Rain City Tales & Tunes with Auntmama, Colin Isler, and Willie Weir
Tickets: $9.00 advance, $12.00 at the door.
Click here to purchase tickets.
Rain City Tales & Tunes is a brand-new radio show which brings the Northwest’s best storytellers and musicians together onstage. Taped in front of a live audience at Empty Sea, the show features acoustic music and tale-telling. Each episode features a unique theme, and audience members are invited to volunteer for the storytelling spotlight.
Produced jointly by Empty Sea Studios and KBCS storyteller Auntmama (Mary Anne Moorman), Rain City will be available to public radio stations this fall.
June 15th’s theme is “You Win Some, You Lose Some,” featuring storyteller Willie Weir and singer-songwriter Colin Isler.
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Seattle native Colin Isler began playing music before he could read. As a 4 year-old Colin’s cello was almost larger than him, but as he grew older, and taller, his love for music also grew, prompting him to learn the guitar and
harmonica. Over the years Colin has performed and recorded a wide variety of music, from post rock to classical, with many different Seattle groups including The Head and the Heart, Post Harbor, Conrad Ford, Rebels &
Scientists, and The Tallest Building in the World. Most recently you can find him playing and singing with The Washover Fans, an American roots and folk group who released their debut album in May 2011. Colin, partnered with engineer and producer Steve Aguilar, co-owns and manages Bearhead Studio which recently relocated to a new recording and mixing space in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. When Colin is not making music he designs circuits and professional audio equipment.
www.colinisler.com
www.thewashoverfans.com
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Willie Weir has played the fools of Shakespeare and the nerds of musical comedy. He has worked as an actor, columnist, commentator, photographer, truck driver, bike courier, public speaker and tour guide.
He’s broken a couple of world records and way too many dishes. He has lived in Seattle for 25 years and lived in a billboard for 32 days. He’s received a couple of awards, but has thrown away all of his trophies. His wife’s name is Kat. His cat’s name is Deeter. He’s written two books (*Spokesongs* and *Travels with Willie*) and read a few more than that.
He shares a birthday with President Obama but rarely shares dessert.
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Named Auntmama by a nephew of choice, Mary Anne Moorman gathers audiences up in her blend of music, and storied southern lore. Her voice is a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains at dusk, rolling and misted sweet. These stories are conversations with memory as well as with the audience that’s enjoying them.
“I’d be a singer if I could sing, but I like music too much to mess it up,” she says. Her Appalachian roots are intertwined with the music she grew up with, many of her stories reflecting that harmonic heritage through influences from Gershwin, Cole Porter, Flatt & Scruggs, and Porter Wagoner.
The Stranger has written of Auntmama’s tales: “As a precious, southern belle, she’s conflicted and her extremes and voice boil out the sweetest words I think I’ve ever heard in my life. A real gem, she is. Glad I saw it, haven’t stopped hearing her lilting voice in my head.”
Moorman, a former machinist, management consultant and journalist, teaches storytelling at Washington State’s famous Wintergrass festival, Northwest Folklife Festival, Hugo House’s Write-O-Rama, as well as offering workshops throughout the country. She is the recipient of grants from Artist Trust, 4Cultural and the City of Seattle. Her three albums are available through her website, in local bookstores or through iTunes. She can be heard every Sunday morning on KBCS 91.3 FM.
Typewriters and tubas and bird whistles, Oh my! The Scarring Party makes some noise at the Studio
Interview by Elaina Ellis, Empty Sea Studios
The Scarring Party, all the way from Milwaukee, will make their west-coast debut at Empty Sea Studios on April 22nd. We corresponded with tuba and trumpet player Isabella Carini, about the sounds The Scarring Party will be making in Seattle next week.
How do you describe your sound/style, for folks who are new to The Scarring Party?
End-timey seems to be the term we’ve adopted over the past 5 or 6 years. We perform tuba, accordion, and banjo driven music drawing on the influence of 20’s and 30’s music hall, Lomax folkways recordings, as well as 70’s punk. We tend to use unorthodox percussion, such as 40 pound cast-iron bells, vibraphone, and tongue drum. Dan croons through a hand-built copper microphone. People can expect to hear songs about zombies, the apocalypse, and dog boys. You know, the usual. We’re also looking forward to playing this show with Erin Jorgensen, a local vocalist and marimba player.
How would you describe the music scene in Milwaukee, and (how) does your band fit that picture?
The Midwest is finally starting to get a little attention, whether it’s because of 
bands that are actually getting some national exposure, recording studios, or great venue spaces. We’re lucky to be a part of that and to have found like-minded people to be in a creative community with. New things are popping up around Milwaukee all the time, but a lot of bands that we kind of “grew up” with in our city are calling it quits. I think each of our records (as different as they are) still represent us now as well as where we’re hoping to continue moving in the future. We’ve always been kind of odd in Milwaukee, but I think people are starting to realize that a band format outside of “drums, bass, guitar” can be interesting, too. It’s great knowing that we can throw orchestral chimes, an array of brass, and some bird whistles on a record, and people might actually like it.
What brings you to Seattle and/or to Empty Sea in particular?
This is our first trek out West (which we’re extremely excited about). Seattle seemed like a great place to start. It’s a city with a rich history of unconventional music. Empty Sea was recommended to us as a space that supports all kinds of traditional and non-traditional acoustic music, so we’re hoping to enjoy the intimate setting for our first night out.
Is it true that typewriters sometimes make an appearance amongst your other instruments? Do tell…
This is true! We have one song in particular that it makes a special appearance in, however, due to our situation on this tour with air travel, we weren’t able to bring one along this time. We are actively encouraging people to bring a typewriter to our shows on this tour. No joke, we’ll use it!
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Get your tickets to see The Scarring Party, with Erin Jorgensen, here!
Forrest Gibson, Jim Miller, Cahalen Morrison and Ethan Lawton
Tickets: $8 advance, $12 at the door.
Sorry, this show is completely sold out! No tickets will be released at the door.
Catch a one-time, wild-hair-of-a-show by four distinct Seattle roots musicians. An evening of traditional, original, and cover songs, three part harmonies, rippin’ instrumentals, and general, all around fun. Don’t miss it!
Forrest Gibson started playing bluegrass mandolin and guitar after he moved to a log cabin in Denali Park, Alaska. Gradually moving further north to Fairbanks, he found himself deeply drawn to the blues as well as old time and Cajun/Zydeco music, picking up the electric guitar in the process. A long-time performer in various duos and trios as well as in many bands including the Improbabillies and the Harmonicasters, he now spends his days working for the Experience Music Project in Seattle while carving out time for music and beyond.
Jim Miller grew up on the music of a local Seattle musician, Jimi Hendrix, but quickly realized that his hopes of being a guitar god were out of reach. As an alternative, he learned bluegrass and old time music. Jim has been singing and playing traditional American music on guitar and banjo for over 30 years. He co-founded the New York based roots rock band Donna the Buffalo in 1990 and toured nationally with them for 15 years. In addition to recording five CDs with DTB, Jim has recorded with Tim O’Brien, Jim Lauderdale, Ginny Hawker, Dirk Powell, and Tara Nevins. He currently writes books about moths and butterflies, performs with The Starry Ramblers, an old time band based in Ithaca, New York, and plays electric guitar with Louisiana legend Preston Frank as a member of Big Daddy Zydeco.
Cahalen Morrison h
ails from the high desert of Northern New Mexico. He grew up playing drums in a country and norteño dance band, playing all the dance bars before he hit the age of 14. At home, he was surrounded by old-time, bluegrass and country music, and spent a good deal of time playing guitar with his dad, who plays a mean old-time and Irish fiddle. After studying jazz drums in college, Cahalen hit the road, solo, and toured the US and Canada nonstop for 3 years, before landing in Seattle. Currently his full time project is a duo with Seattle multi-instrumentalist and singer Eli West. Together they tour the US, Canada and Europe, and just released their debut record, “The Holy Coming of The Storm,” which is currently charting on the Americana charts, both in the US and Europe, and garnering high praise from press all across the world.
Born and raised in Seattle, Ethan Lawton has been a big figure in the bluegrass scene for many years. A powerful force on the mandolin, and a voice to be reckoned with, Ethan lends his hand on mandolin in Zoe Muth and The Lost High Rollers, and with his trio, Armstrong Lawton Katz.
Grab your tickets today for this unique opportunity to see four distinct talents on one sweet stage!
Monarch Duo with Timba Harris & Hadi Karima Asil
Tickets: $9 advance, $12 at the door.
Sorry, this show is completely sold out! No further tickets will be released at the door.
Monarch Duo makes new the music of the old world. Composed in classical tones and textures, their original songs breathe fresh life into the gypsy andklezmer traditions.
A collaboration between musicians Eli Rosenblatt and Cameron Peace, the two nylon string guitarists have been shaping their music for nearly three years as the Monarch Duo. They have stayed active performers since the groups inception and released a self titled album in 2009.
Their compositions represent the mosaic of sounds that have brought them joy and inspiration throughout life. A largely self-taught guitarists and vocalist, Eli blends the songs of his Ashkenazi heritage with his knowledge of Latin America music and his study of classical guitar. Cameron graduated with a degree in classical guitar and performs in groups ranging from folk and salsa to jazz and hip-hop. The group is currently writing and performing pieces for the next record.
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Timba Harris & Hadi Karima Asil met shortly after Asil’s arrival in the United States, and hit it off instantly as musical friends.
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, much like a banjo, and sounds somewhat like the Indian sitar.
Timba Harris is a Seattle-based violinist and composer. He spends his time performing and recording both at home and internationally with avant-rock groups Secret Chiefs 3 and Master Musicians of Bukkake, as well as acoustic chamber groups including the Gyan Riley Trio and a duo with Seattle’s own Eli Rosenblatt.
Limited experience with each others’ traditions has resulted in a special opportunity to share with each other unfamiliar musical playgrounds and new ideas. They would like to share with you the resulting dialogue, which includes improvisations based on the crossroads of their musical backgrounds, as well as the centerpiece of their performance, a traditional Persian music composition in the chahar gaah style.
The Downtown Mountain Boys
Tickets are $12 advance, $16 at the door.
Click here to purchase advance tickets.
The DownTown Mountain Boys, based in Seattle, Washington, is the PacificNorthwest’s most exciting and accomplished bluegrass band.
An exciting combination of tight harmonies and red-hot picking….An entertaining and engaging stage show…
A repertoire that spans best-loved standards and high-quality original material…
Veteran blue- grassers Terry Enyeart (bass and vocals), Dave Keenan (banjo and vocals), Don Share (guitar and vocals), Tom Moran (mandolin), and Paul Elliott (fiddle), seen for years in such popular Northwest bands such as Ranch Romance, Rural Delivery, Brother’s Keeper, Rainy Pass, and Who’s Driving?, have come together in a match made in musical heaven. Take three-part harmonies that send shivers up your spine, add dazzling instrumental fire-power, and you have the sound of The DownTown Mountain Boys.
Here’s what folks are saying about the band:
“The cream of Seattle-area pickers, top teachers, session musicians, and musicologists.” —Tom Petersen, Victory Music Review.
“It’s a very tight sound delivered with the confidence that comes with many years of working together to hone a great sound.” —George McNight, Uptown Bluegrass.
“Composed of Seattle’s top bluegrass Musicians, the Downtown Mountain Boys kicked off their set with the high-powered original tune ‘Back in The Black.’ With a sound bridging the classic to the modern, bearing influences from groups such as the Lonesome River Band and The New South, the Downtown Mountain Boys kept the audience in awe.” —Michael LaRoche, Concert Promoter, Shoreline Community College.
“Now obviously, all of these guys are talented and seasoned musicians, but they have something going here that is really exciting, and that goes beyond them as individuals. If you have a chance to catch the Downtown Mountain Boys, it is well worth the cost of a baby sitter, and if you don’t need a sitter, then you’ll be getting an even better deal.”—Dave Campbell, Yahoo Northwest Bluegrass List.
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.
