Gabrielle Louise’s music is anchored deeply in folk, but undeniably drawn to rich harmonies and melodic adventurism. Her sound has the earthy feel of early Joni Mitchell while also veering into the spirited delivery of fellow genre-hopping artist Martin Sexton. Unafraid to take a random musical escapade in the name of inspiration, Gabrielle is at one moment folkie and ethereal, the next moment a smoky jazz chanteuse. She has 100% independently released four records, Journey (2006), Around in Circles, the E.P. (2007), Cigarettes for Sentiments (2008), and Live in Coal Creek Canyon (2009).

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The Honeycutters are singer/songwriter Amanda Anne Platt and guitarist/ producer Peter James. While their sound has drawn comparisons to such artists as Graham Parsons and Emmylou Harris or Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Platt and James produce a refreshingly unique blend of Americana music that is comfortingly familiar while being entirely original. Ω

Their first full length studio release Irene (May 2009) was recorded at Asheville’s own Collapseable Studio, and mixed by Grammy Award winning sound engineer David Fergason ( Nashville TN ) . The album has garnered radio support across the USA as well as overseas, and landed them in Iaan Hughes’ (No Depression Podcast) top twenty of 2009, Fret Knot Radio Hour’s “Nine to Know from ’09″, and as number 32 in WNCW’s listener voted top 100.

Amanda Anne Platt has been hailed as “one of the best songwriters coming out of WNC these days” by WNCW programming director Martin Anderson, and her voice has been described as “perfectly unadorned” and “recklessly beautiful”. Her lyrics are as catchy and heartbreaking as her melodies. Dane Smith of Asheville NC’s Mountain Xpress writes “Her songs make you sad…in a good way!” In both her simple composition and honest delivery it’s easy to hear the influence of country legends such as Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, or Loretta Lynn, and with this Miss Platt credits growing up listening to her Father’s extensive record collection every Saturday morning. Despite her love for classic country, she cites Bruce Springstein as one of her biggest influences and her songwriting carries a wit and an edge that plants her firmly in her generation.

Peter James is rapidly becoming one of Western North Carolina’s most sought after guitar players, known for both insightful solos and tasteful accompaniment. Having first held a guitar at age thirteen, he quickly started making up for lost time by delving completely into the instrument. His natural talent and attention to detail made him an asset to The Slant Six Cowboys, a New Hampshire based group founded by James and singer/songwriter Don Witcher out of their long time musical collaboration. In 2004 they released a self-titled album on 95 North records which reached number 14 on the AMA chart. Since moving to Asheville in 2006 James has played right-hand man to several of the region’s top acts, including Taylor Martin and Brian McGee.

Like so many of country music’s great duos, Platt and James have a musical chemistry that can be felt throughout the songs they play, from the sounds of their guitars to their vocal harmonies. Perhaps this is why they are frequently mentioned along with the movement to “Take country music back to it’s roots”. The Honeycutters are just doing what they know how to do: making music that feels as good to hear as it does to play. Their original brand of Americana has proven equally appealing to both the musician and the music lover, the country and the city, and the old and the young.

“If anyone can make this old metalhead want to whip out the cowboy boots and hat, order a couple of Budweisers and spin my woman around the dance floor, the Honeycutters can.” -Brent Fleury, Bold Life Magazine

“Old school country in the truest sense, “Irene” is free of twang and ten-gallon hats but full of real emotion, family history, quick wit and strong liquor.” -Ali Marshall, Arts and Entertainment, Mt Xpress

“Amanda Anne Platt is easily one of the best songwriters coming out of Western NC these days, and she really needs to be discovered by the national Americana world. Her moving delivery, accompanied by Pete James’ tasteful guitar work and harmonies, make The Honeycutters an act that really should not be missed. We can’t stop playing their CD “Irene” here at WNCW!” – Martin Anderson, Music Director WNCW

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Martin Johansson

Johansson och det starka bandet is a Swedish band from Goteborg on the Swedish west coast.  This is their second tour in the United States.  The band has released 3 albums, covering everything from rock´n roll to pure folk music. The latest album Amerikat inspired this US tour.  The album is a rock-opera, containing 20 songs about the young emigrant Gustav Johansson from Sweden.  The project started in 2004 when Martin Johansson, the founder and leader of the band, visited his relatives in Illinois and Minnesota. The trip to USA inspired him to create a story that starts in Dalsland Sweden and goes all the way to Clarkfield Minnesota.

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Just when you thought you’d heard all that the Americana/Folk revival could show you, Misner & Smith bring a freshness and lyrical vitality you won’t find anywhere else. When you hear these two performers you’ll think they were born to sing together, with an exceptional and indescribable vocal blend that cuts right to your soul. At moments raw and powerful, and at other times hauntingly subtle, extraordinary two-part harmonies anchor Misner & Smith’s unique and compelling original music.

Megan Smith plays the upright bass and mandolin while Sam Misner plays guitar, and with stellar award-winning songwriting to boot, Misner & Smith retain a connection to roots music that has been described as “the perfect balance between traditional and contemporary”. Paul Liberatore of the Marin Independent Journal called Sam “one of the most promising songwriters I’ve heard in quite some time.” Though it is not always easy to put their music into one category it is evident that the tradition of duets is truly alive and well in these two performers. You will be amazed at the fullness of sound and depth of songs from Misner & Smith.

The duo began their musical collaboration after working together as actors on a production of the  musical Woody Guthrie’s American Song and immediately recognized a mutual love of Americana music, particularly focused on vocal harmonies. Since then, the two have been touring regularly and have built a steady and loyal following. They have performed on the main stages at both the San Francisco and El Cerrito Folk Festivals, and recently headlined at Berkeley’s famed acoustic venue, the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse. Hicks With Sticks Magazine described Misner & Smith as “a Bay Area treasure to be shared…with a touch for taking simple ideas and infusing them with unexpected meaning, metaphor and imagery.”

In 2007, “Madeline (Paradise Cracked)” won the West Coast Songwriters Association’s Song of the Year competition.  The title track of their most recent release “Poor Player” (2008) was nominated in the New Folk category in one of the world’s largest international song contests put on by the Just Plain Folks music organization. It is the combination of strong songwriting and vocal delivery that drove RARwriter.com to declare “this is truly inspired vocalizing, this is ‘shivers up the spine’ singing!”

Tickets: $35 advance / door

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Note: The Folklife Masters series tends to sell out quickly. Don’t lose your chance to claim a seat at this one-of-a-kind venue!

Northwest Folklife and Empty Sea Studios are proud to present the third concert in the 2009 Folklife Masters concert series.

Folklife Masters presents one-of-a-kind concerts which bring master musicians from different traditions together to collaborate and inspire on stage. In our intimate 45-seat listening room, every nuance of these masters’ performances can be savored.

A portion of the proceeds go directly to support Northwest Folklife.

Mirah & Kane Mathis: A World of New Traditions

Mirah Tom Tov Zeitlyn has been at the heart of the vibrant Northwest independent music scene ever since her debut album. Signed by legendary underground record label K Records in 1999, her music has always been eclectic, drawing from a myriad of global influences and using musicians from many different backgrounds.  In Kane Mathis, Northwest global musician par excellence, Mirah has found the perfect collaborator.  Kane is a sublime musician and truly dedicated to the traditions that he studies.  Considered a master of the West African harp known as the kora, as well as an excellent Turkish lute (eud) player, Kaneis music is always engaging and subtle. When matched with Mirah’s introspective songwriting, the duo represents the best of Northwest acoustic music. This will be an evening of soul-driven music with roots reaching to the far corners of the earth.

Mirah’s career in music has been more varied and eclectic than nearly any other artist in the world of independent music. Her early albums were an exploration of the territories beyond lo-fi, aiming to transcend technical limitations and to push the boundaries of “indie-rock” towards a more meaningful communicative goal. With each album, Mirah has pushed herself and her music further, like a modern-day sonic explorer. The release of her newest album, (a)spera, saw her collaborating with a wide range of musicians from indie producer Tucker Martine to global percussionist Mehmet Vurkac and Chris Funk of The Decemberists. She collaborated closely with Kane Mathis for this record, resulting in a beautiful duet track, “The Shells”, that featured Kane on kora with Mirahis ethereal vocals. Mirahis artistry defies description, but her music is anchored by her thoughtful songwriting and her beautiful vocals.

A musical renaissance man, Kane Mathis has traveled the globe to immerse himself in some of the world’s most beautiful traditions. Years of study with generous masters has led him to a mastery of his chosen instruments: the Western guitar, the Turkish oud and the Gambian kora. Kane began taking trips to The Gambia, West Africa in 1997 and has continued rigorous study of the Mandinka Kora. Over the past ten years his performances have earned him recognition by the Gambian president, The Gambian minister of culture, and both national television and radio of The Gambia. Not content to devote himself to a single instrument, Kane moved from the kora to the Turkish oud, an ancestor of the Western lute. He studied the oud both in Istanbul and here in Seattle with Oud virtuoso Munir Nurttin Beken, then visiting artist at the University of Washington. Throughout all his musical journeys, Kane brings the same dedicated focus on mastering a purity of sound. This is what makes him such a compelling artist.

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Evie Ladin is a banjo player, step-dancer, singer, songwriter and square-dance caller with a lifetime of experience in traditional American cultural arts. She grew up in a trad folk scene up and down the Eastern Seaboard of the US, travels the world, and calls the rich arts scene in Oakland, California home. The new project, the Evie Ladin Band, debuts her original songs in an expansive stringband led by gutsy clawhammer banjo and rich vocals. A natural performer, Evie loves rolling the music, dance and stories up in one dynamic package, with one foot rooted in traditional forms, and one foot striding on ahead. With Dina Maccabee – violin (Real Vocal String Quartet, Japonize Elephants) Erik Pearson - guitar, Dobro (Crooked Jades, Mushroom), and Keith Terry – bass & percussion (Slammin, Crosspulse).

With The Stairwell Sisters, all-gal old-time teardown, Evie performs traditional and original material on clawhammer banjo, vocals, clogging and hambone. With Keith Terry & Crosspulse, she performs rhythm-based multi-cultural music & dance works, bringing her Appalachian skills to collaborations with a variety of other cultural arts, including other styles with roots in the African Diaspora. Evie calls rowdy community square dances, performs for extremely diverse populations of school-kids, tears it up at clubs and festivals, and slogs away in the office, keeping all the plates spinning.

Very excited to see Float Downstream break free, Evie is writing songs for the next record, choreographing rhythm dance, working on a book for banjo called “Making the Leap” and playing swing chords on the guitar. She teaches banjo, singing and dance at home in Oakland when you can find her there, or on Skype!

Charlie Beck, hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana, is a highly accomplished musician. His mastery of guitar and banjo come from years of consistent study. He is well versed in jazz and swing, is an avid enthusiast of old American blues and string band music. His repertoire includes a bushel of traditional folk tunes along with many jazz numbers. A talented songwriter, Charlie’s original compositions combine modern approaches with traditional styles, giving his songs a unique sound. Charlie is an outstanding vocalist, and also plays brilliantly on fiddle.

Charmaine “Lady Li-Lei” Slaven, from Stevensville, Montana, is a gifted dancer, and her skill at traditional percussive buckdancing is phenomenal. She is also an adept rhythm guitarist, ukulele player, and vocalist. Her clear, strong singing style is reminiscent of the Carter family. She brings a fine repertoire of traditional ballads to the duet, along with several of her original works.

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“Let’s Get On with The Illusion,” sings Barton Carroll on his fourth album, Together You and I on Skybucket Records, out January 19, 2010.

It’s a song about love – but a shoulder-shrug type of love that resigns itself to “I guess this is good enough.” A cynical narrative runs through the album for sure, but Carroll’s sardonic wit is coupled with lightly shuffling horns, making for  happy sounding songs instead of a somber ones. His tone and sleight-of-hand songwriting skill gained him critical acclaim for his previous release, The Lost One from Pitchfork, Harp, American Songwriter and more. Is Carroll is singing about his own experiences or smiling with a beer and watching others screw it up (and then taking home the girl)?

“I tried to think like Cole Porter when I wrote that song. He was a master at metaphor,” says Carroll.  “His songs were sweet and dark, hopeless and happy, fresh and unashamedly cliché. Sounds a lot like love.”

A North Carolina native who now lives in Seattle, Carroll’s songs are structured in folk traditions he grew up with, but he trades in standard instrumentation for the west Coast horn sound of Craig Flory, and the production of Jazz bassist, Matt Weiner. The three bonded over a love of the Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond records of the 1960′s, and the influence comes through. He also sings his first duets with Seattle singer Anna Lisa Notter.

Carroll’s love for a previous era comes alive on the first track,  “The Poor Boy Can’t Dance.” “I love how the band sounds on this one. They sound like a WWII era English Swing band: the kind of guys who are classically trained, but they have just been bitten by the Swing bug. Love that clarinet!,” says Carroll.

“Something Good” is the only song Carroll didn’t write, and it comes from an odd-sounding source for a Seattle based musician – The Sound of Music. “This has been a regular in my live set for the past few years. It was the first song that I decided to put on this album, and I think it sets the tone for the whole record. I think it lives beautifully between hope and sadness. And I thought the first line sounded a bit like a Barton Carroll song, ‘Perhaps I had a wicked childhood. Perhaps I had a miserable youth.’”

The title song is akin to a desultory short story – a follow up to “Burning Red And Blue,” a song of destructive love from the last record. But, with Notter’s vocal and traces of hope in the characters, maybe their ending will be okay after all. “The characters are a few years older. The man has been imprisoned, and the woman is trying to adjust to life alone in a foreign land. This is the conversation they have through the prison glass.” (MORE)

Barton Carroll grew up in Banner Elk, North Carolina. He has toured and recorded in Crooked Fingers, Azure Ray and Dolorean. “Together You And I” is his fourth solo album. He lives in Seattle.

Praise for The Lost One

“Putting his songwriting at the forefront, the straightforwardness of the arrangements make his character sketches sound believably plainspoken instead of clever. The Lost One is a fine way to spend 42 minutes, and probably best served with scotch.” Pitchfork

“While most folks are either struggling with something, creating tension in their music, and others are relying on more traditional methods and sounds to form their music, Carroll somehow makes it seem effortless… the beauty of his songs leaves a feeling of easiness…This is excellent Americana without a hint of twang, but so much soul and depth that it needs to be heard. Give your soul the dark light that it craves and give The Lost One a listen.” Hybrid Magazine

“One of the most stunning of these tracks, is “Burning Red and Blue”, built on a circling 12/8 blues riff that’ll put you in mind of “House of the Rising Sun”.  There’s a menace in the verse, as the narrating character insinuates “I’ll be out back / In my blue jeans / And my gun” to a woman who is clearly not entirely free to make her own choices.  It’s masterfully done, though, the whine of steel guitar, the deep baritone mutterings, the half-sketched portrait of destructive love.” Popmatters

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“Jeremy Facknitz is a one-man acoustic act with the panache needed to become a star, armed with a melodic voice and a truckload of charisma…” - Sydney Hamilton, Colorado Springs Independent

“As a solo artist, Facknitz clearly developed a driving rhythm style on the acoustic to propel his music. When his sound is backed by a band, the layers of rhythm and harmony are quite tasty.” - Bill Reed, Colorado Springs Gazette

Jeremy Facknitz didn’t even pick up a guitar and begin writing songs until he was 18 years old. His aunt, a songwriter herself, passed down her old Yamaha acoustic to Jeremy as Christmas gift. Within a few short months, the Michigan native found himself competing in local talent shows and jamming in various basement bands. In 1997 he made the trek upstairs and joined the Detroit-based band ‘The Ottomans’ (2001 Best New Alternative Band, Detroit Music Awards). Jeremy played bass guitar in the project, was the main music contributor to the groups compositions. After ‘The Ottomans’ parted ways in 2002, Jeremy and brother Jarod formed under the moniker ‘Standing Room Only’ and shared their not-so-subtle mix of deadly serious and comedic songs with intimate coffee shop gatherings throughout the mid-west. Since going solo in September 2003, Jeremy has lived and played all over the United States. Having completed U.S. mini-tours in 2006 and 2008, plans are underway for a 2010 tour to support his new album, “Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”. Jeremy is currently living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he performs and teaches lessons.

Singer/songwriter Teresa Storch is constantly moving, either on stage or in her Pontiac Vibe. She has been releasing albums and touringnationally since 2003, spreading her funky-soulful folk throughout the country. She’s now known as a voice and presence not to be missed, with a passion you feel from the audience and a connection like she’s known you forever. She’ll draw you in with her rich, engaging voice, rhythmic, percussive guitar and writing that has roots in folk, jazz and blues–pulling stories from real-life and taking snapshots of what matters most.

“She inhabits her songs so fully you can’t help but be pulled into her world.” – Boston Herald writer Daniel Gewertz

“One of the most inventive writers and solid performers coming out of Boston today. Makes me proud to be one.” –Vance Gilbert

“Storch infuses contemporary singer/songwriter with traditional folk vibe…It’s no wonder she’s being recognized in her genre.” –Soundcheck Magazine

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Reared among the Pentecostal pines of Oregon, Rachel Harrington has been doing things in the wrong order for quite some time. She’d had extensive radio play before performing her live show, and she was opening for Grammy winners and nominees before releasing her first record.

Rachel’s critically acclaimed 2007 debut, The Bootlegger’s Daughter, (featuring guest musicians John Reischman and Danny Barnes) went to #1 on the Euro-Americana Chart and landed the Seattle siren smack in the center of the UK Americana scene when legendary BBC DJ Bob Harris proclaimed Bootlegger’s Daughter one of the best albums of the year. The following year of aggressive touring saw Harrington playing festivals in a dozen countries with some of the top names in bluegrass and country music.

Rachel’s 2008 follow-up record, City of Refuge, features several guests including Tim O’Brien and Pieta Brown. City of Refuge garnered further acclaim, reaching millions of listeners when Starbucks requested three of the cds 10 tracks for in-store play throughout the US, supported by national US distribution from Burnside.

After three straight months of touring internationally during the summer of 2009, which included headline spots the Glasgow Americana Festival (Scotland) and the Maverick Festival (England), Rachel is being touted as the hardest working woman in Americana. 2010 sees Rachel headlining the UK’s largest festival, Celtic Connections, and showcasing at the prestigious International Folk Alliance Conference.

Q Magazine: FOUR STARS! “Gothic tracks on an inspiringly original album”

Mojo: FOUR STARS! “Beguiling!”

Sound Northwest: FOUR STARS! “Harrington has a gift of making the old new again”

Utne Reader: “like the young Emmylou”

That voice, called a “soulful howl from the mountains” (California Bluegrass Association) is calling attention around the country—”What? California girls don’t sing like that!!?” But Rita, called “the real thing” by CA acoustic music fans, will tell you about her upbringing in rural Shasta County, and the old-time band of seasoned mountain characters that took her under their wings. “This California girl comes by her mountain-music sensibility with true authenticity, with original songs deeply rooted in her family’s frontier experience,” (Dan Ruby, FestivalPreview.com.) A descendant of Cornish miners who sang in the mines, Rita grew up with deep regard for folk music and the power of the voice.

Rita’s songs have been lauded for story and sense of place, and her performances praised for capturing the audience. Honors include winner of the ’08 Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest at the Sisters Folk Festival, finalist for the ’09 Telluride Troubadour Contest, and others as well. She has played her songs for appreciative listeners at the Strawberry Music Festival, Kate Wolf Music Festival, and many more. Rita points out that she likes to “get to the heart of the matter.” As with a mystic, this means a loaded and stunning, yet gentle and compassionate delivery. As Craven adds, “Rita’s messages are immediate yet patient and her quiet conviction most strong.”

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Please join us for this “in-the-round” style show as Ali Marcus, Trina Willard, and Michael Connolly share the Empty Sea stage for a night of tight harmonies, singing strings, and general merriment.

Ali Marcus is a Seattle-based songwriter who tours the country singing songs for people. She has sang at festivals around America, including CMJ, Northwest Folklife Festival, and Noise for the Needy. She has sang in lots of awesome joints, like the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, IOTA Cafe in Virginia, the Evening Muse in Charlotte, the Starry Plough in Berkeley, the Experience Music Project in Seattle. She runs her own label and produces her own music and books her own tours. She also writes her own press releases, and talks about herself in the third person.

In the past year, Ali has toured in 15 states, including NYC’s CMJ, Nashville’s Bluebird Café, DC’s IOTA Café, Cambridge’s Lizard Lounge, Berkeley’s Starry Plough, and Seattle’s Experience Music Project. She has recently wrapped up a four-month tour of the Pacific Northwest with a trip to Oregon and California, hitting up places like the Makeout Room in San Francisco, the East Village in Monterey, and the redwoods along the way.

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.”

Michael’s familiarity with a range of genres from classical to jazz, Irish to old-time has landed him in a number of performance situations from recording with the University of Michigan Symphony to playing celidh dances in Saint Paul pubs to sharing the stage with the Indigo Girls.  As a sideman, Michael has backed musicians such as Coyote Grace, Korby Lenker, Captain Gravel, Amber Darland, The Starlings, Kate Graves and others.