We are delighted to have the lads back with us again for two shows, at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm, to help us get a jumpstart on St. Patrick’s celebrations, AND, to help us celebrate our 50th house concert!! Between the three of them, David Brewer, John Weed, and Stuart Mason, along with their various other bands, have performed at over one-third of our house concerts, so it’s fitting that they will be here for the 50th.

To the lads of Celtic band Molly’s Revenge, “March Madness” means something other than basketball playoffs. Indeed, for all players of traditional Irish music, the month of March means making hay while the sun shines, for March 17 is the date when Irish people all around the world love to celebrate the venerable Saint Patrick. And since they can’t be everywhere on that one day, Molly’s Revenge will once again be crisscrossing the West Coast for much of the month. Hence the nickname of their annual tour: March Madness. We are excited that they will kick-off their tour with two SLO House Concerts on Friday, March 1st.

David Brewer has been playing whistle and four types of bagpipes for about 20 years. He studied in Scotland at the Ceolas Music School in South Uist under the tutelage of some of the best pipers in the world. His authentic and unique style of playing has earned him the reputation of being one of the most accomplished pipers on the West Coast. David has composed close to 200 traditional style tunes, many of which have appeared on recordings, independent films, and television.

John Weed is a classically-trained violinist who switched to playing Irish fiddle about 20 years ago. John has lived in Ireland and taught fiddle workshops at the Flowing Tide International Music School in Doonbeg, County Clare. He attended the Frankie Kennedy Winter School in Dunlewey, County Donegal where he has studied with Ciaran O’Maonaigh and Dermot Mcloughlin. He is a popular teacher and workshop leader.

Stuart Mason has been collecting and performing traditional music for over 40 years. He has appeared on stage from Ireland to China performing Celtic, old time bluegrass, and his original compositions, which have won awards from the West Coast Songwriters Association. He leads workshops and classes in traditional music techniques at music festivals and camps.

Molly’s Revenge is a dynamic, acoustic, Celtic band known for its unique and infectious enthusiasm. The classic combination of bagpipes, whistle, and fiddle with a backdrop of guitar, mandola, and bodhran guarantees a most enjoyable experience for all fans of Scottish and Irish music. Molly’s Revenge has performed at many of the top folk festivals and performing arts events in the USA and prestigious events in Scotland, Australia, and China. Their arrangements of traditional Celtic jigs and reels bring these dance tunes up to date with a driving, hard-edged accent that always leaves our friends shouting for more. Don’t miss this one!

They bring to the music a vital and joyous creativity that excites even the hardest of hearts.       –John Doyle, founding member of Solas.

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please CLICK HERE to request an invitation and indicate which show you would like to attend and how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other information.

2:00pm Show: Doors open at 1:30; show starts at 2:00.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

 

Additional Sights and Sounds

mollysrevenge.com

facebook.com/MollysRevenge

a VIDEO we took at the KVMR Celtic Festival in Grass Valley, California

David Brewer’s website: davidbrewermusic.com

Stuart Mason’s website: stuartmasonmusic.com

This will be Cillian and Kevin’s second appearance at SLO House Concerts and we are looking forward to welcoming them back! In addition to their stellar musicianship, the two have developed a friendship through the years that shows in and through their performance and entertaining stage presence. Ring in the New Year right with this house concert!

Joining Irish super group Lúnasa in 1997 and 1999 respectively, Kevin Crawford and Cillian Vallely have become key components of a group which has become one of the most acclaimed and influential bands in the recent history of Irish music. Having released seven band albums and worked on numerous solo projects though, the duo decided to combine their individual talents and create something different. The result was the critically acclaimed album, “On Common Ground”, which was awarded The Irish American News album of the year in 2010.

Cillian Vallely is an uilleann pipes and low whistle player from Armagh in the north of Ireland. In recent years, he has played and recorded with Bruce Springsteen, Natalie Merchant, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Tim O’Brien, and Riverdance in addition to recording as a guest on over 60 albums. With Lúnasa, he has played at The Hollywood Bowl, Glastonbury Festival, Womad Aledaide, Edmonton Folk Festival in addition to multiple tours of Asia, Australia, US and Europe.

Vallely, whose family has played a seminal role in piping and Irish music in the north of Ireland for years, shows why he is one of the most respected pipers playing today. — Irish Voice

Born in Birmingham and living in County Clare, Kevin Crawford is an exceptional flute, whistle, and bodhran player and was awarded the title of Irish Echo Musician of the Year in 2000 following the release of his 2 successful solo albums, “In Good Company” and “D Flute.” Before joining Lúnasa, Kevin made two albums with the acclaimed instrumental band, Moving Cloud, 1995’s self- titled album followed by “Foxglove” in 1998. Other notable album credits from this period included Grianan, Raise the Rafters, Joe Derrane, Sean Tyrrell and The Sanctuary Sessions. One of Kevin’s latest side-projects is the formation of a new super-trio, The Teetotallers alongside John Doyle and fiddler Martin Hayes.

Kevin is one of Irish music’s premiere air players. — Folkworks

Lúnasa website: www.lunasa.ie

Facebook page: facebook.com/lunasaband

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please click here to request an invitation and indicate how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other information.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

 

Grammy Award-winning musician Laurie Lewis is internationally renowned as a singer, songwriter, fiddler, bandleader, producer, and educator. She was a founding member of the Good Ol’ Persons and the Grant Street String Band and has performed and recorded since 1986 with her musical partner, mandolinist Tom Rozum. Laurie has won the International Bluegrass Music Association award for Female Vocalist of the Year twice.

Laurie’s band, the Right Hands, are all mega-talented musicians. Laurie sings and plays guitar and fiddle; Tom Rozum sings, swaps jokes, and plays mandolin, mandola, and guitar; Patrick Sauber plays banjo; Brandon Godman plays fiddle; and Haselden Ciacco plays bass.

Singout! calls Laurie “one of the leading lights of American acoustic music, a genuine national treasure,” and Country Standard Time says that she “has recorded some of the finest folk-inspired music of the past three decades.”

Website:  laurielewis.com

Facebook page:  facebook.com/laurielewismusic

Interview with KQED Arts:  youtube.com/watch?v=E-SW6bQMT_g

The Crooked Miles video:  youtube.com/watch?v=i6pLXnwhFgU

 

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. This house concert is now Sold Out. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, click here and let us know how many seats you would like. We will notify you if seats open up.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

Banjo. Guitar. Fiddle. Feet. Song. Tradition.

Joe Newberry and April Verch are masters of their traditions. Tunes, ballads, step dancing, and original songs by way of the Ottawa Valley in Canada and the Ozarks in Missouri ring like silver and shine like gold. With beautiful harmony singing, breathtaking instrumentals, and exquisite dancing, these two hit the stage in perfect rhythm, making audiences remember why this music existed in the first place. We are excited to welcome Joe back and to meet April! Don’t miss this one!!

Joe Newberry is a Missouri native and North Carolina transplant who has played music most of his life. A frequent guest on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, Joe performs in a duo with Mike Compton, and also performs with guitarist Jon Shain. Another special side project pairs Joe with old-time music legends Bill Hicks, Mike Craver, and Jim Watson. He was recently a featured singer on the Transatlantic Sessions tour of the United Kingdom with fiddler Aly Bain and Dobro master Jerry Douglas, along with an all-star band and fellow singers Rhiannon Giddens, the Milk Carton Kids, Carla Dillon, and Karen Matheson. He won a songwriting prize at the 2012 IBMA Awards for his song Singing As We Rise, and was co-writer, with Eric Gibson, of the 2013 IBMA Song of the Year for They Called It Music.

Fiddler, singer, and stepdancer April Verch knows how relevant an old tune can be. She grew up surrounded by living, breathing roots music and decided early she wanted to be a professional musician. With countless awards, ten albums, and sixteen years of touring under her belt with The April Verch Band, Verch has moved from upstart prodigy to mature and reflective songwriter, interpreter, and storyteller. She has performed around the world, including festival, theatre, and performing arts centre appearances. Verch was one of 6 fiddlers who represented the Canadian fiddle tradition to the world at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games opening ceremony in Vancouver, as part of a segment called “Fiddle Nation.”

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please click here to request an invitation and indicate how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other information.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

 

Great music and great musicianship. Agile fiddling, hard-driving three finger banjo, a rock-solid rhythm section…  –Minnesota Bluegrass Magazine

Steam Machine sits somewhere between the full, round, driving sounds of American old-time stringband music and the emergent virtuosity of early bluegrass. With clean, powerful fiddling and rolling three finger banjo they highlight unique and beautiful Midwestern repertoire alongside tunes and songs from Appalachia. A rock-solid rhythm section and honest, unprocessed singing round out their sound. All four band members are actively involved in perpetuating roots music and dance traditions as players, teachers, and community scholars in their home communities and wherever they go. Having performed across the country and world individually, as a band they are having a lot of fun forming a style that has been called “wonderfully tasteful!” “so fine!” “a treat!” and “powerful!” by fans of the genre. And in 2017, at the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, WVA, after a 5-way tie for first place, they took 2nd place in the string band competition!

Two Cajuns and an old time stringband walk into a bar…

We are thrilled to welcome back the wonderfully spirited and talented Cajun Country Revival. This March they toured throughout Norway and Sweden, and earlier in May they toured in the UK. In June, they will perform at The Great Big Fais Do-Do in Portland, OR and then have only four shows in California, with SLO House Concerts being one of them!

Spanning generations from across the nation the Cajun Country Revival is a veritable supergroup of American roots musicians. Comprised of Cajun musicians Jesse Lége and Joel Savoy along with Stephen “Sammy” Lind and Nadine Landry of the Foghorn Stringband, this group presents a music that seems to embody all of the things that make life wonderful. They have delighted audiences around the world celebrating rather than “performing” the music that brought them together: Cajun music and early Country music.

Joel Savoy, son of Cajun music royalty Marc and Ann Savoy and founder of the Louisiana based label Valcour Records, is a GRAMMY winner for his production work with The Band Courtbouillon and a nine-time GRAMMY nominee. Joel is also a two-time winner of the Cajun French Music Association’s Fiddler of the Year Award. Having grown up literally at the feet of the Cajun greats, he represents his culture with an authority that few people his age can and his playing leaves no doubt that Cajun music is still very much alive. He has worked and played with the best of the best in South Louisiana as well as folks like John Fogerty, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Earle, and T-Bone Burnett.

Sharing the stage with Joel for the last 15 years is the legendary Cajun powerhouse, Jesse Lége. Growing up in a rural pre-electricity home in Gueydan, LA, Jesse spoke Cajun French and learned music from relatives, neighbors, and the family’s much-loved battery-powered radio. Today he is one of the most admired Cajun accordionists and vocalists in the world, known especially for his high, clear, “crying” vocals. Jesse has been playing traditional Cajun music and singing Cajun French songs for over 35 years performing with a variety of well-known musicians in various Louisiana and southeast Texas dancehalls. He is a winner of numerous CFMA awards including Traditional Band of the Year, Accordion Player of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Song of the Year. In 1998, he was inducted into the Cajun Music Hall of Fame.

Completing the revival are Foghorn Stringband members Stephen “Sammy” Lind (MN) on fiddle and guitar, and Nadine Landry (Québec) on vocals and bass. Credited for igniting the Old-Time Renaissance in the Pacific Northwest, the Foghorn Stringband continues to stand out as the shining gold standard for American Stringband music. With their 8th album, Devil in the Seat, getting rave reviews, thousands of shows, and over a decade of touring under their belts, it’s no surprise that Foghorn “has blossomed into a full-blown force of nature that threatens world domination,” as proclaimed by Stuart Mason, in his trad music blog  Fiddlefreak.  Through all of this, they’ve never let the music grow cold. Instead, Foghorn has been steadily proving that American Roots music is a never-ending well of inspiration.

jesseandjoel.com/the-cajun-country-revival
nadineandsammy.com

youtube.com/watch?v=J0qvnMMv27c  

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please click here to request an invitation and indicate how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other information.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

 

Doyle on guitar has risen to a level occupied by him alone. No one in Irish traditional music is a better guitarist than he is right now. —Earle Hitchener, Wall Street Journal

John Doyle is impossibly in demand in the studio and on the road; is immensely talented; and blessed with an acute ear, a wicked sense of rhythm, and a seemingly endless stream of magic in his playing, singing, composing, and producing.  He has solidly established himself as one of the most versatile, creative, and prolific voices in folk and traditional Irish music today, and we are thrilled to be able to present him for a SLO House Concert.

From a musical family in Dublin, John was sixteen when he went on the road with Chanting House, a group which he formed with Susan McKeown and which eventually included such great players as Seamus Egan, Eileen Ivers, Donogh Hennessy, and Brian Doyle. The highly influential Solas followed, its success due in no small part to John’s powerful rhythmic guitar. As a member of Solas, John performed internationally to sold out audiences and appeared on many television and radio programs, including NBC’s The Today Show, and A Prairie Home Companion. As part of that critically acclaimed group, he also received three NAIRD awards and a Grammy nomination.

Since going out on his own, John has recorded two solo albums and become a highly sought-after accompanist and performer for the likes of Joan Baez, Eileen Ivers, Tim O’Brien, Seamus Eagan, and the prestigious Transatlantic Sessions. He has been in duos with Liz Carroll and Karan Casey, and is an integral member of such luminous groups as The Alt (with Nuala Kennedy and Eamon O’Leary), The Immigrant Band (with John Herrmann, Eamon O’Leary, and Rafe and Clelia Stefanini), and The Teetotalers (with Kevin Crawford and Martin Hayes).

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please click here to request an invitation and indicate how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other information.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

Additional Sights and Sounds

johndoylemusic.com

youtube.com/watch?v=pGloHNrp9ok

Photo Credit: Mike Melnyk

What do you get when you mash up a virtuosic bluegrass mandolinist, a traditional Irish fiddler, and an old-timey songster? Kenny Blackwell (mandolin and guitar), John Weed (fiddle), and Stuart Mason (guitar, banjo, and mandola) are the bluegrass-roots trio Little Black Train. From Depression-era gospel and blues to Appalachian and Celtic dance tunes, they dig up the roots of bluegrass that traveled to America from Ireland and Scotland in the 19th century. Avid practitioners of the time-honored folk process, they combine new words and melodies with traditional songs from sources such as the Carter Family, Dock Boggs, and Charlie Poole. On the instrumental side, they mine fiddle tunes from archival sources in West Virginia, Ireland, and Scotland.

Each of these three is amazingly accomplished, but something magical happens when they play together, their instruments swirling around one another like curls of smoke from a smoldering fire. This is old-time music at its most riveting! –Glen Starkey, New Times SLO

Mandolinist Kenny Blackwell, who studied with the legendary Jethro Burns, has been a fixture in the West Coast bluegrass scene since the late ’80s. He is known for his extensive studio work on various projects, as well as his collaborations with progressive fiddler Richard Greene and his membership in the Laurel Canyon Ramblers, a legendary California bluegrass outfit. Nowdays, when he’s not riding the Train, he performs with Dorian Michael, The Mystery Trees, The Demos, and Plan A.

An accomplished fiddler across genres, John Weed has lived in Ireland and immersed himself in the traditional styles of Clare and Donegal. The result is an old-time Irish fiddling style that compliments his forays into bluegrass, swing, and other American music. A classically trained violinist, John leverages his understanding of the instrument to coax emotion from every tune. Film credits include fiddle tracks for the NBC adaptation of Anita Shreve’s novel The Pilot’s Wife.

Guitarist Stuart Mason is known for his authentic vocals, melodic mandola, and inability to hold his whiskey. When he picks up the banjo, he plays in the older clawhammer and two-finger styles. A native of West Virginia, Stuart has won awards for traditional singing (Goleta Old-Time Fiddler’s Convention), mandola (Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Contest), and songwriting (West Coast Songwriter’s Association).

With Molly’s Revenge, Stuart Mason and John Weed have appeared on festival stages from Glasgow, Scotland to Shanghai, China. They also present workshops and classes, including The Roots of Bluegrass, and Regional Fiddle Styles from Ireland to Appalachia.

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please click here to request an invitation and indicate how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other information.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

Additional Sights and Sounds

Websites: littleblacktrain.com   kennyblackwell.com   stuartmasonmusic.com

Videos: Wayfaring Stranger

Little Black Train at the Red Barn

We are delighted to have the lads back with us again for two shows, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., to help us get a jumpstart on St. Patrick’s celebrations.

To the three members of Celtic band Molly’s Revenge, “March Madness” means something other than basketball playoffs. Indeed, for all players of traditional Irish music, the month of March means making hay while the sun shines, for March 17 is the date when Irish people all around the world love to celebrate the venerable Saint Patrick. And since they can’t be everywhere on that one day, the lads of Molly’s Revenge will once again be crisscrossing the West Coast for much of the month. Hence the nickname of their annual tour: March Madness. We are excited that they will kick-off the tour with two SLO House Concerts on March 2nd.

The California-based combo will also celebrate their own longevity in March, as their first gig happened on a fateful St. Patrick’s Day some 18 years ago. Piper David Brewer is the only original band member, but fiddler John Weed and guitarist Stuart Mason joined up after the first couple of years. Front man David Brewer, also known as the “hyper piper,” leads the charge with an authentic and unique style of playing the bagpipes that has earned him the reputation of being one of the most accomplished pipers on the West Coast.

Molly’s Revenge is a dynamic, acoustic, Celtic band known for its unique and infectious enthusiasm. The classic combination of bagpipes, whistle, and fiddle with a backdrop of guitar, mandola, and bodhran guarantees a most enjoyable experience for all fans of Scottish and Irish music. Molly’s Revenge has performed at many of the top folk festivals and performing arts events in the USA and prestigious events in Scotland, Australia, and China. Their arrangements of traditional Celtic jigs and reels bring these dance tunes up to date with a driving, hard-edged accent that always leaves our friends shouting for more. Don’t miss this one!

They bring to the music a vital and joyous creativity that excites even the hardest of hearts.       –John Doyle, founding member of Solas.

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please click here to contact us to request an invitation. Please indicate which show and how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other helpful information.

2:00pm show: Doors open at 1:30pm. Concert starts at 2:00pm.  

7:00pm show: Doors open at 6:30pm. Concert starts at 7:00pm.

Suggested donation: $20. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

Additional Sights and Sounds

mollysrevenge.com

facebook.com/MollysRevenge

youtu.be/Wy7rKW6PVbY    ~    a video we took at the KVMR Celtic Festival in Grass Valley

Ryan McKasson and Eric McDonald are masters of the Celtic music tradition who purposefully explore the dark corners floating on its edges between Ryan’s fiddle and Eric’s guitar and vocals.  The result is an alluring complexity, full of spontaneous musicality. Pulling from parallel strands of influence, they create a swirling level of intensity that traverses darkness, light, and everywhere in between. The music this duo creates is to share, and live performance is their forte. Their mutual attitude stretches beyond the music. The two have been good friends ever since they met, and that friendship is evident in their live performances, which are full of organic banter and good humor to go along with the music.  They create an environment of their own design, drawing in listeners without pretense. Despite both living active musical lives thousands of miles apart these two musicians have committed to working together to forge a new musical path.

Please make your reservations today to see these outstanding musicians!

Ryan McKasson has gained a strong reputation as a performer, composer, collaborator and teacher. In 1994, he began attending Alasdair Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School, which led him deep into the world of traditional music. In 1996 he became the youngest ever to win the US National Scottish Fiddle Championship and in 1997 he was awarded a Merit Scholarship for Viola Performance from the University of Southern California. Ryan’s professional career took a step forward in 2004 when he spearheaded the formation and development of “The McKassons” who released two critically acclaimed albums, Tall Tales (2004) and Tripping Maggie (2006). Over the years Ryan has recorded with a number of influential artists, namely his playing appears on fellow Scottish fiddle champion Hanneke Cassel’s three albums Silver, For Reasons Unseen, and Dot the Dragon’s Eyes, as well as Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas’s recording Highlander’s Farewell. In addition to McKasson & McDonald, other current projects include MAC, Ensemble Galilei, and The Syncopaths.

Eric McDonald found his way to traditional music through the rich local music scene in his hometown, Boston. Nearly a decade after studying at Berklee College of Music under world renowned musicians, he is now established as one of the USA’s premier accompanists in many styles. Eric cut his teeth playing for contra dances in New England, and can still often be seen from the dance floor. Nowadays he is an active session player, regularly recording and traveling with musicians of many stripes. Touring credits include The Outside Track, Andrea Beaton, Wendy MacIsaac and Katie McNally. In addition to McKasson & McDonald, he can currently be seen touring with the lively trio Daymark, Scottish powerhouse Cantrip, and award winning singer/songwriter Connor Garvey. In addition to guitar accompaniment, Eric’s debut solo album Rove features his unique style and approach to tunes on the mandolin, as well as carefully crafted deliveries of traditional ballads on voice and guitar.