Bruce Molsky
Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria
[top of page]

Tickets $20 advance, $24 at the door.

Alone or with fellow musicians, guitar, fiddle or banjo in hand, Bruce Molsky has been exploring traditional music from an astonishingly broad range of cultures over the past two decades – synthesizing them and refracting them through his own evolving sensibilities to the point where the sources of his inspiration transform themselves into a sound that is uniquely his. While most identified with traditional American old-time music, Molsky’s influences range from the Appalachian soul of Tommy Jarrell to Delta blues; from the haunting modal strains of Irish music to the rhythmically nimble music of Eastern Europe.

Soon Be Time is Bruce's newest solo recording (Compass Records, May 2006) and features his unique approach to traditional music. His other recordings have become staples for music lovers of every genre. Among his six solo recordings, Contented Must Be was released in April 2004. Poor Man's Troubles won a 2001 "Indie" award for Best Traditional Folk Recording and received great praise from the Washington Post, Washington Times, Bluegrass Unlimited and others. Bruce has been featured on Garrison Keillor's acclaimed A Prairie Home Companion radio show. He appears as special guest artist on Darol Anger's Diary of a Fiddler, and has been featured in and occasionally writes for Sing Out!, fRoots, Fiddler Magazine, Living Tradition, Acoustic Guitar, Acoustic Musician, and The Old Time Herald.

Visit Bruce's web site.

Tickets $20 advance, $24 at the door.

---

Laura Cortese
With Natalie Haas, Brittany Haas & Mariel Vandersteel
Thursday, April 14, 2011, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria
[top of page]

Tickets $17 advance, $20 at the door.

Laura Cortese (fiddle), Natalie Haas (cello) Brittany Haas (fiddle) and Mariel Vandersteel (fiddle) present a modern take on traditional string music. Laura has put together a fantastic lineup of musicians, each of who could headline a show themselves, to introduce the music from Laura's Acoustic Project CD.

With more than enough material mounting from solo tours and disciplined writing sessions (along with a few of her favorite songs by others), Laura approached three women--Natalie Haas, Brittany Haas and Hanneke Cassel--to record her Acoustic Project. The EP features five songs and two instrumentals played by Laura and company on fiddles and cello. From the driving, Cajun- influenced "Perfect Tuesdays" to the sparse plucked "Women of The Ages" the arrangements of Cortese's Acoustic Project explore the potential of a fiddle-based string quartet.

Laura, a New England regional Scottish Fiddle champion, has played with Scottish fiddle band Halali and the old-time group Della Mae, and has toured with Uncle Earl.

Natalie Haas is well-known as the performing partner of Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser, and has appeared locally at the Kennedy Center, Strathmore, Wolftrap, the Institute of Musical Traditions and Sunspot.

Brittany Haas has toured with banjo player Tony Trischka and currently performs with Crooked Still (and yes, she and Natalie are sisters).

Mariel Vandersteel, a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, has studied violin in Ireland and Norway. She also plays Norway's hardingfele. Mariel is a member of Boston’s Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers.

Visit Laura's website at www.lauracortese.com.

Tickets $17 advance, $20 at the door.

---

John Doyle, Niall Vallely & Cilian Vallely
Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria
[top of page]

Tickets $25 advance, $29 at the door.

John Doyle

John Doyle is renowned as one of the most talented accompanists performing in either the Irish or Appalachian traditions. He adapts to and compliments the style of those he plays with, but his rhythmic and melodic contributions do much more than simply provide a background, creating complex, fascinating layers within the tunes without ever overshadowing the principal performer. Fans who have seen John Doyle perform as a band member or accompaniest have occasionally been treated to his solo guitar work, his wonderful, lyrical singing and, more recently, his dynamic fiddling.

John was a founding member of the Irish supergroup Solas. After leaving Solas, John played in the Eileen Ivers band for several years. Recently, John has appeared in the DC area accompanying Liz Carroll, Allison Brown, Tim O'Brien and Linda Thompson, and as a member of Tim O'Brien's band. He just completed serving as guitarist and musical director for Joan Baez on her last tour.

John has recorded with Kate Rusby, John Williams and Cathie Ryan, among others, is in demand as an accompanist, record producer and songwriter, and has found time to release two solo CDs. John has produced a recording of his father, Sean Doyle, and the first solo CD by Heidi Talbot, vocalist with Cherish the Ladies. John took part in a reunion concert with Solas that has been released as a album with both a CD and DVD of the show. Last year, John released a duo album with singer Karan Casey.

John plays a few reels.

Visit John's web site.

Niall Vallely and Cillian Vallely

Niall and Cillian Vallely learned their music the old-fashioned way - from their parents Brian and Eithne, who founded the Armagh Pipers’ Club, a group that for over three decades has fostered the revival of traditional music in Ireland’s north.

Brian Vallely plays the Uilleann pipes and Eithne the fiddle, but Niall instead took up the concertina, an instrument not usually associated with music from Ulster. His fearless exploration of the concertina’s undiscovered capabilities has helped redefine its role in irish music. Based since 1988 in Cork City, Niall was a founding member of the well-known group Nomos. He also played a prominent part in Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin’s ‘River of Sound’ television project and has performed in recent years with piping great Paddy Keenan, bluegrass mandolinist Tim O’Brien, and singer Karan Casey, his partner in life as well as music. Niall’s solo recording Beyond Words was released in 1998 to much critical acclaim.

Cillian took up his father’s instrument and polished his skills with tutelage from the late Armagh piper Mark Donnelly. His mastery of chanter, drones and regulators, and of all the accents and moods of the traditional piping idiom, place him in the first rank of today’s Irish pipers. Cillian now tours with the group Lúnasa, and has also performed extensively in America with groups such as New York’s Whirligig and Paddy O’Brien’s Chulrua, and has appeared with fiddler Seamus Connolly, Riverdance on Broadway and Tim O’Brien’s The Crossing.

Visit Niall and Cillian's website.

Visit Cillian's website.

Tickets $25 advance, $29 at the door.

---

Aoife Clancy and Robbie O'Connell
Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria
[top of page]

Aoife sings "Keg of Brandy" at the Cherish the Ladies reunion.

In 1995, Aoife was asked to join the acclaimed group "Cherish the Ladies", which is one of the most sought-after Irish-American groups in history. For five years Aoife toured extensively doing no less than two hundred shows a year throughout the United States and Europe. She has been a featured soloist with orchestras such as the Boston Pops and Cincinnati Pops and, while performing with Cherish the Ladies, collaborated with the Boston Pops on their Grammy nominated Celtic album.

With seven recordings under her belt, Aoife has clearly established herself as one of the Divas of Irish and contemporary Folk Music. She has recorded three solo projects "Its about Time," "Soldiers and Dreams" and "Silvery Moon." Aoife always presents traditional favorites along with renditions of contemporary songs.

Mike Jackson (Canberra Times) remarked, "she has a breadth of styles that make her concerts fascinating. Her singing would melt packed ice with it's warmth and richness." Al Riess (Dirty Linen magazine) wrote: "Solders and Dreams has a contemporary-meets-traditional-music feel and Clancy's smooth, expressive singing works both ways--ensuring a successful merger of the two approaches and an enjoyable listening pleasure".

Visit Aoife's web site.

Robbe O'Connell

The Boston Globe describes Robbie O’Connell as “a writer of timeless-sounding, emotionally powerful and often hilarious songs” and places him “among the most respected guitarists, singer and songwriters in Celtic music.”

Robbie O’Connell was born in Waterford, Ireland, and grew up in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, where his parents had a small hotel. He began to play guitar and sing at age thirteen, and soon became a regular performer at the hotel’s weekly folk concerts. He spent a year touring the folk clubs in England before enrolling at University College Dublin where he studied Literature and Philosophy. During school vacations Robbie worked as an Irish entertainer in the U.S. A nephew of the Clancy Brothers, he began touring with his famous uncles in 1977 and recorded 3 albums with them.

With the release, in 1982, of his first solo album, Close to the Bone, Robbie emerged as an artist of major stature. Soon after, he began touring extensively with Mick Moloney and Jimmy Keane, and also with Eileen Ivers and Seamus Egan in the Green Fields of America, and in 1985, the trio released their first album, There were Roses. In 1987, the trio released Kilkelly, the title track of which was voted “Best Album Track of the Year” in Ireland. 1989 saw the release of a live concert recording of the Green Fields of America.

Robbie has taught songwriting at the Augusta Heritage Arts Workshop in Elkins, West Virginia, Gaelic Roots Week at Boston College, Catskills Irish Arts Week, The Swannanoa Gathering and at the Summer Acoustic Music Week in Boston. His album of original compositions, Love of the Land, was voted the #1 acoustic album of 1989 by WUMB in Boston. In 1991, he won a prestigious Boston Music Award as Outstanding Celtic Act and was also featured in the highly acclaimed TV series “Bringing It All Back Home.” In 1992 he performed at Carnegie Hall with the Clancy Brothers and was also seen by an estimated 500 million people worldwide on the telecast of a live tribute to Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden, a performance that Rolling Stone magazine described as “breathtaking.”

Robbie has released seven additional CDs, including collaborations with the Clancy Brothers and Greenfields. In 2006 he began an ongoing collaboration with his cousins Aoife and Donal Clancy. Their first CD together, The Clancy Legacy, was released in 2010. He is currently working on a new solo CD of his own compositions.

Visit Robbie's web site.

---

 

The Parkington Sisters
Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011, 7:30 pm
Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park, Md.
[top of page]

The Parkington Sisters sing Grey Funnel Line.

Lydia, Rose, Nora, Sarah and Ariel Parkington were raised in a wildly musical household where every room sounded with a spark of song, naturally inspiring their individual hearts and hands to find their own instrumental avenues. These roads led them through every direction including stints in eclectic rock bands, to performing on stages in far away lands, with symphonies and string quartets, and to conservatory and university. Between the sisters they hold seven degrees; five of which are in string performance.

Despite their extensive musical background, it wasn’t until 2005 that their roads harmonized and they began performing instrumentals together for the first time on the salty streets of Provincetown. Eventually their passion for songwriting won out as their sound evolved into each sister writing and singing individually. Combining their diverse tastes, filtered through their acquired classical training, the sisters soon realized the potential for combining five dynamic voices with five confident instruments. Lydia plays cello, Rose guitar and piano, Ariel, Sarah and Nora play violin and viola. Nonetheless, all are multi-instrumentalists and their music is embodied by vibrant string arrangements combined with tight, interwoven five-part vocal harmonies, and gorgeous, blending voices.

This is Sunspot's second show in the newly renovated auditorium at the Takoma Park Community Center. It's a beautiful space with a sound system designed by Grammy-winning sound engineer Charlie Pilzer. The community center is just a few blocks from the Red Line's Takoma Metro station, and is accessible by bus.

---

 

Jim Malcolm
Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Tickets $20 advance/$24 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

As both a singer and a songwriter, Jim Malcolm is one of the most distinctive voices in Scottish music. He was the lead singer of the phenomenal Scottish band the Old Blind Dogs for many years. Since leaving the Dogs, Jim performs solo shows throughout the year all around the world.

Jim, who has twice been booked to sing for Prince Charles, was voted Scotland's Songwriter of the Year in 2004 and shortlisted for the Scots Singer of the Year award in 2004, 2005 and 2009. He has been described as "one of the most outstanding talents to emerge from the Scottish Folk Scene in years".

Jim is looking forward to returning to The Lyceum. "I love playing for American audiences, which have always been good to me," he said, “and the acoustics in the Lyceum Theater are wonderful. Scottish audiences can be a bit reserved but Americans seem better at having a good time. I'm looking forward to coming back to the Lyceum."

Visit Jim's web site

Jim sings Tramps and Hawkers.

Jim sings Robert Burns' Westlin' Winds and Glenlogie.

Jim sings Fields of Angus.

Tickets $20 advance/$24 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

 

---

 

Harpists Marta Cook & Maeve Gilchrist
Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010, 8 pm
Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park, Md.
[top of page]

Tickets $10 advance/$15 at the door.

---

Watermelon Park Festival
Thursday, Sept. 23 through Saturday, Sept 25, 2010 at Watermelon Park
[top of page]

Full Festival Tickets, Including Camping: $70
Day Tickets, Including Camping for Day of Admission, $40
Tickets and full information about the festival available on the festival website

Sunspot has been a sponsor of the Watermelon Park Festival for five years. The Festival is three days of acoustic music, workshops, dance, jamming and competitions in the Watermelon Park Campground on the banks of the Shenandoah River just outside Berryville, Virginia, about an hour west of Tysons Corner.

Sunspot sponsors the festival's workshop and dance tent. Starting in its first year with a small tent just barely able to hold a workshop by Liz Carrol, John Doyle, Bruce Molsky and Dirk Powell, the tent has grown each year. Now it hosts the after-hours dance Friday and Saturday nights after the main stage closes. Later, it's a gathering point for all-night jamming once the dance band leaves the stage. Workshops, jams and performances fill the tent schedule during the day.

And, of course, there are performances on the main stage, band and solo pickin' competitions, and great food and craft vendors, plus music into the wee hours around the camp fires. And it's all in a beautiful setting along the banks of the river, so you can fish, swim or rent a canoe if you want.

The Watermelon Festival is the most fun we have all year. We hope you'll join us. Visit the festival website for all the details about the festival and to buy tickets (including camping info, directions and nearby accommodations).

After-Hours Dances

This year, Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole returns for the after-hours dance on Friday night. Twice nominated for Grammy awards, Cedric plays a variety of old-school zydeco styles, original material and Creole traditionals. The polyrhythmic and syncopated sounds of Africa and the Caribbean are unmistakable in his ensemble of talented musicians.

A Love Song & Waltz

A Creole Dance Tune

On Saturday, the Sunspot tent hosts more high-energy dance music. The High and Might Brass Band plays a mix of classic New Orleans Funk, R&B and more modern influences of Afro-Beat and Hip Hop.

Clips of HMBB

Live Club Clip

Daytime Jams and Workshops

The Sunspot tent will host workshops, jams and performances during the day:

Thursday:

2:00 PM - Sunday Kitchen Jam (Old-Time/Irish) Session with Craggy Island
3:00 PM - Bluegrass Slow Jam with Mike Ward< (for beginners)br> 4:00 PM - Jake & The Burtones bluegrass performance

Friday:

11:00 AM - Bluegrass Slow Jam with Mike Ward (for beginners)
12:00 PM - Big Everybody Jam with Special Guests
1:00 PM - Southern Old-Time Fiddlin Workshop with Bruce Molsky
2:00 PM - Adult Hula-Hoop Workshop with BoomTown Hoops
2:30 PM - Basic Partner dancing with Julie Kerby
3:00 PM - Contra Dance with Bruce Molsky

Saturday:

1:00 PM - Polka Dots performance
2:00 PM - Flatfooting Workshop with Jan Scopel
3:00 PM - The Acoustic Burgoo performance

Main Stage

Staring in the late afternoon, the focus is on the main stage. See the festival website for details about all the bands.

Thursday:

5:00 PM - The Clubhouse Gang
6:00 PM - The Martin Family Band
7:00 PM - Old Sledge (Old Time Music)
8:00 PM - Bruce Molksy
9:15 PM - The Fox Hunt

Friday:

4:00 PM - Gary Ruley and Mule Train
4:45 PM - Furnace Mountain Band from Scotland via Skype
5:00 PM - The Picker's Jubilee Band Showcase Winners: Jubal's Kin
6:00 PM - Larry Keel, David Via, and John Flower
7:00 PM - Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole
8:00 PM - The Woodshedders
9:00 PM - The Hot Seats

Saturday:

3:45 PM - 2010 Band and Pickin' Contests Winners Announced
4:00 PM - The Lonesome River Band
5:00 PM - 2009 Band Contest Winner Gaven Largent
6:00 PM - Justin Townes Earle
7:00 PM - The Lonesome River Band
7:45 PM - The Pickin' Contest Winner's Jam (Side Stage)
8:00 PM - Shannon Whitworth
8:45 PM - The Band Contest Winners (Side Stage)
9:00 PM - Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile

Competitions

The festival hosts individual guitar and mandolin competitions and a band competition

Saturday, 11:00 am. The Fairbuilt Guitar & Weber Mandolin Pickin' Contest

Compete for brand-new instruments and prizes in the annual guitar and mandolin pickin' contest! Sponsored by Fairbuilt Guitar Company and Weber Mandolins, and The Guitar Studio of Winchester, VA. Rules and more info.

12:00 PM - The Watermelon Park Fest Band Contest

Compete for a paid 2011 Watermelon Park Fest Main Stage slot in our annual band contest. Rules and more info.

---

Red Molly
Friday, Sept. 17, 2010, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Tickets $20 advance, $23 at the door.

On a July evening in 2004, at their campsite at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Laurie MacAllister, Abbie Gardner and Carolann Solebello harmonized for the very first time. As they sang their campmates off to sleep, they knew they had stumbled into something extraordinary. Audiences seem to agree. Since that summer night, Red Molly has consistently brought concert-goers to their feet with stunning three-part harmonies, crisp musicianship and a warm, engaging stage presence. Laurie MacAllister, Abbie Gardner and newest member Molly Venter have a lot of fun on stage, and it's contagious.

With their latest CD James (2010), Red Molly beautifully captures what their fans love about the band: dark and heart-wrenching one moment, soulful and uplifting the next. They deliver an eclectic, exciting mix of cover songs by well-known writers (Nanci Griffith, Steve Goodman, Bob Wills, Darrell Scott, etc.), originals, and songs by up-and-coming writers (Jonathan Byrd, Anthony da Costa). Songs like the album opener "The Last Call" showcase the trio's soaring harmonies while "Jezebel" and "Can't Let Go" remind us that these ladies can rock. James peaked at #4 on the Americana Top 40 and was Folk DJ’s #1 Album for two months in a row.

With the critical success of James, the band is now drawing invitations from renowned historic national events like Merlefest and is winning over audiences in 250-500 seat theaters around the country. Spurred onward by an ever-growing and devoted fanbase, and the desire to commit themselves to touring farther from home, Red Molly is at the start of a new and exciting musical chapter.

As Carolann steps down to spend more time with family and pursue solo opportunities, joining Laurie (bass, banjo) and Abbie (Dobro, guitar) is the newest "Molly", Austin-based singer/songwriter Molly Venter (guitar). Molly first caught Abbie's attention as a New Folk Finalist at the 2008 Kerrville Folk Festival. When Molly opened for Red Molly in Arlington later that month, the band was stunned by the beauty and power of her voice, which has drawn comparisons to Natalie Merchant and Patty Griffin. In the multiple opening slots that followed, Molly effortlessly turned listeners into fans, with her gorgeous singing, warm authenticity, and undeniable charm.

The Boston Globe says: "Everything Red Molly sings is delivered with tick-tight arrangements, crystalline vocals, and caramel harmonies. But what is most striking is the ardor they bring to everything they do, whether snuggling into the sweet parochialism of an old spiritual, or the gritty pathos of a Gillian Welch tune. They come on less like stars strutting for their minions than pals sharing their favorite songs. In the friendly world of the coffeehouse, that remains a star-making quality."

Visit Red Molly's web site.

Laurie MacAllister

Red Molly's Laurie MacAllister dreamed of being a singer when she was a little girl, singing songs by Dolly Parton, Sheena Easton, and Olivia Newton-John at the top of her lungs into a hairbrush. A subsequent decade-long case of stage fright prevented her from performing publicly. While studying Industrial Psychology in graduate school at NYU, the urge to sing was strong enough that she began going to open mics in New York City.

After a short-lived career in the field of management consulting, and landing her first gigs at the Grey Dog's Coffee in the West Village, Laurie decided to pursue singing seriously in 1998. She quit her job and became a singer/songwriter (and also a waitress). With the help of an extraordinary friend, Cheryl Prashker, she released an album of original songs called These Old Clothes in 1999. In 2000, she met Cliff Eberhardt and began singing backup for him at venues around the country, developing a passion for harmony singing, and began the process of overcoming her stage fright.

Cliff produced Laurie's next album, called The Things I Choose To Do, which was purchased and released by Barnes & Noble. In 2004, at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Laurie formed Red Molly with Abbie Gardner and Carolann Solebello; just two short years later, due the growing success of the band, she was able to leave waitressing behind forever.

Playing about 100 shows a year as part of Red Molly for the last six years has been Laurie's dream come true. Laurie recently landed her first national television spot, singing the jingle in a 2010 Folgers Coffee commercial. Her plan for the future is to have a blast making music with Abbie and the new addition to Red Molly, Molly Venter.

You can see Laurie singing the Dan Bern song "Blank Tornado" and the Cliff Eberhardt song "Mempis" with Steve Kirkman in this video from the Peekskill Coffee House.

Abbie Gardner and her Dobro

With Red Molly, Abbie Gardner plays the dobro. To people not familiar with it, the name may sound a little goofy, and the instrument itself may look a little goofy, too.

The dobro looks like a regular guitar, but one with a bright, shiny hubcap stuck on it. The metal inset in the dobro is a resonator, which gives the instrument its other name of resonator guitar. It was invented in 1928 when Slovakians John and Emil Dopyera were trying to make a louder guitar. The name dobro can be a contraction of Dopyera Brothers. In Slovakian, the word also means "goodness."

While it is sometimes played like a regular guitar, the distinctive sound the dobro is known for comes when it is played in a horizontal position with a slide used on the neck.

After changing hands several times, in 1993 the name dobro ended up in the possession of Gibson Guitar, which now restricts the use of the name to their product. Many people, though, still refer to the any resonator guitar as a dobro.

Abbie Gardner studied classical flute growing up, but once she started playing dobro in 2004 she found her main instrument. She traveled to Lyons, Colorado, and Nashville, Tennessee, to study with Sally Van Meter and Rob Ickes. Left to her own devices, without many dobro influences near New York City, Abbie continues to develop her style by listening to other instrumentalists such as David Rawlings, Ry Cooder and Bonnie Raitt.

Abbie's vocals are as strong as her dobro playing. In addition to singing traditional and contemporary songs in old-time and bluegrass styles with Red Molly, she is an accomplished jazz singer. Her first full-length recording,"My Craziest Dream" 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" and she continues to perform with her father whenever possible.

Abbie has "a strong throaty voice that's reminiscent of Wesla Whitfield's… she uses it to render evergreens from the 1920s and 1930s with a crew of guys who play like they were around when this music was the cat's pajamas" (Cadence Magazine, June 2004).

Her 2006 release "Honey on My Grave" was her first independently released CD of mostly original music spanning varied genres with "consistently strong Dobro, guitar, and vocal performances" (Chronogram, 2006). You can see her singing the title song from the CD with Red Molly in this video recorded at an IMT concert last year.

Molly Venter

This will be Red Molly's first show in the area with their newest member, Molly Venter.

Molly inherited her father's nomadic tendencies along with her mother's love of music and culture. After earning an undergraduate degree in International Relations, Molly lived in Idaho, California and Mexico before settling in Austin, Texas. She has enjoyed studying dance and movement, psychology, nutrition, comedy improv, and traditional Sufi singing and the harmonium. It is her great joy to weave her life experiences into song.

Molly has released four albums and toured extensively since 2004. She was a finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk contest (2008) and took second place at Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Songwriter Showcase (2008). Her debut album "Molly Venter" caught the attention of editors at Warner Brothers music and was featured in the ski film "Impact" as well as on all promotional Jeep CDs for 2005 and 2006.

After releasing her latest album "Love Me Like You Mean It", Molly left her teaching job and took to the road full time, crisscrossing the country for the next 18 months and living out of her car. The album was featured on Barnes & Noble listening stations around the country, and her songs "Happier Now" and "Shaky Ground" are currently in rotation on all in-store Apple computers.

Still, solo life on the road wore Molly down, and she was in the process of applying to teaching jobs in Austin in April 2010 when the Red Molly call came in. Having opened a dozen shows for Red Molly, Venter was thrilled! The newest "Molly" is currently "getting serious" about playing guitar, collaborating with her new bandmates, and generally enjoying life's adventures.

You can see Molly singing "Sweet Caroline" with Red Molly in this YouTube video.

---

CD Release
Danny Knicely's Summer Concert with
Nate Leath, Aimee Curl & Bert Carlson
Sunday, August 29, 2010, 7:00 pm at the Old Stone School in Hillboro, Va.
[top of page]

Tickets $15 advance, $19 at the door.

Danny Knicely presents a CD release concert with his newest project. Danny will be joined by Nate Leath on fiddle, Aimee Curl on vocals and bass and Bert Carlson on Guitar

Danny Knicely is a multi-instrumentalist and music producer from a Virginia family steeped in mountain music tradition. He has won many awards for his mandolin, guitar, and fiddle expertise. He has recorded and toured the U.S. and internationally with Magraw Gap, Corn Tornado, Purgatory Mountain, Furnace Mountain, and Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, and is musical director for the Mountain Music Project.

Aimee Curl is from Loudoun County, Virginia. In addition to playing bass, she has an unmistakable breathy sound and sultry vocal style that combine in a musician with incredible depth. She has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe with bands such as ThaMuseMeant and Furnace Mountain and has recorded with many artists worldwide.

Nate Leath won the fiddle contest at the prestigious Galax Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Virginia when he was just 11 years old. He started his professional recording career at age 15 when he moved to Rockville, Maryland, and began working on the first of many recordings for Patuxtent Records. A recent graduate of Berkley School of Music in Boston, Nate Has toured with many groups including “Old School Freight-train” and “The Boston Boys”, and is in great demand as a session musician.

Bert Carlson of Bath County, Virginia, has been a professional guitarist since 1976. Well versed in many styles, he has the amazing ability to jump from genre to genre and era to era within an instant. He is from the upper midwest, where he taught at Illinois State University and Lincoln College. He moved to Washington DC and has played at The Capitol and The Kennedy Center. Bert has played with artists ranging from Louie Bellson to Doc Watson and Wynton Marsalis, and has even played for Captain Kangaroo.

See video of the band on the Facebook event page.

Download the flyer for Danny's concert.

Tickets $15 advance, $19 at the door.

---

CD Release
The Kane Sisters With Edel Fox &
Ottawa Valley Dancer Nathan Pilatzke
Saturday, July 31, 2010, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Tickets $20 advance, $23 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

Sisters Liz and Yvonne Kane, from Connemara, learned music from both their grandfather Jimmy Mullen and South Sligo musician and teacher, Mary Finn McCrudden. Along with the recordings of the Rainey brothers, their grandfather and Mary were an early influence on their music. The Raineys were travelling fiddle players in the 1950s who visited the sisters' hometown and surrounding areas.

Yvonne and Liz consider their style to be heavily influenced by South Sligo fiddle playing, the music of East Galway and in particular the fiddle playing and compositions of Paddy Fahey. In recent years, the sisters have been privileged to meet and play with Paddy, whose music plays a central role in their repertoire. The recordings of Michael Coleman, Hughie Gillespie, Andy McGann and Kathleen Collins have also made an impact on their music.

Liz and Yvonne's new album Side by Side has just been launched at The Catskills Irish Festival in East Durham, NY. Concertina player Edel Fox will join them on a two week tour as they introduce the new CD.

Visit Liz and Yvonne's website at www.thekanesisters.com/.

Concertina Player Edel Fox

When Edel Fox joins Liz and Yvonne Kane this Saturday, she will be celebrating the release of her new CD. Edel is one of the most accomplished Irish musicians of her generation. Despite her young age, her musical resume boasts a list of accolades.

She is a regular performer on Irish National Radio and the BBC and she has performed at festivals and in concert halls from North America all the way to Asia. In 2004, Edel was awarded one of the highest honors for a traditional musician in Ireland: the TG4 Young Musician of the Year award.

Edel received critical acclaim for her 2006 CD with the Galway fiddler Ronan O'Flaherty. She just released her latest CD, "Chords and Beryls," two weeks ago.

Edel is from Miltown Malbay Co. Clare. She began playing at the age of 7 and was fortunate to be brought up in an area and environment where traditional music was in abundance. Edel learnt much of her music from concertina players Noel Hill, Dymphna O’Sullivan, Tim Collins and Tony O’Connell as well as local musicians such as Pete Haugh, Michael Mahoney and Peadar Crotty. Over the years, Edel’s playing has been hugely influenced by the music and recordings of Willie Clancy, Bobby Casey, Junior Crehan and Mrs. Crotty, to name but a few. Edel spent much of her teenage years playing with, and learning from Jackie Daly, who she cites as one of her influences.

In addition to being an engaging performer, Edel is also an insightful and patient teacher, specializing in the repertoire of her native soil. She is on staff at the prestigious Willie Clancy Summer School in her home town, Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare, and she also teaches annually at festivals in the US, including the Irish Arts Week Festival in East Durham, New York, and the Elkins Irish Week in Augusta, West Virginia. In 2007, Edel completed a degree in Irish Traditional Music and Dance in the University of Limerick.

Dancer Nathan Pilatzke

Liz and Yvonne will be joined by Ottawa Valley dancer Nathen Pilatzke. Nathan (who has been aptly nicknamed Crazy Legs) started stepdancing at the tender age 5. He and his brother Jon have been performing together as a duo for over 20 years. Since 2002, the brothers have been touring the world with Irish moguls The Chieftains, and have performed locally with the Chieftains at the Kennedy Center. They have performed everywhere from The Ryman Auditorium with Emylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, and Allison Krauss to Late Night with David Letterman and Conan O'Brien.

The Ottawa Valley style of dance has been described as "aggressive" and "energetic." Somewhat like Irish sean nos dance, it is improvisational, but unlike sean nos, Cape Breton or French Canadian step dancing, the steps in Ottawa Valley dance are often performed high in the air, with the arms in motion.

You can see some of this amazing dance in this video of the brothers performing with the Chieftains. The video begins with an interview of Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains in which he describes his Uilleann pipes. The music and dance start about three minutes in.

Visit Nathan and Jon's Myspace Page

Tickets $20 advance, $23 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

---

Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill
Saturday, April 10 2010, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Tickets $26 advance, $30 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT! THERE WILL NOT BE ANY TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR.

A native of County Clare, to which he returns for extended periods several times a year, Martin Hayes has been based in the United States for the past twenty-three years. He has drawn musical inspiration from sources as diverse as the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, the Spanish viola da gamba master Jordi Savall and the jazz genius John Coltrane. Still, he remains grounded in the music he grew up with in his own locality, Maghera, Feakle, East County Clare. The music he learned from his late father, P. Joe Hayes, the legendary leader of the long-lived Tulla Ceili Band, profoundly influenced his musical accent and ideas forever after.

In his younger days he played in an experimental electric band in Chicago. Recently he has composed scores for film, theatre, and modern dance, and has collaborated with like-minded musicians from other genres, such as jazz guitarist, Bill Frisell and eclectic violinist Darol Anger. He views these explorations as a means of shedding light on his ongoing artistic journey, as well as a challenge to any rigidity of thought. The fundamental artistic quest is to go deeper and deeper within traditional Irish music and himself.

Dennis Cahill is a master guitarist, a native of Chicago born to parents from the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. He studied at the city’s prestigious Music College before becoming an active member of the local music scene. Cahill’s spare, essential accompaniment to Martin Hayes’ fiddle is acknowledged as a major breakthrough for guitar in the Irish tradition. In addition to his work with Martin, Dennis has performed with such renowned fiddlers as Liz Carroll, Eileen Ivers and Kevin Burke, as well as many Irish musicians on both sides of the Atlantic.

Dennis is a sought-after producer for musical artists whom he records in his own Chicago studio. He is also an accomplished photographer. Taking full advantage of the Hayes and Cahill international travel opportunities, Dennis shoots photos that document both the backstage world as well as otherwise overlooked whimsical visual moments in rural villages, towns and cities, far and wide. His photos can be viewed on his website.

Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill met in Chicago in the 1980s. They formed the jazz/rock/fusion band, Midnight Court, which allowed them to experiment with a variety of new music styles. When Martin reclaimed his traditional roots, reinvigorated, and after recording two solo albums, he began a new musical relationship with Cahill, beginning with the lyrical music of East Clare. They played long, sometimes thirty-minute, multi-tune sets in their concerts, starting from the simplest of melodies, building in intensity, but never abandoning musicality and ideas.

Visit Martin's web site.

---

Furnace Mountain
Saturday, March 20, 2010, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Tickets $18 advance, $21 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

Advance ticket sales for Furnace Mountain end at 2 pm on Saturday. Tickets will be available at the door, so please come out for the show even if you haven't bought your tickets!

Megan Downes of Footworks, who appeared in Sunspot shows this past year with Karan Casey and Cillian Vallely and Kevin Crawford, regularly dances with Furnace Mountain. She'll be joining them for their show this Saturday to add some flat footing and clogging to their mountain and valley music.

Furnace Mountain, named after the tallest peak of the Catoctin Mountains, is a quartet of traditional musicians who play the music of the Virginia countryside and mountains. Dave Van Deventer (fiddle) and Danny Knicely (mandolin & guitar) front the instrumental side of things, while vocalists Morgan Morrison (bouzouki) and Aimee Curl (bass) layer in a stunning mix of the earthy and ethereal. Their music is at times lively and raucous, with spirited fiddle melodies weaving in and around the powerful rhythms of the bass and bouzouki. At other times it is poignant and poetic, with sublime vocal harmonies beautifully interpreting some of the oldest songs ever written. They’ve just released a new CD, Fields of Fescue.

The band has graced stages near and far, from the Yangtzee River in China to the banks of the Shenandoah River, where they host the famous Watermelon Park Fest each year.

David Van Deventer (aka Fiddlin' Dave) has been studying the folk origins of the fiddle for over 25 years. He is a fiddle and mandolin instructor, organizer of the Watermelon Park Festival and partner in Shepherds Ford Productions, as well as an active member of Furnace Mountain and the Woodshedders.

Morgan Morrison began singing and playing guitar with her family at thirteen, and at eighteen took up the bouzouki after becoming interested in old-time and celtic music. She soon began creating her own compositions as well as arranging new versions of traditional folk songs and tunes. Morgan counts her father John Morrison, Heidi Martin, John Doyle, Donal Lunny, Bob Dylan and Sandy Denny among many who have inspired her. She also sings with the gypsy jazz sensation, the Woodshedders.

Aimee Curl is from Loudon County, Virginia. In addition to playing bass, she has an unmistakable breathy sound and sultry vocal style that combine in a musician with incredible depth. An original member of the Musemeant, she has toured with bands including Dave Matthews, Widespread Panic and Blues Traveler. She is also an active member of the Woodshedders.

Danny Knicely is a fourth generation Appalachian multi-instrumentalist from a Virginia family steeped in the mountain music tradition. He has won many awards for both his mandolin and guitar expertise, including first place in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival mandolin contest. He has recorded and toured nationally and internationally with many groups including the award winning Magraw Gap, David Via and Corn Tornado, James Leva and Purgatory Mountain and Tim O'Brien, and is a musical director for the Mountain Music Project and Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble.

Visit Furnace Mountain's web site to learn more about the band or listen to music on their Myspace page.

Tickets $18 advance, $21 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

---

Karan Casey and John Doyle
Thursday, February 11, 2010, 8:00 pm
At McGinty's Public House, 3650 South Glebe Road, Arlington
[top of page]

NEW LOCATION!

The show has moved from the Lyceum because the building is closed.

The new location is:

MCGINTY'S PUBLIC HOUSE
3650 South Glebe Road, Suite 170
Arlington, VA

This is right at the intersection of South Glebe Rd and Route 1, just north of Potomac Yards. The is a garage in the building with public parking.

McGinty's is a full service restaurant and bar with a good menu. Come early for dinner. You can see the menu on the McGinty's website at www.mcgintyspublichouse.com.

Showtime is still 8 pm.

Tickets $25 advance, $29 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

SEE INFORMATION ABOUT RIDESHARING IN THE SIDEBAR TO THE RIGHT

John Doyle and Karan Casey were both founding members of the Irish supergroup Solas, and they both left the group to move on to succesful solo careers. In 2008, they got together to produce a duo CD, but before they could release it and tour together, John was offered a position as musical director and guitarist for Joan Baez. Now that he has some free time, John and Karan are heading out on tour to sing the songs from the new CD, Exile's Return. Both John and Karan have visited the Lyceum before, but this will be their first time here together.

During her four and a half years with Solas, Karan Casey received critical acclaim from Japan to America as one of Ireland's great singers. Karan has established herself as, in the words of the Wall Street Journal, "One of the true glories of Irish music today," a standing confirmed by having been twice voted Best Female Traditional/Folk artist by Irish Music Magazine readers and her nomination for a prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Award.

Now, five albums into her solo career, Karan continues to explore the boundaries of Irish song. Fully versed in the genre's subtleties (and comfortable singing in Gaelic), she is equally at home transforming Billie Holiday's jazz classic "Strange Fruit" into a chilling ballad from beyond the Pale or applying Billy Bragg's "Distant Shore" to the plight of modern day African refugees in Ireland.

John Doyle is renowned as one of the most talented accompanists performing in either the Irish or Appalachian traditions. He adapts to and compliments the style of those he plays with, but his rhythmic and melodic contributions do much more than simply provide a background, creating complex, fascinating layers within the tunes without ever overshadowing the principal performer. Fans who have seen John Doyle perform as a band member or accompaniest have occasionally been treated to his solo guitar work, his wonderful, lyrical singing and, more recently, his dynamic fiddling.

After leaving Solas, John played in the Eileen Ivers band for several years. Recently, John has appeared in the DC area accompanying Liz Carroll, Allison Brown, Tim O'Brien and Linda Thompson, and as a member of Tim O'Brien's band. He just completed serving as guitarist and musical director for Joan Baez on her last tour. He has recorded with Kate Rusby, John Williams and Cathie Ryan, among others, is in demand as an accompaniest, record producer and songwriter, and has found time to release two solo CDs. John has produced a recording of his father, Sean Doyle, and the first solo CD by Heidi Talbot, vocalist with Cherish the Ladies. Last year, John will took part in a reunion concert with Solas that has been released as a album with both a CD and DVD of the show.

Karan's web site.

Tickets $25 advance, $29 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

---

Danny Knicely's Big Winter Concert
January 23, 2010, 8:00 pm at Franklin Park Arts Center in Purcellville, Va.
[top of page]

Tickets $15 advance, $17 at the door.

Sunspot is again supporting Danny Knicely as he holds his annual wnter concert. This year, the show will be at the new Franklin Park Arts Center in Purcellville. Danny will be joined by Nate Leath on fiddle, Bert Carlson on guitar and Aimee Curl on bass. There will als be a special tribute in honor of Django Reinhardt's 100th birthday, with Dwayne Brook from the Woodshedders. And, Danny has invited a special mystery guest, who he'll only describe as a "Motown/soul bassest who played with many popular groups in the '50s and '60s."

Nate Leath, who recently graduated from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, has appeared at Sunspot with his band Old School Freight Train. He's played with Danny at previous Winter Concerts, and joined Danny in playing with Tim O'Brien at last summer's Watermelon Park Festival. Dave Grisman said that Nate "is one of the new bright lights illuminating the contemporary fiddle universe. He tells a story with every note he plays."

Bert Carlson has been playing guitar professionally since 1976. In addition, he has taught at Illinois State University, Lincoln College and, most recently, at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Bert moved to Washington in 1985 and averaged over 300 engagements a year for the next 14 years. In 1999, he moved to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and is still performing fulltime. Most of his playing in recent years has been in jazz and blues, but he still frequently plays material from past experiences in rock, country, bluegrass, traditional jazz, and pop. Since 2003, Bert has contributed guitar work and arrangements on two CDs with jazz vocalist Jennifer Kirkland.

Aimee Curl is from Loudon County, Virginia. In addition to playing bass, she has an unmistakable breathy sound and sultry vocal style that combine in a musician with incredible depth. An original member of the Musemeant, she has toured with bands including Dave Matthews, Widespread Panic and Blues Traveler. She is also an active member of the Woodshedders.

Tickets $15 advance, $17 at the door.

---

 
Jim Malcolm
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Tickets $20 advance/$24 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

As both a singer and a songwriter, Jim Malcolm is one of the most distinctive voices in Scottish music. He was the lead singer of the phenomenal Scottish band the Old Blind Dogs for many years. Since leaving the Dogs, Jim performs solo shows throughout the year all around the world. In 2004, Jim won awards from the Scots Trad Music Society for Songwriter of the Year and, as lead singer with the Dogs, for Scottish Folk Band of the Year.

Jim returns to the Sunspot series this year with a special show celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns. Jim's web site



Tickets $20 advance/$24 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Cillian Vallely and Kevin Crawford
Friday, Sept. 11, 2009, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Tickets $25 advance, $29 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

Kevin Crawford and Cillian Vallely have played together for a decade as members of the seminal Irish band Lúnasa. Now they have released a duo album called "On Common Ground." Guitarists Donal Clancy and Paul Meehan joined them on the CD.

Starting at age seven, Cillian Vallely learned the whistle and pipes from his parents Brian and Eithne at the Armagh Pipers Club, a group that for over three decades has fostered the revival of traditional music in the north of Ireland. Since leaving college, he has played professionally and has toured all over North America and Europe in addition to Japan, Hong Kong and Australia.

Since 1999, Cillian has been a member of the band “Lunasa”, with whom he has recorded five albums and played at many major festivals. He has also performed and toured with Riverdance, Tim O Brien’s The Crossing, New York-based Whirligig, and the Celtic Jazz Collective. He has recorded on over forty albums including Callanbridge with his brother Niall, and various guest spots with Natalie Merchant, Alan Simon’s Excalibur project with Fairport Convention and Moody Blues, GAIA with the Prague Philharmonic and Karan Casey. He has recently recorded on two movie soundtracks, Irish Jam and Chatham and played pipes on the BBC’s Flight of the Earls soundtrack.

Born in Birmingham, England, Kevin Crawford’s early life was one long journey into Irish music and Co. Clare, to where he eventually moved while in his twentys.

Kevin was a member of Moving Cloud, the Clare-based band who recorded such critically-acclaimed albums as Moving Cloud and Foxglove, and he also recorded with Grianán, Raise The Rafters, Joe Derrane and Sean Tyrrell and appears on the 1994 recording The Sanctuary Sessions.

Kevin now tours the world with Ireland’s cutting edge traditional band, Lúnasa, called by some the “Bothy Band of the 21st Century,” with six ground breaking albums to their credit; Lúnasa, Otherworld, The Merry Sisters of Fate, Redwood, The Kinnitty Sessions and Sé. A virtuoso flute player, Kevin has also recorded two solo albums, D’Flute Album and the more recent In Good Company.

Visit Cillian and Kevin's MySpace page, where you can here music from their new CD.

Tickets $25 advance, $29 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

---

 
Susan McKeown and Lorin Sklamberg
Saturday, May 9, 2009, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Tickets $25 advance, $29 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

Once heard, you would never take Susan McKeown for anyone else. When the Sunspot series started, she was at the top of our "must have" list, along with Karan Casey and Cathie Ryan. Now Susan, a 2006 Grammy winner, will be making her first appearance in a Sunspot concert this May.

Susan McKeown is renowned for her groundbreaking work with her band Chanting House, which included future Solas founder John Doyle, and for her long collaboration with the Scottish fiddler Johnny Cunningham. More recently, she was the singer behind all the songs in Arena Stage’s production of Peter and Wendy.

Lorin Sklamberg, the voice of the Klezmatics, decided with his band mates to seek an additional vocalist for their Woody Guthrie project Wonder Wheel. Their choice was Susan. The resulting album went on to win the 2006 GRAMMY award for Best Contemporary World Music Album.

Following on the heels of their joint GRAMMY win, Susan and Lorin began work on an exciting musical collaboration: an album of Yiddish and Irish song that will be released in early 2009.

Culled from rare archive material and old recordings, Susan and Lorin have selected songs on various themes from the Jewish and Irish traditions: love, death, betrothal, betrayal and the demon drink, as well as cumulative and macaronic songs are represented.

“We love singing together and started to explore the connections between Yiddish and Irish songs awhile ago,” says Susan. The bulk of the Jewish material is being drawn from the papers of the legendary collector and performer Ruth Rubin. The Irish songs come from both the popular and the ancient Gaelic sean nós traditions.

Visit Susan's web site and her MySpace page.

Tickets $25 advance, $29 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

---

The Karan Casey Band
Sunday, March 21, 2009, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Tickets $25 advance, $29 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

A member of the Irish supergroup Solas for four and a half years, Karan Casey received critical acclaim from Japan to America as one of Ireland's great singers. Karan has established herself as, in the words of the Wall Street Journal, "One of the true glories of Irish music today," a standing confirmed by having been twice voted Best Female Traditional/Folk artist by Irish Music Magazine readers and her nomination for a prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Award.

Now, five albums into her solo career, Karan continues to explore the boundaries of Irish song. Fully versed in the genre's subtleties (and comfortable singing in Gaelic), she is equally at home transforming Billie Holiday's jazz classic "Strange Fruit" into a chilling ballad from beyond the Pale or applying Billy Bragg's "Distant Shore" to the plight of modern day African refugees in Ireland. The

Karan will be joined by dancers Megan Downes and Shannon Dunne from the fabulous Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble.

Karan is working her way across the country--Tuesday Wisconsin, Wednesday Illinois, then Connecticut and Pennsylvania before she makes her way to Alexandria--and she's written about her trip so far on her MySpace blog.

Karan's web site.

Tickets $25 advance, $29 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

---

 
Jim Malcolm
Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Tickets $20 advance/$23 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

As both a singer and a songwriter, Jim Malcolm is one of the most distinctive voices in Scottish music. He was the lead singer of the phenomenal Scottish band the Old Blind Dogs for many years. Since leaving the Dogs, Jim performs solo shows throughout the year all around the world. In 2004, Jim won awards from the Scots Trad Music Society for Songwriter of the Year and, as lead singer with the Dogs, for Scottish Folk Band of the Year.

Jim's web site

Tickets $20 advance/$23 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Robin Spielberg
Friday, April 18, 8 pm at The Lyceum
$18 advance, $20 door
[top of page]

	"Her music itself was filled with a gentleness of spirit...Spielberg has an undeniable melodic gift." -- New York Concert Review
Click picture for hi-res version

When Robin Spielberg returns to the Lyceum for her first Sunspot concert, she will be presenting a CD release concert featuring music from her brand new CD, A New Kind of Love as well as audience favorites from her best-selling recordings.

Mesmerizing audiences with inspired tales, extraordinary piano technique and heartfelt performance, Robin Spielberg is comfortably perched in the top echelon of the contemporary composer/pianist roster, which includes the Steinway Artist Roster. Perhaps what is most intriguing about Robin, other than her extraordinary talent and dynamic performances, is the way she wraps personal stories around her music to give them a particularly memorable flavor.

Here's a video of Robin performing her composition After the Rain.



Robin Spielberg has performed in concert halls throughout the United States more than any other living female composer/pianist. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in a sold-out performance at the Weill Recital Hall in 1997 and has performed there twice since. Other performance highlights include a guest spot on the PBS Special, The Soul of Christmas: A Celtic Music Celebration with Thomas Moore, a concert for factory workers at the legendary Steinway Piano Factory, and a month-long tour through rural Montana and Idaho last Spring. In 2004 she made her Asian debut at the Seoul Arts Center in Seoul, Korea and returned again in October 2006. Her music has been heard on over 300 radio stations here and abroad, and has been featured in live performances on CBS Saturday Morning, PBS, ABC News Lifetime Live and Nightly Business Report.

Among her many recordings, Robin joined with Irish singers Cathie Ryan and Susan McKeown in 1998 to create the Mother CD, which combined the composing and performing talents of all three artists for a celebration of mothers and motherhood.

This video features a behind-the-scenes look at the recording of Robin's new CD, A New Kind of Love.



Robin Spielberg is a Celebrity Spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association. As Spokesperson, she conducts workshops and seminars on the topic of music and healing throughout the U.S. in hospitals, schools, community centers, nursing care facilities and performing arts centers. Spielberg was the featured performer at AMTA's national conference in Minneapolis in Fall 2003, performing for over 1300 music therapists from around the world, and she has conducted workshops and seminars for AMTA throughout the US. Her work with music and healing has been documented in The New York Times and in segments on LifeTime Live and ABC News. Her lullaby CD, Beautiful Dreamer, was hailed by Child Magazine as one of "The Best of 2000" and also earned accolades in Parenting and The Washington Post.

Visit Ms Spielberg's web site at www.robinspielberg.com or her MySpace page at www.myspace.com/robin_spielberg, where you can hear some of her music.

Tickets $18 advance/$20 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Emily Smith
Friday, April 4, 8 pm at The Lyceum
$18 advance, $20 door
[top of page]

	"It’s hard not to fall in love with Smith’s voice." -Sing Out Magazine
Click picture for hi-res version

Though only in her mid twenties, award-winning Scottish singer and songwriter Emily Smith has firmly established herself as one of Scotland’s leading lights in folk music.

Raised in rural Dumfriesshire in the South West of Scotland, Emily has always held a passion for local history and a keen sense of belonging, which shines through in her music and the enthusiasm she displays when talking of her home region. "Dumfries and Galloway is often a forgotten part of Scotland and through my material, whether traditional or my own songs, I try to portray the beauty and diversity of where I come from. I love being able to sing a song and picture the exact setting of where the event took place, or to sing some of Robert Burns' material and know that he travelled the same roads and admired the same landscapes as I do today."

Here's a short video about Emily and her music, with clips from the recent Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow.



Many of the traditional ballads in her repertoire come from Dumfriesshire. Emily’s live show is relaxed and informative, featuring the songs with a few upbeat instrumental sets thrown in for good measure. Emily is an accomplished performer on accordion and piano. Emily will be joined by Jamie McClennan on fiddle and guitar and Ross Milligan on guitar and banjo.

Originally from New Zealand, Jamie moved to Scotland in 2001 to further his music career. A fantastic performer on fiddle with ten years experience as a freelance musician, teacher and composer, Jamie is also a talented guitarist, whistle player and pianist. He has performed with Emily since she first started touring, as well as having co-produced her new album.

Since becoming BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2002, Emily has gone on to gain further accolades of ‘Up and Coming Artist of the Year’ nominee (Scots Trad music Awards, 2003) and ‘Scots singer of the Year’ nominee (Scots Trad Music Awards 2005). She gained an Honours degree in Scottish Music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Emily is not only a respected interpreter of traditional songs, but is also gathering interest with her own compelling songwriting. In 2005, she became the first singer from Scotland to win in the USA Songwriting Competition, taking the folk section with her song Edward of Morton. Another of her songs, Always a Smile, was short listed in the final ten. To date she has released two studio albums, A Day Like Today’ (Footstompin’ Records, 2002) and A Different Life (White Fall Records, 2005), both to critical acclaim. Her third album Too Long Away is due for release in April 2008.

Visit Emily's web page to learn more about Emily, or visit Emily's MySpace page, where you can her some of her songs.

Visit Jamie's MySpace page, where you can hear instrumental pieces from Jamie and Emily.

 
LAURA CORTESE TO OPEN

Fiddler Laura Cortese, who played at the Lyceum with the Four Fabulous Fiddlers in 2005 and in her own show in 2006, will be opening the show for Emily Smith. Laura spent some time in the DC area as a member of the Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble in Annapolis. In addition to her solo work, she plays with her own band, with the fiddle trio Halali (along with Hanneke Cassel and Lissa Schneckenburger) and sometimes plays bass with the old-time group Uncle Earl.

	"Laura Cortese is an extremely dynamic and intelligent artist full of fun and joy." -- Alsadair Fraser
Click picture for hi-res version

Laura says that she spent last winter sitting in her living room at the piano and on the fiddle writing songs and developing her "drum and chop indie pop" sound. When she opens for Emily, she will be playing new, unreleased songs along with songs from her latest CD, Even the Lost Creek. She'll be accompanied by Aoife O'Donovan (of Crooked Still and vocal trio Sometimes Why) playing wurlitzer, electric guitar and glockenspiel.

Here's the video for Laura's new single, Bad Year



Laura will be doing a full show, also with Aoife, at Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville on Sunday, March 6. Jesse Harper of Old School Freight Train will also do a set. Then on Monday, Laura and Aoife will return to Alexandria to open for The Wailing Jennys at the Birchmere.

Tickets $18 advance/$20 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Cathie Ryan
Sunday, March 9, 8 pm at The Lyceum
$25 advance, $28 door
[top of page]

	"...comfortably alongside the recordings of her Irish-born peers Mary Black and Maura O'Connell." -Mike Joyce, Washington Post
Click picture for hi-res version

Irish-American Cathie Ryan, with her crystalline vocals and insightful songwriting, is an original and distinctive voice in Celtic music. Cathie was the acclaimed lead singer of the all-woman band Cherish the Ladies for seven years, and she helped establish CTL at the forefront of the world-wide resurgence of Celtic music. In her solo career, Cathie has become one of Celtic music’s most popular and enduring singer-songwriters.

These days, her tours take her to major performing arts centers, such as the Lincoln Center in New York, and see her singing with symphony orchestras. During March, Cathie will also be hosting the nationwide broadcast of American Public Television’s Irish traditional music program Absolutely Irish. We are incredibly fortunate to have her returning for an evening in the intimate Lecture Hall of the Lyceum.

Cathie's parents were Irish immigrants who moved to the United States so Cathie's father could find work in the automobile industry. Cathie grew up in Detroit, but her home and community were filled with the music of Ireland.

Her passionate singing has graced stages in Washington while she was lead singer with the Irish-American band Cherish the Ladies, during her solo performances and in special appearances with other groups. She has received accolades throughout her career, including being named Irish Female Vocalist of the Decade in 2000 by the Irish American News in Chicago and being listed as one of the Top 100 Irish Americans by Irish America magazine.

Cherish the Ladies was formed as a one-time concert concept when Mick Moloney asked Joanie Madden to put together a group of Irish-American women for a festival appearance. Audiences loved the group, and when the group formally became a band, Cathie signed on as their lead singer, a position she held for seven years. Cathie helped define the band's sound through interpretations of traditional songs and her own new compositions, along with her spirited bodhran playing.

Here's a video of Cathie singing her song The Back Door when she was with Cherish the Ladies.



Cathie left Cherish the Ladies in 1995 and released her first solo album, simply titled Cathie Ryan, in 1997. Produced by Seamus Egan of Solas, the album received critical acclaim. Joining Cathie on the recording were Seamus and other musicians who worked with Solas, including John Anthony, Michael Aharon, Chico Huff (who appeared with Karan Casey at our first Sunspot concert), Steve Holloway and Winifred Horan. Also participating were piper Jerry O'Sullivan and Washington-area guitarist Zan McLeod.

Cathie's second and third albums, The Music of What Happens and Somewhere Along the Road, continued to feature her exceptional interpretations of traditional turns while including a growing number Cathie's own compositions and arrangements. Many of Cathie's own songs, even those that deal with contemporary issues, carry the feel and strength of traditional pieces. On both recordings, Cathie worked with a "Who's Who" of traditional Irish and American musicians.

In producing Somewhere Along the Road and her latest album, Cathie worked with John McCusker, who formerly played fiddle with the Battlefield Band, and collaborated with guitarist John Doyle in writing several songs. Cathie's most recent CD, The Farthest Wave, has received rave reviews.

Visit Cathie's web page to learn more about Cathie and her music.

Tickets $25 advance/$28 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Mick Moloney, Athena Tergis & John Doyle
Friday, February 29, 8 pm at The Lyceum
$25 advance, $28 door
[top of page]

Fiddler Athena Tergis, from the show Riverdance on Broadway, will be joined by Mick Moloney and John Doyle to celebrate the release of Athena's new CD A Letter Home. All members of Irish traditional band The Green Fields of America, Mick, Athena and John are making a rare East coast appearance as a trio.

An author, musicologist, professor and professional musician, Mick Moloney brings depth and life to his music through his extensive knowledge of the history of Irish music and its journey to America. Mick was a key figure in the Dublin folk-song revival in the 1960s. After relocating to Philadelphia, he became a leader in contemporary Irish-American music through his teaching, producing, recording, performances, and academic folklore activities. In 1999 he received the National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. One of the all time greats on the banjo, Mick is also a master singer and storyteller.

Athena Tergis began classical violin lessons at age four, won the Junior National Scottish Fiddling Championship three years in a row, the first time here in Alexandria at age 11, and became a principal fiddler for the Broadway run of Riverdance.

John Doyle is well known to Sunspot audiences, having previously performed at the Lyceum three times. One of the most exciting guitarists in Irish traditional music today, John made a name for himself with his striking propulsive style in both the innovative groups he helped found, The Chanting House and Solas. He's been a member of the Eileen Ivers and and the Tim O'Brien band and has accompanied Allison Brown, Linda Thompson and many others. He has recorded with Kate Rusby, John Williams and Cathie Ryan. Most notably, for several years John has been half of a powerhouse Irish duo with fiddler Liz Carroll.

Here's a video of Athena playing with Liz Carroll and Eileen Ivers, accompanied by John Doyle:



Learn more about all of Mick's activities, including the music and folklore tours he leads in Ireland, on Mick's web page.

Visit Athena's web page or her MySpace page, where you can hear her play.

Visit John's Doyle's web page to learn more about John and his music.

Tickets $25 advance/$28 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Kristin Andreassen
Saturday, February 16, 8 pm at The Lyceum
$20 advance, $23 door
[top of page]

Best known as one quarter of the old-time stringband Uncle Earl, Kristin Andreassen is an award-winning songwriter whose CD Release Concert last January was one of Sunspot's most in-demand shows of 2007. This year she's cooking up a very special, one-night-only production of songs from Kiss Me Hello (and a few new ones too!) for Valentine's Day weekend.

Kristin says she's extra-excited about her band, which will feature the debut of "The Andreassen Sisters" (some favorite local dancers who will present backup singer choreography, some clogging & tap, and even a couple of modern dance pieces to accompany the music). Here's the lineup: Danny Knicely (guitar, mandolin), Neil Knicely (bass), Shannon Dunne (piano). Plus dancers from Kristin's "alma mater" Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble: Emily Crews (choreography), Megan Downes, Shannon Dunne, Eileen Carson & Christine Galante (dance). Surprise guests likely.

Kristin's band Uncle Earl released a new CD this year entitled "Waterloo, Tennessee," which was produced by John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. The International Alliance for Folk Music and Dance (the Folk Alliance) has announced that "Waterloo, Tennessee" will be given their award for Album of the Year, based on radio airplay, during next week's annual Folk Alliance conference in Memphis, Tennessee. Uncle Earl is also up for Artist of the Year, but the winner won't be announced until the conference.

On Friday night before the show (Feb. 15), beginning at 9 pm, Kristin and Danny Knicely will be live in the WAMU studios, talking about their music and, of course, playing and singing a few songs. They'll be on the Friday Night Free for All with Echo and Amy on WAMU HD Channel 2 and bluegrasscountry.org. If you don't have an HD radio, you can listen by going online to hear the http://www.bluegrasscountry.org webcast.

The "Andreassen Sisters" are:

Emily Crews

Emily has been busy choreographing the dances for Saturday's show. She's been dancing and choreographing in the DC area since 1991, after graduating from the William and Mary. She has worked with Carla & Company, Deborah Riley Dance Projects, TAPestry and CityDance Ensemble, in addition to creating her own works blending dance, humor and occasionally juggling. By day, Emily is Financial Direcor at Dance Place, a non-profit organization known to dancers as a leading light in the DC dance community.

Megan Downes

Megan has been a principal dancer in Footworks since 1997. She has graced the stage at the Lyceum several times and she has been invited onstage by touring Irish, old-time and bluegrass musicians to enhance their performances at venues such as Wolftrap, the Birchmere and the Rams Head. As a child, Megan studied Irish step dance with National Heritage Fellow Donny Golden. After receiving a BA in Anthropology from Smith College, Megan became deeply involved in the revival of Irish social dancing. She has been a member of the Screen Actors Guild since her performance dancing with Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt in The Devil's Own.

Shannon Dunne

Shannon Dunne has performed Sean Nos (old style) Irish dance at the Willy Clancy Music School, County Clare, as part of the final dance recital. She has studied abroad with All-Ireland Sean Nos dancer Mick Julkerrin and Mairead Casey, and in the U.S. with Sean Nos Jig Champion Kieran Jordan. Shannon teaches Sean Nos classes at Washington's Joy of Motion Dance Center. Shannon's own dance group appeared at last year's Potomac Celtic Festival and on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage as part of the DC Dance Festival. The Millennium Stage performance, from Sept. 30, is available for viewing in the Millennium Stage archives.

Christine Galante

Chistine is a born performer, the third generation of her Michigan family to grow up clogging and dancing squares. She has toured the United Kindom and the U.S. as part of Footworks since joining the ensemble full time in 1997. Christine currently teaches clogging for all levels, children to adult, at the Heritage Center for Music in Frederick, Maryland.

Hear the music & find out more about Kristin on her MySpace page.

See Kristin in Uncle Earl's new music video.



Tickets $20 advance/$23 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion
Saturday, January 19, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion will bring their unique mix of folk and rock to the intimate Alexandria Lyceum on Saturday, February 19. Sarah Lee, the disarming granddaughter of Woody Guthrie and the daughter of Arlo, and Johnny, the prodigious South Carolinian rocker, quite naturally bring out the best in each other. Variety says they "make music that bristles with unresolved contradiction."

Sarah Lee Guthrie was two years old when she made her singing debut as part of a children's chorus on her father Arlo's 1981 album, Power of Love, but she had little subsequent interest in making music herself, although she was surrounded by it. "I think it was in me," she says, "but I wasn't ready for it." After graduating from high school in 1997, Sarah Lee agreed to tour-manage her father, who was emceeing the Further Festival, on which members of the Grateful Dead were joined by the Black Crowes. She got on so well with the Crowes and Chris Robinson that, when the tour ended, she made what proved to be a life-altering decision: "I knew all these cool rock & roll guys, so I decided to move to L.A."

Johnny Irion came out of the vibrant Carolina indie-rock scene of the early '90s, first as a member of Queen Sarah Saturday and later with Dillon Fence. He, too, got friendly with Robinson while Dillon Fence was on the road with the Crowes. Robinson convinced Irion to come out to L.A. and join Freight Train, a band he was producing. That was in the fall of '97, just after Sarah Lee arrived in town. Whether by serendipity or cosmic intervention, the two were on a collision course; they met at an L.A. club and began dating a week later.

Their relationship was musical as well as romantic, although tentatively so at first. Johnny provided melodies for Sarah Lee's Dylan-influenced poetry and played guitar while she sang. One night in his Santa Monica apartment, he handed Sarah Lee an acoustic and taught her a couple of basic chords. As she strummed, he started playing licks over the top, "so that it sounded kinda good, for like a second," Sarah Lee recalls. Noticing a growing smile on her face as she plucked the strings, Johnny turned to her and said, "It's fun, huh?" Johnny's words echoed in her head for days afterward. "I thought, 'Gosh, it is fun,'" she remembers. "I'd never known that side of it; music was like a business to me." It was then that Sarah Lee realized she'd discovered her true calling.

Sarah Lee had just applied for college when word of her musical epiphany reached the family; she got a call from her mother urging her to forget higher education and join her father on tour. So she went out on the road with her dad – "I'm the comic relief in the show," she says with a laugh – but she always came back to Johnny. A year and a half into their relationship, he proposed. "It totally sideswiped me," says Sarah Lee, "but I've always been a one-person person. He solidified me and believed in me and my art." They married in 1999 and soon thereafter moved from hectic L.A. to Irion's birthplace, Columbia, S.C.

Two years later they simultaneously released solo albums on Arlo's Rising Son label. Since setting out on the road together in 2001, they've averaged 180 shows a year. The next step was obvious – it was time to make an album together. Their joint CD Exploration was released in 2006. Johnny wrote six of Exploration's songs, three were cowritten by the duo and two are solely written by Sarah Lee - "Holdin' Back" and "Mornin's Over" – which testify to her rich bloodlines, evidencing a contemporary take on the profound simplicity that distinguished the work of her legendary grandfather, Woodie. The Guthrie legacy appears to be in good hands for decades to come.

Sarah Lee and Johnny have also been working, along with other artists, to bring to life many of the songs that Woodie Guthrie wrote but never set to music. Sarah Lee's aunt Nora Guthrie has been selecting songs from the Woody Guthrie Archives and distributing them to musicians who write new melodies for them. On Sunday, Dec. 16, Sarah Lee and Johnny joined Nora, Jonatha Brooke, John Gorka, Cathy Fink & March Marxer and Tom Paxton at a tribute sponsored by the Philadelphia Folksong Society to perform the songs in public for the first time.

Visit Sarah Lee and Johnny's web site at http://www.sarahleeandjohnny.com/ or their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/sarahleeandjohnny where you can hear songs from their CD.

Tickets $20 advance/$23 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
The Wiyos
Friday, October 5, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

"The group brings exuberance and intensity to these vintage styles, and its performances are layered with vaudevillian stage antics reminiscent of such mavericks as Uncle Dave Macon" -- The New Yorker

The Wiyos play and compose music inspired by the early American musical idioms of the 1920s and '30s. Gleefully subverting genre distinctions, their music comes from a time before commercial formatting separated blues from country, ragtime from gospel, and swing from hillbilly. After a Millennium Stage appearance this summer at the Kennedy Center, The Wiyos were invited to perform in the Kennedy Center's annual Open House Arts Festival on September 8, where they played on the plaza and in the Terrace Theater, and gave an evening concert for Kennedy Center donors. The Wiyos are returning to the Washington area for a show with Sunspot, when they will celebrate the release of their latest CD.

The Wiyos' live performance transports audiences back to an era before TV and mass–media were the main sources of entertainment. With an instrumentation of washboard/harmonica, resonator guitar/banjo, upright bass and three harmony vocals, their sound is reminiscent of days–gone–by, when live bands could be heard both on the radio and at community dances, juke joints and house parties. They create a visual spectacle in the tradition of vaudeville–esque performers such as Fats Waller, the Hoosier Hotshots and Uncle Dave Macon. Their on–stage physical comedy recalls the silent films of Laurel & Hardy, Keaton and Chaplin. Formed in New York City during the summer of 2002, The Wiyos took their name from the toughest gang to prowl the streets of old New York (The Whyos, circa 1890).

Like the traveling bands of the depression era, The Wiyos have taken to the road full–time, touring extensively in the USA, Canada, France, The Netherlands and The United Kingdom. Playing theaters, bars, street corners, art auctions, pig roasts and listening rooms, The Wiyos unique charisma transcends typical social boundaries. They appeal to everyone from hipsters to seasoned music connoisseurs, from children to bikers. Everywhere they play, The Wiyos charm and amuse audiences with their exuberant style of old–timey music, passionately carrying this rich musical heritage into the 21st century.

Upright bassist Joseph "joebass" Dejarnette grew up in the blue ridge mountains of Virginia and was obsessed with music from a very early age. He was given a victrola at age 4 and had a sizable collection of 78's by age 7 (selected mostly by smell and label design). He has worked with many groups as a bassist and recording engineer, including Curtis Eller's American Circus, the Jeff and Vida Band, The Mad Tea Party, The Luminescent Orchestrii and many old–time stringbands up and down the east coast.

Michael Farkas (harmonica, washboard, kazoo, banjo, vocals) is a self-taught musician who has achieved expertise on a wide array of instruments. Originally from New York, his musical career has carried him to the shores of San Francisco, France and the streets of Spain, where he built his reputation playing with such bands as Dog Talk, Ruckus, L–Producto, the Begat Companie, as well as performing with the internationally acclaimed clown Moshe Cohen.

Parrish Ellis (resonator & acoustic guitar, vocals) comes from Virginia, where his first teacher introduced him to John Hurt, Doc Watson and Elizabeth Cotten. Since then he has continued to pursue his interest in country blues, studying the styles of Gary Davis and Blind Arthur Blake with Woody Mann. He also plays the banjo, bass, slide guitar, ukelele and Cuban tres.

Visit The Wiyos' web site at http://www.thewiyos.com or their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/thewiyos

Tickets $18 advance/$20 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Boulder Acoustic Society
With Gabrielle Louise
Friday, July 27, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Here, for us, is the future of String Band Music on a silver platter." - Darol Anger

Boulder Acoustic Society brings its unique brand of swingin' string band music back to Alexandria for their second appearance at the Lyceum on July 27. Boulder Acoustic Society placed second in the prestigious band contest at the 2006 Telluride Bluegrass Festival--an amazing feat for an eclectic string band in a field full of traditional bluegrass bands. Boulder Acoustic Society is gaining fans far and wide for its energetic performances filled with fresh original material and intriguing arrangements of traditional tunes.

Since their last show at the Lyceum, BAS has released a new CD, NOW, and acquired a new band member, Scott McCormick.

Scott, Kailin, Brad and Aaron are all accomplished multi-instrumentalists who captivate audiences with guitar, fiddle, string bass, marimba, ukulele, percussion, banjo and mandolin. Their deep respect for tradition, passion for innovation and intriguing instrumentation create a remarkable and memorable listening experience. The music is modern and accessible, subtle yet virtuosic, and serious yet light hearted. BAS is known all over North America for their genre-blending song writing, amazing improvisation and intimate, personal vocals.

Scott McCormick ("New Scott") was raised in Chicago, Illinois with musical roots in punk rock, folk and Celtic music. After years of piano lessons, he felt he needed more of an outlet to express himself. He found that outlet playing at blues bars, gospel churches and jazz jam sessions. In 2001 he picked up the accordion to start The Paradise String Band with Aaron, and has not put it down since. Scott has played gigs with Max Weinberg, Doug Beach, Steve Wiest, Bob Newhart, Dave Pietro, Percy Heath, Tony Carpenter and Malcolm Banks (Earth, Wind, and Fire), and Dr. Guthrie Ramsey.

A native of Singapore, Kailin Yong is an avid crossover violinist playing a colorful palette of musical styles. Before moving to the United States in 1999, he won first prize in the Singapore National Music Competition, toured the world with the Asian Youth Orchestra, and studied classical violin performance and chamber music at the Vienna Academy of Music. Among his achievements, Kailin is honored to have been named the second recipient of the Daniel Pearl memorial violin at Mark O'Connor's Strings Conference in 2004. This award was established in the journalist's name to promote understanding, friendship and harmony among people through the power of music.

Brad Jones was born and raised in Montague, Michigan where he began playing guitar at age nine. He has studied with country session guitarist Dave Rudolph, and is currently earning his Bachelor's degree in jazz studies from the University of Colorado at Denver under Drew Morrell and Paul Musso. Brad's versatility as a musician has earned him a reputation for his ability to easily jump from one genre to another. He's extended his exploration of diverse styles--jazz, rock, blues, swing--to the ukulele, an instrument he looks forward to revolutionizing. Like his Boulder Acoustic Society bandmates, Brad has several side projects, including the Claim Jumpers and the Trad Jazz All Stars.

Aaron Keim's love of traditional string band music and jazz brought him to Boulder in 2003 to study for his graduate degree in music history at University of Colorado. As soon as Aaron rolled into town, he got a job selling folk instruments, further fueling his passion for research and performance of American roots music styles. Aaron blossomed into a diverse multi-instrumentalist. Besides his accomplished string bass playing, Aaron specializes in old time styles for ukulele, banjo and guitar. Aaron also plays old time and folk music in Songs From A Rocking Chair.

Visit Boulder Acoustic Society's web site at http://www.boulderacousticsociety.net or their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/boulderacousticsociety. Their MySpace page includes four full songs that you can listen to.

Gabrielle Louise

Gabrielle Louise is a Boston-based artist with a free spirit and a big mouth! Her songs are rooted in folk and country, while her melody and delivery show strong pop sensibilities. Her sound has the earthy feel of Joni Mitchell, and her performances the emotion and musical adventurism of Martin Sexton. She is at one moment folkie and ethereal, the next moment a smoky jazz chanteuse. Her clear, angelic voice draws comparisons to contemporary musicians such as Jewel and Kathleen Edwards, while her songwriting is reminiscent of a young Paul Simon.

Raised in a small town in the Colorado Rockies, Gabrielle made her way to Boston in 2004 to study music professionally. The stark differences between her country life in the West coast and her cosmopolitan life on the East coast has offered a great deal of inspiration to her.

Gabrielle has been performing on the stage since a very young age, having grown up in a musical family. Her father, Paul Sadler III, began touring as lead guitarist for country music star Michael Martin Murphy when Gabrielle was eight.

In 2005 Gabrielle released her first solo EP, Amber and Black. In 2006 she released her full-length debut album, Journey, a genre-bending mix of folk/pop, roots, jazz, and alt-country that displays an emotional depth well beyond her age. Gabrielle Louise draws upon her nomadic upbringing in a family that moved constantly from one small Western town to the next. Journey is worldly in flavor, featuring eclectic instruments such as the Argentinean accordion and the Scottish harp. It is as versatile and enigmatic as she is, breaking away from an industry that yearns to peg down its performers.

Gabrielle's newest EP, Around in Circles, will be released in August.

The twenty-one-year-old musician is noted for her poignant lyrics and sense of melody. Her songwriting has impressed fans and critics alike, becoming a two-time finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting contest, and winner of the Jack Maher Songwriting Award.

Visit Gabrielle's web page at http://www.gabriellelouise.com/ or her MySapce page, which has includes four full songs, at http://www.myspace.com/gabriellelouisemusic .

Tickets $18 advance/$20 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
The Hedge Band
NEW TIME! 3 PM on May 27
Sunday, May 27. 3 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Over the past decade, Baltimore has attracted notice for the quantity and quality of its traditional Irish musicians. Four of Baltimore's finest players have recently joined forces to create The Hedge Band, offering an exciting blend of songs and dance music from Ireland . Accordionist Billy McComiskey, flute/whistle player Laura Byrne, pianist/fiddler Donna Long, and singer/guitarist Pat Egan are all recognized masters of their craft, and their resumes read like a "Who's Who" of Irish music. The music of The Hedge Band has emerged organically from years of playing together in their home base of Baltimore . However, each band member hails from very different backgrounds and from different parts of the world. Billy McComiskey is a native of Brooklyn, NY, and studied accordion in his early teens with the late Sean McGlynn from Galway . An All-Ireland champion, he formed, played and recorded with two legendary trios: Washington DC's Irish Tradition and the internationally acclaimed Trian, which included fiddler Liz Carroll and Dáithí Sproule (now with Irish band Altan). Vermont native Laura Quesnel Byrne is one of a handful of musicians to successfully cross over to Irish music from classical. She first moved to Baltimore to attend the Peabody Conservatory of Music, but soon after abandoned classical music to immerse herself in traditional Irish music. She is now a highly respected performer and teacher of Irish music. Last year, she released her first solo recording Tune for the Road. Donna Long learned piano from her jazz pianist father in Los Angelos. She first started playing Irish music after moving to Baltimore and meeting fiddler Brendan Mulvihill in 1978. Donna toured for years with Cherish the Ladies and she's now considered one of the finest pianists playing Irish music today. She has recorded with Brendan and Cherish the Ladies, and has released a solo recording, Handprints. Pat Egan grew up in County Tipperary , Ireland. He settled in Mayo for several years, where he quickly became established in the Westport music scene. Pat's performance on the internationally acclaimed recording Music at Matt Molloy's brought his talent to much wider attention, and in 1994 Pat moved to the U.S. to join Paddy OBrien (accordion) and piper Michael Cooney to form the highly regarded band Chulrua, of which he is still a member.

Visit Laura's web site, Donna's web site and Pat's web site

Tickets $16 advance/$19 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Jennifer Cutting's Ocean Quartet
Friday, May 11. 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Multiple WAMMIE winning composer and musician Jennifer Cutting comes to the :Lyceum with her reduced version of the Ocean Orchestra. The Ocean Quartette is just the right size for the Lyceum. Composed of Jennifer, fiddler Rose Shipley and vocalists Grace Griffith and Lisa Moscatiello, the Ocean Quartette features Jennifer Cutting’s newest electric folk arrangements of traditional Celtic tunes and her award-winning originals, as well as reprising a few of the best-loved pieces she wrote for her critically acclaimed band, The New St. George. With its buoyant beats and soaring Celtic melodies, the Ocean Quartette provides an uplifting soundtrack for traveling hopefully on life’s changing seas.

(click for hi-res image)

Visit Jennifer's web site

Tickets $16 advance/$19 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Liz Carroll & John Doyle
Thursday, February 15. 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Tonight's show will go on as planned!

On-line ticket sales are closed, but as of 3 pm, tickets are still available. After 6 pm, call 703 304-6157 to check on ticket availability.

Liz Carroll brings the best Irish fiddling to the Lyceum, and John Doyle adds his unique style in accompaniment. Since she was 18, when she astounded the Celtic music world by winning the Senior All-Ireland Championship, Liz Carroll and her fiddle have been amazing audiences around the globe. Her recordings and appearances on concert stages, television and radio, have established Liz as one of traditional music's most sought after performers. "lost in the loop," released in 2000, won Liz new fans around the world, as it garnered an Indie Award and Liz being named Traditional Performer of the Year for 2000.

Not that that's the first time a solo record by Liz has been praised. In 1988,Liz's first solo, "Liz Carroll," was chosen as a select record of American folk music by the Library of Congress, no less. That same recording was called "a milestone achievement in the career of a fiddler reaching beyond herself," by noted critic and radio host Earl Hitchner.

It should be noted that Liz's recordings are in the majority her own compositions, and they have given her a stature equal to that of her playing. When you listen to a Liz CD, you're hearing the tunes of a composer celebrated for invigorating the traditional styles of Irish music. Her compositions have entered into the repertoire of Irish and Celtic performers throughout the world. If you walk into an Irish pub and a group of Irish musicians are in the corner, buy them a pint and ask for a set of Liz tunes. They'll probably buy you a pint in thanks!

But it is Liz in concert that has entranced audiences throughout the States, and also in tours of Ireland, Europe, and Africa. Neil Tesser of Chicago's Reader marvels that "her quicksilver lines can captivate violin admirers way beyond the bounds of Hibernia." P.J. Curtis of the Irish American says that Liz "conjures up a dizzying mixture of the sweetest tones, the fastest runs, and the most dazzling display of musicianship imaginable." One of Liz's proudest concert moments was at the 1st American Congress of the Violin, hosted by Yehudi Menuhin.

In 1994, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Liz a National Heritage Fellowship for her great influence on Irish music in America, as a performer and a composer. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton presented the award which bestows national recognition on artists of international stature.

Other honors bestowed on Liz include:

In 2000, Liz was named Irish Traditional Musician of the Year by Earle Hitchner of the Irish Echo.

in 2001, Liz's CD "lost in the loop" the Association for Independent Music named Liz's recording best in the Celtic/British Isles Category.

In 1999, Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago proclaimed September 18 Liz Carroll Day in Chicago.

In 1995, Irish-American Magazine named Liz one of the Top 100 Irish Americans of the year.

In 1988, the Library of Congress named Liz's first solo CD, "Liz Carroll," a select record of American folk music.

In 1975, Liz won All-Ireland Senior Fiddle Champion and, with Jimmy Keane, All-Ireland Senior Duet Champion.

In 1974, Liz won All-Ireland Junior Fiddle Champion.

John Doyle was a founding member of the Irish band Solas, which premiered at Georgetown University and was a favorite at the old Washington Irish Festival. John's unique guitar style was the base for Solas' driving traditional reels and jigs and for Karan Casey's powerfully evocative singing, while his exceptional fingerstyle playing complemented Karan's beautiful ballads and laments and floated beneath the band’s light airs. After leaving Solas, John played in the Eileen Ivers band for several years. Recently, John has appeared in the DC area with Liz Carroll, Allison Brown, Tim O'Brien and Linda Thompson. He has recorded with Kate Rusby, John Williams and Cathie Ryan, among others, is in demand as an accompanist, record producer and songwriter, and has released two solo CDs and a recording of his father, Sean Doyle.

Visit Liz's web site or her MySpace page where you can music from several of her CDs.

Visit John's web page.

Tickets $22 advance/$25 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas
Saturday, January 20. 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Tickets $22 advance/$25 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price). On-line sales extended to 2:30 pm on Saturday, Jan. 20. After that time, please purchase tickets at the door.

Master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser, long regarded as one of Scotland’s premier musical ambassadors, presents the music of his homeland with unsurpassed eloquence, passion and energy. He links bows with vibrant young cellist, Natalie Haas, in an exciting weave of rocking, reeling rhythms, poignant melodies, and exquisite musicianship. Fraser and Haas met when, at age 11, Natalie first attended Alasdair’s Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School in California. She began performing in concert with Fraser just four years later. The duo has created a buzz among Celtic music lovers at festivals and concerts across the US and Europe.

Alasdair Fraser is a consummate performer. His dynamic fiddling, engaging stage presence, and deep understanding of Scotland's music have created a constant and international demand for his solo appearances and concerts with a variety of ensembles. Alasdair has been a major force behind the resurgence of traditional Scottish fiddling in his homeland and the U.S., inspiring legions of listeners and learners through his recordings, annual fiddle camps, and concerts. He has represented Scotland internationally through performances sponsored by the British Council, and has been awarded touring support by the California Arts Council.

Alasdair's richly expressive playing transports listeners across a broad musical spectrum, ranging from haunting laments from the Gaelic tradition to classically-styled airs, raucous dance tunes, and improvisations based on traditional themes. His vast repertoire spans several centuries of Scottish music and includes his own compositions, which blend a profound understanding of the Scottish tradition with cutting-edge musical explorations. He weaves through his performances a warm and witty narrative, drawing from a deep well of stories and lore surrounding Scotland's musical heritage.

Alasdair has been featured on over 100 television and radio shows in the UK, and on several nationally-broadcast programs in the US, including CBS Sunday Morning, NPR Morning Edition, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Thistle & Shamrock. On The Kennedy Center Honors (CBS TV) Fraser played a spcecial solo tribute to honoree Sean Connery, a fellow Scot, in a segment that included Catherine Zeta-Jones. Alasdair has made guest appearances with groups as diverse as Los Angeles Master Chorale, The Waterboys and The Chieftains, and as featured soloist along with Itzhak Perlman at New York's Lincoln Center. His film credits include solo performances on the soundtracks of several major films, including The Last of the Mohicans and Titanic.

Vibrant young cellist Natalie Haas is already a seasoned performer, recording artist, and teacher. She has joined Alasdair for festival and concert appearances in Scotland, Spain, France, and throughout the U.S., including Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, Scotland, the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in France, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C.

"People may be familiar with the gorgeous, melodic cello sound," says Fraser, "but they're surprised to learn that the cello used to comprise the rhythm section in Scottish dance bands. Natalie Haas unleashes textures and deep, powerful rhythms that drive fiddle tunes. We can "duck and dive" around each other, swap melody and harmony lines, and improvise on each other's rhythmic riffs. She has such a great sense of exploration and excitement for the music; it's a joy to play with her!"

A recent graduate of the Juilliard School in New York City, Natalie discovered the cello at age nine. In addition to having extensive classical music training, she is accomplished in a broad array of fiddle genres. Her musical journey found purpose when she fell in love with Celtic music at the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School at age 11. Inspired and encouraged by director Fraser, she began to investigate the cello's potential for rhythmic accompaniment to fiddle tunes. Natalie and Alasdair's duo CD, Fire & Grace, was awarded the Best Album of the Year in the Scots Trad Music Awards 2004.

Natalie has toured extensively with Mark O'Connor as a member of his Appalachia Waltz Trio. The trio released a live CD, Crossing Bridges, to rave reviews in November 2004. Natalie has also toured and recorded with fiddler Natalie MacMaster.

Fiddler Bruce Molsky said of Natalie, "She is among the first of a very new breed of young musicians who are approaching music traditions with the highest level of virtuosity and respect for the old-fashioned styles, but at the same time breathing into them the new life that will ensure they remain with us. Natalie makes the tunes her own."

Visit Alasdair's web site or his MySpace page where you can hear songs from his CD.

Visit Natalie's web site or her MySpace page where you can hear her playing with Alasdair.

Tickets $22 advance/$25 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price). On-line sales extended to 2:30 pm on Saturday, Jan. 20. After that time, please purchase tickets at the door.

---

 
Kristin Andreassen & Mark Schatz
Saturday, January 6. 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]



Multi-talented Kristin Andreassen comes to the Lyceum to release her first solo CD. Kristin performs with Uncle Earl, Sometymes Why and the Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble. She sings, plays guitar, fiddle, piano and harmonica (and more), and is a frightenly powerful dancer. For the past several years she has performed with Uncle Earl as they've become a wildly popular main stage act at bluegrass, old-time and folk music festivals across the country. Kristin is releasing an album of original songs produced by Nickel Creek & Footworks bass player Mark Schatz.



Mark will also be on hand to celebrate the release of his second CD. In addition to playing bass, Mark is also a terrific banjo player and dancer. In Mark’s band for the CD were Missy Raines, Jim Hurst and Casey Driessen. Guests on the CD include Stuart Duncan, Bela Fleck, Tim O’Brien and Jerry Douglas. Tim O’Brien says, “Mark Schatz’s music echoes and freshens those many shared experiences of good times, good music and good friends.” Mark is the musical director of Footworks, so you can be sure Kristin and Mark will be joined by some fellow dancers for some serious clogging and stepping.


For their Sunspot show, Kristin and Mark will be joined by Danny Knicely on guitar, Steve Bloom on percussion, Casey Driessen on fiddle and Aoife O'Donovan on vocals. Casey was just nominated for a Grammy award for the song "Jerusalem Ridge" from his own solo CD, and Aoife's band Crooked Still was nominated for a Folk Alliance award for their latest CD, "Shaken by a Low Sound."

Visit Kristin's web site or her MySpace page where you can hear songs from her CD.

Visit Mark's web site

Tickets $18 advance/$20 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).
On-line advance sales close at 1:00 pm on Saturday, Jan. 6. Tickets available for purchase at the door at 7:30 pm on Saturday.

---

 
Jim Malcolm
Sunday, Nov. 12, 2006, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

As both a singer and a songwriter, Jim Malcolm is one of the most distinctive voices in Scottish music. Jim performs solo shows throughout the year and also tours with the phenomenal Scottish band the Old Blind Dogs. In 2004, Jim won awards from the Scots Trad Music Society for Songwriter of the Year and, as lead singer with the Dogs, for Scottish Folk Band of the Year.

Jim's web site

Tickets $18 advance/$20 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Boulder Acoustic Society
With Morwenna Lasko and Jay Pun
Saturday, September 30, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Here, for us, is the future of String Band Music on a silver platter." - Darol Anger

Boulder Acoustic Society brings its unique brand of swingin' string band music to Alexandria with an appearance at the Lyceum on September 30. It will be Boulder Acoustic Society's first show in the area since placing second in the prestigious band contest at the 2006 Telluride Bluegrass Festival--an amazing feat for an eclectic string band in a field full of traditional bluegrass bands. Boulder Acoustic Society is gaining fans far and wide for its energetic performances filled with fresh original material and intriguing arrangements of traditional tunes.

Scott, Kailin, Brad and Aaron are all accomplished multi-instrumentalists who captivate audiences with guitar, fiddle, string bass, marimba, ukulele, percussion, banjo and mandolin. Their deep respect for tradition, passion for innovation and intriguing instrumentation create a remarkable and memorable listening experience. The music is modern and accessible, subtle yet virtuosic, and serious yet light hearted. BAS is known all over North America for their genre-blending song writing, amazing improvisation and intimate, personal vocals.

Besides Boulder Acoustic Society, Scott Higgins frequently plays with the Colorado Symphony and Opera Colorado and is a member of the Colorado Ballet Orchestra. He also is Principal Percussionist with the Central City Opera. Before moving to Denver to join his wife Susan, a double bassist with the Colorado Symphony, Scott was with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra from 1994-1999. Scott studied with Alan Abel at Temple University and Jim Atwood at Loyola University in New Orleans.

A native of Singapore, Kailin Yong is an avid crossover violinist playing a colorful palette of musical styles. Before moving to the United States in 1999, he won first prize in the Singapore National Music Competition, toured the world with the Asian Youth Orchestra, and studied classical violin performance and chamber music at the Vienna Academy of Music. Among his achievements, Kailin is honored to have been named the second recipient of the Daniel Pearl memorial violin at Mark O'Connor's Strings Conference in 2004. This award was established in the journalist's name to promote understanding, friendship and harmony among people through the power of music.

Brad Jones was born and raised in Montague, Michigan where he began playing guitar at age nine. He has studied with country session guitarist Dave Rudolph, and is currently earning his Bachelor's degree in jazz studies from the University of Colorado at Denver under Drew Morrell and Paul Musso. Brad's versatility as a musician has earned him a reputation for his ability to easily jump from one genre to another. He's extended his exploration of diverse styles--jazz, rock, blues, swing--to the ukulele, an instrument he looks forward to revolutionizing. Like his Boulder Acoustic Society bandmates, Brad has several side projects, including the Claim Jumpers and the Trad Jazz All Stars.

Aaron Keim's love of traditional string band music and jazz brought him to Boulder in 2003 to study for his graduate degree in music history at University of Colorado. As soon as Aaron rolled into town, he got a job selling folk instruments, further fueling his passion for research and performance of American roots music styles. Aaron blossomed into a diverse multi-instrumentalist. Besides his accomplished string bass playing, Aaron specializes in old time styles for ukulele, banjo and guitar. Aaron also plays old time and folk music in Songs From A Rocking Chair.

Visit Boulder Acoustic Society's web site at http://www.boulderacousticsociety.net or their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/boulderacousticsociety. Their MySpace page includes four full songs that you can listen to.

Morwenna Lasko and Jay Pun, who delighted our audience when they opened for Flook in February, will be returning to open for Boulder Acoustic Society. Morwenna's fiddle playing encompasses lush melodic solos and rhythmic chopping, while Jay accompanies with percussive finger-style funk guitar lines.

Visit Morwenna and Jay's web page at http://www.mojamusic.net/ or their MySapce page, which has includes four full songs, at http://www.myspace.com/morwennajay.

Tickets $18 advance/$20 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
John Doyle, Irish Guitar Master
With Special Guest Cathie Ryan
Sunday, August 20, 2006 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

See Pictures from the show

John's web site

John Doyle is returning to the Lyceum for an evening of Irish song and music. John is renowned as one of the most talented accompanists performing in either the Irish or Appalachian traditions. He adapts to and compliments the style of those he plays with, but his rhythmic and melodic contributions do much more than simply provide a background, creating complex, fascinating layers within the tunes without ever overshadowing the principal performer. Fans who have seen John Doyle perform as a band member or accompaniest have occasionally been treated to his solo guitar work, his wonderful, lyrical singing and, more recently, his dynamic fiddling. For our show, the spotlight will be on John.

John was an original member of the Irish band Solas, which was an annual favorite at the old Washingtion Irish Festival. John's unique guitar style provided the base for Solas' driving arrangements of traditional reels and jigs and for Karan Casey's powerfully evocative singing, while his exceptional finger-style playing complemented Karan's beautiful ballads and laments and floated beneath the bands light airs. John released 3 CDs with Solas.

After leaving Solas, John played in the Eileen Ivers band for several years. Recently, John has appeared in the DC area accompanying Liz Carroll, Allison Brown, Tim O'Brien and Linda Thompson, and as a member of Tim O'Brien's band. He has recorded with Kate Rusby, John Williams and Cathie Ryan, among others, is in demand as an accompaniest, record producer and songwriter, and has found time to release two solo CDs. John has produced a recording of his father, Sean Doyle, and the first solo CD by Heidi Talbot, vocalist with Cherish the Ladies. Last year, John will took part in a reunion concert with Solas that has been released as a album with both a CD and DVD of the show.

John's latest CD, Wayward Son, was released in 2005 by Compass Records. Guest musicians on Wayward Son include Seamus Egan, Liz Carroll, Kate Rusby, John McCusker, John Williams, Tim O'Brien, Casey Driessen, Stuart Duncan, Alison Brown, Mike McGoldrick and Linda Thompson.

Read the Celtic Cafe interview with John.

Tickets $20 advance/$22 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

John's web site

---

 
Cathie Ryan
Sunday, July 16, 2006, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

See pictures from the show

Mike Joyce reviewed Cathie's new CD, "The Farthest Wave," in the Weekend section of Washington Post. Here are a few highlights.

"...the nearest thing to an uninterrupted pleasure."

"...comfortably alongside the recordings of her Irish-born peers Mary Black and Maura O'Connell."

"...a soulful intensity that bridges the original tunes[....] with the traditional gems "

You can read the entire review at The Washington Post.

Cathie Ryan returns to the Lyceum for a summer concert. With her crystalline vocals and insightful songwriting, Cathie is an original and distinctive voice in Celtic music. Since her acclaimed tenure as lead singer of Cherish the Ladies, the Detroit born Ryan has established herself as one of Celtic music’s most popular and enduring singer-songwriters. The Boston Globe recently wrote, "Cathie Ryan is a thrilling traditional vocalist whose honey-pure soprano is equally at home on probing original ballads about a woman's place in the modern world."

Cathie Ryan spent seven years as the lead vocalist for the Irish-American band Cherish The Ladies, where she helped define the band's sound through interpretations of traditional songs and her own new compositions, along with her spirited bodhran playing. Her first solo CD, produced by Seamus Egan of Solas, was released in 1997 to critical acclaim, and she has continued to receive accolades ever since, including Irish Female Vocalist of the Decade in 2000 by the Irish American News in Chicago and one of the Top 100 Irish Americans by Irish America magazine.

In addition to releasing two more solo CDs, Cathie's music has been featured on numerous compilation CDs, including an album of Christmas music produced by the late Johnny Cunningham. She also performed on the Wayfaring Strangers first album and, together with Robin Spielberg and Susan McKeown, released a CD of original songs celebrating mothers and grandmothers.

Cathie's new CD was released on April 27. Produced by John McCusker, it includes guest musicians John McCusker, John Doyle, Phil Cunningham, Karine Polwart, Greg Anderson, Hanneke Cassel, Sara Milonovich, Michael McGoldrick and Ewan Vernal.

See the Concert Program for Cathie concert at the Lyceum on May 29, 2005. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Cathie's web site.

---

 
Kevin Burke and Ged Foley
Saturday, April 15, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

See pictures from the show Kevin Burke’s fiddle playing has been at the forefront of traditional music for over 30 years. His work during the 1970’s with Arlo Guthrie, Christy Moore and the Bothy Band established him as a first class musician and brought him international acclaim in both Europe and America.

As a young boy, Kevin was trained was in classical violin and traditional fiddle playing. He describes his experience reconciling the two styles in this quote from his web site.

Kevin described how he first came to the U.S. on his web site. By 1980, he had settled in the USA and was performing with Bothy Band colleague Micheal O'Domhnaill. Their 2 albums, “Promenade” and “Portland”, became, and still are, very influential resources for many traditional musicians. In 1985, Kevin was a founding member of the group, “Patrick Street”, which has been highly successful on both sides of the Atlantic.

Kevin spent much of the 90’s recording and performing in a series of highly successful concert tours with “The Celtic Fiddle Festival,” which included fiddlers Johnny Cunningham from Scotland and Christian Lemaitre from Brittany, with Ged Foley on guitar. He has also been a featured member of Tim O’Brien’s wonderful ‘crossover’ band, “The Crossing.”

In 2002, The National Endowment for the Arts invited Kevin to Washington, D.C. to receive a National Heritage Fellowship, the country's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Recipients of this award are chosen for their artistic excellence, authenticity and contributions to their field and are honoured for their achievements as artists, teachers, innovators and guardians of traditional art forms. Previous National Heritage Fellows include B.B. King, "Pinetop" Perkins, Doc Watson, cowboy poet Wally McRae and Bill Monroe.

The New York Times describes Kevin as “a superior instrumentalist in any idiom...impressively virtuosic”, the Washington Post writes of his “lyrical style that is always emotionally electric”, and the Irish Times says that “Burke’s fiddling is one of the high spots of the current Irish musical scene”.

Although Kevin has spent much of his life playing in a group context, he has never lost his love for solo fiddle music – the “naked fiddle” as he himself sometimes puts it. Kevin's naked fiddle sound is featured in the new CD, In Tandem, that he has released with accompanist Ged Foley.

Download songs directly from the Green Linnet Records web site:

"The Butterfly" from Kevin's In Concert CD
"The Long Acre/Cuz Teahan's" from the new In Tandem CD.

Right click on the link and select "Save Target As."

Visit Kevin's web site

Ged Foley

With his powerful tune accompaniments and delicate melody playing, it is easy to see why reviewers and audiences agree that Ged Foley is an extraordinary musician. Ged spent several years with Scotland’s Battlefield Band. He co-founded The House Band with Chris Parkinson, and, in 1994, he was asked to take over the guitarist’s role in Irish “supergroup” Patrick Street with Kevin Burke, Andy Irvine and Jackie Daly. In 2001, Ged became the accompanist for a unique trio of fiddlers, The Celtic Fiddle Festival. Ged is also a fine singer, whose choice of songs, though often unorthodox, is always successful. A consummate musician and extraordinary entertainer, Ged Foley always gets it just right.

Visit Ged's web site

Tickets $20 advance/$22 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Aoife Clancy
Friday, March 31, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Show Pictures

Aoife Clancy (pronounced "Eefa") was a regular at the old Washington Irish Festival when she was lead singer for Cherish the Ladies, but we haven't had many chances to see her here recently. We are very pleased that she's agreed to come to the Lyceum for a show this March.

Aoife brings a refreshing new voice to folk music, one that ranges from traditional Irish songs to ballads and contemporary folk. Aoife comes from the small town of Carrick-on-Suir, in Co Tipperary, Ireland, where her musical career began at an early age. Her father Bobby Clancy of the legendary Clancy Brothers, placed a guitar in her hands at age ten, and by age fourteen was playing with her father in nearby pubs.

In 1995 Aoife was asked to join the acclaimed group "Cherish the Ladies", which is one of the most sought-after Irish-American groups in history. For five years Aoife toured extensively doing no less than two hundred shows a year throughout the United States and Europe. She has been a featured soloist with orchestras such as the Boston Pops and Cincinnati Pops and, while performing with Cherish the Ladies, collaborated with the Boston Pops on their Grammy nominated Celtic album.

With seven recordings under her belt, Aoife has clearly established herself as one of the Divas of Irish and contemporary Folk Music. She has recorded three solo projects "Its about Time," "Soldiers and Dreams" and "Silvery Moon." Aoife always presents traditional favorites along with renditions of contemporary songs.

Mike Jackson (Canberra Times) remarked, "she has a breadth of styles that make her concerts fascinating. Her singing would melt packed ice with it's warmth and richness." Al Riess (Dirty Linen magazine) wrote: "Solders and Dreams has a contemporary-meets-traditional-music feel and Clancy's smooth, expressive singing works both ways--ensuring a successful merger of the two approaches and an enjoyable listening pleasure".

Aoife's web site

Tickets $25 advance/$27 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Flook
with Morwenna Lasko & Jay Pun
Saturday, February 25, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

See pictures of Flook's Performance.
Visit Flook's web site at www.flook.co.uk.

See pictures of Morwenna & Jay's Performance
Visit Morwenna & Jay's web site at www.mojamusic.net

"In the pantheon of Irish/English folk groups they don't come much more revered than Flook". - Irish Post

Flook was just awarded Best Folk Group in the BBC 2006 Music Awards!

Flook has been touring for 10 years, but are not as well known in the U.S. as they are in Ireland and internationally. With the dynamic dual flute leads of Sarah Allen and Brian Finnegan, John Joe Kelly's incredible bodhran playing and the intricate guitar work of Ed Boyd, they present a surprising and intriguing sound. It's different from the usual fiddle-guitar-flute lineup, and continues to enthrall old and new listeners. They are releasing their third studio album for this tour.

Flook’s current incarnation–Sarah Allen on flutes and accordion, Brian Finnegan on flutes and whistles, John Joe Kelly on bodhran and mandolin and Ed Boyd on guitar and bouzouki–has been together for five years. The group actually began much earlier, with Sarah and Brian joined by Michael McGoldrick in the highly regarded Three Nations Flutes. Ed was drafted in early on. When Michael went on to other projects, the band replaced him with bodhran maestro John Joe. The result is musically astonishing.



Brian Finnegan has won four All-Ireland Championships on flute and tin whistle and John Joe Kelly has taken an amazing eight All-Ireland wins on bodhran (six) and drums (two). Londoner Sarah Allen toured the world for five years with the immensely popular The Barely Works. And since moving from his native Bath to Manchester and discovering Irish music, Ed Boyd has been renowned as a guitar accompanist of great taste and subtlety.



Visit Flook's web site at www.flook.co.uk.

Morwenna Lasko & Jay Pun

Morwenna Lasko & Jay Pun defy the boundaries of acoustic music. With Morwenna's lush melodic solos and rhythmic chopping & Jay's percussive finger-style funk guitar lines, their music surpasses eclectic.

Visit Morwenna & Jay's web site at www.mojamusic.net

Tickets $20 advance/$22 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Laura Cortese
Saturday, February 4, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Pictures from the Show

Visit Laura's web site

Laura Cortese appeared at the Lyceum with the Four Fabulous Fidders in November. She will return with her trio to release her new CD, Even the Lost Creek, on Saturday, February 4.

Singer, fiddler and songwriter Laura Cortese lights up the stage with a radiating smile, dazzling musicianship and uninhibited delight. The fiery combination of her Irish and Italian heritage delivers a unique blend of passion and humor. Cortese chops a mean fiddle behind her folk pop vocals. On her latest release, Even the Lost Creek, she couples the groove and polish of urban music with universal themes of the old world.

Cortese's Irish-American grandmother first handed her a fiddle at the age of 4. Eight years later, she discovered folk music in what seems like an unlikely place, the bustling metropolis of her hometown San Francisco. "I found an exceptional community of singers, musicians and dancers at the Valley of the Moon Fiddle Camp," she says. "People from age 2 to 80 that just love making music together. It's strange to say, but I think that was the year I decided that music was IT."

In 1999, Cortese moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. Over the next few years she played in several bands, including fiddle trio Halali, which she formed with two childhood friends, Hanneke Cassel and Lissa Schneckenburger. "I had never really sung solo on stage before Halali. I realized songs are an amazing way to connect to an audience." In an apartment across the street from Berklee College, Cortese set out to record her debut album Hush in 2002. Hush showcases 12 tracks of pop-inspired arrangement that captures the raw sincerity of traditional Celtic music.

After college, Cortese traveled from coast to coast, from Nashville to Montreal, performing with musicians at the forefront of the burgeoning folk scene. At a late night party in 2004, Cortese found a rare chemistry with Zack Hickman (producer of Even the Lost Creek) and Jesse Harper (vocalist with Old School Freight Train). Cortese remembers, "We sat around singing songs after a show at Boston's Club Passim. We sang everything from jazz standard 'Summer Time' to Otis Redding's 'Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay'. The three of us huddled as close as we could." That night hinted at the sound they would generate when Cortese's exquisite vocals met laid back swing, traditionally influenced folk song writing and a kicking rhythm section.

Even the Lost Creek plays like a late night party, intimate, compelling and spontaneous. On this collection of songs Cortese weaves her own writing with offerings from some of the folk scenes most poetic song writers (Kristen Andreassen, Josh Ritter, Michael Tarbox). From the first note of the rock influenced organ on "Blow the Candle out," you are whisked away to the nighttime rendezvous of young lovers. The title track, the sleepy "Even the Lost Creek," pairs late night philosophy and a serious gypsy influenced fiddle solo. Instrumentally, the driving "Mulqueen's" showcases virtuosic Celtic fiddling. The party is complete with Cortese's grooving cover of 80's pop song "Just Like Heaven" (The Cure).

For Even the Lost Creek, Cortese and her band set aside a week to rehearse and record, cooking, eating and sleeping at the Signature Sounds studios in Pomfret, CT. "Zack and I wanted to capture the synergy that people develop when they live and work together. After recording for five 13-hour days sstraight, we recorded the final album cut, 'Night Train to Chelsea,' in one take. Riding on that high, Zack, Jesse, Mark Thayer (engineer for Even the Lost Creek) and I stayed up playing and singing until the sun came up."

Cortese draws on the old traditions to inspire her dynamic, contemporary folk sound. With fiddle and passion in hand she continues to light up the stage.

Laura's web site

Tickets $16 advance/$18 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Old School Freight Train
Sunday, January 22, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Pictures from the show

Blending jazz, Latin, Celtic, bluegrass and pop, Old School Freight Train (OSFT) creates electrifying acoustic music. This young Charlottesville, VA based group instantly carved their own unique sound, attracting a diverse audience since their inception in 2000. After gaining a loyal local following, the band gained national recognition touring the country and winning awards at the prestigious Telluride Bluegrass and Rockygrass Bluegrass contests.

Mandolin master David Grisman heard their music in the fall of 2004 and viewed the band as "an emerging force to reckon with in today's world of acoustic music." Grisman invited the band to record at his Dawg Studios in Northern California and manned the production and recording along with Dave Dennison. From these sessions came Run, OSFT's dynamic second CD and their first for Acoustic Disc, Grisman's acclaimed independent label.

You can see a performance by Old School Freight Train on the Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour. Look for show number 364.

Visit the Old School Freight Train web site.

Tickets $16 advance/$18 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Sometimes Why
Sunday, December 11, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Pictures from the show

Sometimes Why is a mesmerizing trio of modern-day sirens--Ruth Ungar of the Mammals, Kristin Andreassen of Uncle Earl and Aoife O'Donovan of Crooked Still. They are all accomplished multi-instrumentalists and singers who are members of other critically acclaimed groups. In Sometimes Why, they unite to create an evening of vocal intensity and passionate lyricism.

Ruth Ungar (full bio) is a member of The Mammals, where she sings and plays fiddle, banjo and ukulele with Michael Merenda and Tao Rodriguez Seegar, and is one of the three singers who create the powerful vocal sound of the renowned, Boston-based Wayfaring Strangers. She also performs with her father, Jay Ungar. Ruth and the Mammals just appeared at Carnegie Hall with Arlo Guthrie as he closed his year-long tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Alice's Restaurant.

To hear songs from Ruth's solo CD "Jukebox," go to her page on the CD Baby web site.

Kristin Andreassen (full bio) is a member of Uncle Earl, where she sings and plays guitar and fiddle, and is also a principal dancer with the Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, as well as a member of the trio the Jolly Bankers (along with Laura Cortese and Pierce Woodward).

Visit Kristin's web site at www.yellowcarmusic.com. To see Kristin performing with Uncle Earl at the Kennedy Center, go to their page on the Millennium Stage web site.

Aoife O'Donovan (full bio) is the lead vocalist with Crooked Still and one of the three singers in the Wayfaring Strangers. This fall she is touring with banjo player Alison Brown. Aoife also performs with Grammy nominated cellist Rushad Eggleston in the Wild Band of Snee.

Learn more about Aoife's on the Crooked Still web site at www.crookedstill.com. To hear Aoife singing with Crooked Still, go to their page on the CD Baby web site.

. To learn more about Sometimes Why, go to The Sometimes Why web site

Download the Sunspot Flyer for Sometimes Why.

Tickets $18 advance/$20 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
An Evening with
The Four Fabulous Fiddlers
Friday, November 18, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Pictures from the show

Four award winning fiddlers, all in their twenties, together in one show! The fiddle is just the beginning for these stellar musicians. Augmenting the show with world class vocals, guitar, mandolin and piano, the Four Fab Fiddlers play an evening of collaborative and often improvised songs and tunes that will get you tapping your feet and singing along.

Hanneke Cassel is the 1997 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, a member of the Cathie Ryan Band and a member of the fiddle band Halali. She started playing violin at the age of 8, studied with Alasdair Fraser, and has recorded with Darol Anger. She has appeard locally at the Institute for Musical Traditions and the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. To see Hanneke's Kennedy Center performances, go to her page on the Millennium Stage web site.

Laura Cortese is the 1998 New England regional Scottish Fiddle Champion, a dancer with Maryland's Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble and also a member of the fiddle band Halali. She has toured with Alasdair Fraser and studied with Martin Hayes, Buddy MacMaster and Jerry Holland.

Jeremy Kittel is the 2000 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion and the first recipient of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin. He appeared this past summer at the Potomac Celtic Festivel and the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. He is equally fluent in the Irish, bluegrass and jazz traditions. To see Jeremy's Kennedy Center performances, go to his page on the Millennium Stage web site.

Jake Armerding is a folk and bluegrass fiddler. He won Boston radio station WUMB's Best New Artist award and was signed to Compass records by Alison Brown for his second CD. To see Jake's Kennedy Center performances, go to his page on the Millennium Center Web Site.

Read Scott Alarik's article on the differences between Scottish and Irish music styles, which includes discussions with Hanneke Cassel, Jim Malcom of the Scottish band The Old Blind Dogs and Kevin Crawford and Cillian Vallely, both of the Irish band Lunasa.

Tickets $18 advance/$20 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
Lissa Schneckenburger
New England fiddler and singer
Saturday, October 8, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Pictures from the show

Lissa Schneckenburger, a fantastic young fiddler and singer from New England, now residing in New York, will be performing at the Lyceum with her trio (double bass and guitar). Lissa also plays with Hanneke Cassel and Laura Cortese in the three-fiddle band Halali. A favorite at contra dances in the DC area and all along the east and west coasts, Lissa's virtuoso fiddling is truly able to take flight in a concert setting.

Lissa describes herself as a New England fiddler and singer, and her playing is certainly rooted in the music of her home state of Maine, but she's equally at home in the Irish and Scottish traditions, and can compose new tunes and songs that sound like they have been in the songbooks for years. People familiar with her playing who haven't heard her sing will discover that she's as talented and inventive as a vocalist as she is with her fiddle.

"The Irish Girl," a song from Lissa's newest CD, was chosen for inclusion in the Summer 2005 edition of Sing Out! magazine. Dirty Linen's Tom Nelligan says the the CD is her best work ever, combining "her always exhilarating, chord-rich fiddling with a sweet vocal style."

Lissa will be accompanied by Corey DiMario on double bass and Danny Littwin on guitar and bouzouki

Corey DiMario

Corey provides rock solid, driving low-end accompaniment. He has performed at jazz and folk venues across the eastern seaboard, including the Kennedy Center, the Knitting Factory in New York and Boston's Symphony Hall.

A diverse musician, Mr. DiMario performs with Irish accordion virtuoso John Whelan in addition to being a member of Lissa's band. He is a founding member of Crooked Still, a quartet specializing in traditional American roots music that the Boston Globe has called "the most important folk group to emerge from Boston since the early '60's.". Corey also performs regularly with songwriter and Compass Records recording artist Jake Armerding. He has recorded with Laura Cortese and Hanneke Cassel and has performed with fiddler Liz Carroll, guitarist Russ Barenberg, and The Wayfaring Strangers.

Corey received his undergraduate degree in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory in 2001. He previously studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and has studied privately with John Lockwood, Cecil McBee, Paul Bley, John Abercrombie and James Van Demark.

Danny Littwin

Danny is a stalwart of the Irish music scene in and around New York, playing both guitar and bouzouki. He grew up in a musical household and started early in the family tradition, playing with his father's Bluegrass and American traditional bands from the age of seven.

Later exposure to Irish music made it a consuming passion for Danny. After living in Ireland for a few years, he found himself back in New York, seeking respite from the Irish economy of the time (and, he says, hoping for some clear weather and a decent cup of coffee).

Danny has worked with many musicians of note both as a player and a producer/engineer. His list of compatriots includes Frankie Gavin. Alec Finn, Jerry O'Sullivan, Johnny og Connally and many others. He was also the producer of such shows as City Stage for WFUV and is currently working with PRI, World Café and VH-1 in an ongoing collaboration with the Housing Works Café concert series. His current musical projects include the O'Sullivan meets O'Farrell albums, the Chris Layer album, the new Phase III record and tour dates with Lissa Schneckenberger.

Lissa's web site

Tickets $16 advance/$18 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

---

 
An evening with
John Doyle, Irish guitar master
Friday, August 26, 8 pm at The Lyceum
John's web site
[top of page]

Fans who have seen John Doyle perform as a band member or accompaniest have occasionally been treated to his solo guitar work and his wonderful, lyrical singing. For our concert, the spotlight will be on John, so those who have wanted to have an entire evening featuring John's singing and playing need wait no longer.

John was an original member of the Irish band Solas, which was an annual favorite at the old Washingtion Irish Festival. John's unique guitar style provided the base for Solas' driving arrangements of traditional reels and jigs and for Karan Casey's powerfully evocative singing, while his exceptional finger-style playing complemented Karan's beautiful ballads and laments and floated beneath the bands light airs.

After leaving Solas, John played in the Eileen Ivers band for several years. Recently, John has appeared in the DC area accompanying Liz Carroll, Allison Brown, Tim O'Brien and Linda Thompson, and as a member of Tim O'Brien's band. He has recorded with Kate Rusby, John Williams and Cathie Ryan, among others, is in demand as an accompaniest, record producer and songwriter, and has found time to release two solo CDs and a recording of his father, Sean Doyle. John's latest CD, Wayward Son, was released in June.

John released 3 CDs with Solas. After leaving Solas, John played in the Eileen Ivers band for several years. Recently, John has appeared in the DC area accompanying Liz Carroll, Allison Brown, Tim O'Brien and Linda Thompson. He has recorded with Kate Rusby, John Williams, Cathie Ryan and Patty Larkin, among others, is in demand as an accompanist, record producer and songwriter, and has released two solo CDs. John has produced a recording of his father, Sean Doyle, and the first solo CD by Heidi Talbot, vocalist with Cherish the Ladies. John will be performing with Solas again at a reunion concert in September, which will also feature former Solas members Karan Casey, John Williams and Donal Clancy.

John's latest CD, Wayward Son, was released in June by Compass Records. Guest musicians on Wayward Son include Seamus Egan, Liz Carroll, Kate Rusby, John McCusker, John Williams, Tim O'Brien, Casey Driessen, Stuart Duncan, Alison Brown, Mike McGoldrick and Linda Thompson.

Duncan Wickel joins John Doyle

When John performs at the Lyceum this coming Friday, he will be joined by an extraordinary young musician named Duncan Wickel. Duncan is a multi-instrumentalist who began playing fiddle at age 4, took up uilleann pipes at age 10 and also plays whistles. Now 16, Duncan is touring with John and in his second year with the Asheville (N.C.) Symphony.

Duncan is equally accomplished in playing classical and Irish traditional music. In addition to playing with a symphony orchestra and touring with John, Duncan is also a frequent guest with the Irish band Corner House from North Carolina.

John Doyle is renowned as one of the most talented accompanists performing in either the Irish or Appalachian traditions. He adapts to and compliments the style of those he plays with, but his rhythmic and melodic contributions do much more than simply provide a background, creating complex, fascinating layers within the tunes without ever overshadowing the principal performer. We know that the person John picks to be his own accompanist must be an exceptional musician, and are looking forward to meeting Duncan and hearing him perform live for the first time.

Listen to North Sea Holes.

Listen to Crooked Jack.

Read the Celtic Cafe interview with John.

Tickets $18 advance/$20 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

John's web site

---

  The Kane Sisters
Traditional Irish fiddle
Sunday, August 21, 8 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Sisters Liz and Yvonne Kane, from Connemara, learned music from both their grandfather Jimmy Mullen and South Sligo musician and teacher, Mary Finn McCrudden. Along with the recordings of the Rainey brothers, their grandfather and Mary were an early influence on their music. The Raineys were travelling fiddle players in the 1950s who visited the sisters' hometown and surrounding areas.

Yvonne and Liz consider their style to be heavily influenced by South Sligo fiddle playing, the music of East Galway and in particular the fiddle playing and compositions of Paddy Fahey. In recent years, the sisters have been privileged to meet and play with Paddy, whose music plays a central role in their repertoire. The recordings of Michael Coleman, Hughie Gillespie, Andy McGann and Kathleen Collins have also made an impact on their music.

The Kanes released their first CD, "The Well-Tempered Bow," in 2002 and have just released their second album, "Under the Diamond." They toured with Sharon Shannon and the Woodchoppers for three years and have recorded with Sharon, Maighread and Tríona ní Dhomnaill, Steve Earle and Cherish the Ladies. Liz and Yvonne have appeared at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage (with Sharon Shannon) and performed Saturday and Sunday at the 2004 Potomac Celtic Festival in Leesburg.

Liz and Yvonne will be joined by Galway guitarist Fabian Joyce. Fabian grew up listening to the music of his father and uncle and was greatly influenced by many long nights of endless sessions in the family pub in Clonbur, County Galway. Throughout the years Fabian has enjoyed playing with many fine musicians, such as Breeda Smyth, Tommy and Louise McCarthy, Paddy Keenan, Mirella Murray, and Fergal and Enda Scahill. His music has taken him the length and breadth of Ireland, the U.K., and as far away as Australia. Currently, you can find Fabian at one of the many vibrant sessions in the Boston area.

In addition to their Sunspot show on Friday, Liz and Yvonne will also be doing a fiddle workshop the next evening at the House of Musical Traditions in Tacoma Park.

Tickets $18 advance/$20 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

The Kane Sisters' web site

---

 
Tony Trischka
Friday, June 17, 2005, 8 pm at Lloyd House
[top of page]

Tickets $20 advance/$22 at the door (children under 14 with adult half price).

Tony Trischka, one of the world's most innovative and respected banjo players, has fused bluegrass, jazz, rock and classical music into an energetic whole, created over 25 recordings and taught a generation of banjo players through classes, books and videos.

Tony will be in Washington to work on a lifetime achievement recording at Smithsonian Folkways studios on Friday and to give a banjo workshop for the House of Musical Traditions on Saturday. On Friday night, Tony will grace Sunspot concerts with an "unplugged" solo performance at Lloyd House.

In presenting his ever-changing Americana-flavored performances, Tony draws on his 33-year career to create a masterful mix of bluegrass, jazz, old time, popular, classical, Celtic, and original music.

Though often thought of as a one-trick pony, the banjo, in Tony's hands, becomes a vehicle of kaleidoscopic expression. Of course, there are the searingly virtuosic, rapid-fire bluegrass instrumentals to ignite any audience. In addition, though, there are more poignant pieces (many of them original compositions) that plumb deeper emotional depths.

A Beatles medley becomes a sing-along.

A classical medley features the three Bs and a G--Bach, Beethoven, Bartok, and "Greensleeves". Via Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, the B's blend into a segment of Pete Seeger tunes.

Tony honors the late bluegrass/old time icon, John Hartford, with several offerings, including "Steam Powered AereoPlane" and the classic "Hey Babe Ya Wanna Boogie".

Two hard-driving Irish groupings one original, the other, hundreds of years old--represent the finest in retro-nouveau Celtic.

Throughout the evening, Tony's wit and warmth envelop the proceedings in a spirit of friendly exploration and entertainment.

Tony's web site

---

 
Cathie Ryan
Sunday, May 29, 2005, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

Mike Joyce reviewed Cathie's new CD, "The Farthest Wave," in the Weekend section of Washington Post on Friday, May 27. Here are a few highlights.

"...the nearest thing to an uninterrupted pleasure."

"...comfortably alongside the recordings of her Irish-born peers Mary Black and Maura O'Connell."

"...a soulful intensity that bridges the original tunes[....] with the traditional gems "

You can read the entire review at The Washington Post.

Cathie Ryan spent seven years as the lead vocalist for the Irish-American band Cherish The Ladies, where she helped define the band's sound through interpretations of traditional songs and her own new compositions, along with her spirited bodhran playing. Her first solo CD, produced by Seamus Egan of Solas, was released in 1997 to critical acclaim, and she has continued to receive accolades ever since, including Irish Female Vocalist of the Decade in 2000 by the Irish American News in Chicago and one of the Top 100 Irish Americans by Irish America magazine.

In addition to releasing two more solo CDs, Cathie's music has been featured on numerous compilation CDs, including an album of Christmas music produced by the late Johnny Cunningham. She also performed on the Wayfaring Strangers first album and, together with Robin Spielberg and Susan McKeown, released a CD of original songs celebrating mothers and grandmothers.

Cathie's new CD was released on April 27. Produced by John McCusker, it includes guest musicians John McCusker, John Doyle, Phil Cunningham, Karine Polwart, Greg Anderson, Hanneke Cassel, Sara Milonovich, Michael McGoldrick and Ewan Vernal.

See the Concert Program for Cathie Ryan, May 29, 2005. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

See the Concert Poster for Cathie Ryan, May 29, 2005. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Cathie's web site.

---

 
The Karan Casey Band
Sunday, March 20, 2005, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
[top of page]

A member of Solas for four and a half years, Karan Casey received critical acclaim from Japan to America as one of Ireland's great singers. Karan has established herself as, in the words of the Wall Street Journal, "One of the true glories of Irish music today," a standing confirmed by having been twice voted Best Female Traditional/Folk artist by Irish Music Magazine readers and her nomination for a prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Award.

Now, three albums into her solo career, Karan continues to explore the boundaries of Irish song. Fully versed in the genre's subtleties (and comfortable singing in Gaelic), she is equally at home transforming Billie Holiday's jazz classic "Strange Fruit" into a chilling ballad from beyond the Pale or applying Billy Bragg's "Distant Shore" to the plight of modern day African refugees in Ireland.

Read Leslie Miller's interview with Karan Casey just before her March 20 Sunspot show at
E-RadioBiz.com. Select "Celebrity Interviews and Reviews" on the E-RadioBiz home page.

Read Leslie Miller's review of Karan's show at E-RadioBiz.com.

See the Concert Program for Karan Casey, March 20, 2005. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Karan's web site.

---