Jes Raymond w/ Squirrel Butter
Tickets: $10 advance, $12 at the door.
Click here to purchase advance tickets.
There are things you should know about Jes Raymond. Her favorite word is wonder. She loves and laughs. She takes it too far, and she is not sorry.
Her songs have climbed mountains. They meditate on gravity, color and flight. They have gotten their hands as dirty as they get. They are a radio, forgotten in a treetop. They eat their bran cereal (they are good little songs). They are the small stories of our moments that become our days, that become our lives. And they are presented as they are lived, from a whisper to a wail.
Jes is a beguiling performer, combining her voice, poetry, and all the rhythm and sound one can juice from a guitar and feet. She notes her influences as country, old-time, swing jazz, rock and roll, bluegrass and folk. She is backed by Her Famous Band, headed up by Famous Jake (Jakob Breitbach) on fiddle and the Professor (Morgan Thompson) on acoustic bass.
She has performed solo, with Her Famous Band, and as a member of several ensembles including The Blackberry Bushes, and The New Prohibition Band. She performs in acoustic houses, house concerts, galleries, pubs, cafes, street corners and festival stages. Wherever she is playing, there is a celebration, and an audience who hears a path from tradition to modern illuminations.
Appearing with Jes is Squirrel Butter, the duo of Charlie Beck and Charmaine Li-Lei Slaven. Charlie and Charmaine began performing together in 2005 after meeting at the Portland Old Time Gathering and discovering that they lived merely blocks away from each other in Seattle. The pair began busking, and soon realized that their individual styles, sense of rhythm, and tendency towards the quirky and obscure blended well together. It wasn’t long before they began performing at venues off the street.
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.
Pearl Django
Tickets: $13 advance, $15 at the door.
Click here to purchase advance tickets.
Entering their fifteenth year of performing, Pearl Django continues to be one of America’s most respected and busiest Hot Club style groups. Though still strongly influenced by the music of Django Reinhardt, Pearl Django’s repertoire now includes many original compositions. Their music reaches out across the divides of taste to a wide variety of audiences. The band’s fervent followers include Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli fans, guitar enthusiasts (and guitarists!), lovers of string music, including bluegrass devotees, who relish nimble, clean, intricate picking, “world music” fans drawn to French and Gypsy accents, plus jazz buffs and aficionados of the new swing music. Transcending simple categorization, Pearl Django packs in enthusiastic audiences at dancehalls and nightclubs, at folk music festivals and jazz festivals alike.
Voted favorite area jazz band 2003,
by Seattle Weekly readers!
“Pearl Django play(s) gypsy jazz…and they do it with such verve, skill and pleasure that
they’re pretty much irresistible to jazz and non-jazz listeners alike.”
—Seattle Weekly
“Pearl Django: The gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt done to perfection!”
—Paul de Barros, The Seattle Times (2002)
Broken Blossoms
Tickets: $13 advance, $15 at the door.
Click here to buy advance tickets.
The beauty of Broken Blossoms is that they are both new and familiar, rooted in tradition, yet rejuvenated by unique arrangements—a happy convergence of traditional bluegrass, gospel, country blues, and folk-pop.
Broken Blossoms is the unification of a group of highly recognizable performers in Boston’s celebrated folk-music circuit—its members gathered by gifted songwriter and guitarist, Andy Cambria, in support of some the city’s most prominent singer-songwriters.
Cambria, mandolin player, David Goldenberg, bassist/hammered dulcimer wizard, Simon Chrisman and banjo player, Charles Rose, performed regularly throughout 2008. The group recruited friend and 2009 National Old-Time Fiddle Champion, Kimber Ludiker, just before the year drew to a close and recorded a four-song EP in early 2009.
Although the members of the band have impressive personal resumes, with performances on such legendary stages as Grey Fox, Wintergrass, The Birchmere, The Grand Master Fiddle Championship, Falcon Ridge and Club Passim to their credit, it is their strength and style as a unit that’s made an instant impact on Boston’s roots-music scene. Talent buyer, Geoff Bartley, operator of Boston’s bluegrass Mecca, The Cantab Lounge, describes them thusly: “Every time I hear this band, they’re tighter, deeper and more poised. The sultry vocals and refined songwriting, steeped in traditional roots and bluegrass, vault the group into another category. Look out—these folks could become well-known very fast.”
Chuck E. Costa & Amber Darland
Tickets: $10.00 in advance, $12.00 at the door.
Click here to purchase advance tickets.
Chuck E. Costa‘s candid and visceral delivery of literate and well-crafted contemporary folk tunes has steadily raised his profile on the national club, coffeehouse and festival circuits.
Chuck never started playing guitar. Instead, he started rummaging through the basement in search of his grandfather’s baseball cards. Meddling through stacks of old china and piles of winter coats, he never found them. Something found him instead. Strumming it’s scraggly strings; a progression of broken chords, he played with an honesty and innocence that would be preserved in the songs he would later write.
Since earning a degree in philosophy in Boulder, Chuck, a native New Yorker, returned to the Northeast and released 3 independent albums and an EP since 2002. He is a modern day troubadour who has been touring the country consistently for several years cutting his teeth as a performer and songwriter. With his dulcet voice and emotive lyrics Chuck has grown into a singer/songwriter with a unique and honest voice.
Last year, Chuck released his third independent release Where the Songs Come From. Chuck teamed up with Mark Thayer of Signature Sounds to create an album of rich arrangements that stay true to the heart of each of Chuck’s candid and visceral songs. The opening track was selected to be featured on a compilation released by Hear Music in every Starbucks in North America. The album appeared on the Billboard charts in its first week of release.
He has shared the stage with such diverse nationally touring acts as; Rosanne Cash, The Weepies, Pete Seeger, Peter Case, Dar Williams, Josh Ritter and Andrew Bird to name a few.
“Sensitive, introspective…inspired.” – The New York Times
Amber Darland is one of the most exciting up-and-coming singer songwriters of the Pacific
Northwest. Darland’s
intensely personal music has the passion reminiscent of Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams and Shawn Colvin and the soulfulness of k.d. lang, the Carpenters and Dar Williams. She is a master at making the simple, evocative.
Amber’s music is compelling because it’s both political and deeply personal – and by design, purposeful. In her performances, the listener becomes an integral part of the moment. Darland’s delivery of powerful, honest poetry with pure vocals, strong melodies, infectious rhythms and personal stories keep the audience engaged and experiencing a wave of emotions. It is not uncommon for her listeners to move from tears to laughter or from personal reflection to political action in response to her music.
Amber Darland has shared the stage with Ferron, Tret Fure, Catie Curtis, Mary Gauthier, Laura Love, Adrianne, Sweet Talk Radio, Coyote Grace, Angie Evans, Nedra Johnson, Jen Todd, Gene Tagaban, Chris Pureka, Misled, and many others.
Kat Eggleston & Robyn Landis
Tickets: $13 in advance, $15 at the door.
Click here to purchase advance tickets.
Kat Eggleston is one of the most accomplished guitarists and singer/songwriters in the folk, Celtic and traditional music genres. Elating, moving, and amusing audiences with her beautiful blend of sweet melodies, gentle honesty and searing humor, Kat’s music reflects a wide range of life’s experiences with unusual clarity and authority.
In a clear alto with flawless intonation, Kat Eggleston goes straight to the lyrical and emotional truth of every word and every note. Her musings on home, childhood, and her father’s garden are gems of direct, unassuming plainspokenness. Her narratives push hard at our senses and demand we return again and again to pick up the pieces we dropped on first hearing, expanding our comprehension of difficult, personal and universal experience
Kat has released five CDs to date, three of which are available from Waterbug Music, one from Redwing Music, and the most recent – Speak – in August 2009 as an independent release.
Also an actor, teacher and hammered dulcimer player, Kat has been a lead singer with The Otters and with Bohola, and recorded a duo CD with Kate MacLeod. She has played live and on recordings with David Bromberg, Bohola, the David Munnelly Band, Niamh Parsons, Jim Tullio, Tom Dundee, Dennis Cahill, Michael Smith, Brooks Williams, Andrew Calhoun, and many others. She has toured in Europe, Australia, Ireland, England, and Scotland as well as the U.S.
Robyn Landis is a writer of unusual depth and literacy. Her distinctive, powerful command of songcraft garners repeated
comparisons to Richard Shindell and Dar Williams.
Writing poetry at four and her first published magazine piece by 19, Robyn had a full career as a writer and author (publishing two bestselling health books in her twenties) before turning her focus to music. Her gifts and skills as a writer, applied to songcraft, earned her quick recognition. Since 2005 she has accrued more than 40 songwriting awards and honors.
She has won Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, first place at Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, second place in the Unisong International Songwriting Competition, a Telluride Troubadors honorable mention, and was a Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist in 2009.
Robyn is especially respected for her unflinching honesty, vulnerability, and fierce intelligence. Her courageous, heartfelt songs tackle subjects ranging from war to weather to love; adoption and dementia, betrayal and longing, friendship, child abuse, old sitcoms, and the environment.
Unpretentious, wistful and intimate vocals infuse her memorable folk-pop-Americana melodies with warmth and feeling.
Her followup/solo recording Many Moons, released May 2009, has guest appearances by Michael Lille, Mark Graham, Kat Eggleston, Larry Murante, Joe and Karena Prater (Cat Loves Crow), and Hans York; and features Paul Elliott on fiddle and Cary Black on bass.
Mark Tucker of Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange (FAME) says of Many Moons, “Every cut here is a keeper, and Landis obviously either lavished a good deal of time on the arrangements or has a natural gift for it, probably both. Like David Wilcox, her work is rich with sympathy for human frailty and the thousand and one disappointments the flesh is heir to… Robyn Landis, I’m quite sure, waited until her art was fully matured and, man, does it ever show.”
Indie-Music.com says, “Smooth vocals, like an earthy Laurie Lewis…Landis has won a lot of songwriting awards, and it’s easy to see why…Her writing is like a good short story.”
Nancy Vivolo, VICTORY REVIEW: “…smooth vocals caress the sensitive poetry and bittersweet sorrow…With each literary illustration, the landscape blurs by around another winding curve and bump in the road; another set of headlights grow then disappear in a flash, and yet a ghostly image remains…she can put you behind the wheel with her cohesive words and melody. Landis has been turning heads at many songwriters’ contests and festivals and as a result has chocked up her share of nominations and awards. Listening to the content and production quality of Many Moons, there is no doubt as to why…Many Moons is a brightly polished piece of work that will capture and carry you gently along on an intricate narrative adventure; an exceptional release.”
Sarah Sample & Kate Graves w/ Michael Connolly
Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 at the door.
Click here to purchase advance tickets.
Sarah Sample dishes up a plate of acoustic folk rock that is salty and sweet. In an era littered with shoegazing introverts, tragically detached hipsters, and overly stylized pop tarts, she stands out like a big, beautiful sore thumb. She lets the audience in by witnessing to what is known and felt by most of us. And wrapping it up in a way we may never have heard- or felt- it before. Engaging, witty, real. The songs and the moment become everyone’s. Just ask audiences from Austin, Texas to Logan, Utah where Sarah has played coffeehouses, concert halls, amphitheaters, and street corners with artists like Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart, Peter Breinholt, Julie Hill, and Colors.
The last thing Sarah Sample wanted to make was just another folkie -girl-with-acoustic-guitar album. Sure, the songs were born as just an acoustic guitar and a voice. And, in the folk tradition she loves and respects so much, would likely be taken across America that way. But she didn’t want to document them that way. At least not this time. Enter Scott Wiley (Bonnie Raitt, Tracy Chapman, Elliott Smith) and a new sonic palette. With plenty of reverence for the songs– because, after all, it’s all about the songs– they set out to take Sarah’s music into new territory. The album Never Close Enough is to Sarah Sample as “Flaming Red” is to Patty Griffin: a marked departure from a promising, acoustic debut but never too far away from her soulful folk roots.
Kate Graves writes little songs….little songs that are raw. She tries to spread them around like wildflower seeds. She likes wildflowers. If she could be a plant, she would be a thistle branch. She sometimes worries that by saying she would be a thistle branch, she is saying that she symbolically pricks things, but she still picks the thistle branch as her flower totem.
Kate Graves is neurotic. She’s okay with this term and generally uses it as a term of endearment…or when somebody is really bugging her.
Kate Graves likes kissing. And singing. And trying to explain to the world that her chihuahua is just scared and not really cold-hearted.
Appearing with Kate is Empty Sea’s own Michael Connolly, a versatile southern-born multi-instrumentalist whose fiddle, mandolin, and accordion have shared the stage with Coyote Grace, Captain Gravel, Korby Lenker, the Barbed Wire Cutters, and the Indigo Girls.
Kate and Michael share tight harmonies, beautifully understated phrasing, and the love of a good novelty song.
Sin Fronteras
Tickets: $13.00 advance, $15.00 at the door
Click here to buy advance tickets.
Sin Fronteras performs Latin American traditional and Nueva Cancion Music throughout Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Inmerse yourself in vibrant rhythms, soulful melodies, and breathtaking harmonies, weaving throughout the uncommon poetry of Latin America’s common people — songs of life, humanity, equality, justice, and hope.
Since 2002, the group has shared their music and commitment to promoting an understanding of the complexities of Latin America’s pueblos. Their music draws on the Canto Nuevo (New Song) tradition originating in the social movements of the southern cone. The New Song of Latin America is defined by lyrics which speak to the everyday experiences of the working class and the dispossessed. The form focuses its energy on the struggle against oppression.
Sin Fronteras blends original arrangements with the harmony of folkloric rhythms found in the music of Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina and Chile. Following in the steps of Violeta Parra, one of the originators of the Canto Nuevo, Sin Fronteras is reconstructing the collective memory of Latin American musical traditions. To that end, they also weave Andean and classical musical styles with the folkloric traditions of Mexico and Chile, rejuvenating and reinventing the rich musical history of Latin America.
Their members hail from the US, Colombia, Mexico and Chile.
Danny Schmidt
Tickets: $13.00 advance, $15.00 at the door
Sorry — this show has sold out!
Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter Danny Schmidt has been building an enthusiastic (nearly cult-like) following while simultaneously inspiring the admiration of his fellow artists and critical acclaim from industry professionals. He is the real deal, an authentic timeless troubadour in the tradition of Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Dave Carter, who delivers his craft with a quiet power, a level of complexity, and an underlying humanity that is truly rare in this age of sound bite marketeering.
It’s his songwriting which won him the prestigous Kerrville New Folk award, but it’s his intense live performances that leave listeners with a sense that each of his songs is necessary, plain and simple. His guitar work is effortless and sparkling, his arrangements are fresh and unpredictable, his voice ageless. Stylistically and musically, Danny’s writing spans an impressively diverse reach, from deeply-rooted Appalachian mountain gospel to haunted English balladry, from syncopated Piedmont country blues to vagabond 60’s protest folk-stumpery.
He tackles universal themes of love, loss, and longing . . . restless discontent and grateful joy. And he captures both the sorrow and the beauty inherent in our everyday lives with the wisdom of a perceptive, compassionate elder and with the innocent awe and tenderness of a child.
In the words of Sing Out Magazine: “He is perhaps the best new songwriter we’ve heard in the last 15 years.” And in the words of Texas Monthly: “With seductive simplicity, his music simply demands your attention.”
This is one show not to be missed.
Courtney Robbins w/ Jeremy Serwer, Kate Graves
Tickets: $8.00 advance, $10.00 at the door.
Click here to purchase advance tickets.
Courtney Robbins’ music is a little bit folk, a little bit rock, and whole lot of awesome. From percussive guitar rhythms reminiscent of train engines to the mellow, heartbreaking vocals of her ballads, this Tucson-based independent singer-songwriter spans several genres. Her energetic performance, hard- hitting riffs, and smart lyrics have established a powerful connection with her fast growing fan-base and earned her such descriptions as ““Powerful… [one] of Tucson’s best singer-songwriters” – Tucsonscene.com.
Known to “play the shit out of [the guitar],” Courtney’s blistering guitar style often leaves her fingers bleeding; her straightforward songwriting skills are a figurative match. She has landed both a finalist spot in the 2008 Tucson Folk Festival Songwriting Competition, and the praise of critics. Dramanonymous.com’s Anna Pulley cheers: “Robbins’ muscular rhythms and melodic grace are impossible not to tap along to. Infused with raw nostalgia and emotional urgency, Robbins’ music artfully blends the taut intimacy of an acoustic affair with galloping riffs and a fragile, folk sensibility.”
Courtney has not only established herself as a rising star in Arizona, but is also garnering the admiration of folk fans nationwide. Her dichotomy of personal experience and broad-spectrum emotion draws crowds, and she is finding a loyal audience as she winds a path of live shows across the country performing solo and warming up the stage for artists like Melissa Ferrick, Lucy Kaplansky, Catie Curtis, Edie Carey, Meghan Toohey, Eddie from Ohio, and Dar Williams.
“Bittersweet ballads from the nether world,” states Angela Yeager of Salem Oregon’s Statesman Journal, a description as good as any other for the sound of Jeremy Serwer. Jeremy’s songs are a meandering journey through Americana, angst, sorrow and disenchantment with US social policy.
KINK Radio in Portland says, “His songs run the gamut from emotionally charged heartbreakers to pointed political statements. His ability to generate emotion in an audience is testament to his songwriting expertise and a powerful bluesy expressive delivery.” Jeremy is no stranger to the road, having embarked on several jaunts about the US and has also performed around South Korea. Jeremy has been active in bands including Rich Man’s Burden, Acoustic Minds and Thistle. He has accompanied songwriter/performer veteran Anne Weiss and worked in recording and live performances with Eric Pollard (Low, Retribution Gospel Choir, Sun Kil Moon), Skip Von Kuske (Portland Cello Project, M. Ward, Vagabond Opera), Jimi Cooper (Dukes of Hubbard, No Wait Wait, The Fractals) and many others.
Jeremy’s latest release FM is a portrait of a nine year existence in Portland’s ebb and flow musical aura. Jeremy currently resides in Tucson, AZ and is very active with his new band Seashell Radio. Jeremy is now working on his second solo release with producer/bandmate Fen Ikner.
Kate Graves writes little songs. She tries to spread them around like wildflower seeds.
Kate Graves likes wildflowers. If she could be a flower, she would be a thistle branch. She sometimes worries that by saying she would be a thistle branch, she is saying that she symbolically pricks things, but she still picks the thistle branch.
Kate Graves just went off on a tangent while writing her bio…
Kate Graves writes little songs. Sometimes they are sparse…sometimes filled with lots of words.
Often they are written about things like tasting sweet orange on your lips and wanting to kiss someone, so that they can experience tasting sweet orange on their lips.
Kate Graves likes kissing. And singing. And trying to explain to the world that her chihuahua is just scared and not really cold hearted.
Kate Graves hopes that you will forgive her for writing her name 7 times over in this little bio. She hopes very much so that you will listen to her songs.
Coyote Grace – Double Header
Tickets: $10.00 advance, $12.00 at the door
Click here to purchase advance tickets for either date.
Coyote Grace was the first group to grace the Empty Sea stage when we opened this May. Now they’re back for two consecutive nights: Friday, September 4th and Saturday, September 5th. Both are at 8.00 PM.
Coyote Grace
Girl meets Girl. Girl becomes Boy.
Girl and Boy become a band.
Meet COYOTE GRACE.
If you want a lesson in organic chemistry, take notes as you watch the sparks fly between the acoustic downhome duo, COYOTE GRACE. This folktastic phenomenon is the result of combining one guitarist Joe Stevens, a transman from Northern California, with one upright bassist Ingrid Elizabeth, a sassy femme originally hailing from the hills of Southeastern Ohio. Together, they capture the eyes and the hearts of live audiences nationwide with their bluesy folkgrass sound, sweet harmonies, poignant songwriting, and mid-song dance moves.
Coyote Grace has shared the stage with such folk icons as Indigo Girls, Melissa Ferrick, Cris Williamson, and Lowen & Navarro. They can also be found wooing the crowds at colleges, festivals, conferences, coffeehouses, pubs, house concerts, farmers markets, and community centers alike. Although they spend most of the year on the road, the duo now resides in Sonoma County, California.
Spring 2009 brings the release of Ear to the Ground, the duo’s long-awaited sophomore studio album. In this latest evolution of their unique Americana/roots sound, Coyote Grace displays a striking musical maturation from their debut effort, filling out the duo’s sound with guest musicians on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, keys, and drums. Ingrid Elizabeth shows a stronger songwriting & vocal presence, while Joe Stevens continues to wear his heart on his sleeve with his emotionally charged, raw lyrics. The album’s mood ebbs and flows, winding from a sparse banjo/vocal duet, through a slow bluegrass ballad, to blues-driven full band sound to swinging country fiddle tune to pensive piano-kissed lullabye — a soundscape as tangible as the duo’s newfound home in the rolling hills of Sonoma County.
The two met while living in Seattle, and have been performing as a duo since December 2004, sharing the stage with bluegrass, old-time, folk rock, jazz, and cabarets alike. Coyote Grace spent the entire year of 2007 touring the country in their 1978 Chevy RV (Harvey), promoting their debut studio album, Boxes & Bags. Aptly titled, the album pays homage to the trademarks of their nomadic troubadour lifestyle, featuring 12 original tracks of acoustic alt-folk sounds, weaving fabrics of upbeat folkgrass, front-porch blues, lovesick serenades, broody funk, and freight train folk rock into a curious tapestry conveying themes of transformation, introspection, and the impermanence of identity.
Ben Mallott & Chris Marshall
Tickets: $13 advance, $15 at the door.
click here to buy advance tickets.
Roots formed in old standards, a juvenile heart, and his mother’s Ray Charles albums, Austin’s Ben Mallott uses his grainy timbre to remove the punctuation between singer and songwriter.
For his first solo release, Look Good, Feel Good, Mallott’s songs range from sentimental to sad to what he calls “unpredictably genuine”. A songwriter who admits his journeys have taken him from window seats to bathroom floors, he sticks to what works and in turn churns out his distinctive brand of Americana confession.
“I’m strange about where and when I write,” Mallott explains. “I try not to move my residence too often, because it usually takes a couple of months for me to find the place in the house that sounds and feels right. Where I live now, I stand about six inches from the back door and sing into it. It didn’t take me long to have a glass door installed.”
Personal as they are, Mallott confesses that his songs don’t distinguish between the literal and metaphorical. A blend of Americana heart and soul, each are shrouded in a little mystery to both the listener and the creator.
“I don’t know what they mean to me. I think if I really ever figured that out, I’d have to stop writing. I love the art of songwriting. I love the struggle involved. The songs are just windows. Some let in more light than others.”
Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Chris Marshall followed a fairly typical adolescent path. He found his mom’s acoustic guitar, taught
himself to play, then worked his way into what he calls “many short-lived punk, hardcore and emo bands.” He also honed his skills by playing in the church his dad founded when he was 14.
Then Marshall discovered the gospel of Willie and Johnny—as in Nelson and Cash—and the spirit of Elvis, as well as the poetic and literary influences that infuse the thoughtful songwriting found on his new EP, Starting Out.
The five-song collection is an exploration of life experiences: physical and metaphysical journeys, passion, pain, friendship, faith. It’s the work of a man who found his songwriting voice when he unlatched his cerebral cortex from the process and engaged his heart instead.
“I tried so hard in the beginning to write songs that would honor the tradition of the artists I admire, namely songwriters like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson,” Marshall admits. “They possessed such an unaffected, uncomplicated writing style.” His own lyrics frustrated him at first because they weren’t as simple and clearcut. But once he let go of expectations that he should write or sound a certain way, Marshall freed his muse and let in all of his influences, including writers and philosophers like Walt Whitman, C.S. Lewis and Soren Kierkegaard, as well as musical icons like Dylan and Kristofferson.
In the process, he’s developed a sound he describes as “uniquely American.”
“My generation seems interested in redefining what it means to be a member of the American musical heritage,” he explains. “That is precisely what I am doing with my work: borrowing and borrowing until we find something new.”
Folklife Masters: Dirk Powell & John Doyle
Tickets: $40 advance / door
Click here to purchase advance tickets.
Northwest Folklife and Empty Sea Studios are proud to present the first concert in Folklife Masters, a new acoustic music concert series.
Folklife Masters presents one-of-a-kind concerts which bring master musicians from different traditions together to collaborate and inspire on stage. A portion of the proceeds go directly to Northwest Folklife.
Dirk Powell & John Doyle
Old-Time and Cajun meet the Irish tradition
Currently on tour as Joan Baez’s backing band, fiddler/banjoist/singer Dirk Powell and guitarist/singer John Doyle will make their way over to Empty Sea after their sold-out ZooTunes gig to present a very special evening of traditional acoustic music.
Dirk Powell’s roots lie deep in the Appalachian mountains, and his recordings and collaborations have been an inspiration to many old-time and bluegrass musicians. John Doyle is one of the greatest living Irish guitarists, and his work with Irish super-group Solas created a whole new style of guitar accompaniment in the Irish tradition. Both of these master musicians are known as much for their innovations in traditional music as for their commitment to the music of their ancestors. Dirk and John are both amazing producers and arrangers, able to rebuild a traditional song or tune from the ground up, imbuing it with new life and energy while never losing sight of what made it so special in the first place. Our greatest hope for traditional music in a new century lies in musicians like Dirk Powell and John Doyle, for they can speak between generations and across divides.
Dirk Powell (fiddle, banjo, accordion, guitar, voice)
Dirk Powell has expanded on the deeply rooted sounds of his Appalachian heritage to become one of the preeminent traditional American musicians of his generation. In addition to acclaimed releases on Rounder Records, he’s recorded and performed with artists such as Loretta Lynn, Sting, Jack White, Levon Helm, Jewel, T-Bone Burnett, Tim O’Brien, Ralph Stanley, and Linda Ronstadt, among others. Dirk founded the Cajun group Balfa Toujours with his wife Christine Balfa and is currently Artistic Director of the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes. His ability to unite the essence of his culture with modern sensibilities has led to work with many of today’s greatest film directors, including Anthony Minghella, Spike Lee, Ang Lee, Victor Nuñez, Steve James, and Edward Burns.
In his early teens, Dirk formed a musical bond with his grandfather, James Clarence Hay of Sandy Hook, Kentucky, and discovered a personal resonance with traditions that stretch back to Scots-Irish ancestors who came to the mountains in the middle of the 18th century. Dirk learned banjo and fiddle firsthand in continuation of this line. He is equally adept on both instruments, as well as guitar and Cajun accordion. His ability as a multi-instrumentalist has made him one of the most in-demand musicians in traditional American music, and his ability to bring obscure songs and tunes from our distant past into our present has made him an innovator in any number of musical genres. Dirk Powell displays a vibrant creative energy that crosses boundaries while remaining grounded in the rural traditions of his heritage.
John Doyle (guitar, voice)
John Doyle’s gifts as a guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, and producer have played an essential role in the ongoing renaissance of Irish traditional music. As a member of Irish-American supergroup Solas, Doyle pioneered a rhythmic, sophisticated approach to Irish guitar accompaniment, setting a new standard for the instrument. Preserving the tasteful simplicity of tradition, Doyle nonetheless added a contemporary edge, finding fresh life in even the most well-worn of tunes. His playing encompassed hard-driving strumming, inventive chord voicings, precise single-note runs, and powerful rhythmic effects borrowed from traditional instruments such as the bodhran and fiddle.
Born in 1971 in Dublin to a family of musicians and singers, John Doyle was surrounded by traditional music from his earliest years. His father Sean is a remarkable singer and collector of songs, with a vast repertoire of traditional ballads committed to memory. Tommy Doyle, John’s Co. Sligo grandfather, taught him his first instrumental tunes. Two of his three brothers are musicians, as are various uncles, cousins, and other family members. John was playing professionally by the age of 16, and soon moved to New York City, where he began playing with Eileen Ivers and Seamus Egan. He first rose to international prominence with Solas (Gaelic for “light”), the all-star Irish/American band whose emergence heralded the arrival of a new generation of bold, inventive traditional musicians. Now an accomplished producer as well, Doyle has worked with such artists as Liz Carroll and Heidi Talbot. While with Solas, the guitarist also shared stages and studios with Frank McCourt, Linda Thompson, Kate Rusby, Mick Moloney, Brian Conway, Joannie Madden, James Keane, Karan Casey, and Cathie Ryan. He continues to innovate, finding the seeds of his contemporary approach within the tradition itself.
Duo photo by Emma Vasseur.
RedDog CD Release Party
Tickets: $8.00 advance, $10.00 at the door.
Click here to purchase advance tickets.
Please join us with RedDog as they celebrate the release of their debut album, Hard Times.
RedDog plays traditional music from the American Southeast—music that connects old-time tunes with the blues, with spirituals, and with stories. Specializing in sweet, haunting vocal harmonies and free-wheeling instrumentals, the band features Doug Yule on fiddle, Cary Lung on mandolin, and Tom Collicott on guitar and banjo.
Doug Yule grew up on the East Coast playing and singing from an early age. In 1968, standing on the wrong street corner, he was captured by The Velvet Underground, a cult rock band. Doug played bass with the Velvets for a time, then stayed on a rock ‘n’ roll track until he encountered the fine arts of carpentry and cabinet making. In the last few years he’s discovered a passion for the fiddle and for violin making. When he’s not knee-to-knee with RedDog playing tunes, Doug builds violins, violas, and cellos at Lasley & Russ Violin Shop in Seattle.
Cary Lung is from a small farm town in the San Joaquin Valley of California where he learned to sing and harmonize with his grandfather. In the mid-1960s he met Kenny Hall, the legendary mandolin player, who became his mentor. Cary recorded with the Sweets Mill String Band and, with the Portable Folk Festival, performed at festivals and in coffeehouses across the country. In the late 70s he changed directions and opened a magical toy store in Tucson. But the mandolin kept calling. He moved to Seattle in 2003 and tuned in to his musical roots.
Hard Times, RedDog's debut studio album, will be available for sale.
Tom Collicott has spent most of his adult life in Seattle behind a camera, carving out a successful career as a photo-illustrator and website designer. About 12 years ago he picked up the guitar of his youth. He found himself spending more and more time spellbound by the Southern roots music that has found a home in the Pacific Northwest’s thriving old-time music scene. And he found himself drawn to the close vocal harmonies. In addition to playing guitar and banjo in RedDog, Tom also performs with Seattle’s raucous Atlas Stringband.
For more information about the band, visit www.reddogseattle.com.
Guitar Workshop w/ Goh Kurosawa
Workshop Cost: $10.00.
Geared Towards: All levels (beginners to seasoned players / musicians)
This workshop is limited to 15 students — advance reservations are highly recommended!
Click here to reserve your spot.
“Reflections and Soundscapes of the Progressive Guitar”
Goh teaching a recent workshop in Japan
Topics will cover Goh Kurosawa’s approach to composition, improvisation, arranging, grooving, performance/practice concept, establishing a musical identity as well as musical genres including acoustic, electric, classical, finger-style, jazz, folk, rock, Japanese and flamenco.
Goh has taught clinics at universities, musical institutions, and festivals in the U.S and Japan. He is currently writing new works for the guitar which include over twenty small easy mid-level pieces (real music; not only for technical purposes) that will cover various styles of playing on nylon string, steel string, and electric guitars.
Some examples of the new works will be available as handouts at the clinic, as well as a fragment of Hitori (Part II: Groove) on Tabs and five-line staff notation. Hitori is a favorite of Goh’s listeners and Part II is available for preview on his website and MySpace. Bring a guitar, bring a note book, and most importantly, come with creativity!
This workshop is limited to 15 students — advance reservations are highly recommended.
Click here to reserve your spot.
An Evening With Goh Kurosawa
Tickets: $13.00 advance, $15.00 at the door
Click here to purchase advance tickets.
When it comes to solo guitar, Goh Kurosawa is a musician who approaches the instrument as if it were a full orchestra on its own. His solo release, HITORI, from Onigawara Records, is a thorough introduction to his versatility and musicality that touches upon the new and old traditions of finger-style, folk rock, jazz, classical, flamenco and Balkan rhythms. However the underlying inspiration of the music comes from soundscapes and reflections of Asia, his homeland.
Living and spending time in two entirely different countries (Japan and the United States) has guided Goh’s journey toward his unique style, which he performs on steel-string, nylon-string, and electric guitars. His love for the wide range of musical genres of the globe is highlighted through his compositions and improvisations. In addition to his solo works, Goh is the leader of his global instrumental ensemble, Sharp Three. The trio is featured on the final track of the album, a rarity in which Goh brings out his singing voice in Japanese.
Songs recorded on the album include seven original compositions, an original interpretation of a well-loved jazz standard, and an original arrangement of a popular TV theme song from Korea.
More information is available at www.happysad.org/goh.
