| TurtleDove Folk Club PO Box 701 Unionville, PA 19375 802-431-3433 Contact us Concert Venue West Grove Friends Meetinghouse 153 E. Harmony Rd West Grove PA 19390 Directions
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2010/11 CONCERT SCHEDULE
Boris Garcia has a few things in common with musical cousins Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd; Like Tull, his music possesses an organic folksiness that provides the framework for well-executed, well-placed "jams." Like Floyd, Garcia's original material is culled from the brain trust of several talented principles. And, like both Tull and Floyd, Boris Garcia is not a stage name for any individual performer. Rather, he is the collective alter ego of five Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, musicians who perform an intoxicating blend of Americana jamband bluegrass folk rock. Coined by multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Jeff Otto (ukulele, bass, guitar, vocals), the name refers to the band's blend of eastern influences, western song structures, and Grateful Dead-styled instrumental breaks. Nowhere is this spirit of diversity more evident than on the band's third release for Porchwerk Records, Once More Into the Bliss.
"During my 25 years with Grateful Dead Productions, I listened to a lot of jamming, both electric and acoustic. Recently, though I still work with Bob Weir, I've been approached by a fair number of bands to help them, and have usually not been moved enough by the music to say yes - until I heard Boris Garcia. They fuse a bluegrass/country/folk sound with a jazzy rock improvisation mode and really excellent songwriting. Some say it reminds them of Tom Petty, others of old Byrds. Either way, I like them, and want to share them with my larger family. So here y'are!"....... Dennis McNally
When you mention traditional folk music to audiences on this side of the Atlantic, people naturally think of American folk music. But there is, of course, a healthy folk music scene in the British Isles. Back in the 1960s, there was the rise of the English folk scene with groups like Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and the Pentangle which found audiences in the US. In recent decades, Celtic music from Ireland and Scotland has been enjoying considerable popularity. But there has not been a whole lot of mixing of folk from the America and the British Isles. Sarah McQuaid combines American and Celtic folk music from her life that has embodied that transatlantic fusion. Born in Madrid, Spain, raised in Chicago and holding dual Irish and American citizenship, singer/guitarist and songwriter Sarah McQuaid lived in Ireland from 1994 to 2007. She has since moved with her husband and two children to the home formerly occupied by her parents near Penzance, Cornwall.
I Won't Go Home 'Til Morning, the long-awaited follow-up to her acclaimed debut album When Two Lovers Meet, marks a distinct change of focus for the musician whose rich voice has been likened to "matured cognac". Whereas her first album was a feast of Irish music, this is an enchanting celebration of old-time Appalachian folk, with Sarah's arrangements punctuated by her own fine compositions and a cover of Bobbie Gentry's classic 'Ode to Billie Joe'.
The ghosts of Appalachia haunt the lyrics and melodies of Jeni & Billy's music: coal miners and quilting bees, pentecostal preachers and beauty queens, moonshine and oxycodone, the quiet dignity and hard work of those who manage to carve a living out of the mountains. They call it "New Old Music." Spare yet tight acoustic arrangements - voice and fiddle, banjo and guitar, guitar and fiddle - are its muscle and bone. And its soul is the new, yet ancient melodies and harmonies Jeni & Billy craft while weaving stories of the mountains. Jeni & Billy bring to their work distinct musical backgrounds that draw from the deep well of Appalachian roots music.
Jeni Hankins traces her vocal style to Virginia Lowe, the blind music minister of the Friendly Chapel Church on Smith Ridge, the Appalachian community in which Jeni spent her childhood summers. A natural storyteller and prolific writer since childhood, Jeni trained formally with Pulitzer-Prize-winning Northern Irish poet, Paul Muldoon, and earned a Masters in English Literature. While her singing has been compared to the lonesome voices of Maybelle Carter and Iris Dement, her writing has been likened to that of Southerners Carson McCullers, Flannery O'Connor, and Lee Smith.
A Baltimore native, Billy Kemp embraced the sound of country music in the nearby community of Oella - the home of Appalachian migrants who came to the city looking for work in the mills. Fired on by dreams of the Grand Old Opry and his passion for the sound of Flatt & Scruggs, Billy headed to Nashville and toured with country bands all over the US, Canada, Germany, and right onto the stage of the Opry. He honed and shared his skills as both student and instructor at the University of Maryland, and built a producing career working with roots artists.
Jeni & Billy continue the country tradition of the sweetheart duo, winning hearts with their genuine presence on stage and their true to life recordings, while bearing witness to the simple grace of plain folks.
SATURDAY, December 4, 2010 TD Members Appreciation Potluck Party
Black Men Blush will Perform  Black Men Blush is an exciting five piece dance band playing blues, zydeco, country and soul, and dedicated to great songs that make you dance. Black Men Blush features John Colgan-Davis, of the Philly legend Dukes of Destiny on harmonica and vocals; Rich Curtis from the Dukes on bass and vocals; Carl Snyder, also from the Dukes, on keyboards; AC Steel, former rhythm and lead guitarist with the Dukes, on guitar and vocals; and Bud Manton of numerous area bands, on drums. This is, "Roots Music With A beat and a Twang," and dancing is simply unavoidable.All supporting members will be invited to the annual gala potluck party to enjoy good music as well as the good food and drink that has become a hallmark of Turtledove Potlucks. All Turtledove supporting members are invited and it is just another good, flavorful reason to join your fellow folk music lovers in a night of merryment. Location and time will be emailed to all members in late November. If you love the live music that the Turtledove presents and have been thinking about becoming a member, this is another great reason to join. To learn more about membership, click here. .................................................................................
Our traditional annual steamy blues/dance with John and the crew down from Philadelphia... "They mix up a wide variety of music from Louis Jordan styled swing on up to soul, but their forte is Chicago blues. Veteran musicians all, this band knows rock n' roll, or getting lowdown with mean Chicago blues, The Dukes of Destiny are hard to beat for a good time... Ultimately, the ensemblework is what makes the Dukes of Destiny a good band - the consistent subtle interplay between all the musicians." - Peter Brown, East Coast Rocker
John Lilly is a multi-talented acoustic music performer from Charleston, West Virginia, specializing in Americana, country roots, and traditional folk music. He writes new songs that sound as old as the hills, and performs older songs like they were made yesterday. According to one reviewer, "If Hank Williams had a sunny disposition, he'd be John Lilly."
John has released four self-produced CDs. His latest release, "Haunted Honky Tonk," achieved the #1 position on both the Freeform American Roots (FAR) and the Euro Americana radio charts. "Broken Moon," released in 2000, earned enthusiastic reviews and widespread radio airplay. Bluegrass Unlimited magazine called it one of the "most unusual and interesting acoustic disks of the year." John's second CD, "Last Chance to Dance," released in 2003, debuted at #1 on the FAR radio chart and rose to #4 on the Euro Americana radio chart. His 2005 CD release, "Blue Highway," is a collaboration with legendary Tennessee fiddler Ralph Blizard.
John is recognized internationally as a powerful performing songwriter. In 2005, he won the national Ghost Writers In the Sky songwriting contest, sponsored by HankFest, a Chicago-based festival honoring the music of Hank Williams. John won a customized guitar for his original song "Blue Highway." He was a finalist in the 2002 Chris Austin Songwriting Competition at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, chosen from 853 entries and placing third in the Country category for his song "Broken Moon."
John was born in Illinois in 1954 and has traveled and performed widely. A former member of the Green Grass Cloggers dance team, John spent years playing traditional string band music with groups including Ralph Blizard and the New Southern Ramblers.
Michael Smith is a veteran songwriter whose name may be unfamiliar but whose songs are almost universally known. Michael Smith has been singing and writing since the early 1960's and his rich and challenging songs have been recorded by more than 30 performers. The list includes Jimmy Buffet, Steve Goodman, Suzy Bogguss, Jerry Jeff Walker, Liam Clancy, Gordon Bok, The Four Freshman, Spanky and Our Gang, Small Potatoes, Anne Hills and many others. But until he received critical acclaim for the music he composed for Steppenwolf Theater's 1988 production of The Grapes of Wrath, Michael, unlike his many great songs, remained relatively unknown. It was after The Grapes of Wrath moved to Broadway and received Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Director that Michael became something of an overnight success - however, he was anything but. He had already put in 20 years of dues paying on the folk club circuit, his travels extending from Florida to the Midwest to California.
Michael has performed at dozens of major folk festivals including the Kerrville Folk Festival, Black Mountain Festival, and Philadelphia, Owen Sound, and Winnipeg Folk Festivals. He has also appeared on a number of radio programs including WUMB's Circle in the Stream, interviews with Studs Terkel on WFMT, a series of interviews on All Things Considered and Good Evening on NPR as well as interviews for the BBC in London for All Things Considered. Michael continues to write songs, tour regularly, do songwriting workshops as well as perform frequently with Anne Hills. Though sometimes elusive to the spotlight, Michael Smith has had a long, eclectic career as a musician. His songs are played and known throughout the world. Considered by his peers to be one of today's most intelligent, literate songwriters it is a wonder he managed to stay hidden to so many others for so long.
The Steel Wheels are truly an Americana band, rooted in musical styles that explore the territories between blues and bluegrass, old-time sing-alongs and foot-stompin' fiddle tunes. They are subtle innovators who respect the past but whistle their own tunes, layering in rich textures and decidedly modern energy to forge a new sound.
They fit best among musicians like Langhorne Slim, Gillian Welch, or Adrienne Young and Little Sadie (with whom they've shared the stage) - deft musicians making a name for themselves by creating their own particular permutation of traditional forms. Yet the Steel Wheels share much with new Americana favorites like the Avett Brothers or Old Crow Medicine Show, with charisma that causes toes to tap and heads to nod, audiences hanging on their every word. Like those bands, The Steel Wheels have broad appeal. And they count among their fans former Statler Brother Jimmy Fortune and indie folk darlings Over the Rhine.
Fans of Faith Hill and Tim McGraw will flock to Massachusetts singer-songwriter Lori McKenna's fifth album for obvious reasons--McGraw coproduced it with his longtime shaper Byron Gallimore, Hill recorded three of McKenna's songs for Fireflies, and McKenna snared a guest slot on McGraw and Hill's 2007 tour. But longtime McKenna followers may approach this--her first album recorded expressly for a major label--with trepidation, fearing the commercial push has tamed the fearlessness and precision of her writing and diminished the quiet power of her folkie vibe. Well, Unglamorous is, indeed, different from her previous efforts--the lyrics often move beyond McKenna's dark and gritty blue-collar world, and her sound gets a fuller production, with a noticeably tougher edge in her Everywoman tonality. But McGraw and Gallimore have taken pains to only boost McKenna in the marketplace, not radically change her style. The radio-friendly title song (cowritten with hitmaker Liz Rose) is an autobiographical portrait of McKenna as a plumber's wife and the mother of five, for example, and if she sounds overly joyous about the virtues of middle-class struggles ("Curtains faded/Threadbare rugs/Real life/The baby stayed up all night"), millions of people can relate to that kind of life and be buoyed by the commonality. Still, there are plenty of songs that revisit McKenna's starker themes: "Drinkin' Problem," to which McGraw contributes harmonies; "Falter," about how the town bum got that way, with Hill's gorgeous and impassioned soprano lending emotional strength; the devastating "Leaving This Life," about McKenna's mother, who died when her daughter was six; and a passel of well-crafted and intense songs about a marriage in trouble. The most interesting commercial forays come back to back early in the sequence. If "I'm Not Crazy" is a giddy love song on an endorphin high, its predecessor, "Your Next Lover"--the album's best cut--hauntingly chronicles a romantic throw-over in sparse but potent detail, laced with black humor ("I saw her out in the parking lot/And any plans you had you can break"). As on past albums, McKenna occasionally references high school as a watershed moment. But Unglamorous clearly shows that the 36-year-old has graduated. --Alanna Nash
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