[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]The Stone Cold Roosters strut, swing and rock across decades of American music with style. Classic country, swamp-rock, hillbilly-funk, blues, western swing and honky-tonk are just a few of the stops the Roosters make on their continental tour.
Ted Mortimer, Chuck Eller, Jim Pitman, Colin McCaffrey, Roy Cutler, Thal Aylward and Casey Dennis have been getting together for 12 years to make music and each other laugh. For more info on the band, visit: https://www.facebook.com/The-Stone-Cold-Roosters-190729767550/
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Every time The Mammals take the stage there is something real at stake. Maybe it’s the risk-hungry spirit that the band’s songwriters Mike Merenda & Ruth Ungar adopted thru their youthful theater training, or maybe it’s that fiercely authentic, music-as-mission mindset learned from their elders. This folk music is not about suspenders and whiskey, although those are both beautiful things. The Mammals come to change the world, to connect timid generations, heal sore hearts, and enchant tired minds, one soulful, joyful show at a time.
In an era of disconnect, The Mammals work to re-connect thru their truth-telling lyrics, off-the-cuff storytelling and euphoric instrumentals. Their dynamic shows regularly bring a tear to the eye and hope to the hearts of listeners of all generations.
“A string band at the core, The Mammals augment their sound with drums and electric guitar to create a collectively harmonized howl as thrilling and rocking as any band currently subverting folk traditions” – No Depression
“Combining a modern pop sensibility with organic musical honesty, you hear everything from string sections to claw-hammer banjo. The band’s ability to unite disparate forms to create fresh amalgamations makes them special among the young bands trying to create “World Music.” Although the Mammals’ style is musically inclusive, it still remains a personal and articulate edge.” – Vintage Guitar
“Dear Mike + Ruthy, Your Hoot was one of the best song gatherings I’ve seen in all my 94 years. I hope next year I can be there for more than one day.” – Pete Seeger
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]“A rock band in a folk suit,” The Ballroom Thieves – lead singer and guitarist Martin Earley, cellist Calin Peters and percussionist Devin Mauch – have been releasing their own fresh blend of spirited blues, folk and rock since 2012. With last year’s self-released album Deadeye, the band earned their own spot among celebrated music makers and is nominated for 5 Boston Music Awards, including Artist Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Live Artist Of The Year, Folk Artist Of The Year and Male Vocalist for Earley. Last year, the band took home three awards – Live Artist Of The Year, Americana Artist of the Year and Folk Artist of the Year.The band has spent the last three years in a sustained state of touring that took them across the country and to venerable stages like the Newport Folk Festival, Boston Calling, Calgary Folk Festival and Milwaukee’s Summerfest.
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Juno-nominated artist Barbra Lica is a fast-rising star in the Canadian music scene and has been receiving accolades for a unique vocal ability that stresses subtlety and grace. Based in Toronto, Canada, Barbra’s live show captivates audiences all over North America with her genuine warmth and confident stage presence.
A deep passion for the music of classic vocalists like Doris Day and Ella Fitzgerald led Barbra to pursue a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance at the University of Toronto. Shortly after graduating, Barbra was runner-up in the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition with judges Al Jarreau and Gretchen Parlato. Now a seasoned live act on the Canadian club and festival circuit, Barbra consistently performs in intimate spaces and prestigious theatres, such as Toronto’s Jazz Bistro and Koerner Hall.
“Barbra Lica is a dazzling performer who has talent to burn and vocals that will knock you over.”– Ross Porter (CEO & President, JAZZ.FM91)
“Lica smiles when she sings. You can heart it. When you see her in concert, you’ll see it too. In a word, refreshing”
– Tim Tamashiro, Host, CBC Radio
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Over the past 15 years the trad Quebec group Genticorum has become a fixture on the international world, trad, folk and Celtic music circuit. The band’s five albums met with critical acclaim in Canada, the United States and Europe, assuring the band a brilliant future. Known for its energy and its stage presence, Genticorum has given more than 800 concerts in more than 15 countries.
Firmly rooted in the soil of their native land, the energetic and original traditional ‘power trio’ also incorporates the dynamism of today’s North American and European folk cultures in their music. They weave precise and intricate fiddle, flute and accordion work, gorgeous vocal harmonies, energetic foot percussion and guitar accompaniment into a big and jubilant musical feast. Their distinctive sound, sense of humour and stage presence makes them a supreme crowd pleaser.
“For a three piece, Genticorum makes a very full and glorious noise, both instrumentally and vocally… This is a band that’s going to go places.”— SING OUT!
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Though each member of Night Tree originates from a different musical world, the six members have come together to a create a new sound that is unique to their instrumentation and musical voice, both attracting and bewildering enthusiastic crowds while connecting folk music lovers, café radio junkies, jazz enthusiasts, free-improvisers, and beyond.
These six conservatory-trained musicians have absorbed genres from across the globe. Night Tree is unique, not only for its abnormal instrumentation of two fiddles, cello, accordion, saxophone, percussion, and the occasional viola and mandolin, but for their collective representation and incorporation of traditions from Irish, Classical, Swedish, Jazz, Klezmer, and Afro-Cuban music. Each artist’s personality is given a spot to emerge with fiery improvisation, individual compositions, and a pristine ear. The band thrives on playing in darkness as to allow themselves the opportunity to solely listen with the absence of any possible visual distractions. They react to each other at any given time, in a matter of seconds. They have learned to get inside each other’s musical minds, creating one blossoming and unpredictable wave of sound that is Night Tree.
“I’m thrilled to have been part of this brilliant young band’s debut album. They play with such spark and musicality. Thoughtful compositions, precise, inventive arrangements. An absolute joy. Go hear them!” -Séamus Egan, founding member of SOLAS and Night Tree producer
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Husband and wife duo, The Bengsons, blend rousing, all-join-hands group choruses, spry melodies and energetic, frenetic rhythms to create rock/art/theater performances. The Bengsons have appeared at such venues as Joe’s Pub (NYC), NYU’s Skirball Center (NYC), 92YTribeca (NYC), MASS MoCA (North Adams, MA), FlynnSpace (Burlington, VT), Z Space (San Francisco), On The Boards (Seattle), Pianos (NYC), Rockwood Music Hall (NYC), University of Southern California (LA), and the Market Theater (Johannesburg, South Africa). Their music has been featured for the past three years on So You Think You Can Dance (FOX). Abigail Bengson has also appeared as a member of tUnE-yArDs, including an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Abigail Nessen Bengson possesses “not only a tremendous musical talent, but a raw honesty, a sincere righteousness.” – The New York Times
“The band has to rise to every music journalists list as a must see band soon, because it is unlike anything you have ever seen. Its as fast and furious as a punk show but as creative and clever as an Off-Broadway play. Boundaries for The Bengsons do not exist and their shows are a testament to this.” – The Huffington Post
“Quirky and radiantly emotive.” – Timeout New York
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]A ukulele and cello duo might seem like an odd combination, but only until you hear the music these two create. James Hill is widely regarded as one of the best ukulele players in the world and Anne Janelle is “a cellist of true beauty” (Ottawa Citizen) who has performed with Kanye West and Bruce Cockburn.
Together, James and Anne craft a sound that is intricate, enchanting and engaging: “a crystal clear sound filled with warmth” (Bob Mersereau, CBC).
Their album True Love Don’t Weep won the 2008 Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Traditional Album of the Year.
They are accomplished instrumentalists and some of the finest songwriters of their generation. Their music has been
described as “inventive, entertaining, beautifully written and brilliantly performed” (R2 Magazine).
In short, a night out with James Hill & Anne Janelle is “the perfect evening of tunes, stories and musical virtuosity”
(Wellington Dominion-Post).
“If you thought James Hill was simply the ukulele wunderkind, his latest album will convince you that he is also a great songwriter.” – Penguin Eggs
A fine songwriter and ukester par excellence.” – Raffi
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Mokoomba is one of Africa’s most exciting young bands, dazzling audiences worldwide with their knockout live shows and potent blend of traditional Tonga, Luvale, & Nyanja sounds laced with international styles from soukous to soul.
Mokoomba is based in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The band’s six members, Mathias Muzaza (lead vocals), Ndaba Coster Moyo (drums, backing vocals), Trustworth Samende (lead guitar, backing vocals), Donald Moyo, (keyboards, backing vocals), Miti Mugande, (percussion & backing vocals) and Abundance Mutori (bass, backing vocals) grew up as friends in the Chinotimba township.
Living in a border city that attracts tourists from all over the world gave Mokoomba’s music an international perspective from the beginning, incorporating everything from reggae to afropop to soul alongside their own local musical traditions.
The group’s members began playing together as teenagers in 2001, and Mokoomba was officially formed in 2008. Their first major success came that same year, when they won the Music Crossroads Inter-Regional Festival Competition in Malawi.
Since then, Mokoomba has become one of Zimbabwe’s most popular bands, playing with such icons as Hugh Masekela, Baba Maal and the Talking Head’s Tina Weymouth and Chris Franz. They’ve rocked legendary rooms and stages worldwide, from NYC’s Apollo Theater, and The Kennedy Center is Washington, D.C., to London’s 100 Club and Amsterdam’s Melkweg, to WOMEX and SXSW, sealing their reputation as one of Africa’s best young live bands.
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Talk to the abundantly gifted violinist and mandolin player Jason Anick and the phrase “jazz without borders” will invariably come up. What the axiom means to Anick is a contemporary jazz that is stylistically inclusive in nature, a jazz that brings whatever it can to the party, unwilling to cut something out of the mix for fear of it not fitting prescribed boundaries. An inviting demonstration of the maxim in action can be found on Anick’s second album as a leader, Tipping Point, which has been gaining critical acclaim with praise from the prestigious Boston Globe which stated “Jason’s compositional voice is as distinctive as his virtuoso playing.”
One of the youngest instructors at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Anick is considered “a rising star in the world of jazz violin and mandolin” (Downbeat Magazine). In addition to leading his own contemporary jazz ensemble and performing with the Rhythm Future Quartet, Anick has been touring and recording with Grammy award-winning Nashville guitar virtuoso John Jorgenson since 2008 when he was recruited while still a senior at the Hartt Conservatory.
Jason will be joined by his Rhythm Future Quartet bandmates Greg Loughman on bass and West Rutland native Max O’Rourke on guitar.
For more info on the band, visit: http://www.jasonanick.com/[/ezcol_2third_end][ezcol_1third] Producer: MCTV
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end] Vermont based trio Pete’s Posse is composed of acclaimed musician Pete Sutherland (fiddle, piano, banjo, melodica and vocals), his talented protégé Oliver Scanlon (fiddle, viola, mandolin, foot percussion and vocals) and the uber-dynamic Tristan Henderson (guitars, mandolin, jaw harp, foot percussion and vocals). Twin fiddles in tight, wild harmony over high-powered guitar and pounding footwork with mandolin, clawhammer banjo, jawharp and rocking keyboards adding their voices to the mix. Songs and tunes, old and new, lyrical and driving: that’s the multi-generational heart and mind of PETE’S POSSE, at work and at play.
Pete’s Posse is three generations of musicians who have come together to create their own electrifying sound they call “multi-generational roots music.” In 2013 Pete and Oliver, building on a long-time mentor/mentee partnership, asked Tristan to join them to play a contradance, and a match was struck! Gig by gig their chemistry grew, and the Posse quickly developed a reputation for being an innovative, driving, sought-after, can’t-keep-your-feet-still power trio.
Within a year of their first performance, their self-titled album was out, and days later they were off on a nine week, 48-gig, 11,000 mile U.S. tour. It was on this odyssey that they began to add more vocals to the mix in a major way, expanding not only the dance floor experience, but also their desire for concerts. Their second album, “Down to the Core” was released in July 2015, a pure distillation of their first national tour. With it they attracted the attention of festival promoters and concert series large and small, as well as finding themselves much in demand for contradance weekends in the Northeast and beyond.
The Posse continues to engage audience members of all ages with their distinct and expansive energies, and their intuitive feel for one another’s playing. Being a restlessly creative bunch of self-styled ‘rehearsal addicts’, there are always new songs, dance sets, and concert arrangement in the works! So if you’ve heard them at a house concert or danced with them until 1 AM at a festival, you know there’s always a new favorite to listen for. The steady flow of powerful uplifting energy across the age gap is the engine that drives Pete’s Posse, and it shows no sign of letting up!
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end] Upstate Rubdown is an acoustic septet drawing inspiration from every corner (and decade) of America’s musical heritage. Based in New York’s Hudson Valley region, the band has spent years cultivating its sound, and continues to grow by the tune. The instrumentation includes Harry D’Agostino on upright bass, Ryan Chappell on mandolin, Dean Mahoney on cajón, and Christian Joao on flute and alto/baritone saxophone. The dynamic rhythm section supports a three part vocal harmony powerhouse of founding members Mary Kenney and Melanie Glenn with recent Nashville-transplant Allison Olender.
Over its five year history, the band has played in more than twenty states, from intimate house concerts to prominent festival stages, including Mountain Jam, Frendly Gathering, and Green River Festival. The band has opened for Cory Henry, Phox, The Felice Brothers, and many others.
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Big, bad beauty from Boise, Idaho, Emily Braden covers a lot of ground. Whether she’s fronting an orchestra on the west coast or leading a world-class trio in the heart of Manhattan, Braden has the innate ability to win the heart of any audience with her powerhouse vocals and striking stage presence.
Winner of New York City’s prestigious “Best of the Best” Jazzmobile Vocal Competition, Braden’s signature sound is an effortless blend of jazz and soul. Her knock-out debut album Soul Walk is composed of high-energy originals and “flipped-out” jazz standards. Producer Misha Piatigorsky says, “As a singer, Emily has no boundaries. She gives me goose bumps.” Braden has performed as a headliner at NYC venues such as the Blue Note Jazz Club (Late Night Groove Series), Nublu, Smalls Jazz Club, Zinc Bar, The Kitano and the Iridium Jazz Club as well as on international stages. She recently completed a weekly residency at Richard Bona’s Club Bonafide in New York City with guitarist Richard Padrón. Braden’s versatility and infectious energy make her a highly sought after collaborator and special guest. She is the lead vocalist and lyricist for the twenty plus member Sketchy Orkestra and works regularly with her band Double Bass, Double Voice, Oliver Swain’s Big Machine and saxophonist Matt Parker.
In April 2014, Braden was selected by the US Embassy to travel to Burkina Faso, West Africa as part of the Arts Envoy program. The Emily Braden Quartet closed out the Jazz a Ouaga Festival with a standing ovation. This past fall she headlined a weekend of performances at Club Esse in Moscow, Russia with trumpeter Vitaly Golovnev. This past December, her love for groove and percussion led her to Cuba where she performed and studied with local musicians putting her Masters degree in Spanish to good use.
See Braden live and she’ll make you a believer. This girl is smokin’, smokin’ hot.
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end] Mollie O’Brien and her husband, guitarist Rich Moore, have for nearly 30 years quietly made it their mission to find, mine and reinvent other artists’ songs. They are geniuses at the craft of interpretation in the way that great singers, since the beginning of popular American music, have made the songs of their era their own. As songwriters they add their own tunes to the canon of American roots music they inhabit and show us they’re completely at home with their musical selves.
Grammy winner Mollie has long been known as a singer who doesn’t recognize a lot of musical boundaries, and audiences love her fluid ability to make herself at home in any genre while never sacrificing the essence of the song she tackles. She is a singer at the very top of her game who’s not afraid to take risks both vocally and in the material she chooses.
Rich, while known to produce some of the funniest onstage running commentary, is also a powerhouse guitar player who can keep up with O’Brien’s twists and turns from blues to traditional folk to jazz to rock and roll. He creates a band with just his guitar and, as a result, theirs is an equal partnership.
For more info on the band, visit: http://mollieobrien.com/[/ezcol_2third_end][ezcol_1third] Producer: MCTV
Public, Educational, and Governmental Access for Middlebury, Vermont
