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| Press
Resources PRESS RELEASE - PDF | PHOTOS | PERFORMER BIOS | PERFORMER LIST |
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| • Press Release | ||
For Immediate Release The 31st annual 3-day Old Songs Festival of Music and Dance will be held on June 24, 25, 26, 2011 at the Altamont Fairgrounds, Rt. 146, Altamont, NY. A festival of eclectic acoustic folk and world music with performances and participation appropriate for adults, extended families, children, seniors, and students.
A Family Stage and activity area for parents and children is a fun way to spend the day. Participation in our Great Groove Band and Jug Band make it easy to learn fiddle tunes together. Children 12 and under are free. Food vendors, instrument makers and a juried craft show provide a festive village atmosphere. Camping is available for all 3 days with advance all-festival camping ticket. The 2011 performers include: Download pdf press release at right This event is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency. |
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| • Photos High-Res for press use | ||
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| • Bios (background info on performers pictured here) | ||
Acoustic Eidolon • new acoustic duo Acoustic Eidolon, featuring Joe Scott on double neck guitjo and Hannah Alkire on cello are from Colorado and have graced stages throughout the US, Europe, Australia and Canada. With eight CDs and a DVD to their credit, these masterful artists continue to captivate audiences throughout the world with their signature "new acoustic" sound and boundless possibilities in blending Celtic, Folk, World & Latin music influences, something that Dirty Linen Magazine praises as "a sumptuous musical feast." They are described by the Swallow Hill Music Association as "an evening of brilliant instrumentality," and Georgia's Good Life Magazine enthuses, "Acoustic Eidolon offers concert-goers a chance to absorb some of the most powerful and intriguing music on the scene today." Their original sound is created by the mixing of their diverse musical backgrounds and their unusual instrumentation including the one-of-a-kind double neck guitjo, an instrument of Joe's own design praised by USA Today as a "beautiful harp-like sounding instrument … like nothing we've ever heard before." The double-neck guitjo has 14 strings and Joe has developed his own style and technique, playing both necks simultaneously. Classically-trained cellist Hannah Alkire studied with G. Magyar of the Hungarian String Quartet and is recognized internationally for her stunning tone and emotional, impeccable playing and for taking the cello places it's never been before. The two joined their personal lives after forming their musical alliance and were married in 2001. The result is a coupling of intricate and passionate music with genuine and engaging stories. Arrogant Worms • Musical Satire Canada's self-proclaimed Clowned Princes of Humor, Purveyors of the Absurd, and Ambassadors of Fun, The Arrogant Worms have provided tuneful and silly escapism all over North America, England and Australia in venues of all shapes and sizes - from small clubs to theatres to arenas to Disney to Central Park to The Grand Canyon. The Worms are on a mission to make you laugh. Their live performances have a reputation for high energy, a playful atmosphere, and unusual audience participation. This is clever, clean comedy for all ages. The Worms find their roots in folk and acoustic rock, though they borrow from Celtic, country, reggae, bluegrass, surf music, and even gospel. Their easy-going attitude, simple technical requirements and diverse musical styles promise an enjoyable hassle-free show that always delivers. Mike McCormick – plays guitar and sings. He enjoys short walks on gravel, golf and ice cream. He is a member of every hotel and airline loyalty program. He talks back to the GPS. A lot. Chris Patterson – plays bass and sings. His life-long dream of becoming an Olympic athlete was dashed at a young age on account of he's not very athletic. He has recently released a children's album called "Small Potatoes." Trevor Strong – sings and counts merchandise. Trevor enjoys history but has a poor memory. He knows more than you but he can't remember it. Trevor has written a book called Get Stupid!, has own website, and can be found on Facebook. Babik (pronounced Bah-Beek) is a progressive Gypsy Jazz band inspired by the legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt. One of those rare musical ensembles that can truly reach across generational and stylistic lines to create a fan base that is as diverse as their musical influences. At their concerts it is not uncommon to see a white-haired 75 year-old grandmother dancing next to a purple-haired 20-something. Babik has the ability to bridge passionate jaw-dropping virtuosity, with a rare toe-tapping danceability that keeps its audiences enthusiastically engaged. The group’s ability to connect is evident in the way crowds clamber to clap, dance, and cheer along with nearly every performance. Since forming in 2005, Babik has enjoyed both commercial and artistic success. All four members (Stuart Fuchs-Lead Guitar, Geoffrey Fitzhugh Perry-Violin, Joshua Assad-Rhythm Guitar, Kevin O'Brien-Upright Bass) are full time professional musicians, and the success of their partnership, both on and off stage, shows in their lighthearted improvisational performances. Babik stays busy performing over 150 shows a year at concert halls and festivals, in addition to facilitating educational programs & improvisation workshops at high schools and colleges. In March of 2008, Babik worked with arranger Brent Havens (creator of orchestral programs of Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Doors) to create the first ever orchestral program of the music of Django Reinhardt, which was performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra to an audience of thousands. Babik has even performed with the contemporary dance troupe Configuration Dance in a tightly choreographed theatrical show. Their hometown of Buffalo, N.Y. has awarded them “Best Jazz Band” by two different magazines for three years in a row. Their first release, “Pronounced Bah-Beek”, broke Western New York sales records at two area retailers, and the Buffalo News calls Babik “One of the Hottest Bands in Buffalo”—high praise from a town that launched The Goo-Goo Dolls, Ani DiFranco, Rick James, Spyro Gyra, and Soulive. With their latest release, “American Gypsy”, the band showcases ten original compositions and three standards that both honor the roots of Gypsy Jazz while exploring a wide range of styles such as Jazz-fusion, Klezmer, World and Latin Music. The result is an amazingly coherent, expansive, and ambitious vision of Gypsy Jazz that will excite jazz and music lovers alike. Perhaps Buffalo Spree Magazine best expressed the spirit of the band in a recent feature story: “It’s hard not to fall in love with a band whose every tune seems to state ‘We love life and we want to celebrate it.’” The Freight Hoppers • hard-driving old-time music After more than a decade The Freight Hoppers have released their eagerly awaited fourth album Mile Marker. This collection includes music that was first recorded in the late 1920's and early 1930's, and spans geographically from Mississippi to West Virginia. The Freight Hoppers play hard driving old time music with an emotional, raw excitement that keeps one foot planted in the past and the other in the present. Of course that’s only when they keep their feet still, for this is high energy dance music of an older day played like there's no tomorrow. Finding their passion from a love of stringband music of the 1920's and 30's, The Freight Hoppers have been entertaining crowds of fans at festivals and music halls alike as they travel around the country. The heart of the band is held together by the powerhouse fiddle and banjo combo of David Bass and Frank Lee, while the rhythm section of Isaac Deal on guitar and Bradley Adams on string bass keep the groove moving. Add in the vocal duo of Frank and Isaac, and you've got yourself one of the most exciting traditional bands to come out of the woodwork. Based out of the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, The Freight Hoppers draw from a deep source of rural southern music for their inspiration, and are proud to present music that is still very much alive and meaningful to today's world. The Freight Hoppers are: They’re back! One of Old Time Music’s most powerful and dynamic duos, David Bass and Frank Lee, have resurrected the Freight Hoppers and I expect that many in the Old Time community will be glad to hear it. Mile Marker is a rebirth, of sorts, for the band that once headlined festivals and concert billings from coast to coast. It is also an example of artistic maturity for Bass and Lee. Frank and David began their road together back in 1993 when they took a gig together playing for tourists riding the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, and thus the Freight Hoppers legacy was born. As many will remember, the Freight Hoppers reached national acclaim in 1996, with the release of the first of two recordings for Rounder (“Where’d You Come From, Where’d You Go?”) and an appearance on National Public Radio’s Prairie Home Companion. They followed the success of that release with a second Rounder recording in 1998 called “Waitin’ on the Gravy Train.” At that time, David Bass’ remarkable driving fiddle and Frank Lee’s unique banjo style were backed up by the vocals and guitar of Cary Fridley and a series of upright bass players. In 1999, Fridley left the band to pursue a solo career and shortly thereafter, David Bass left to celebrate the birth of his first child. During Bass’s hiatus, his already weak heart gave out. He was told that his heart wasn’t up to performing or traveling. After nearly a year of hospitalization and worry, Bass was given a new heart, and Old Time Music was given a new pulse. In the mean time Banjoist Frank Lee worked on a several recording projects and continued to sharpen his skills as an interpreter of old time tunes. Traveling both solo and with several fiddlers he continued to tour and to teach banjo. In 2007, with Bass’s health back and Lee’s desire to record and tour as a band again returning, they formed the new Freight Hopper lineup with well known local Bryson City, North Carolina musicians, and returned to both playing for the Smoky Mountain Railroad and delighting audiences at concerts and festivals. The new Freight Hoppers lineup gets a huge boost from the singing and guitar playing of Isaac Deal and the solid bass playing of Bradley Adams. All of these musicians are great performers in their own right, but after three years of playing together they have perfected the tightness that was once the hallmark of the sound that brought the Freight Hoppers to the attention of traditionalists as well as younger audiences. Guy Mendilow Band • Innovative World Music Led by Israeli composer/performer Guy Mendilow, this spirited quintet breaks down musical boundaries with an inventive blend of Israeli and Sephardi with Bahian street beats and blues. "Mendilow is no dilettante," writes the Boston Phoenix. "He learned the music of these countries by living and working there — so when he sings … he knows what he's talking about." Performing in Hebrew, Arabic, Ladino, Portuguese and English, the band skillfully fuses tradition with a contemporary sound. Alongside lush vocal harmonies, woodwinds and strings, the five members of the Guy Mendilow Band create intricate textures with berimbaus, percussion, jaw harps that would make beat-boxers' jaws drop, and Mendilow's award-winning overtone singing. The group's appeal reaches far beyond world music audiences only. As Rich Warren, host of WFMT- Chicago's nationally syndicated Midnight Special, remarks: "We normally don't offer 'world' music, but Guy and his band offered a delicious taste of it. Their musicianship, versatility, and originality were most impressive. Our audience left raving about their talent and the sound of their music. They were mesmerizing." The group's message is coming through loud and clear. The Guy Mendilow Band performs in theaters such as New York's Tribeca Performing Arts Center and at some of the US's most established festivals like the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Chicago World Music Festival and Musikfest. Mendilow's innovative workshops, residencies and teacher trainings, focusing on improvisation as a tool for communication, have led to ongoing collaborations with cutting-edge international social justice organizations like Seeds of Peace and to invitations to present at schools and conferences across the United States and Brazil. Blurring boundaries and connecting sounds, syncopations, rhythms and roots is central to the mission inspiring the Guy Mendilow Band's latest CD, "Skyland." Israeli peace songs and Sephardi canticas meet Bahian street beats and blues. Drawing from a life lived in Israel, South Africa and Brazil, where musical collaboration cuts through ancient conflict, Israeli born musician Guy Mendilow is sowing the seeds of peace with music. Libana is a women's world music ensemble that illuminates the creativity, vision, and spirit of the world's women through the performance of traditional and contemporary music and dance. By raising awareness and appreciation for diverse cultural expressions and the universal themes that unite us all, Libana inspires intercultural understanding, healing, and peacebuilding. Their goals: 1. To celebrate and preserve the traditional and contemporary music and dance of the world's women Members of Libana Lisa Bosley Allison Coleman Marytha Paffrath Susan Robbins Linda Ugelow Cheryl Weber Libana takes its name from a 10th century Moorish woman, who was a poet, philosopher, and musician, symbolically representing women's creativity and vision throughout time. The group was founded by its Artistic Director, Susan Robbins in 1979, with the idea of exploring and performing music and dance which reflect women's often undocumented creative contributions to their cultures. For the past 29 years, they have taken audiences throughout North America and Europe on inspiring and celebratory musical journeys, weaving together the songs, dances and instrumental music of the world's cultures, especially as handed down through the artistic traditions of women. Their repertoire of ancient melodies and contemporary tunes is performed a cappella and with a vast array of instruments including guitar, dumbek, accordion, oud, naqqara, clarinet and double bass. Their music is drawn from the divergent cultural expressions of the Mediterranean, the Balkans, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. Libana's music and dance go directly to the heart, inspiring audiences with wonder in the commonality of the global community. Jez Lowe • songs from Northern England Jez Lowe, both solo and with his band The Bad Pennies have been playing their songs and music of Northern England for a decade and a half around the folk festivals, clubs and concert stages of the world. "Acoustic simplicity coupled with electric vitality" was how they were described in their early days, and with half a dozen albums to their credit, along with solo albums by Jez and by other members of the group, their following has continued to increase. In 2006 alone they played in America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Belgium and of course all over the UK and Ireland. Strong vocals, backed by outstanding instrumental back-up on guitar, cittern, fiddle, fretless bass, keyboards and Northumbrian Pipes, have made them one of Britain's top attractions on the folk/acoustic/celtic circuit. Jez Lowe has built an enviable reputation as a songwriter and performer in the world of acoustic music, and as a recognised musical ambassador for his native North East England, with more than a dozen albums and countless live performances around the world over the last twenty years. Among those who have recorded their own versions of Lowe's songs, are Fairport Convention, The Dubliners, The Tannahill Weavers, Cherish The Ladies, Gordon Bok, The Black Brothers, Liam Clancy and literally hundreds of others. Songs like BACK IN DURHAM GAOL, THE BERGEN, GREEK LIGHTNING and THESE COAL TOWN DAYS have generated scores of cover versions around the globe, and are now classics of their kind. He has performed at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, both solo and with the Bad Pennies, including the main stages at Edmonton Festival (Canada), Tonder Festival (Denmark), The Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian (US), Port Fairy and Byron Bay Festivals (Australia) and at concerts and festivals in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Ireland, Holland, Germany and Spain. In 2006 Jez participated in a hugely successful radio documentary series for the BBC, entitled THE RADIO BALLADS, for which he composed 23 new songs, many of which are already finding their way into the repertoires of his peers, and also formed the basis of a new album for Jez himself "Jack Common's Anthem" released in 2007. The RADIO BALLADS went on to be honoured with two SONY RADIO ACADEMY Awards and Jez himself was nominated for "FOLKSINGER OF THE YEAR" in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2008. Jez's 2009 started with a hectic world tour that took in New Zealand and Australia with his new album of 2008 "Northern Echoes" winner of an Indie-Acoustic Award in the USA in 2009 in the "Best Lyrics" catergory. Most recently he collaborated with Karine Polwart, Stu Hannah, Emily Smith, Mark Erelli and others on songs for the "Darwin Song Project" featured on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 2. Recording for a new one-off BBC Radio Ballad programme should also be starting soon, and is shceduled to be broadcast in March. The Outside Track • a Celtic-Canadian Confluence A stunning synthesis of virtuosity and energy, The Outside Track's marriage of Canadian, Scottish and Irish music and song has been rapturously received around the world. Hailing from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver, its five members are united by a love of traditional music and a commitment to creating new music on its foundation. Using fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, step-dance and vocals these five virtuosos blend boundless energy with unmistakable joie de vivre. The line up comprises Norah Rendell (Canadian Traditional Singer of the Year nominee), Mairi Rankin (Beolach), Ailie Robertson (Live Ireland Winner, BBC Young Trad Finalist), Fiona Black (BBC Fame Academy Winner), and Cillian O'Dalaigh. Each player within The Outside Track is a master of their chosen instrument with the band stacking up an impressive amount of international awards. This amount of talent alone would be enough to recommend the band but in this case the end result is so much greater than the sum of the parts. The band have enjoyed 5 years of extensive touring in the UK, Europe, Canada and the USA, including appearances at Celtic Connections, Celtic Colours, Goderich, Mission, Memoire et Racines, Sidmouth, and Whitby Festivals. |
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| • Performers 2011 (more to come) | ||
Acoustic Eidolon 'new acoustic' duo; cello and double neck guitar Scott Ainslie blues guitarist/singer Peter
& Mary Alice Amidon choral
singing, folk songs Arrogant Worms musical satire from Canada Babik fiery
gypsy jazz from western NY Dan Berggren Adirondack songs Andy Cohen country blues Ellis singer-songwriter Eleanor
Ellis delta
blues Finest Kind folk trio from Ottawa The Freight Hoppers hard-driving old-time music Bing Futch original songs on mtn dulcimer Ron
Gordon festival
jug band leader Groovemama old-time & Franco-American
stringband Guy Mendilow Band inventive world music Larry Hanks & Deborah Robins American songsters Tim Jennings & Leanne Ponder Vermont storytellers Kapriol'! Dutch folk song & dance ensemble Libana global music ensemble Jez Lowe original songs from Northern England Beth McLaughlin songs for stories Alison McMorland & Geordie McIntyre songs and ballads of Scotland David Millstone dance caller The Outside Track synthesis of Celtic traditions Ruth Pelham empowering original songs The Press Gang new music in the Irish tradition Quickstep Northeastern fiddle, folk & fancy foot work John
Roberts songs
of the British Isles, MC Roger
the Jester Juggling,
mime and tomfoolery Bill Spence hammered dulcimer, MC Danny Spooner songs of Australia Toby
Stover piano
& African drum Jake
Thomas sign
language interpreter Tidal Wave/Raz de Marée music from Quebec Ed Trickett American folk song Harry Tuft American folk song George
Ward songs,
ballads and stories, MC George
Wilson foot-tapping
music from all over Matthew Wojcik shape-note singing |
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