 January
11, 2003:
 GrooveLily
with We're About 9
GrooveLily's high-energy performances
have made them the talk of the folk community. They were a triumph at
this year's Kerrville Folk Festival. 50,000 copies of their mus ic are
being distributed by Microsoft in a program that last featured Santana
and the Brian
Setzer Orchestra. And, they'll knock your socks off with their upbeat
alterna-folk music featuring electric violinist and singer Valerie
Vogoda. These are the rising stars of the national folk scene: Catch
them on their way.
Special guests We're About 9 are a three-person group from
Maryland whose striking harmonies and intricate melodies caused Vance
Gilbert to say, " Fantastic...Some kind of a cross between The Kingston
Trio, The Four Tops, and The Story!" They showcased at this
year's prestigious Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.
January
25, 2003: Lui Collins
with Chris and
 Meredith
Thompson
Lui Collins is the real thing. She
meets an audience on her own terms, with an open heart and a wide smile,
and in the bes t folk tradition fills a magic evening with poetry, humor,
and songs derived from or inspired by her New England and
Appalachian roots. Dirty Linen calls her "incomparable"; Sing Out! calls
her "extraordinary"; the Boston Globe calls her "one of New England's
first and brightest stars." Her twenty years of performing, captured on
seven solo albums, makes her an unforgettable stage performer.
Special guests
Chris and Meredith Thompson are twin
sisters from Massachusetts whose soulful songs are presented with great
personal warmth, tight harmonies and impeccable guitar and flute
accompaniment.
Like Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span, to whom they are often
compared,
Broadside
Electric perform traditional English ballads, jigs, and reels
with the energy and immediacy
of modern electric arrangements. For example, their album "More Bad
News" contains a bouncy French dance tune, a set of reels, and a quick
and silly version of a song they got from the Animaniacs!, all played
with aplomb by the three instrumentalists on a total of 13 different
instruments. Woven throughout is an easygoing humor and a deep respect
for the original material.
Special guest
Mike Agranoff of Boonton is a beloved
leader of the New Jersey folk community. His recent CD, "Or Would You
Rather Get A Job?" features Broadside Electric on several tracks; so
expect plenty of sparks when he and Broadside share the stage.
Feb. 22, 2003 Vegetable
Valentine’s Day with Small Potatoes and special guest The Cucumbers
 Chicago
based married couple
Small
Potatoes (Jacquie Manning and Rich Prezioso) are
incredible entertainers.
They say it has taken them "years of careful indecision" to develop a
repertoire they de scribe as "celtic to cowboy." Superb musicianship and
showmanship, award-winning songwriting, and a strong sense of tradition
has made them, as Dirty Linen Magazine said, "one of the most polished,
inventive, and entertaining shows on the circuit." Bill Staines says,
"They're two of my favorite performers." Susan Werner raves, "I love the
Smalls!" But maybe the best compliment is from Cliff Eberhardt: "They'll
never open for me again!"
Special guests, New Jersey favorites
The Cucumbers, fronted by
married couple Jon Fried and Deena Shoskes, have honed their jangly
folk/rock sound, often compared to The Byrds or the B-52’s, since they
broke out of Hoboken as an indie phenomenon twenty years ago. Free
Valentine’s Day gift with every ticket!
March 8, 2003: Sons of the Never Wrong with special guest Bob Malone
The “Sons,”
an exuberant and eccentrically off-kilter
trio from Chicago, combine “witty, whimsical original songs” with a very
quirky sense of humor and soaring three-part harmonies. As one reviewer
said, they “blend the
best vocal elements of groups like the Mamas and the Papas and the
Roches with the lyrical sophistication of Talking Heads.”
Comprised of Bruce Roper (vocals,
guitar, accordion, banjo & keyboards), Nancy Walker (vocals, guitar and
mandolin), and Sue Demel (vocals, guitar and percussion), the Sons’
“turbocharged folk” is featured in their brand-new Waterbug/Gadfly
Records release, “4 Ever On.”
Special guest
Bob Malone is a barrelhouse
pianist who has left his NJ roots to become a nonstop troubador, touring
with the Neville Brothers, opening for Al Green and the Manhattan
Transfer, and playing 150 dates a year, including at the Kerrville and
Falcon Ridge folk festivals.
March 22, 2003: New Folk Favorites 2003
Join us for our annual celebration of the newest
and brightest names in folk music, and have the pleasure of discovering
tomorrow’s stars and being able to say “you saw them when.” This year’s
New Folk Favorites are
Sloan Wainwright, whose jazz-influenced
songs are reminiscent of brother Loudon and whose earthy contralto voice
is like no one else’s at all; Boston-based
Carl Cacho,
who weaves roots and rockabilly into his classic storytelling songs; the
heavenly
Colleen Sexton, whom the Boston Globe said “shares her
brother Martin Sexton's jazzy exuberance and captivating vocal style”;
Chris Rosser
of North Carolina, whose warm-hearted pop songs are orchestrated with
classical Hindustani instruments; fast-rising alt-country dynamo
Kerri Powers;
and high-octane bluesman
Kevin So (still tentative) .
|
Sloan |
Carl |
Colleen |
Chris |
Kerri |
Kevin |
A pril
5, 2003: Michael Cooney with Frank Morey
With a leprechaun twinkle in his eye, a car full of
musical instruments, and an inventory of hundreds of songs (and the
stories that make them come alive), for 35 years
Michael Cooney has
earned his nickname, “The One-Man Folk Festival.” Michael is sly,
charming, and very funny, and his songbag is filled with humorous songs
from all the world’s traditions (including several from our friends the
Berrymans, and one taught to him by Mike Agra noff).
Michael spends most of his time in Friendship, Maine, and tours rarely
these days. So, it is a special treat to be able to present him,
described by the Chicago Sun-Times as “so rare
and special that everytime you see him, it's like the first time you
had ice cream.”
Michael’s special guest
is Frank Morey. Frank’s 4AM
hung-over beatnik blues style is featured on four CDs, including his
latest “Delmark Sessions,” which capped last year’s Chicago Blues
Festival, and earned him a spot at this summer’s Boston Folk Festival.
Lou
and Peter Berryman write very
funny, very eccentric satirical songs, dozens of which (like the
infamous "F-Word Song" and "Why Am I Painting My Living Room?") have
become folk standards. Nothing, from bizarre family dinners to modern
science to the frozen oddities of their native Wisconsin, is off limits.
So , it's no surprise that Pete Seeger said, "Lou and Peter Berryman!
Long may they wave!" or Tom Paxton concluded, "They don't come any
funnier!" Trust us: Lou and Peter are not just your average Wisconsin
high school sweethearts who marry, then divorce, and then write and tour
together for the next 25 years...they're even funnier.
Special guests
Alive & Well, the duo of
Geoff Union and Michael Shay, use tight harmonies and the unusual
combination of guitar and cello to accompany poignant, poetic songs
steeped in the roots and bluegrass traditions.
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April
26, 2003:
Eric Andersen with Cindy Kalmenson: $15
EricAndersen's
career, spanning over 30 years, is captured in 21 albums of original songs,
including his timeless classics Thirsty Boots, Violets of Dawn,
and Close the Door Lightly. One of the most inspired singer-songwriters
to emerge during the mid-1960s,
Eric’s songs; have been
 recorded by artists all over the world,
including Judy Collins, Fairport Convention, Peter Paul and Mary, Rick
Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, and The Grateful Dead. In just the past year,
he’s released a double CD with The Band’s Rick Danko, a CD of tunes
co-written by
Eric with the late
Townes Van Zandt, and a CD that includes a collaboration with Lou Reed.
It's a true privilege to present Eric.
Special guest
Cindy Kalmenson
has been pleasing audiences from here to her new hometown of Nashville
with her alternating funny and touching songs in the classic Americana
style.
May 10, 2003: Festival of Funny Females:
Deirdre Flint, Jamie Anderson and Carla Ulbrich ---
(A Wine Women & Song
Party Night!)
   Three very funny female songwriters come together
for one hilarious evening. Philadelphia’s
Deirdre Flint is often
compared to Christine Lavin
for her funny and poignant slant on the daily whirlwind of a
woman’s life. Bridesmaids' dresses, the “Boob Fairy” and “Jenny of the
Hundred Dates” are the raw material from which she spins her blissfully
clever musings on life. Jamie
Anderson of North Carolina, a favorite on the
Dr. Demento show, writes songs
like “I Miss The Dog (More Than I Miss You)” and “Bad Hair Day” and, if
encouraged even mildly, will add in baton twirling and belly dancing.
Self-described “smarty pants” Carla
Ulbrich of Florida has been described (and not only by her mother)
as “a drop-dead gorgeous blonde with killer guitar chops”…but lest she
get confused with Melissa Etheridge or Kylie Minogue, she writes funny
songs like “What If Your Girlfriend Was Gone” and “Please Do Something
Stupid.” A guaranteed laugh party.
May 24, 2003: Tanglefoot and special guest Alastair Mooc k
Tanglefoot
are a five-piece Ontario band known worldwide for their intense and
infectious energy and their deep respect for the traditions of their
homeland. For more than twenty years, they've honed their
big, full-throttle sound, thunderously energetic live show, and
high-octane songs based on the traditions
of their native Canada. Combining tradition with innovation and more
than a little bit of humor, these five engaging performers deliver their
music with rare intensity and contagious enthusiasm. Tanglefoot is an
act not to be missed.
Special guest
Alastair Moock is a leader of the recent return to authentic
American roots music. His timeless voice and plain authentic songs were
featured last summer at the Newport and Boston Folk Festivals. George
Carlin, who always cuts to the heart of the matter, said simply, “Alastair
Moock makes great music. The songs are beautiful.”
June 7, 2003: Da Vinci's Notebook with special
guest Duwende (*Ad ults
Only*)
Da Vinci's Notebook
are an a capella comedy whirlwind. Nothing is safe from their
scathingly funny songs about liposuction, boy bands, Disneyland, and The
World's Most Depressing Drinking Song, all delivered with manic physical
humor while holding their perfect four-part harmo ny!
Favorites at every major folk festival, DVN are a show not to miss.
NOTE: Not appropriate for children!!
Special guests
Duwende, the pride of New Jersey’s a capella scene, ain’t no
barbershop quartet themselves. These six vocalists deliver their funky
originals and feel-good rock cover tunes with vocal percussion and
funk/rock rhythms. They were recently chosen from more than 1200 bands
as finalists in the 2002 Independent Music
World Series.
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The Folk Project (Northern New Jersey) and
(NJFOLK)
Folk Links
Folk
Music:
Venues: U.S., Northeast
