intimate acoustic palette. Across the board his song craft has garnered awards, including a win at Kerrville Folk Festival's prestigious New Folk Competition. Though not easily pinned down, "In sum," as a recent review on CoverLayDown.com put it, "Matt Nakoa is a musical adept, one of those well kept secrets you just can't help but celebrate: intimate and genuine, soulful and bittersweet, a rich poetic songbook sung in praise to a complicated, emotionally present world."

Here's what folks are saying about Matt Nakoa...

"On the ivories, (think of) a hot-handed phenom who can go from Chopin to beer-drenched honkytonk in one set ... On guitar, a Jack Johnson-esque singer songwriter ... between his piano chops, charismatic stage presence, and heartfelt originals on guitar, he drops jaws."

-- The Boston Globe

"Most Wanted" Winner - Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
New Folk Winner - Kerrville Folk Festival
Sundilla Radio Hours "Album Of The Year" list
Selected to play at the White House

Kirsten Maxwell

Based on Long Island, Kirsten Maxwell has made great strides since diving head first into her career. She is often compared to Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell, for her soaring vocals and retro-folk style. Kirsten gives everything to her live performances and has been described as "making love to the audience". Although self-taught on guitar, she plays with such delicacy and taste that the guitar seems to be extension of her body. Her delivery creates a level of intimacy that welcomes new audiences in like old friends. With a quick wit and commanding stage presence, Kirsten gives the impression of being more accomplished than her 24 years.

In April 2015, she independently released her debut album, Crimson. It has been met with great success and fans await her highly anticipated EP, to be released this Spring.

mattnakoa.com

kirstenmaxwell.com

Saturday, March 10, 2018 at 8:00pm

Seth Glier with special guest Davey O

The partnered charity for this concert is Bergen Volunteer Center

Seth Glier

Seth Glier's new album Birds is steeped in conflict and contradictions. There's grief and loss, but also strength and resilience; doubt and dismay, but also a sense of optimism as Glier confronts heavy topics and wrestles them into the daylight.
Glier (pronounced "Gleer") recorded Birds in an airy loft in western Massachusetts outfitted with a grand piano and floor-to-ceiling windows. Birds roost just outside those windows, on the roof of the converted mill building where he lives, and they became his sympathetic audience while Glier made the album. "I felt a tremendous amount of comfort talking to the Birds," he says "I'd check in with them regularly to see how they thought things were going so far."
Birds is Glier's fifth album, and the latest entry in a burgeoning career that has included a Grammy nomination and a pair of Independent Music Awards while touring with artists including Ani DiFranco and Ryan Adams.
The songs on Birds range from personal to political, and are bound together by the awareness that our world is a fragile place that is all the more magical for it. Glier makes that point on a large scale with "Water on Fire," a terse, grinding tune that opens with a cynical reworking of a Ray Charles lyric as Glier uses fracking to dig into the false equivalence between freedom and capitalism. "Hasn't Hit Me Yet" has a more visceral, intimate approach: the soulful slow jam, full of warm guitars and multi-tracked vocals, is about the death of Glier's autistic brother.
Together, those songs represent the opposite poles of Birds. "I was really trying to explore connections on this record," Glier says. Among those connections is the one between race and the criminal justice system on "Justice for All," a raw chain-gang stomp that sounds almost like an old field recording. "Like I Do" takes a more oblique tack, drawing out feelings of anger through the use of noisy synthesizers and fuzzed-out bass pads.
The songs on Birds reflect a scope of sound and style: the title track is lush and & orchestral, for example, while "Too Much Water" pairs Glier's voice and piano with subtle accompaniment from horns, for a classic, elegant feel that calls to mind Harry Nilsson in the early '70s. "People Like Us" is jaunty and up-tempo, while the trebly guitar arpeggios and moaning saxophone on "Just Because I Can" sound like a sock-hop slow dance, until you zero in on lyrics delivered by a narrator who dynamites his domestic bliss simply for the power trip. Conflict. Contradiction.
Even the cover tune, a reimagined version of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth," evokes urgency. "Although it was written 50 years ago, it's still about what's happening right now," Glier says.
Birds began taking shape after Glier lost his brother, Jamie, who died in October 2015, and inspired a TED Talk performance that Glier gave in 2016. "My brother passing away was a huge component of where I was and what I was looking for," Glier says. "In particular, I was looking for meanings, wanting his life to mean more than just being over."
For a long time afterward, Glier passed the time by writing songs and inspecting each melody with the feathered fellows by his windowsill. Instead of recording the album in a Los Angeles studio, as he did on his 2015 album If I Could Change One Thing, he decided to make Birds at home.
"I thought that I should just stay close to the windows here," Glier says. "I think this sort of happened by accident, but by the time I started recording the record, it was fall in New England, which is a profoundly beautiful death. The air is full of honesty, the sky is full of geese, and there is bright gorgeousness woven into the dying of things. It all seeped into the textures of this record."

"Grammy-nominated musician Seth Glier continues to gain momentum"
- Paste Magazine

"Singer with an exquisite tenor echoes Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel."
- USA TODAY

"this material sounds like nothing if not classics in waiting...it's the essence of perfection"
- BLURT Magazine

"this young blood wields an old-soul air...Discover a new generation of great with Seth Glier's 'The Next Right Thing'"
- Huffington Post

"An adept song craftsman elegantly emotional vocalist...harkening back to early pop/rock tradition of Billy Joel and early Springsteen.
- iTunes Editorial

Davey O

Equal parts songwriter and storyteller, Buffalo's Davey O. has been recognized on a national level for his past two CD releases with multiple honors among the "best of" lists of several Folk & Roots radio stations, and as a 2013 New Folk Finalist at the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival. Davey has also earned the respect of his peers for his incredible work ethic, performing between 120 - 140 dates per year, and for his constant dedication to the art of song craft. With a journalist's eye for detail and poet's ear for the well-turned observation, Davey O. finds the universal in the particular, turning day-to-day minutiae into dusty paeans to the indomitability of the human spirit. With each tale another slice of life examined.

Davey is looking to build on the success of his previous release "No Passengers," (2014 Top 25 of 100 albums Roots Music Report, Best of 2014 - WHRW, WAMC, The Sundilla Radio Hour, WMSC, Radio Crystal Blue, WVPE ) with the 2017 release of "A Bright Horizon Line" (Top 20 Album, Folk DJ List, April 2017) - his new, full length CD. Joined by veteran folk artists Tracy Grammer (background vocals), and Pat Wictor (dobro), as well as up and coming artists Matt Nakoa (piano), and Eric Lee (mandolin, fiddle), "A Bright Horizon Line" is a collection of 10 tracks (9 original compositions, and a cover of the Crowded House classic "Don't Dream It's Over") - each one taking the listener on an adventure via music and words, strung along the common thread of this journey we are all on. Co-produced with Neale Eckstein at Fox Run Studios, the production values and arrangements are clear, concise, and cinematic in their quality, successfully capturing the elements of both contemporary and traditional folk music.

* 2016 Nominee - SAMF Jim Lauderdale Songwriter of the Year Award
* 2015 NERFA Suzi Wollenburg DJ Showcase Selection
* 2015 Finalist - 32nd annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest
* 2013 Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Finalist
* 2013 Best New Artist - Radio Crystal Blue, Tacoma, PA
* Latest CD, "No Passengers" - "Best of 2014" honors from WMSC (Montclair, NJ), WAMC (Albany, NY), Troy Public Radio (Auburn, AL), Radio Crystal Blue (Tacoma, WA), WVPE (Elkhart, IN) and WHRW (Binghamton, NY)
* "No Passengers" - 12 consecutive weeks as a Top 25 Contemporary Folk Album on the Roots Music Reports, debuting at #3, and placement among the Top 100 Contemporary Folk Albums of 2014

Press quotes -

"One of these artists who takes a modicum of musical coal and squeezes it hard enough to produce some diamonds is the acclaimed singer-songwriter Davey O who has supported many top tier artists throughout his career. His new ten-song collection "...a bright horizon line," is a continuation of this concise singer-songwriter's testament of absorbing story songs."
- John Apice,
No Depression

"(with "A Bright Horizon Line"), this modern day troubadour has released another stellar album of Americana Roots music from the heart and the head....The album seems to form a cinematic passage that is rewarding for both the artist and the listener"
- Bob Silvestri,
Best of WNY.com

"Davey O. crafts intimate, folk-and country-based slices of a life examined. With a journalist's eye for detail and poet's ear for the well-turned observation, he finds the universal in the particular, turning day-to-day minutiae into dusty paeans to the indomitability of the human spirit."
- Jeff Miers,
The Buffalo News

"a rare voice for the actual struggling everyday people of this world--not filtered through legend or tradition, but as actually and personally experienced"
- Sarah Craig, Manager,
Caffe Lena

sethglier.com

daveyo.com

Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 2:00am

Abbie Gardner - Songwriting Workshop

abbiegardner.com

High Praise for Abbie Gardner...

"Not only a first-rate Dobro player, but a songwriter to be reckoned with."
-John Platt, WFUV

"Abbie Gardner shows her prodigious writing chops in her album, Hope. Tales of love and loss, both gritty and sweet, ride the back of her by-now familiar, formidable slide guitar licks. She channels Lucinda and Bonnie, but remains pure Abbie."
- Richard Cuccaro, Publisher, Acoustic Live

Saturday, February 17, 2018 at 8:00pm

The Kennedys with special guest Frank Lombardi

The partnered charity for this concert is Northern New Jersey Sanctuary Coalition

The Kennedys

Pete and Maura Kennedy are a contemporary folk duo who color their original songs with musical and lyrical references that point to the great music of the 1960s; The Beatles, The Byrds, Buddy Holly, and the Everly Brothers figure prominently in their songs, and in their choice of cover material. Based in Greenwich Village, the two celebrated, in 2015, their twentieth year as a married couple and and musical duo. Two decades on the road, both on their own and as members of Nanci Griffith's Blue Moon Orchestra, have led them to many venues, including Carnegie Hall, The Newport and Philadelphia Folk Festivals, and Royal Albert Hall in London. Prior to moving to New York City, they were based in Austin Texas, and Washington DC. In DC, they were Artists-in-Residence at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and were the recipients of twenty Wammy awards, including "Artists of the Year". In 1993, Pete was awarded a Grammy certificate for his participation as lead guitarist on Nanci Griffith's "Other Voices, Other Rooms".
The Kennedy have released fifteen CDs, including three in 2015.

The Kennedys / Press

JIM FARBER IS FLOORED BY THE KENNEDYS...Maura Kennedy's voice rests wistfully on music that makes Burt Bacharach-style somber pop.
Jim Farber - New York Daily News

Byrdsy jangle and boy-girl harmonies...irresistible
Rolling Stone Magazine

The Kennedys are worthy of the title First Couple of American Folk and Americana.
Lee Zimmeraman - No Depression

Just in from one of the best gigs I have seen this year. The Kennedys were superb at The Loft tonight. Wonderful music and a great U2 cover in Wild Honey. Anyone who missed it missed a treat of a gig. Hope they come back again soon.
John O'Regan - Freelance Music Journalist/Broadcaster/Lecturer

Frank Lombardi

The progeny of a long line of musicians, Frank Lombardi grew up surrounded by music, whether as a toddler watching his grandfather play the accordion, or as a youngster listening to his father play the family's baby grand piano, With music in his DNA, it's no surprise that this South Jersey native is making a name for himself as an emerging talent on the folk/acoustic scene. While Frank's early influences - folk heroes such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Arlo Guthrie, are clearly channeled in his troubadour style, his synthesis of a newer genre of folk-inspired writers - Ryan Adams, David Gray, Wilco, and My Morning Jacket, to name a few -- make for a unique hybrid that bridges that gap between generations. Frank finds his songwriting inspiration most often within the scope of imperfection and human failure, perceived within the self or society at large. His debut album, Whiskey and the Mourning After, released in late 2014.

Words of praise from those in the know...

"He's got the type of voice that makes you stop what you're doing and turn and look. I know because that's what happened the first time I heard him at a sound check"
Bill Brandenburg
Music on Main Street

I love watching audiences respond to Frank Lombardi's compelling and powerful songs..And his voice will totally blow you away! He is an artist not to be missed
Gail Prusslin
Outpost in the Burbs

kennedysmusic.com

francislombardi.com

Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 8:00pm

Peter Calo/Trina Hamlin

Special Co-Bill

The partnered charity for this concert is Meals On Wheels - North Jersey

Peter Calo

Peter has performed and/or recorded with such diverse artists as Carly Simon, Dionne Warwick, Queen Latifah, Willie Nelson, Hall and Oates, Linda Eder, Sophie B. Hawkins, Andrea Bocelli, Jimmy Webb, Kris Kristofferson, Leonard Bernstein, Marc Shaiman, Frank Filipetti, Julie Taymor, Lesley Gore, Crash Test Dummies, Joel Grey, The Platters, Harvey Fierstein and more.

Calo has also produced many recordings including Carly Simon's release, "Never Been Gone" and is featured in the documentary, "All You Need is Klaus". He was guitarist for Showtime's "Ray Donovan" and for the Tony and Grammy Award-winning original Broadway and film production of "Hairspray".
Peter also contributed music for Carly Simon's recently released autobiography audio book, "Boys In The Trees."

Peter played to a sold out Carnegie Hall as part of the "Lead Belly Tribute", performing with Eric Burdon (The Animals), Edgar Winter, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Walter Trout and others

Peter was nominated for his third MAC award for "Outstanding Ensemble Instrumentalist". Calo has just completed a TV spot for "I Can Connect" which is a FAA program that brings smart phones to the deaf and blind.

Peter Calo just released a new CD, "Time Machine", which has gone #9 Top Album on the Top 50 Alternative Album Chart with the single "Don't Ever Go Away," # 6 Song on the Top 50 Alternative Folk Song Chart. "Don't Ever Go Away" has gone to #1 on some radio stations.
Peter has released five CDs of his own music, "Wired To The Moon" and "Cape Ann", a CD featuring Peter's special arrangements called "Cowboy Song" as well as tribute CDs to The Beatles and the Eagles on Northstar Records.
Peter recently wrote and performed in the latest production of "The Mask Of The Jaguar King."

Here's what industry insiders are saying about Peter Calo...

"Peter Calo is the musician you meet early in your career and all of a sudden you're 70 years old and you're lucky enough to still be playing and writing with him. This album shows his ability to merge styles and introduce new structures and harmonies with himself singing lead vocals. Always an inspiration and always quite surprising. Life sure does shine bright on an ordinary day!! Oh, wait a second, I think he wrote that!!"
-- Carly Simon

"Peter Calo is not only a guitar player, he is an artist with great knowledge and depth and has the unique gift of bringing out the best in a song. I don't think Peter realizes how much pleasure and how much I learned when I worked with him."
-- Billy J Kramer

"I have listened with great joy...this is excellent work...Peter Calo's Time Machine is aptly named, as these wonderful songs and their delicious and masterful musicality take us both through the past and into the future...and know Every Ordinary Day is my current favorite... ;)"
--Michael McGlone Actor/Writer/Musician

"...one of the most engaging performers in the biz"
-- Time Out, London

Trina Hamlin

Trina Hamlin combines gentle understanding with raw emotion in a way that is, quite simply, captivating from the first note.
With a rich, powerful voice, Hamlin reveals a rare confluence of Midwestern innocence, contemplative focus, and raw passion while adding a disarmingly sharp wit in her stage banter. She seamlessly moves from guitar to piano with self-accompaniment on harmonica leaving many who have seen her wondering what she can't do.
Regarded as one of the best harmonica players around, she presents a driving, sensuous rhythm in her performance, reawakening audiences to the art of the instrument.
In the current climate of "sounds like" artists and "heard it before" lyrics, Trina offers an intelligent and refreshing musical experience. Her unique combination of ballads, folk-rock and blues has earned her a steady national following. Trina tours full-time throughout the US and Europe. Additionally, she is a much sought after harmonica player and percussionist, accompanying numerous nationally recognized singer/songwriters in the studio and live on stage.
Having earned a degree in professional music from Berklee College in Boston, she graduated to the club scene in New York City with the band Blue Leaves, and has gone on to write and co-produce five albums of her own. Trina was chosen as one of the "most wanted new artists" at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and has performed to a sold out crowd at the Newport Folk Festival in the company of Ani Di Franco, Dar Williams, and The Indigo Girls. She's performed on The Late Show with Conan O'Brien, has had her music chosen as a backdrop for the CBS TV movie Friends at Last, as well as the WB's series Dawson's Creek. Her songs have also been featured on Bravo's "Tale Lights", Lifetime's "The Things We Do For Love", MTV's "Real World",. as well as ABC Family's "Beautiful People." In addition, Trina has shared the stage with Taj Majal, Charlie Musslewhite, John Hiatt and Ricki Lee Jones, to name a few..
With unapologetic emotional freedom, Trina's songs have the unique power to mirror and evoke the obvious and unspoken realities of life and being in love.

From those in the know...

"Trina Hamlin's music smolders sweetly just before it sets the place on fire. Add in that irresistibly twinkling grin and you've got the foundation for a wonderful time."
--Marilyn Rea Beyer, WUMB Boston

"The exhilarating rawness and grooving rush of Down to the Hollow both belies the accomplished textures. . . and underscores the importance that blues and mood play in her music."
--Performing Songwriter Magazine

"I have never seen anyone play harmonica like that. Neither has anyone else. Trina is truly one of the most compelling musical performers on the stage today."
--Susan Werner

petercalo.com

trinahamlin.com

Saturday, November 18, 2017 at 8:00pm

Co-Bill: David Massengill / Mike & Aleksi Glick (Generations)

The partnered charity for this concert is Doctors Without Borders

David Massengill

Singer, songwriter and storyteller, David Massengill burst onto the Greenwich Village folk scene in the mid-70s, walking the same streets and playing the same storied coffee houses as Bob Dylan and Dave Van Ronk. Thirty years later, he's still walking those streets, but now he's being recognized universally for his pivotal role in keeping the American folk music tradition alive.
Called a "master of vivid lyrical imagery" (Boston Globe), David continues to create beautiful and poignant "story songs" that are intimate and relevant and tug at your emotions. Songs like "Rider On An Orphan Train", a narrative ballad ringing with truth and anguish" (Washington Post), "Number One In America", a riveting and ironic civil rights anthem" (Boston Globe) and the biting political statement, "The Gambler, a thing of beauty about all things ugly" (Barry Crimmns).
His songs have been covered and recorded by Joan Baez, The Roches, Lucy Kaplansky, Tom Russell, Nanci Griffith and his mentor, Dave Van Ronk, who said David "took the dull out of dulcimer!" Notes Music Boulevard, "That David made the lap dulcimer his instrument of choice tells us a lot about the soft-spoken native of eastern Tennessee. He accompanies his performance with an instrument indelibly Appalachian, yet conquers even the most urban of musical communities. He does it without losing that remarkable gift of storytelling."
David has released six albums, eleven bootlegs and fourteen books to date, including, "Partners in Crime", the debut album of The FolkBrothers, David's duo project with the late great Jack Hardy.

David Massengill... In the Press:

"...a respected cult figure whose songs are serious and idiosyncratic and whose writing is ambitiously allegorical."
Stephen Holden
NEW YORK TIMES

"A gem of thinking man's romanticism."
David Fricke
ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE

"David Massengill possesses a pure brilliance that is difficult to ignore."
BOSTON GLOBE

"David Massengill's lyrical facility is the most astounding to appear since that of Elvis Costello. He can be wickedly funny and deeply touching in the same line-and his imagination seems unlimited."
THE ALL AMERICAN MUSIC GUIDE

"David Massengill's songs and stories are fine-tuned and exquisitely crafted, but his performance and his delivery are all natural. He will delight you and warm your heart."
FOLKSTUFF

Mike & Aleksi Glick - Generations

Generations: Mike & Aleksi Glick is a father and son group. They are both songwriters and guitarists. Before working with his son, Mike toured the USA, Europe and Asia. His group was reviewed by Robert Palmer in The New York Times, "The material has the sound and rhythms of Brazilian... and Afro-Cuban music (and) is more rousing and musically substantive than the music of city folksingers of previous generations." Pete Seeger called Mike "one of the best songwriters going." Aleksi is a graduate of Peabody Conservatory in jazz guitar, where he held the Charlie Byrd Memorial Scholarship. He has studied with such world class jazz guitarists as Paul Bollenback, Vic Juris, Pat Martino and Jon Abercrombie, led his own music groups in Baltimore and NYC, and has already composed music for film.

Generations mixes new and old. Now mining the blues, but also influenced by and playing jazz, folk and latin music, virtuoso lead guitar, fine vocals and harmonies.......provocative!

What those in the know are saying about Generations:

"Generations is a progressive urban folk group, the father son duo of Mike & Aleksi Glick. Their latest release is the impressive album Two for the Blues."
Roots Rock Review
Spring 2017

"Quite a potent combination there - Langston Hughes Song for Billie Holiday in a beautiful new setting by Mike Glick and a fine new recording (Generations: Two for the Blues) by Mike, and at the guitar, his son Aleksi Glick." (And about Living While Black) "Strong song!"
Woody's Children, WFUV-FM
Bob Sherman

Generations: Two for the Blues, "A wonderful album!..... Listeners to my show have commented on the timeliness and effectiveness of Living While Black, a powerful part of the folk tradition of social commentary."
WICN-FM, Worcester, MA
Nick Noble

Ron Goad, 6 time Wammie winner. board member and former VP of Songwriters Assn of Washington (DC) said "Katrina Blues is a favorite of mine and ......Daybreak in Alabama is rich and complex, a brilliant and advanced composition.... reminds me of some of my Beatles favorites, songs that grew on me with each new hearing."

davidmassengill.com

generations-music.com

Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 8:00pm

Eric Schwartz with Honor Finnegan

This show contains adult material -- recommended for mature audiences

The partnered charity for this concert is American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey

Eric Schwartz

Award-winning singer/songwriter, performer, satirist multi-instrumentalist and entertainer Eric Schwartz (aka Eric "Red" Schwartz) tours the U.S. and Europe bringing his music to every audience he can find. He's been playing music and comedy venues nationally for fifteen years (the Improv, The Bluebird, The Comedy Store, The Bottom Line...). He has composed for and performed in various Satiristas shows spearheaded by Paul Provenza, as well as "The Bad Boys of Comedy" with Bobby Slayton, Jim Norton et. al. His songs have been sung by Ronny Cox, Holly Near and Van Dyke Parks. Schwartz is possibly the only artist in the history of the world to get raves from Gloria Steinem and Hustler Magazine, Eric's songs go from the political to the profane, sometimes both (see the International Songwriting Competition's best comedy song of the year, "Clinton Got a Blowjob".) Eric's latest CD release The Aristocrat, which Paul Zollo (Songwriters on Songwriting) calls "a comic treasure" and the U.K.'s Rock'n'Reel magazine calls "beautifully produced and perfectly executed," contains "There's a Picture...", currently in rotation on the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom show. Schwartz has also garnered radio play on stations as diverse as Howard Stern's 100, Raw Dog Radio, the Ed Schultz Show and NPR's All Things Considered. Schwartz' latest release is The Better Man which Brian Keathley of KALX Berkeley calls "by far his best work yet. A great collection of tunes with humor, and social commentary - some of which is damn profound. Be listening for it this week and beyond on my radio shows!"

Here's what folks are saying about Eric Schwartz...

"The most gifted, irreverent, musically brilliant, beloved, warm presences here at Kerrville an everywhere else"
-- Peter Yarrow

"Eric Schwartz has a brilliant mind, a fabulous musical sensibility, and is not afraid to sing what other people barely allow themselves to think."
-- Christine Lavin

"Outrageous fun!"
-- John Platt, WFUV

"Blending politically savvy comedy with music has always been a slippery slope. Eric Schwartz knows just how to meld funny and funky."
-- Hustler Magazine, March 2008

Honor Finnegan

Combining elements of musical theater, comedy, traditional folk and poetry, Honor Finnegan has been making a splash in the northeastern regional folk scene with her original songs, astonishing vocals and fine ukulele playing. Her songs are at turns, humorous and heartbreaking with melodies that soar and lyrics that reflect the complexities of contemporary life. Her unique brand of quirky Indie folk has earned her a place on the stage with the likes of Buskin & Batteau, Sloan Wainwright, David Massengill and Peter Yarrow, to name a few. She is a proud member of Tribes Hill, a folk music collective based in the Hudson Valley area. Honor was a 2013 Kerrville New Folk winner, and a 2012 Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist.
Currently based in New York City, Honor was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, and moved to Ireland in 1991 where she sang with jazz bands, blues bands, big bands and traditional Irish bands. Though small in stature, her powerful voice and larger-than-life persona, are guaranteed to make a huge impression on all who are fortunate enough to see her perform.

Here's the buzz on Honor Finnegan ...

"Honor Finnegan's clever songs, powerful voice, and endearing stage presence have made her standout on the fertile NYC folk scene. Don't miss her!"
- John Platt, "Sunday Breakfast," WFUV, New York

"I am honored to be compared to Honor Finnegan! I LOVE her!"
- Christine Lavin

"One thing is certain: those who see and hear her encounter a powerful voice combined with a refreshing, offbeat sense of humor...Combined with her prodigious vocal instrument, her recorded and live repertoire packs a unique one-two punch"
-Richard Cuccaro, Acoustic Live

"Lyrics that catch you by surprise, a voice that pulls you toward the source then knocks you on your heels with energy, a caramel and salt confection that you can't quite explain and you can't get enough of. "
- Thomas Boyd, "Rockin Roots" on independent radio

ericschwartz.com

honorfinnegan.com

Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 3:00pm

Concert Across America to End Gun Violence Robinson Treacher / Kate Copeland FREE SHOW AT 3PM

The partnered charity for this concert is Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence - Bergen County New Jersey Chapter

This is the second annual event. Last year 5,225 artists at 350 events in 43 states came together to unite us through music. This year, the Bergen County Brady Chapter - with the assistance of the producers of Ethical Brew - are proud to participate. About the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence: Brady has committed to the bold goal of cutting the number of U.S. gun deaths in half by 2025. Our innovative strategy centers on the idea of keeping guns out of the wrong hands through three impact-driven campaigns: (1) Applying life-saving Brady background checks to all gun sales; (2) Stopping "Bad Apple" gun dealers, the 5 percent of gun dealers that supply 90 percent of all crime guns; and (3) Leading a new national conversation about the real dangers of guns in the home aimed at changing social norms in order to prevent the homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings that happen literally every day.

Robinson Treacher

If entertainment can be defined as an agreeable occupation of the mind, then Robinson Treacher has found a way to encompass this in every aspect of his contribution to music-kind. Whether playing the role as front man to the soul-rock infused Delaware Hudson, as co-collaborator to the Alt-Country based Tensleep, or as a solo singer/songwriter, Treacher seems to drain himself of energy in the ceaseless pursuit of portraying moments of musical passion. This passion is evident in every attempt he makes to involve us, the listeners, in the spiritual orchestrations of emotion that have been meticulously tempered into songs.

Just like the long list of New York City artists before him, Robinson feeds off the honest grit found among the "huddled masses"...coupling the blatantly obvious (to a New Yorker at least) with the deeply personal. Chameleon-like in his approach to his songwriting, he refuses to be pigeonholed into one particular genre. Believing that each song is forged from its own unique terrain, he takes great pains in choosing the vehicle by which passengers might best weatherthe bumps, potholes, and blind curves found between the first note and the last. Admittedly susceptible to the affectations of the senses himself, he asks his audience to participate emotionally as well as physically in a "whole self " conceptual challenge, a 360 degree soul search comprised of the most joyous elation to the bitterest of pains.

With the emergence of a true "world" community of listeners and the dissolving of the old guard record company elitists, Treacher's eclectic songwriting can be allowed to burgeon...flowing freely among the throngs of liberated music enthusiasts...authentic and unabashed in its purity and form.

Kate Copeland

Kate Copeland is an award-winning singer/songwriter composer/arranger based out of New York City. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory's composition program, she has worked in the studio with a variety of artists in addition to putting out her own music. Some recent production credits include Abakis' "I'm One Too" (2014), General Mojo's "How Hollow A Heart" EP (2016), and Mike O'Malley's "Growlers" EP (2016). She released her first solo album, "recollection room," in June 2015, and her follow-up EP "Red and Blue" in May 2016. Most recently ASCAP declared her this year's winner of the prestigious Robert Allen Award.

robinsontreacher.com

katecopelandmusic.com

Saturday, September 16, 2017 at 8:00pm

Craig Bickhardt with special guest Rachael Kilgour

The partnered charity for this concert is Freedom Valley Disability Center

CRAIG BICKHARDT

Craig Bickhardt's songs have been recorded by over 150 artists worldwide including Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, B.B. King, Alison Kraus and Kathy Mattea. His songs appear in three films including Tender Mercies, Switchback and At Close Range, as well as the TV shows Hidden Palms, Wildfire and Huff. He has received nine ASCAP awards and four R.I.A.A. Platinum Album Awards for his songs which include four #1 hits and 15 Billboard charting songs

From the boisterous club scene of Philadelphia to the country-rock milieu of Los Angeles to the picking parlors of Nashville, Craig Bickhardt has immersed himself in the sights and sounds of American music. His music reflects a life lived as a rock band lead singer, a solo troubadour, a dedicated songwriter, a husband and a father. Dreams, heartaches and hard-earned lessons have fed his creativity. There is no other way he could have written the eloquent, often bittersweet songs that have become his trademark.

As a singer/songwriter of the old school, you can hear echoes of such sixties folk revival artists such as Tom Rush, Gordon Lightfoot and Eric Andersen in his work. Also critical to Craig's art, is his virtuosic guitar work interweaving folk, blues, country and ragtime influences into a unique whole.

As an artist and perfomer, he has recorded for Warner Brothers and Capitol Records, appeared on Austin City Limits and Mountain Stage and has shared the stage with Bruce Springsteen, Hank Williams Jr., Judy Collins, Stephen Stills and Kathy Mattea. He also took first place in the 2006 International Acoustic Music Awards. Craig has released three CDs on Stone Barn Records.

Here's the buzz on Craig Bickhardt...

"His music is a blend of folk, country and pop, accented by his fluid acoustic guitar and its exquisite craftsmanship and feeling play beautifully against the smart and literary quality of his lyrics."

-- Nick Cristiano, The Philadelphia Inquirer

RACHEL KILGOUR

Rachel Kilgour is a Minnesota-based songwriter and performing artist whose sincere, lyric-driven work has been called both "brave and humane". The 2015 grand prize winner of the esteemed international NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition and 2017 winner of the Kerrville Grassyhill New Folk Contest, Kilgour has been featured at NYC's Lincoln Center and by the ASCAP Music Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival. A versatile performer, Kilgour has shard stages with the likes of indie artists Halley Bonar & Jeremy Messersmith as well as folk legends Greg Brown, Cheryl Wheeler and Lucy Kaplansky.

Kilgour's third album, Rabbit in the Road on NewSong Recordings was released in March 2017. It was produced by Catie Curtis, engineered by Crit Harmon in his home studio and mixed by Gar Ragland at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC. The album takes an intimate and often painful look at her failed marriage and loss of family. Kilgour's writing and delivery cut deep with resolute simplicity. Sorrow, rage, resilience and compassion exist side by side within a series of honest and memorable melodies. The collection of work stands tall on a foundation of vulnerability and opens the door to moments of profound connection.

craigbickhardt.com

rachaelkilgour.com

Friday, September 1, 2017 at 8:00pm

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Saturday, May 20, 2017 at 8:00pm

RUPERT WATES TRIO with Special Guest JEREMY AARON

The partnered charity for this concert is Realize Your Beauty, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to promote positive body image and eating disorder awareness by way of theatre arts.

Rupert Wates

Rupert Wates was born in London and has been a full time songwriter since the 1990s, originally penning material in varying styles and genres for all kinds of artists. Since coming to the U.S. in 2006, his accomplishments include over thirty songwriting awards. His music is an eclectic mix of acoustic, melodic art/folk, with flavors of jazz, vaudeville and cabaret. His seven solo CDs have been very well reviewed in the online press and tracks from them have been played on radio all over the world. Wates' songs have been recorded by other artists in the UK, Canada and the U.S. Rupert Wates averages 120 live shows every year in acoustic venues across America, in Canada and in Europe. He sometimes performs alone, sometimes with his trio or quartet. He prefers smaller listening rooms where the audience is close up and the emphasis is on the music. He was voted an Artist of the Year in both 2013 and 2016 by the international house concert network, Concerts In Your Home. He is the only artist to have been honored with this twice. Despite Wates' British background, and underpinning the universality of his music's appeal, Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange has called him "a prime figure in American music". Audiences everywhere respond to Wates' brand of melodic art/folk -- haunting songs that ring true.

Here's the buzz on Rupert Wates...

"Lyrically articulate and literate...he's been comparted to Brecht, Gordon Lightfoot and Brian Protheroe..
-- Mike Davies, Folk Radio UK

"...A smidgen of Django, and a little dose of the English music hall leavened with the panache of an expert Continental quartet. Wates is ... a marvelous lyricist..he writes words that sing."
-- Steve Klingaman on "The Rank Outsider's Ball"

" A songwriter of great emotional depth."
-- Sandi Durell, Times Square Chronicles

"This is one gifted sonofabitch...If you're not hip to this guy yet, you're missing out."
-- Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange

Jeremy Aaron

Jeremy Aaron is a NYC singer, storyteller, bluesman, guitarist, violinist and poet. Warm and real, his music evokes nights around the campfire between old friends.
Jeremy was raised in Nyack, NY where he studied classical violin with Alicia Edelberg, Associate Concertmaster for the NYC Opera. He grew up attending Jay Ungar's "Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Camp" where he was taught his first fiddle tunes by Jay Ungar, David Kaynor and John Krumm. Jeremy began writing songs as a teenager and after earning an undergraduate degree at Oberlin College, he began pursuing music and songwriting full time. As a songwriter, Jeremy has appeared at the Huntington Folk Festival, GAGA Arts Festival, Oberlin Folk Festival, NYC Friends of Clearwater Festival, The Living Room NYC, Caffe Lena, Jalopy Theater and School of Music, Rockwood Music Hall and many others. As an ensemble musician, he has played such impressive venues as ASTA National Orchestra Festival, Riverspace Arts, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and has opened for the American Brass Quintet at First Reformed Church of Nyack, NY. In addition to performing his own songs, Jeremy is the fiddler and guitarist in the popular Americana folk band, Spuyten Duyvil.

Here's what folks are saying about Jeremy Aaron...

"A major new folk talent has arrived"
-- Kevin Hugger (mp3hugger Blog)

"Makes me nostalgic for a childhood I never had"
-- Nick Walker (Musolist.com)

"His songs are intelligent, the arrangements subtly inventive, stylistically spanning genres -- folk/jazz/theater - demanding and holding your attention at every turn"
-- Christine Lavin

"the earthy, traditional folk sound of Jeremy Aaron is contemplative, poetic, evocative of campfires"
-- Jamendo.com

rupertwatesmusic.com

jeremyaaron.com

Saturday, April 22, 2017 at 8:00pm

VANCE GILBERT with Special Guest Kirsten Maxwell

Earth Day Show

The partnered charity for this concert is 350.org

Vance Gilbert

Can something be wry, aching, hysterical, evocative, provocative, fun, beautifully sung, and consummately played all at once? Can it? That'd be Vance Gilbert!

Vance Gilbert burst onto the singer/songwriter scene in the early 90's when buzz started spreading in the folk clubs of Boston about an ex-multicultural arts teacher who was knocking 'em dead at open mics. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Vance started out hoping to be a jazz singer, and then discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of acoustic folk music. Once word got out about Gilbert's stage-owning singing and playing, Shawn Colvin invited him to be special guest on her Fat City Tour. Noted not only for being the ever consummate performer, Gilbert has recorded 12 albums, including 4 for Philo/Rounder Records and a duo album with friend Ellis Paul. Along with being opener of choice for artists as varied as Aretha Franklin, Arlo Guthrie, and Anita Baker, 2006 and 2007 found Gilbert opening 140+ shows for comedian George Carlin. Most recently he's the opener of choice for Paul Reiser and The Subdudes.

Considered by many to be an integral part of the national folk scene, Gilbert's approach to the acoustic singer songwriter idiom is significant. Gilbert's compositions, while frequently employing sophisticated melodies and harmonies that attest to his jazz roots, remain sublime attestations to the storyteller's craft. He even has a tune on a Grammy Nominated children's album. How rounded is that?

Vance in the press...

"...the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god..."
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Gilbert took the stage, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, a whimsical sense of humor, and an astonishingly smooth, pure tenor voice. But that proved to be more than enough."
- Chicago Tribune

"His catchy, pop friendly melodies support keenly crafted, hard-hitting lyrics. His guitar is supple, his milk-warm tenor honest and gently acrobatic. He is that rare performer for whom people lean forward in their seats as eagerly between songs as they do during them."
The Boston Globe

Kirsten Maxwell

"... Kirsten Maxwell's clear soprano rings out in a way that would make Judy Collins and Joan Baez approve. She backs that up with skillful guitar playing and a growing collection of well-crafted songs. It's exciting to imagine what the future holds for her. "

- John Platt, "Sunday Supper" WFUV

"It was love at first listen! Not just Kirsten's gorgeous voice but her well crafted songs about the intricacies of love and relationships Crimson is a must listen."

- Joltin Joe, Radio Nowhere On WMSC

"Her exceptional vocal range, lilting melodies and heartfelt performance is the perfect match for her songs. 'Crimson' will take you on a journey through familiar moments in life and have you nodding your head in agreement. The best part is that this is only the beginning."

- Artie Martello, Mostly Folk Podcast, Halcottsville, NY

vancegilbert.com

kirstenmaxwell.com

Saturday, March 18, 2017 at 8:00pm

Bluebirds of Paradise featuring Ari Hest & Chrissi Poland

The partnered charity for this concert is Planned Parenthood

Bluebirds of Paradise is comprised of singer/songwriters Ari Hest and Chrissi Poland. Each a commercially successful performer on their own, (Ari is 2017 Grammy Nominee with Judy Collins), together they create a scintillating duo, an infusion of jazz and indie-folk steeped in Brazilian/world overtones. Their first EP, "In A Night" was produced by the legendary Will Lee and was released to critical acclaim in 2015.

Ari Hest

Currently a 2017 Grammy nominee for "Best Folk Album" with the legendary Judy Collins for their work on "Silver Skies Blue", Ari Hest, has been earning accolades as a singer/songwriter since he began his career over fifteen years ago. As a young musician, he was influenced by the music of The Beatles, Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, and the Dave Matthews Band. During his career, he has been privileged to share the stage with "a slew of incredible musicians", record eight solo albums and three EPs,as well as put out his song-of-the-week project, "52" (2008). Additionally, he has been in three bands that have recorded CDs, and recently has been performing as part of the duo "Bluebirds of Paradise" with singer/songwriter Chrissi Poland. This creative collaboration, an infusion of jazz and indie-folk steeped in Brazilian/world overtones, was further cemented when the couple officially tied the knot in 2015.

Ari's music is sometimes heard on television or film scores such as The Lincoln Lawyer, Private Practice, Army Wives and One Tree Hill, to name a few. Ari is on the road a lot, with over 100 tour dates each year. He feels extremely fortunate to be able to sing and play music for a living -- "it's good for my soul and I love knowing that what I create has a real impact on people."

Chrissi Poland

Enchanting vocalist and songwriter Chrissi Poland weaves together the sounds of soul, jazz and pop, creating her unique and captivating tone, compelling people to wonder how "that voice comes from that little body." Her songwriting embodies a lyrical depth and melodic richness that draws audiences of all kinds in with ease.
Born and raised in southern Massachusetts, Chrissi started out playing bars and clubs in and around Boston, then soon after moved to New York City and began playing shows in the West Village underground scene. She quickly made a name for herself in New York, and within a few years began touring the world with her own work as well as with other artists.
As a multi-instrumentalist and in-demand vocalist, Chrissi has worked and performed with an array of artists, jazz greats, and icons including Nile Rodgers, Sting, Bette Midler, Macy Gray, Moby, Scissor Sisters, The Edge, Will Lee, Dave Weckl, Kylie Minogue, Elvis Costello, Pat Benatar, Tower of Power, Blood, Sweat, & Tears, Clint Black and legendary Stax "Soul Man" Sam Moore (formerly of Sam & Dave). Her most recent EP, Reckless Ones, received acclaim for its versatility and performances.

arihest.com

chrissipoland.com

Saturday, February 18, 2017 at 8:00pm

The End of America with Special Guest Jaymie Gerard

The partnered charity for this concert is Doctors Without Borders

The End of America

The End of America is a band of friends, singers and travelers who blend three-part harmony with rock and Americana. The Philadelphia-based outfit masters a style that resonates with fans of Ryan Adams, CSNY and Dawes.

All frontmen of previous bands, Brendon Thomas, James Downes and Trevor Leonard met on tour in 2005. They went on to form a trio that highlights their vocal chemistry and captures the raw honesty of their performances. TEOA recently wrapped the recording of their debut LP, a follow-up to their previous EPs, Shakey and Steep Bay.

The End of America has performed at SXSW, Savannah Stopover and the Baltimore Folk Fest. They have shared the stage with Larry Campbell, David Bromberg, Gary Louris (The Jayhawks), Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers) and joined Beck in Los Angeles to perform for his Song Reader sheet music release show. The trio's appearance at the show aired live on KCRW and received praise from Spin, Filter and The Hollywood Reporter.

Here's what folks are saying about The End of America:

"They sound great and they seem to be loving doing it."
David Crosby via Twitter

"These three cats blend their voices as effortlessly
as Crosby, Stills and Nash."
Ripple Effect

"The End of America literally stopped traffic at our summer outdoor show and blew away the crowd opening for Larry Campbell and Theresa Williams. Their superb harmonies and captivating stage presence left the audience on its feet asking for more. Go see End of America!"
Gail Prusslin, Outpost in the Burbs

"[TEOA exhibits] soulful Low Anthem harmony & strum."
Spin Magazine

Jaymie Gerard

To describe this NJ-native as prolific would be an understatement. With over 600 original songs in genres across the board (folk, acoustic, pop, rock, dance, children's music, political, Americana...), it is easy to find music in Jaymie Gerard's catalog that moves you. As a songwriter, she has been influenced by the likes of John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Ray LaMontagne and Aimee Mann, yet she maintains her own voice, her own sound, and her own image.

A seasoned performer, Jaymie has been sharing her original songs with the public for over 16 years. On stage, she grabs hold of the hearts and minds of her audience; her honesty and accessibility allow listeners to connect and engage naturally.

Jaymie draws inspiration from the world around her -- books, short stories, friends, family, and strangers she meets in her travels and day to day. More recently, her music has taken a distinctive turn towards folk, as she enjoys the storytelling aspect of the genre.

Now partnered with her husband, Geb Zurburg, also a talented singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, Jaymie's music has reached a new level of intimacy. Their latest release, Acoustic Sessions (EP), features a handful of thought-provoking, emotional songs including a duet with Geb entitled, "Loved Enough."

Her 2010 releases (Ain't Life Sweet EP & Black-Eyed Susans EP) were an exploration of production, pushing the limits of "pop music" by infusing it with meaningful content. Both EPs have been receiving a good deal of streaming airplay.

Jamie has performed at numerous venues in the tri-state area, as well as music festivals in NJ (Black Potatoe Music Fest, Wave Gathering Emergence Festival, NJ Folk Festival) and NH (Keene Music Festival).

theendofamericamusic.com

https://jaymiegerard.com

Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 8:00pm

Beppe Gambetta with Diane Perry

The partnered charity for this concert is Northern New Jersey Sanctuary Coalition

Beppe Gambetta

From his unique background as an Italian musician in love with American roots music. as well as the music of his native country, Beppe Gambetta has traveled the world and even crossed the "Iron Curtain" to dazzle and charm music enthusiasts everywhere. After eleven CDs, DVDs, teaching books and collaborations with many other top-flight musicians, Gambetta is increasingly known as one of the true live master innovators of the acoustic guitar. In a world dominated by the trends of the market, Beppe's inspired music stands out - modestly avoiding relying solely on his high level of technical excellence to connect with his audience on an intimate, emotional level - all the while revealing the innermost feelings of a brilliant, playful mind that is always exploring and innovating while staying firmly rooted in tradition.

While Beppe still lives in his native Genova, he travels to North America at least three times each year. His reputation in the U.S. and Canada is reinforced by his participation in prestigious festivals like the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, Merlefest in North Carolina, the Four Corners Festival in Colorado and Canadian Folk Festivals in Winnipeg and Edmonton, as well as events like the radio shows "All Things Considered" and "E-Town". Beppe has performed in prestigious rooms like the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In his career he has performed with some great heroes of the folk scene like David Grisman, Gene Parsons, Doc Watson, Norman Blake an with the band, Men Of Steel: an international guitar summit (Dan Crary, Tony McManus and Don Ross) of different guitar schools with complex musical interactions.

With America in his heart and his roots in the sun and the olive trees of the Mediterranean Sea, he naturally and seamlessly bridges the shores of the two continents creating a musical "koine" (fusion) where American root music and Ligurian tradition, emigration songs and folk ballads, steel string guitars and vintage harp guitars create a unique dialogue defying any rigid classification.

Here's what the critics are saying about Beppe Gambetta...

...spinning a thick weave that sometimes calls to mind what a duet by Doc Watson and Leo Kottke might sound like."
-- Mike Joyce, The Washington Post

"Beppe Gambetta is an artist. He inhabits a vantage point and possesses a world view that sets him apart from the crowded phalanx of merely great pickers. But just as importanly, he has the skills with a flatpick to articulate and bring to us the thoughts and feelings of his soul."
-- Kevin Stevenson, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine

"This was such exciting, varied, satisfying and just downright musical music that I wanted more, particularly of Gambetta in florid Italianate style..."
-- Brian Miller, BBC Radio Scotland

"Get him on a stage and his fingers speak a language all their own. After all, he's not known as the "Italian King of the flatpick guitar" for nothing."
-- Steve Wildsmith, The Daily Times

Diane Perry

Classically trained at Julliard, Diane Perry's violin playing combines the tone of the concert-hall virtuoso with the growl of the blues and the weighty swing feel of the big bands. An alumnus of Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, as well as symphony orchestras across the eastern seaboard, Ms. Perry has performed with Travelin' Light, John Stubblefield, The DMP Big Band, Quartette Indigo, Jeff Tyzik, Tom Harrell, David Amram and many other jazz notables.

She grew up listening to jazz standards as much as she did classical music and over time developed her craft as a jazz vocalist as well, influenced by the greats like Sinatra and Fitzgerald. Performing the American Popular Songbook she fell in love with as a teen, and in the vein of Diane Krall's moody and intimate interpretations, she delights audiences with new perspectives on old standards.

Here's what industry insiders are saying about Diane Perry...

"Diane Perry is a true musician's musician and singer's singer and the jazz artists who have stood the test of time all fit this same definition. She doesn't copy anyone and doesn't need to. She tells her own story in a compelling style that makes you want to go back and hear more. She plays violin and sings with a soulfulness and brilliance that captivates audiences as much as her performances thrill the musicians who play with her and come especially to hear her. She is the real deal!"
-- David Amram, legendary jazz musician, composer, author and conductor

"This only happened once in my thirty years of producing concerts: halfway through her first song, I was already on the phone with our booking agent saying, "we've got to have her." The performer was Diane Perry. Her exquisite vocals were at once emotionally penetrating and technically exhilarating. I was overwhelmed when I heard the same passion and elegant proficiency from her instrument as I had from her voice."'
-- Marc Shaffer, Board member and former president of The Folk Project

beppegambetta.com

dianeperryjazz.com

Saturday, November 19, 2016 at 8:00pm

Spuyten Duyvil with special guest Jory Nash

The partnered charity for this concert is Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence - Bergen County New Jersey Chapter

Spuyten Duyvil

Spuyten Duyvil's (pronounced "SPITE-en-DIE-vul") brand of original and traditional American roots music blends olde-time blues, bluegrass and folk rock with a pinch of punk rock energy to create a uniquely modern mix. Led by songwriting couple, Mark Miller and Beth Kaufman, this six-piece powerhouse band brings barn-burning energy to venues throughout the East Coast and Midwest.

A festival favorite, the band who hail from Yonkers, NY, has played shows at CitiField, The Philadelphia Folk Festival, Musikfest, The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and Clearwater Festival. This year, they have expanded their horizons with gigs ranging from the South Florida Folk Festival to Israel, where they headlined at the Jacob's Ladder Festival.

They recently released their third full-length CD, "The Social Music Hour Vol. 1", to critical acclaim and their 2013 CD, "Temptation", made it to the #7 spot on the Folk DJ chart in its first full month out, with the cut "I'll Fly Away", grabbing the #2 song spot. Their 2011 release "New Amsterdam" landed on a dozen DJ Top Ten lists and received a nomination for the Alternate Root TV's "2011 Top American Roots Album."

Here's the buzz on Spuyten Duyvil...

"Raucous roots..."
-- Phillip Lutz, The New York Times

"The band's arrangements, energy, and attitude always amaze me... big sound, big drama, big groove..."
-- Stephan Winnick, The Huffington Post

"Yonker, NY-based Spuyten Duyvil are the real deal when it comes to roots revivalist American Music.."
-- William Hurley, The Alternate Root TV

"To me they are the hottest new band in folk music ... and one of the best"
-- Legendary DJ, Gene Shay, WXPN

"Seeing a Spuyten Duyvil show for the first time is like throwing a cherry bomb into a lake -- it wakes you up."
-- Rich Warren, WFMT

Jory Nash

Jory Nash is an award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and storyteller who blends elements of folk, jazz, blues, pop & soul into an original stew of sound. He has recorded eight critically acclaimed albums, the most recent being his Spring 2015 release, "The Many Hats of Jory Nash". In 2013, his album "Little Pilgrim" was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award (CFMA) for Best Producer. His 2009 album "New Blue Day", was named Penguin Egg Magazine Critic's Choice of the Year. Jory Nash also received a CFMA nomination for "New Blue Day". Jory Nash songs have been used in the feature length movie, Moon Point and the upcoming feature length documentary, 30 Ghosts and have been recorded byJuno-nominated jazz singer Lori Cullen

Jory plays acoustic guitar, piano and banjo and his warm, unique voice urges you to listen to his thoughtful lyrics and intricate melodies. Jory Nash is regularly heard on numerous CBC Radio programs, SiriusXM, BBC, Galaxie, and college/NPR stations across North America. He tours regularly across Canada and the U.S. playing folk festivals, house concerts and folk clubs.

Jory Nash has a hat collection that numbers in the hundreds and he is also a long-suffering fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Here's what folks are saying about Jory Nash...

"When Jory Nash is on stage, you just want to listen and be with him in his music! A real treat to have Jory play Blue Skies Music Festival."
-- Julia Phillips, Artistic Director. Blue Skies Music Festival

"Whether solo or with his band, Jory puts on a terrific show. He's smart and funny and always puts out 100% -- our audience loved him"
-- Al Rankin, Rankin Productions, Live Wire Music Series

"Jory not only has the ability to capture an audience's attention, but is able to weave his songs in a manner that allows the listener to become immersed in his music."
-- Arnie Ivsins, Artistic Director, Barrie Folk Society

"Masterful storytelling with rich segues into brilliant and captivating songs. A Jory Nash live show is a joy to experience!"
-- Liz Scott, Artistic Director, Eaglewood Folk Festival

spuytenduyvilmusic.com

jorynash.com

Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 8:00pm

Lipbone Redding with Special Guest Shun Ng

Lipbone Redding

Making a leap of faith in 1998, Lawrence "Lipbone" Redding began playing in the subways of Manhattan. An already accomplished performance artist and aspiring songwriter, he honed his craft in the late-night cathedrals and underground labyrinth of the New York City Transit system. In 2001, Lipbone began an epic adventure that is still unfolding. He traveled to South America where he witnessed the power of music opening the hearts and homes of strangers. He was struck with a revelation that music was the key to spirituality and community.

Upon his return to the states, Lipbone loaded up his little camper truck, "The Beautiful Flying Machine," and made his way from town to town via the highways and byways of America. Sleeping by rivers and in forests, playing music in small venues, campuses and communities, he remained diligent in his dream of a sustainable life comprised of music, travel and creativity. In 2003, his travels led him to San Francisco, where he performed for early morning yoga classes and in the clubs at night, quickly earning a reputation as a versatile artist with a positive message. It was in San Francisco that he was introduced to the music of India and South Asia. That same year he followed the Ganges in India into the Himalayas. There he remained for a year, living in ashrams, and playing music with local masters.

Lipbone returned to NYC in 2005 playing 6 nights a week. He formed the Lipbone Orchestra and composed music for world famous choreographer Bill T. Jones. The show, featuring Lipbone's unique vocal talents, toured to France, Spain and Italy. He and his fellow artists' efforts received a 2007 Obie Award for best collaboration and Toronto's Dora Mavis Moorer Award for best production.Several of Lipbone's songs have become Americana and Jamband radio hits throughout the U.S. and he can be heard on NPR, Internet and Community radio stations, as well as in tv and film sound tracks.

Since he first began in the subway, Lipbone has released 8 albums and many live recordings selling thousands worldwide and with his blessing, pirated by many more. He has collaborated with artists, musicians, theater & dance troupes, and toured widely, performing over 200 shows a year.

Here's the buzz on Lipbone...

"Unpretentious. unadulterated, unique music, the "Lipbone" is used as a secret weapon. A pleasure to hear, and a must see. Electrifying!" -- Rick Schneider, Music Director, WKZE

Shun Ng

Born in Chicago and raised in Singapore, Shun Ng (pronounced "Eng") is an award-winning fingerstyle guitar virtouso, singer and songwriter. Known for his truly unique and masterful style which infuses elements of soul, funk, blues and jazz, Shun dazzles audiences from all over the world with his flamboyant technique, soulful vocals and hypnotic groove. He stands as one of the most dynamic and innovative performers, winning accolades from legendary producer, Quincy Jones to fellow fingerstyle virtuoso, Tuck Andress.

This year, Shun was awarded the Songwriters Hall of Fame Holly Prize, which was created in honor of Buddy Holly. He was honored at the 47th annual awards ceremony and gala, where Elvis Costello, Marvin Gaye, Tom Petty an Nile Rogrs were inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Shun also has a duo with Magic Dick, co-founder of the legendary J. Geils Band and harmonica player, as well as a project entitiled "Shun Ng and The Shunettes".

Witnessing Shun's dynamic performance live is an unrivaled experience that is not to be missed.

Here's what industry insiders are saying about Shun Ng...

"You won't believe your eyes nor your ears, he belies all stereotypes, all premonitions. I was simply blown away by both his soul and his science -- his creativity and his uniqueness is astounding."
-- Quincy Jones, Producer

"..I was immediately impressed with Shun's playing. I don't think i can emphasize enough to you how impressed I was and why I was impressed with his approach and his playing. I was impressed with Shun's composition and the way he played and his use of space..."
-- Magic Dick, J Geils Band

"Shun has a unique (and possibly one-of-a-kind) way of playing guitar. At times percussive, at times melodic, at times harmonic, he can sound like h's playing both a bass guitar and guitar simultaneously."
-- Suze (suzereviewstheblues.com)

lipbone.com

shunng.com

Saturday, September 17, 2016 at 8:00pm

Matt Nakoa with Efrat Shapira

The partnered charity for this concert is American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Matt Nakoa

Efrat Shapira

Efrat Shapira, a professional violinist, violist, singer, arranger and composer is a masterful musician with a wide-range of performance experience in just about every genre of music one can imagine.
A childhood prodigy, she took up violin at age 7 and became the youngest person to play solo with the Oak Ridge Symphony, as well as the youngest person, at age 11, ever admitted into the Knoxville Youth Orchestra. As she matured, she was drawn to groups that were blending jazz, classical and African musical styles, but also enjoyed everything from Mozart to Madonna. She learned klezmer and Israeli music from her father and also learned to play blue grass, country and any other style of music she came into contact with. While pursuing her undergraduate degree in music, Efrat was a member of the Shira Festival Orchestra in Israel, conducted by Zubin Mehta. Later, she established her first group as a bandleader and was the first violinist in The Rusty Strings jazz quintet, led by Rusty Halloway.
After graduation, Efrat moved to New York City to continue her career in music. After a stint as concertmaster for Olivia Newton John Orchestras, she re-established the Jade Quartet and pursued her love of singing and jazz. She began recording her first release No Strings Attached in 2007, then toured 47 states and Canada as an onstage violinist in the Broadway touring company of Oliver, for which she received rave reviews. Meanwhile, the title track for No Strings Attached was chosen for the movie soundtrack for "How To Seduce Difficult Women" and featured in its trailer that garnered more than eight million views worldwide.
Before striking out to focus on her own creative musical pursuits, Efrat was a member of the well-known folk band Spuyten Duyvil for several years. She currently resides in New York City and works as a performing artist and teacher.

Here's what music insiders are saying about Efrat...

"Efrat Reveals Strength in the Silver Lining"
-- Ron Olesko

"Efrat is the consummate musician, she's comfortable in multiple genres from jazz to Americana"
-- John Platt

mattnakoa.com

efratmusic.com.hostbaby.com

Saturday, June 4, 2016 at 8:00pm

Abbie Gardner & Jesse Terry

The partnered charity for this concert is City Harvest

Abbie Gardner

Abbie Gardner, the fiery Dobro player with an infectious smile has been touring with Americana darlings RED MOLLY for the past eleven years. After gracing stages from Denver to Denmark, from Australia to Austin, the band decided to take an indefinite hiatus in 2015, so Abbie is striking out on her own!

Her background is as varied as the songs she writes. Abbie has listened to the sweet sound of high lonesome harmonies since her first bluegrass festival at the age of three. Her father, Herb Gardner, is a swing jazz and stride pianist and Dixieland trombonist. Watching him laugh as he went off to "work" every day was her first introduction to the joy of being a musician. Abbie's first full-length recording, My Craziest Dream (2004) is an album of jazz standards featuring her father on piano. It earned her an entry in the 2009 Hal Leonard book "The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide." Abbie studied classical flute growing up, but once she started playing Dobro in 2004 she found her main instrument. She traveled to Lyons, CO and Nashville, TN to study with Rob Ickes and Sally Van Meter.

Always keen on following the vocal part and trying to find the one really perfect note, instead of a dozen okay ones, Abbie is quickly compiling an extensive discography of recording credits. Her own CDs include Honey on My Grave (2006), Bad Nights/Better Days (2008, with Anthony da Costa), and Hope (2011), which features three different kinds of slide guitar (dobro, lap steel and National bottleneck). Abbie has been recognized as an award-winning songwriter, with such accolades as; 2006 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase (2nd place), 2008 Lennon Award Winner (folk) for "The Mind of a Soldier" and 2008 American Songwriter Magazine Grand Prize Lyric Winner for "I'd Rather Be." "The Mind of a Soldier" was also featured on Lufthansa Airlines in 2010. Abbie has had the honor of being part of the songwriting faculty at the 2010 and 2011 Swannanoa Gatherings and assisting at Reso Summit, Nashville's Resonator Conference, for the past several years. She wrote and released a song per week for a year as part of the 2013 Real Women Real Songs project and is excited to tour as a solo act in 2016

Here is what folks are saying about Abbie Gardner

"Abbie Gardner shows her prodigious writing chops in her album, HOPE. Tales of love and loss, both gritty and sweet, ride the back of her by-now familiar, formidable slide guitar licks. She channels Lucinda and Bonnie, but remains pure Abbie"

Richard Cuccaro, Acoustic Live

Jesse Terry

Jerry Terry's star is on the rise and it's no surprise. This singer/songwriter, who hails from Stonington, CT, has the uncanny ability to weave tales of travel and homecoming, of sorrow and redemption, into songs that are both timeless and fresh. His music reflects an amalgam of influences from Nashville to Laurel Canyon with a melodic and lyrically-driven Americana that fits naturally on a playlist between cuts from Josh Ritter, Jackson Browne, Ryan Adams and Neil Young.

Through the course of four releases, The Runner (2009), Empty Seat on a Plane (2012), Stay Here With Me (2013), and The Calm & The Storm (2015), Terry draws from a wellspring of emotional depth and combines it with performance skills honed over hundreds of shows and thousands of miles on the road. The result is a palette ranging from poetic ballads to up-tempo rootsy pieces always beautifully crafted with hints of wistfulness and heartache.

Jesse Terry has an undeniable talent for connecting with his audiences, sharing stories that are personal, yet utterly relatable, creating a sense of home. Perhaps that is the gift of Terry's music -- in a song, he gives us a promise of a place to call our own.

Here's what music insiders are saying about Jesse Terry....

"...he's a force to be reckoned with. His well-crafted songs rank right there with Ryan Adams, Rhett Miller and other masters of alt-country."

-- John Platt, WFUV, NYC

"Every once in a while an artist comes along and captivates our audience by inviting us into their unique lives through song and performance. Jessy Terry is one of those artists. His ability to craft memorable songs is complimented by his supreme ability to deliver them in a sometimes funny, sometimes gut-wrenching, but always sincere and authentic manner. One leaves a Jessy Terry concert feeling like you've taken a road trip with him and tasted his flavor of the richness of life..."

-- Dave Dircks, Host of Acoustic Long Island

abbiegardner.com

jesseterrymusic.com

Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 8:00pm

The Kennedys

With Special Guests: The Lords of Liechtenstein

The partnered charity for this concert is Northern New Jersey Sanctuary Coalition

The Kennedys

The Lords of Liechtenstein

The Lords of Liechtenstein is a quirky New York-based folk music duo composed of two brothers -- Dan and Noah Rauchwerk. Their sound has been compared to Simon and Garfunkel and their antics have been compared to The Smothers Brothers, but their unique instrumentation and introspective lyrics put them in a category all their own.

With Noah on ukulele/vocals and Dan on acoustic guitar/banjo/vocals, The Lords have gained acclaim for their tight harmonies, innovative songwriting, and exuberant stage show. Mark Miller of Urban H2O says "They are like the Everly Brothers with an attitude!"

The Lords of Liechtenstein have performed all over the East Coast, opening for the likes of such musical legends as Christine Lavin, Joe Crookston, Magpie, and Toby Walker. The Lords have also released three CDs in the last three years, including a concept album on African food crises - "Economics of an Empty Stomach" (2011), a quirky, multi-faceted LP entitled "Siberia" (2012) and their newest CD "Girlz (With A 'Z')" released in 2014.

In addition to their undisputed musical talent, the pair has earned a reputation for their fashion sensibility and are perhaps, solely responsible for the recent resurgence of the argyle sweater vest, spotted at every Lords performance and as well as in trendy circles throughout Brooklyn's "Hipsterland".

Here's the buzz on The Lords of Liechtenstein ...

"They are like The Everly Brothers with an attitude."
-Mark Miller, Artistic Director, Urban H2O

"Don't let the argyle sweater vests fool you, these two young men have something to say and sing about."
- Kathy Sands-Boehmer, Everything Sundry Music Blog

"They are to argyle sweater vests what Michael Jackson was to white gloves."
- Kevin Coughlin, MorristownGreen.com

kennedysmusic.com

thelordsofliechtenstein.com

Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 8:00pm

Joe Crookston

The partnered charity for this concert is Whyhunger

joecrookston.com

Here is what music insiders are saying about Joe Crookston

His CD, "Able Baker Charlie & Dog" received the most airplay of any folk acoustic recording and was awarded:
"Album of the year" by the International Folk Alliance in Memphis, TN.

"At every festival I hope to find the gift of one artist whose songwriting and preforming stand out. Joe Crookston was that gift for me this year at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Stunning performance, great songs, and not a word wasted! I LOVE that!"

-- David Francey, Songwriter Ontario

"Notably, Crookston's no newcomer, and so it's no surprise that his music sounds savvy and assured, lacking any hint of pretense or needless redundancy. This is wonderful, engaging and gorgeous music, born from an artist who fully deserves a boatload of acclamation."

-- Lee Zimmerman - No Depression

"With all the performers out there, an artist has to go beyond good... and Joe does"

-- Sing Out Magazine

Singer, songwriter, guitarist, fiddler, banjo player, painter. As a performer, Joe Crookston is a true artist, painting compelling portraits of both the unsung and anti-heroes who populate the American landscape. From the depths of despair in the prison cell of high school dropout, Freddie "the Falcon", to high above the New York skyline where a window washer sings of his young child who thinks he can fly, Joe's masterfully crafted lyrics will take you on an emotional journey that will delight your ears and engage your heart.

Joe is a consummate storyteller and skillful musician whose dexterity on guitar, claw hammer banjo and violin to name a few, is sure to astound you. His songs have been performed and recorded by Irish harpers, a capella gospel choirs, solo artists, bluegrass bands and even by a certain Buddhist sect in France! His heart-wretching song, Blue Tattoo, based on the life of concentration camp survivor Dina Jacobson, was the inspiration for a documentary of the same name, and was featured this summer in a special news segment on ABC. Joe was awarded a year-long songwriting grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to travel throughout New York State, collect stories, and write original songs.

When not touring, Joe enjoys teaching and facilitating at songwriting workshops across the country. His impressive discography includes Georgia I'm Here (2014), Darkling & The Bluebird Jubilee (2011), Able Baker Charlie and Dog (2008), Fall Down As The Rain (2004).

Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 8:00pm

Pat Wictor and introducing: Annika

The partnered charity for this concert is Women in Transition

Pat Wictor

Pat Wictor first burst on the folk and acoustic scene as an innovative slide guitarist known for doing fresh and memorable versions of traditional and contemporary songs. He has since become a well-regarded singer and songwriter, writing material grounded in the rural country, gospel, and blues traditions of our nation. An adept improviser and accompanist, he is sought after as a collaborator, sideman and session musician, providing his distinctive slide guitar and vocals on dozens of recordings, most recently on releases by Sloan Wainwright, John Vezner, Joe Crookston and Lipbone Redding.

Recognition and acclaim have followed Pat for years: he won the Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist Showcase, was nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year by the Folk Alliance, was nominated for Gospel Song of the Year by the Independent Music Awards, and was a finalist in the Kerrville New Folk songwriting contest.

His CD "Sunset Waltz" reached #2 on the Folk-DJ charts, and "Heaven is so High" and "Waiting for the Water" both reached #4.
In the past year, Pat has been touring nationally as one third of Brother Sun, the powerful harmonizing trio with Joe Jencks and Greg Greenway, garnering festival bookings and a #2 CD on the Folk DJ charts.

Here's what folks are saying about Pat Wictor ...

"If you can make it to only one concert this year, let it be a show by Brooklyn's own Pat Wictor, who plays heart-felt blues-based roots music like the only begotten son of Bonnie Raitt (same red hair!) and Chris Smither. And unlike blues interpreters who have seen too many stormy Mondays with hellhounds on their trail, Pat is also an excellent songwriter whose new/old compositions will send you on a journey through the old Dock Boggs and Son House 78s. But these aren't old songs, they're originals that, to paraphrase Mr. Smither, are "still flopping around on the deck."
-Jim Motavalli, WPKN, Bridgeport, CT

"Unquestionably, anyone who has ever heard a Wictor show will permanently place him in the company of the best in the genre- Harry Manx, Kelly Joe Phelps and Ed Gerhard."
-Frank Matheis, TheCountryBlues.com

"Pat's Zen-like quality instantly puts the audience at ease, and I'm afraid it underestimates his skills. Like Joe Dimaggio could make a spectacular catch look rudimentary, Pat Wictor delights in sharing original and traditional songs in his unique style. His original songs are gaining a lot of attention and a number of artists are beginning to record him."
-Ron Olesko, WFDU Teaneck, NJ

"...the clarity of his voice is an interesting juxtaposition to the glorious grit of his musicianship.....He manages to creatively absorb the work of others, leaving their musical intentions beautifully intact, while adding his own sonic signature to the mix."
-Ellen Geisel, Dirty Linen

Annika Bennett

Singer / Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Annika Bennett (age 17) has written scores of songs and performed extensively throughout the greater New York metropolitan region.

In 2014, Annika was awarded ASCAP's prestigious Robert Allen Award for excellence in songwriting, and was winner of radio WNYC's Queens Battle of the Boroughs competition. She was a member of Real Women Real Songs (RWRS), a group of 22 women who each wrote a prompted song-a-week for the entirety of 2014. With her song Where I'm Dreaming Of Annika was a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition 2014. Most recently, Annika won the 2015 Your Big Break Contest sponsored by Gold Coast Arts Center.

Along with her sister and two friends (also sisters), Annika has also performed as part of the indie-rock band, Still Saffire, since early 2009 at venues that include Lincoln Center, The Knitting Factory, The Great South Bay Music Festival, The Turning Point, The Chance and The Living Room, just to name a few.

Annika's songwriting is fresh-sounding and original yet draws upon a wide diversity of musical influences. Her songs exemplify a level of craftsmanship and her lyrics a depth of wisdom that belie her youth.

Annika is taking off like a rocket...

Annika chosen for "Emerging Artist Showcase" at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
August 1, 2015

Annika Wins ASCAP Foundation Robert Allen Award
December 10, 2014
12/10/2014 -- The ASCAP Foundation Robert Allen Award is named in honor of Robert Allen, composer of many classic pop songs, including "It's Not For Me To Say," "Chances Are" and the seasonal favorite, "Home for the Holidays." Funded by a gift from Patty Allen in memory of her husband, this award is presented annually to an aspiring ASCAP songwriter participating in ASCAP's New York Jerry Ragovoy Songwriting Workshop.

Annika on WFUV
August 22, 2014
On Sunday, August 17th, Singer-Songwriter Christine Lavin sat in for John Platt on "City Folk Sunday Breakfast" on WFUV 90.7. She played a couple of Annika's songs, including "Eyes on the Train" off of her new EP "Blind Desire".

Annika Wins Audience Choice Award in the Battle of the Boroughs!
July 4, 2014
Out of the few hundred acts that auditioned for NPR's Battle of the Boroughs 2014, Annika won the Audience Choice Award! In addition to winning the battle for the borough of Queens and placing as a top 5 finalist, she received the greatest number of in-house votes at the Ultimate Battle in the Greene Space.

patwictor.com

annikamusic.com

Saturday, January 9, 2016 at 8:00pm

Hannah & Maggie/Rob Lytle

The partnered charity for this concert is Young Women's Leadership Network (YWLN)

Hannah & Maggie

Bolstered by a rapidly growing fan base, the folk-pop-harmony driven duo, Hannah & Maggie have set out to make their distinctive mark on the northeast regional folk scene. While this award-winning pair consisting of Hannah Hickock and Maggie Kraus, has been favorably described as a female Simon & Garfunkel as well as likened to The Indigo Girls, they have an undeniable originality and sound all their own.
With two studio albums and a few barnstorming national tours under their belt, Hannah & Maggie show no signs of stopping. Last year, they released their third CD, In The Company of Strangers, were one of the "100 Women We Love" in GO Magazine, performed/interviewed live on WFUV-FM with John Platt, sang with Ben Taylor (Son of James Taylor & Carly Simon), and wrote some new tunes coming out in the near future. Their live shows are toe-tapping, knee-slapping spectacles of crystal-clear harmonies and heartfelt acoustic arrangements that leave you wanting more.

Here's the buzz on Hannah & Maggie ...
"An ethereal blend of two voices ... so exquisite, it's almost unbearable."
-- Richard Cuccaro, Acoustic Live NYC

"Hannah & Maggie produce acoustic songs embellished with the occasional mandolin, clarinet and trumpet, marked by sweet, effortless sounding harmonies."
-- Mary Dickie, IN Toronto Magazine

"They have definitely honed their voices to showcase the perfect harmonization .. you instantly notice how well their voices mesh together."
-- JP's Music Blog

Hannah and Maggie have a sound both familiar and inviting, with voices that harmonize together perfectly ... the duo has developed a sound of flowing and intertwined instrumental lines, sharp lyrics and beautiful harmonies that stay true to their folk roots."
-- Jessica Liley, Curve Magazine

Rob Lytle

After a nearly 14 year break from performing, the past four years have been a whirlwind musical rebirth for Rob with a busy touring schedule, an appearance as a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival "New Folk" competition, multiple juried showcase appearances at the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest Folk Alliance Conferences, and the upcoming global release of his new CD (a hypocrite of heart and hope). His 2011 CD -- You. Must. Stop. -- reached the top 25 for folk and roots radio in both Europe and the US and was praised by Maverick magazine as "one of those all-too-rare albums where every track is a standout."

Folks are talking about Rob:

"Rob's voice is strongly reminiscent of Johnathan Edwards and so is the music... beautiful songs, beautiful melodies, somewhere between folk. country and pop"
-- Fred Schmale, Real Roots Cafe

"If you are a fan of classic country music, then Rob Lytle is your man. Country. Americana-Folk with pop and 70s California rock influences, often compared to Jackson Browne, Don Maclean and Steve Goodman, but with muh more twang than those mentioned above."
-- Mr. Blue Boogie

"(Rob Lytle) has once again become a staple of Northeast cafes and clubs ... mood and meaning play out over finely crafted doses of American roots"
-- The Alternate Root

hannahandmaggie.com

roblytle.com

Saturday, October 3, 2015 at 8:00pm

Coffeehouse of the Absurd

Featuring Mike Agranoff and John Forster

The partnered charity for this concert is Autism Speaks

Coffeehouse of the Absurd is an evening of intelligent and satiric comedy featuring MIKE AGRANOFF and JOHN FORSTER. Mike is renowned for songs of twisted logic ("Railroad Bill", wherein the title character gets into a heated argument with the singer of the song), mile-a-minute patter songs (The entire story of Hamlet in 3 minutes) and some of the most brilliant parodies this side of Weird Al Yankovic. John obviously fell asleep one too many times as a child listening to his Tom Lehrer albums. This is evidenced by his twisted sense of humor, his delightfully skewed view of the human condition, and his prodigious skills as a pianist. His songs have a knack for taking the plausible but improbable, and leading that to its implausible but inevitable conclusion by way of unlikely rhymes, horrible puns and ironic satire. Mike and John do a round-robin style show that is guaranteed to leave their audience in stitches!

Mike Agranoff and John Forster

John Forster

mikeagranoff.com

johnforster.com

Saturday, January 31, 2015 at 8:00pm

Beppe Gambetta

with special guest opening act — HONOR FINNEGAN

The partnered charity for this concert is The Bergen County Sanctuary Committee

Beppe Gambetta

From his unique background as an Italian musician in love with American roots music as well as the music of his native country, Beppe Gambetta has travelled the world and even crossed the “Iron Curtain” to dazzle and charm music enthusiasts everywhere. After eleven CDs, DVDs, teaching books and collaborations with many other top-flight musicians, Gambetta is increasingly known as one of the true live master innovators of the acoustic guitar. In a world dominated by the trends of the market, Beppe’s inspired music stands out – modestly avoiding relying solely on his high level of technical excellence to connect with his audience on an intimate, emotional level – all the while revealing the innermost feelings of a brilliant, playful mind that is always exploring and innovating while staying firmly rooted in tradition.

While Beppe still lives in his native Genova, he travels to North America at least three times each year. His reputation in the U.S. and Canada is reinforced by his participation in prestigious festivals like the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, Merlefest in North Carolina, the Four Corners Festival in Colorado and Canadian Folk Festivals in Winnipeg and Edmonton, as well as events like the radio shows “All Things Considered” and “E-Town”. Beppe has performed in prestigious rooms like the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee and theMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In his career he has performed with some great heroes of the folk scene like David Grisman, Gene Parsons, Doc Watson, Norman Blake and with the band, Men Of Steel: an international guitar summit (Dan Crary, Tony McManus and Don Ross) of different guitar schools with complex musical interactions.

With America in his heart and his roots in the sun and the olive trees of the Mediterranean sea, he naturally and seamlessly bridges the shores of the two continents, creating a musical “koiné” (fusion) where American root music and Ligurian tradition, emigration songs and folk ballads, steel string guitars and vintage harp guitars create a unique dialogue defying any rigid classification.

“…spinning a thick weave that sometimes calls to mind what a duet by Doc Watson and Leo Kottke might sound like.” (Mike Joyce, The Washington Post)

“Beppe Gambetta is an artist. He inhabits a vantage point and possesses a world view that sets him apart from the crowded phalanx of merely great pickers. But just as importantly, he has the skills with a flatpick to articulate and bring to us the thoughts and feelings of his soul” (Kevin Stevenson, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine).

“This was such exciting, varied, satisfying and just downright musical music that I wanted more, particularly of Gambetta in florid Italianate style…” (Brian Miller, BBC RADIO Scotland)

“Get him on a stage and his fingers speak a language all their own. After all, he’s not known as the ‘Italian King of the flatpick guitar’ for nothing.” (Steve Wildsmith, The Daily Times)

Honor Finnegan

Combining elements of musical theater, comedy, traditional folk and poetry, Honor Finnegan has been making a splash in the northeastern regional folk scene with her original songs, astonishing vocals and fine ukulele playing. Her songs are at turns, humorous and heartbreaking with melodies that soar and lyrics that reflect the complexities of contemporary life. Her unique brand of quirky Indie folk has earned her a place on the stage with the likes of Buskin & Batteau, Sloan Wainwright, David Massengill and Peter Yarrow, to name a few. She is a proud member of Tribes Hill, a folk music collective based in the Hudson Valley area. Honor was a 2013 Kerrville New Folk winner, and a 2012 Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist.

Currently based in New York City, Honor was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, and moved to Ireland in 1991 where she sang with jazz bands, blues bands, big bands and traditional Irish bands. Though small in stature, her powerful voice and larger-than-life persona, are guaranteed to make a huge impression on all who are fortunate enough to see her perform.

“Honor Finnegan’s clever songs, powerful voice, and endearing stage presence have made her standout on the fertile NYC folk scene. Don’t miss her!”
– John Platt, “Sunday Breakfast,” WFUV, New York

“I am honored to be compared to Honor Finnegan! I LOVE her!”
– Christine Lavin

“One thing is certain: those who see and hear her encounter a powerful voice combined with a refreshing, offbeat sense of humor…Combined with her prodigious vocal instrument, her recorded and live repertoire packs a unique one-two punch”
-Richard Cuccaro, Acoustic Live

“Lyrics that catch you by surprise, a voice that pulls you toward the source then knocks you on your heels with energy, a caramel and salt confection that you can’t quite explain and you can’t get enough of. “
– Thomas Boyd, “Rockin Roots” on independent radio

beppegambetta.com

honorfinnegan.com

Friday, October 10, 2014 at 8:00pm

Ellis (Delaney)

Special Guest Rebecca Pronsky

The partnered charity for this concert is Doctors Without Borders

Ellis (Delaney)

There’s just something about Ellis. She is funny, wise, thoughtful and uninhibited, and her captivating voice is matched by her uplifting lyrics. Her irrepressible spirit comes through in her transformational performances, leaving her audiences better than she finds them, with softened edges and opened hearts.

A winner of numerous awards and honors including the Grass Hill New Folk Contest in 2013, Ellis has been recognized both for her songwriting skills and engaging performances. She has claimed “audience favorite” honors at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Moab Folk Festival, and Sisters Folk Festival. Ellis has also been a repeat guest on A Prairie Home Companion.

"Ellis is one of the most engaging personalities that I’ve ever witnessed on a stage. Within seconds you’ll fall in love with her bubbling attitude for life, and her captivating laugh has been echoing in my heart all week!”
Ron Olesko, WFDU Public Radio

If ever there was a feel-good folk musician, this is the woman – somebody who really does send you off feeling better about the world.”
John Davy, No Depression

“Ellis walks on stage, flashes a bashful grin and does what she does best: singing her heart out every single time.”
Dale Schiff, Just Out Magazine

Rebecca Pronsky

Rebecca Pronsky is a born and raised Brooklynite whose music is “as urban as it is rural, not afraid to be sophisticated” (Maverick). Her songs are gritty and dark, layered and dreamy, bravely disobeying the usual conventions of the Americana genre.

She “sounds like The Smiths relocated to Nashville” (Northern Sky) and “her voice conveys the wisdom of experience, over a wash of noirishly twangy guitars” (NPR).

Rebecca is joined on stage and in the studio by husband and guitarist/producer Rich Bennett “whose lean chords and riffs evoke shades of The Doors, Morricone and classic rockabilly” (The Scotsman). The two have spent nearly a decade criss-crossing the US and Europe on tour and have shared the stage with Shawn Colvin, Freedy Johnston, Loudon Wainwright III, Josh Ritter, Amy Rigby, and Steve Forbert among others. Rebecca’s latest record “Only Daughter” was named a Top Ten Country Album of 2013 by the UK’s Daily Telegraph.

ellis-music.com

rebeccapronsky.com

Saturday, June 28, 2014 at 8:00pm

BARNABY BRIGHT

Special Opening Act: JAYMIE GERARD with Geb Zurburg

Barnaby Bright

For the uninitiated….

It is useful to know that Barnaby Bright, is not one, but rather two stellar musicians, consisting of husband/wife team, Rebecca and Nathan Bliss. Those familiar with the pair know that Barnaby Bright’s unique sound, comprised of personal, connective lyrics, powerful vocals and depth-defying harmonies, defies simple categorization. And lately, Barnaby Bright’s star has certainly been shining bright.

Since the release of their first album, “Wake the Hero” in 2008, Barnaby Bright has garnered high accolades for their songwriting and sound. Grand prize winners of the NY Song Circle competition, Barnaby Bright’s music has also been featured on national television to soundtrack heavy moments on shows such as “ER” and “Days of our Lives”. Their follow up EP, “Gravity” was named one of the top 100 records of the year by Amazon. com. Recently transplanted to Nashville, these former New York residents continue touring in support of their brand-new full-length record, “The Longest Day,” gracing such notable venues as Lincoln Center and NPR’s “Mountain Stage” in West Virginia, sharing the stage with music notables the Lumineers and Norah Jones.

Barnaby Bright takes their inspiration from literature, human behavior, fascinating people they’ve met on the road and a bit of fantasy. Expressed through vocals, multiple guitars, ukulele, harmonium, banjo and keyboard, to name a few, they will take you on an emotional journey you won’t soon forget.

“Honestly, I haven’t felt this good at a folk-rock gig since seeing the Indigo Girls in their prime. Barnaby Bright has a graceful, uplifting energy reminiscent of the Indigos, but also have a virtuosity that is extremely unique. Becky can be festive but also sings with a mesmerizing stateliness that evokes Mary Fahl of the October Project at times, while Nate’s vocals and guitar playing are gifted and creative throughout. They have a special chemistry that helps erase cynicism while giving hope that the best is yet to come.”
–Steve Morse, former longtime staff critic at the Boston Globe, Billboard Magazine & Rolling Stone

“Confessional folk-pop can be very hit or miss, but with their thoughtful production, diverse sonic palette, and insightful turns-of-phrase, married couple Nathan and Rebecca Bliss, aka Barnaby Bright, have knocked this one out of the park.”
–Amazon.com: Featured Artists August 2011

“When a duo fills a space like a group at least twice its size, there’s no doubt some seriously skilled musicianship at work.”
-Three Village Patch

“A melodic acoustic sound that is unpretentious and genuine.”
-Out In The Woods- Eileen Ivers (with Barnaby Bright)

“Sounds like: that special place somewhere between the sleek adult pop of The Weepies and the more intimate harmonied splendor of The Civil Wars…classically-trained vocalist Becky has an effortless, gorgeous tone while multi-instrumentalist Nathan adds harmony and a virtual kit bag of backing sound.”
-Direct Current: Barnaby Bright- Gravity

“In New York City, a place where hunger for success and trading love for fame is as common as pretzel vendors and Starbucks, the discovery of a duo pure of heart, mind, and talent is both refreshing and inspiring. There’s something so natural and uncontrived about the music and harmonies seeping out of these lyrically-driven folk artists, that you’ll find yourself mesmerized by the soulful intricacy of power couple Nathan and Becky Bliss, better known to audiences as Barnaby Bright.”

-NYC Art Scene: Barnaby Bright: Simply “Bliss”ful

JAYMIE GERARD with Geb Zurburg

To describe this NJ-native as prolific would be an understatement. With over 600 original songs in genres across the board (folk, acoustic, pop, rock, dance, children’s music, political, Americana…), it is easy to find music in Jaymie Gerard’s catalog that moves you. As a songwriter, she has been influenced by the likes of John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Ray LaMontagne and Aimee Mann, yet she maintains her own voice, her own sound, and her own image.

A seasoned performer, Jaymie has been sharing her original songs with the public for over 16 years. On stage, she grabs hold of the hearts and minds of her audience; her honesty and approachability allows listeners to connect and engage naturally.

Jaymie draws inspiration from the world around her – books, short stories, friends, family, and strangers she meets in her travels and day to day. More recently, her music has taken a distinctive turn towards folk, as she enjoys the storytelling aspect of the genre.

Now partnered with her husband, Geb Zurburg, also a talented singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, Jaymie’s music has reached a new level of intimacy. Their latest release, Acoustic Sessions (EP), features a handful of thought-provoking, emotional songs including a duet with Geb entitled, “Loved Enough.”

Her 2010 releases (Ain’t Life Sweet EP & Black-Eyed Susans EP) were an exploration of production, pushing the limits of “pop music” by infusing it with meaningful content. Both EP’s have been receiving a good deal of streaming airplay.

Jaymie has performed at numerous venues in the tri-state area, as well as music festivals in NJ (Black Potatoe Music Fest., Wave Gathering Emergence Festival, NJ Folk Festival) and NH (Keene Music Festival).

barnabybright.com.

jaymiegerard.com

Saturday, January 25, 2014 at 8:00pm

TOM AND SANDY DOYLE – Les Paul Tribute Show

The partnered charity for this concert is The Bergen County Sanctuary Committee

tomdoyleguitars.com

TOM AND SANDY DOYLE are a husband/wife team recreating the magic of the legendary Les Paul and Mary Ford, through Tom’s spellbinding guitar picking and Sandy’s velvety vocal style. Through instrumentation of guitar, flute and percussion, Tom and Sandy perform pop, jazz and swing from the 1930s through the present including standards from Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Diana Krall to name a few. Tom Doyle truly embodies “all things Les Paul,” as he has spent over forty years as Les Paul’s guitar-maker, sound engineer, and confidant. Today, Tom is most well-known as a “luthier to the stars”, crafting custom guitars for dozens of top industry notables. Tom and Sandy will regale you with first-hand accounts of great moments in music history including the invention and development of the electric guitar, while they take you on a trip down memory lane recreating top hits such as “How High the Moon”, “Bye Bye Blues”, “The World is Waiting for the Sunrise” and many more. Tom and Sandy have performed their Les Paul Tribute in many venues all over the country including the Iridium Club in NYC.

Friday, October 4, 2013 at 8:00pm

Carsie Blanton, Live in Concert

The partnered charity for this concert is Frankford Friends School

CarsieBlanton.com

“Carsie Blanton is a rare talent as a modern songwriter, her sly wit and urbane imagery reminds me of a female Cole Porter. She paints a vivid landscape with lyrics that are deceptively conversational and at the same time surprisingly perceptive for a relatively new artist. I’m really happy to know that classic songwriting is in good hands with Carsie Blanton.”
— John Oates (of Hall & Oates)

“Carsie’s lyrics are an iron fist in the velvet glove of her voice.”
— Singer/songwriter Peter Mulvey

“As a battered veteran I’m constantly being asked who are the young up and comers I listen to and like. Carsie Blanton is up at the top of my list. Great songs, singing and playing and an A+ for presentation.”
— Loudon Wainwright III

“Carsie Blanton is a Russian Spy. We know this because only the diabolical Soviet Espionage Specialists could have trained such an insidiously tuneful songwriter.”
— Steve Tannen and Deb Talan (The Weepies)

“In all truth, she blew me away! One of the best songwriters in the business.”
— Gene Shay, WXPN, Philadelphia, Review from opening for Shawn Colvin 2/12/11 on NPR’s Mountain Stage Brightestyoungthings.com

Part sultry songstress, vintage vixen, and thoroughly modern woman, singer/songwriter Carsie Blanton is without a doubt, an American-made original whose unique musical style defies standard categorization.

Her charming vocalizations, at turns coy and confident, sly and sensual, and well-crafted lyrics have earned her the attention of such industry notables as Joan Osborne, The Wood Brothers, The Weepies, and the legendary Paul Simon with whom she toured in 2011.

“If I had an all-encompassing rule for life, it’d be that you have to follow your heart.” Carsie Blanton says. “It doesn’t mean that everything it tells you is going to be smart, but you have to follow it anyway.”

Following her heart has worked out pretty well for Carsie, earning her widespread critical acclaim and a coast-to-coast fan following for her clever wordplay and indelible melodies. Her latest release, Idiot Heart (January 2012) represents Carsie’s finest work thus far, a panoramic collection of exuberant, expansive folk-pop, crafted with uncommon spirit and ingenuity.

After successfully producing six CDs of her own original tunes, Carsie’s latest project, “Jazz Is For Everyone”, will encompass a collection of classic jazz covers, re-imagined , re-arranged, produced and performed by Ms. Blanton, all with the divine ambition of making jazz accessible to (you guessed it), just about everyone!

Monday, September 9, 2013 at 8:00pm

Jen Chapin Trio, Live in Concert

The partnered charity for this concert is Why Hunger?

jenchapin.com

As the daughter of late folk legend Harry Chapin, it’s not surprising that Jen Chapin has taken so naturally to intricate storytelling through song.”
— ASCAP Playback

Jen Chapin has a sandied tone to her voice, and her delivery has a quirky cleverness to it. Sleek and snappy material…intriguing.”
— George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly

“a surefire gem: the kind of carefully-crafted and sophisticated pop that used to be associated with Paul Simon. Yeah, it’s that good.”
–popmatters.com

“Jen Chapin faces her ‘Reckoning’ [with] her lush new recording which blends elements of jazz, folk and rock…”
— Los Angeles Times

“…potent, jazzy, layered…”
— Glenn Gamboa, Newsday

“Reckoning presents the singer at her most mature and most incisive artistically.. a winner.”
— Mark S. Tucker, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

“Like a good novelist, it isn’t in the climactic scenes that Jen Chapin’s talents shine but in turning the mundanity of everyday life into delicate lyrical poems.”
— Chris Griffy, Examiner

Jen Chapin’s music is urban folk soul — story songs that search for community and shared meaning, powered by the funk and improvisation of the city.

Critics have hailed her work as

“brilliant.. soulfully poetic” (NPR)
“thoughtful.. worth-savoring” (People)
“addictive” (Boston Globe)
“smart, observant, lyrically deft, politically aware and emotionally intuitive” (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

JazzTimes has called her “a first-rate storyteller” while Relix regards her as “one of the freshest voices singing today.”

Jen has been featured on “Late Nite with Conan O’Brien”, NPR’s Mountain Stage and WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, Sirius Satellite’s The Loft with Mike Marrone and Mary Sue Twohy’s The Village, been honored by the USA Songwriting Competition, has performed on stage with Bruce Springsteen, and has opened up for Bruce Hornsby, Smokey Robinson, and the Neville Brothers.

Jen’s cover of Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” was prominently featured in a recent episode of the new SyFy series “Defiance”.

Jen’s music reflects a diversity of experience.. She is an activist, with a life-long involvement in WhyHunger (founded in 1975 by Jen’s late father Harry Chapin), an organization that champions innovative, community-based solutions to hunger and poverty; and is also active in the local and sustainable food movement.

Friday, March 22, 2013 at 8:00pm

Mike Agranoff & Dan Pelletier – Two Great Acts

Mike Agranoff

Dan Pelletier

DAN PELLETIER is a rising star on the national folk scene whose unique original songs are at turns filled with pathos, humor, whimsy and longing. His gritty, yet tender vocals, haunting keyboard, and witty lyrics make for a memorable performance that truly touches the soul. Dan, who hails from Croton, NY, has been the recipient of numerous songwriting awards such as first place winner in the USA Songwriting Competition (2002), Plowshares Songwriting Contest (2002), Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (2000). He has recently launched his much-anticipated third CD release, “My Freaking Heart” in 2013. Here are just a few accolades describing this highly-entertaining and original artist….

“A big, powerful, soulful voice..”
Vance Gilbert, Singer/songwriter

“Pelletier’s passion will leave you breathless!”
Marilyn Rea Beyer, WUMB, Boston

“Dan Pelletier’s music is both gritty and sensuous. The perfect combination for me.”
Sloan Wainwright, Singer/songwriter

danpelletier.net

Saturday, January 12, 2013 at 8:00pm

Vance Gilbert

“…the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god…”
– Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Gilbert took the stage, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, a whimsical sense of humor, and an astonishingly smooth, pure tenor voice. But that proved to be more than enough.”
– Chicago Tribune

“His catchy, pop friendly melodies support keenly crafted, hard-hitting lyrics. His guitar is supple, his milk-warm tenor honest and gently acrobatic. He is that rare performer for whom people lean forward in their seats as eagerly between songs as they do during them.”
– The Boston Globe

VANCE GILBERT burst onto the singer/songwriter scene in the early 1990s when the buzz started spreading in the folk clubs of Boston about an ex-multicultural arts teacher who was knocking ‘em dead at open mikes. Word of the Philadelphia-area bred performer quickly spread to New York City. Then Shawn Colvin invited Gilbert to be a special quest on her Fat City national tour. Vance Gilbert took audiences across the country by storm.

Eight-accomplished albums later, Vance continues to refine his unlikely union of humor, virtuosity and the unexpected. Whether with classic, original songwriting, or ageless interpretations of covers, his is a presentation steeped in deep humanism and bravery, stunning artistry and soul, and contagious, unbridled joy – – inarguably the blue ribbons that tie and seal the seemingly impossible package that is VANCE GILBERT.

Tuesday, November 19, 1016 at 8:00pm

Bluebird of Paradise Ari Hest & Chrissi Poland

Under Construction - Ticket Link Coming Soon

Monday, January 1, 0001 at 12:00pm

Monday, November 30, -0001 at 12:00am

Eric Schwartz with special guest Rachael Kilgour

Under Construction - Check Back Soon

Eric Schwartz

Rachael Kilgour

Monday, November 30, -0001 at 12:00am

gathering-time.com

Here's what the critics are saying about Gathering Time...

"Among the finest performers in the New York metropolitan area, whatever the size of the venue, from a house concert to an outdoor festival," with "harmonies that can charm the birds out of the trees, strong original songs, and a savvy repertoire of cover songs, ranging from traditional folk to classic rock. They appeal to audiences of all ages."
JOHN PLATT, WFUV

"I have to say that Gathering Time is right up there with the ones we all know -- they are the next generation of great trios with meaningful music performed in awesome harmony."
BILL HAHN, WFDU 89.1FM

Gathering Time's 2007 remake of Peter Yarrow's "Light One Candle" has been spun on stations ranging from NYC's top-rated WCBS-FM to Israel's Galilee plains; their 2008 CD "Songs of Hope and Freedom" won wide acceptance on folk stations nationwide. In 2012, the trio's second CD "Red Apples and Gold," rose to #5 on the Folk DJ charts in September and to #12 on the national Roots Music Report radio charts in October, charting at #76 in the year-end Top 100 Albums. Their third CD "When One Door Closes..." reached #3 on the Folk DJ charts in January 2014.

Gathering Time was voted "best band" runner-up as well as "top folk band" in the 2011 Long Island Press readers' poll.

The trio's fourth CD, "Keepsake," will see release in the fall of 2015.