Workshop: Dick Hensold also will be presenting a workshop at Dusty Strings at 1.30 PM.  Click here for more information.

Dick Hensold is a full-time freelance musician specializing in early music; traditional music of Scotland, Ireland and Northumberland; Nordic folk music, and Cambodian traditional music. He performs on the Northumbrian smallpipes (a quiet bagpipe from Northeast England), Swedish bagpipes (säckpipa), Medieval greatpipes, Scottish Highland pipes, recorder, seljefløyte (Norwegian willow flute), low whistle and traditional Cambodian reed instruments. He has taught Northumbrian smallpipes at workshops in the United States, Canada, and Northumberland.

He played in the band Way Up North from 1993-7 (self-released CD in 1995) and has been principal composer and arranger for the bagpipe-oriented quartet, Piper’s Crow, since 1998 (released CD in 2006), as well making numerous solo and duo appearances.  He released his solo CD, Big Music for Northumbrian Smallpipes, in August 2007.

A recorder and early music major at Oberlin Conservatory, he has appeared as recorder soloist with the Twin Cities-based baroque orchestra Lyra Concert since 1986, and also appeared with the Chicago Early Music Consort, Ex Machina, Circle of Sound, and the Minnesota Orchestra.  His research interest in early Scottish music resulted in a lecture and concert appearance at the 1997 Lowland and Border Piper’s Society collogue in Peebles, Scotland.  The proceedings of this conference, along with Hensold’s two other related papers, were published as “Out of the Flames” in 2004.

Note: a 9PM show (8.45 PM doors) has been added to accomodate demand!)

Click here to purchase advance tickets.

Trina Willard is a third generation folk singer from Missouri, her musical roots grounded both in the Southern Baptist music shegrew up with and the traditional Appalachian songs her grandparents brought to her from the coal mines.  During her early years in St. Louis, she performed with St. Louis Opera Theater as well as the Repertory Theater of St. Louis.  Upon moving to the Northwest her folk roots were nurtured by our region’s vibrant folk music scene.

She has performed with the Seattle Peace Chorus, which also commissioned her work as a composer, debuting one of her pieces at the International Choral Festival in Santiago de Cuba.  Trina directed the vocal trio, Trillium, writing unique harmonies for traditional and original spirituals, folk songs, and a cappella works.  She has performed her uplifting, socially conscious music across the country at conferences, protests, and gatherings, anywhere people want to sing their hopes, dreams, questions, and passion for life.

“One of the purest voices mixed with a soul from heaven leaves us with a musical experience not to be forgotten.”

“A voice like Baez with poetry that rivals Emily Saliers.”

Joe Jencks is an international touring performer, songwriter, entertainer, and educator.  From venues like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, to coffee houses, festivals, spiritual communities, and schools, Joe Jencks has spent the last nine years touring full time. His songs have traveled to every continent via radio, CDs, web casts, and other musicians. He is noted for his unique merging of musical beauty, social consciousness, and spiritual exploration. Jencks weaves a diverse web of stories with brilliant musical skill, ensnaring even the most rigid of hearts, inviting them to open. His songs invite us to live inside of our passions and our beliefs.

Jencks applies his conservatory training to a contemporary genre, and offers the listener the best of both worlds. Drawing on his Irish heritage (dual U.S./Irish Citizen), Jencks uses his lush and lyrical voice to enchant, heal, and inspire. Jencks has won numerous songwriting awards and is also highly regarded as a song interpreter. Joe’s latest release, Links In A Chain, highlights this aspect of his work.

Links In A Chain is Jencks’ 7th CD, and his finest work to date.  The recording features six new original compositions and six songs written by some of Jencks’ mentors and influences. Included are songs by folk legends Phil Ochs and Bob Gibson, as well as a vivid rendition of the American classic, Joe Hill. In his original compositions, Jencks explores a wide range of topics, including family history, staying in love, and a brand new piece in the Irish tradition called “On Eireann’s Shore.”  This beautifully lilting love song genuinely honors his heritage, and sounds as if it could have been written a century ago.  A Grammy winning team of engineers and supporting musicians contribute to make the recording an exceptional piece of work from start to finish. Guests include: Jon Carroll (Mary Chapin Carpenter’s pianist) on keyboards, Pat Wictor on slide-guitars, Jim Robeson (Bass & recording engineer) and Charlie Pilzer (mixing and mastering engineer).

Joe’s recent release The Candle And The Flame gained international acclaim and made it to the top of the Folk charts in the US.  Links In A Chain is expected to do the same. This recording combines many facets of Joe’s diverse musical background and weaves them all together in an aural tapestry that is warm and exquisite. Jencks has the passion of Gospel singer, the knowledge of a classical vocalist, and the soul of an Irish Tenor. And at the center of Joe’s music is an abiding love for humanity that transcends the everyday and boarders on the mystical.

Seattle singer/songwriter Wes Weddell (www.wesweddell.com) has toured the Northwest and many points beyond for the last ten years
, becoming a champion of the local scene through his own performances, myriad sideman appearances, and his work founding and running the community live-music non-profit Puget’s Sound Productions (www.livelocalmusic.org).  His 2010 CD, By the Side of the Lake, hung around the various national folk/roots charts for much of the year, and he has recently compiled his literature-inspired offerings written for performances with The Bushwick Book Club (www.thebushwickbookclubseattle.com) into a digital-only release.

This show will be webcast live. Click here for more information.

Sorry, all tickets have sold out for both shows!  No tickets will be released at the door.

However, the show will be webcast live – click here for more info!

Please join us for this unprecedented opportunity to appreciate Grammy award winner Amy Ray and local powerhouse Lindsay Fuller as they collaborate on an acoustic show in our 40-seat room.

Two shows will be presented, one at 7PM (6.30 doors) and one at 9.30 PM (9.00 doors.)

“I love how everything works in the underground community and I wanted to participate in it,” says Amy Ray, founder of the indie label Daemon Records, one half of the Indigo Girls, and solo artist in her own right.  When she founded Daemon in 1990, her mission was to support local musicians, both in putting out their music and teaching them how to sustain their careers.  But that grassroots, independent way of life extended to Ray’s own career, too; after almost a decade of putting out other people’s music, she decided to put out some of her own solo records, too.

So she traveled around the southeast writing, rehearsing, and recording for much of 2000.  ”I loved the simplicity of it,” she says.  ”Driving myself around, loading my own gear.  You roll down windows of the van, listen to music with your band.  It’s the way music should be.”

Her debut solo album, Stag, was a manifesto, more overtly political and punk influenced than her Indigo Girls output.  VH1.com called Stag “One of those rare albums that fuses agression, good music, and institutional critique without sounding strident or stiff.” David Peisner at Rolling Stone – whose founder Amy mocks on that album’s “Lucystoners” – couldn’t help but like it, calling it “Angry, bold, pointed, and eclectic as hell.” “Amy is getting in touch with her inner punk rocker,” wrote Jennifer Perkins in Venus Zine.  ”For the scores of people who know little more about Amy Ray than ‘Closer to Fine,’ well, Ray is sure to win their hearts.”

Lindsay Fuller is an Alabama bred, Seattle-based songwriter who has been described as “Flannery O’Connor with a telecaster” (Twang Nation) on account of her gritty, haunting storytelling. Her most recen album The Last Light I See , a follow up to her debut Lindsay Fuller and The Cheap Dates, was released in June 2010.

Her unique voice has been described as a “burnished, soulful trill that sounds like the frame of a beautiful old church that’s about to collapse on itself” (The Examiner) and “a delicious combo platter of soulfulness and vibrato that grabs you by the shoulders and gives you a good shake” (Spectrum Culture). She recently had the opportunity to open some shows for national acts including the Indigo Girls and The Civil Wars. She and her band (The Cheap dates) are currently working on a new record that they plan to release in late 2011.

The Next Gen Folk Series is jointly presented by Hearth Music, Victory Music and Empty Sea Studios.

Tickets: $12 advance, $15 at the door.

Click here to purchase advance tickets.

It is seldom that a young folk duo emerges with so focused a direction and critical regard.  After their first show together, Emma Beaton and Nic Gareiss’ sound was lauded “delicate and broken and perfectly sweet.”  Perhaps it was to be expected considering their respective burgeoning solo careers: Emma, a folk cellist, vocalist, and banjo player originally from Vancouver Island, has performed across North America and Scotland with notable musicians such Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, Bruce Molsky, Laurie Lewis, Crooked Still, and Back of the Moon.

Emma is also the front-woman of the Boston-based modern American stringband Joy Kills Sorrow.  Her 2008 solo release, “Pretty Fair Maid” was awarded a Canadian Folk Music Award, naming her the 2008 Young Performer of the Year.  Her singing has been described as “gorgeous and clear,” the music, “diverse and inventive”.

Nic, a dancer, singer, and bouzouki-player from northern Michigan has danced and played across Europe and the states with The Chieftains, Tim O’Brien, Footworks, and Uncle Earl.  He has studied and performed music and dance internationally, including a year in Irish Music Performance at the University of Limerick in Ireland, where he is now studying to earn his Masters degree.  Emma and Nic first met at several music camps and began playing together late at night after square dances and evening-long fiddle tunes sessions. The songs they sang became the last music of the night.  Today, their music retains a sense of staid nostalgia and quiet, almost secretive intimacy, grounded in Celtic and Americana traditions, but ultimately all their own.

“I fell in love at once, their music reminds me why I listen to folk music in the first place.” – Cover Lay Down, 2008

We apologize for the inconvenience!

In 1986, Scotsman Donnie Macdonald and Irishman James Keigher came together to perform Irish and Scottish folk music, combining traditional and contemporary styles. The name “Men of Worth” was chosen from the title of a folk song written by the Scottish singer/songwriter Archie Fisher.

Together, Men of Worth blend their voices with harmony and support their collection of songs with their varied selection of instruments. They have a very simple approach to their

presentation, and in keeping with tradition, remain true to the music and story. Their show is a unique combination of humour, exciting tunes, and soulful, heartfelt ballads.

Men of Worth are an international act, and have earned much respect and success in two decades of touring. Performing concerts, festivals, and having recorded ten albums, Men of Worth continue the very tradition from which they evolved.

Click here to purchase advance tickets.

Please join us as the Washover Fans record a live EP at Empty Sea!

With a refreshing and original take on acoustic music, The Washover Fans bring together four accomplished musicians with decades of playing and performing experience each having written, recorded and performed with various and varied outside projects. Seattle musicians Colin, Gillian, David and Seth write songs independently, but edit and arrange as an ensemble, creating a broad but cohesively twangy set, full of interlocking vocals and lush acoustic instrumentation. April 2011, saw the arrival of The Washover Fans’ debut album That Habit Suits You. The album is currently an editor’s pick on the CD Baby website in the Americana genre.

The four musicians push each other creatively to write and perform songs that each deliberately evoke very different emotions and soundscapes resulting in a set list in which no two songs sound the same. The Washover Fans create an intimate live experience drawing from each of the four musicians’ dynamic musical backgrounds. A live show consists of original music as well as thoughtful renditions of various covers that pay homage to the diverse American music experience. Instruments rotate the stage and include guitars, mandolin, banjo, cello, percussion and harmonica. Lead vocals are shared among the three distinct vocalists and are supported with three-part harmony. “The Washover Fan’s CD Baby page recommends the band for listeners who like Gillian Welch, Laura Viers and Ryan Adams. Their debut,’That Habit Suits You’, proves that there isn’t all that much separating the Fans from those folk and roots icons except, you know, fame. Rich, moody songwriting brought to life by expert playing and harmonizing gives the band a sound that is at once instantly recognizable but also completely original.” – Drew Stoga, www.stateofmindmusic.com, www.flypmedia.com

With time well-spent stumbling through jazz charts, playing in rock bands and blending into Catholic school choirs, it has been a long and varied musical journey that has culminated in the Washover Fans’ sound, but it’s the years of soaking up the simplest rock and the sweetest church music that guides them to this day. Since forming in 2009 under the Washover Fans moniker, the four friends have focused on folk, alt-country and Americana, drawing on musical first loves from childhoods in New England, Washington, North Carolina and Georgia.

Click here to purchase advance tickets.

Hadi Karimi Asil and Ahmad Yousefbeigi, both native Iranians, met at a musical gathering in Seattle in 2010. After playing together for several minutes- Hadi on Tar (a Persian fretted string instrument) and Ahmad on Tonbak (a carved goblet drum) – they realized their approach to music was very similar. Their musical storytelling is completely improvised, engaging and conversational; it depends on the moment and no two performances are identical. Their first improvised performance at the 2011 Northwest Folklife Festival received a standing ovation.

Hadi Karimi Asil grew up in Iran and came to the United States as an adult in 2010. At age 10, Hadi began studying the Tar, a Persian fretted-stringed instrument that has an animal hide stretched over the body for resonance.

Ahmad Yousefbeigi is an inspired and sought-after Kurdish Iranian percussionist. Born in Sanandaj, Iran, his passion for rhythm was fostered by the musical nature of Kurdish community life. Since moving to Seattle in 1998, Ahmad has captivated audiences in the Pacific Northwest with the energetic, nomadic folk songs of his native Kurdistan and the delicate, lyrical rhythms of Persian classical music and poetry.  Please visit www.kurdishdrum.com for more information.

Kirby Lindsay over at The Fremocentrist has written a great article on the recording process for Molly’s album!  Click here to check it out.

The Next Gen Folk Series is jointly presented by Hearth Music, Victory Music and Empty Sea Studios.

Sorry, this show is completely sold out!  No tickets will be released at the door.

Please join us as double mandolin meets double fiddle in this special evening of instrumental music!

Mandolin duo Michael Connolly & Miller McNay will present music from their breakthrough mandolin duo album The Mandolin Casefiles.

To kick off the evening, fiery Celtic fiddler Prairie Wolfe will be joined by Michael Connolly on fiddle, chromatic button accordion and guitar for an opening set of Irish and French Canadian tunes.

With tunes spanning the blues, old-time, bluegrass, Irish and French Canadian genres, this is a Next Gen Folk show you won’t want to miss!

Michael Connolly & Miller McNay: The Northwest’s premier mandolin duo

Playing their mandolins together for more than five years, Michael Connolly and Miller McNay have traveled along and across genre boundaries, from bluegrass to old-time to swing. In their inaugural album celebrating the unusual pairing of two mandolins, Connolly and McNay share the sound they’ve developed as a duo: transparent and open, but warm, varied, and eminently listenable.

In The Mandolin Casefiles: It Takes Two To Mando, Connolly and McNay offer up a mix of traditionaltunes, covers, and originals like McNay’s “The Grapes of Rag,” which introduces the disc, and Connolly’s “Mr. Pick’s Blues,” a chromatic, colorful adventure in 12/8. A vintage Gibson mandola makes an appearance on “Over The Waterfall” and on the duo’s cover of Lennon and McCartney’s “In My Life.” Exhibiting an unparalleled responsiveness to each others’ playing, the musicians slip effortlessly between lead, accompaniment, and even percussive roles.

Recorded live in the studio with no overdubs, The Mandolin Casefiles captures the palpable energy and moment-by-moment musical dialogue between two longstanding collaborators at play.

Michael Connolly’s love affair with the mandolin began at age six. During his musically charged upbringing in Memphis, Tennessee, he delved deeply into bluegrass, old-time, Irish traditional, blues, and swing music. The result is a unique “hornlike” approach to the instrument. His deft ear and sensitive accompaniment have won him appearances touring with and performing alongside Michelle Shocked, Coyote Grace, and The Indigo Girls.

An accomplished multi-instrumentalist, Connolly performs regularly on fiddle, piano, and accordion as well as maintaining a busy teaching schedule. He has recorded widely, appearing on nineteen albums. The Mandolin Casefiles is the twelfth to feature his mandolin playing.

Miller McNay’s mandolin story began in his native Charlotte, North Carolina. Winner of the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival’s mandolin contest, he has played with Free Roaming Buffalo Herd,and Barnyard Stompand as a founding member of Captain Gravel.

McNay’s impeccable tone and rhythmic drive have led to his sharing the stage with Joe Craven, G-Love & Special Sauce, and Ben Winship as well as opening for Tim O’ Brien, Danny Barnes, and The Wilders.

Prairie Wolfe

Seattle-based Celtic fiddler Prairie Wolfe never intended to play the fiddle at all. “I wanted to play the celtic harp as a kid,” she reports. It was French-Canadian/Metis fiddler Anne Lederman who influenced her to try her hand at the fiddle. “I’ve definitely always been attracted to the raw, unrefined sound of the fiddle.” It is this raw energy and the old-world accents that stand Prairie apart from other fiddlers and distinguishes her dynamic, rhythmic playing.

In 2005, Prairie’s talents whisked her from her westcoast home to Europe on a tour with Irish trio Damanta. The band played Ireland, Holland, Germany and Austria, bringing to audiences what Prairie describes as their unique “Christina Ricci meets Ashley MacIsaac” sound. Following the tour, she landed in Boston and decided to stay a while.  During her stay, Prairie was quickly initiated into the New England contradance scene, playing dances at the Guiding Star Grange in Greenfield, MA and getting involved with teaching, busking, and frequenting the odd session or two at the Burren.

The Burren is a long way from the church basement meetings of the Vancouver Scottish Fiddle Club, where Prairie got her start and where she met her initial mentor and teacher, Juno-Award winning fiddler Shona Le Mottee, of “Paperboys” and “Lord of the Dance” fame. Before long, she was performing in Vancouver’s CelticFest, doing demonstrations at schools, and hosting “Fiddlers For Funds: Tsunami Relief Benefit Concert.” “I have been amazingly lucky to play with all of Vancouver’s very best fiddlers and musicians, and to know them personally too. It’s been a charmed life.”

New Tracking Rooms

Studio G (for Garage)

We’ve been making a lot of sawdust onsite — construction is currently underway to turn Empty Sea’s detached garage building into an additional tracking space and editing suite, also known as “Studio G.”  The finished space will be approximately 10×17 feet with 9′ ceilings, hardwood floors, ample soundproofing, a quiet HVAC system and audio interconnects to the main control room.  We’re currently targeting having the space operational by October 1st and fully equipped by November.

In the long run, Studio G will contain an upright piano, vocal tracking area, and standalone audio workstation, making it ideal for vocal overdubs, isolating a single player or group of players, or as an amp or drum room.  Being detached from the main building, G will be available in conjunction with the main studio, or separably rentable for small projects at a reduced rate.

Studio H (for Hammond)

Usually closed to the public, the back bedroom in the main building has served as a woodworking and electronics shop to keep the studio gear functional and provide for the occasional crafts project! However, these functions are being relocated this fall, leaving room for a third tracking space.  Approximately 11 x 13 feet, Studio H will feature the studio’s Hammond organ and provide another room to isolate a player or amp cab.

New Gear!

In the past few months, we’ve substantially added to the studio’s gear selection.  We’re proud to announce new mics, a new preamp and new hardware reverb units!

Here’s what’s new at the studio:

Microphones and Preamps 

Lauten Oceanus

• Lauten Oceanus – “Clear the air for big revealing sound. Built to give you classic sound under modern low-noise circumstances, the LT-381 Oceanus is a fantastic vocal mic. It’s an original high-performance transformer-less tube condenser microphone that produces full and detailed recordings.”

• Peluso 22 47 SE – a modern day reproduction of the Neumann U47 tube microphone, this mic is ideal for many male vocalists, guitars, and other acoustic instruments which benefit from a strong, beefy midrange.

• Peluso 22 251 – A great choice for many female vocalists, this tube mic is extremely detailed, with beautiful highs and understated mids.

• Beyerdynamic MC 930 Stereo Set – This matched pair of small diaphragm condensers is ideal for micing a variety of acoustic instruments.  In the past few months, I’ve used these on lever harp, guitar, mandolin, cittern, and percussion with great success.

• A  Designs Pacifica Microphone Preamp – a stereo, solid-state microphone preamp with hefty transformers for substantial, authoritative tones when paired with a variety of microphones.

Reverb Processors

Used at mix time to create realistic-sounding spaces, these high-end reverb processors complement the existing studio gear!

Bricasti M7

• Bricasti M7 Reverb Processor – considered by many to be the most realistic and natural reverb device ever built!  It is truly stunning for putting your tracks into realistic-sounding ambiences.

• Lexicon PCM92 – With 4 decades of experience, Lexicon is regarded as the gold standard in digital audio processing. Building on the legendary design of the venerable PCM81 and PCM91, and the breakthrough technology of the PCM96, the PCM92 represents the most advanced reverb and effects processor in its class.

And that’s not all…

There’s plenty of other gear at the studio already – and more importantly, Michael Connolly’s more than 10 years experience in recording acoustic projects can help your next project sound great!