Furnace Mountain
Saturday, March 20, 2010, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
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Tickets $18 advance, $21 at the door. Children under 14 half price.


Furnace Mountain, named after the tallest peak of the Catoctin Mountains, is a quartet of traditional musicians who play the music of the Virginia countryside and mountains. Dave Van Deventer (fiddle) and Danny Knicely (mandolin & guitar) front the instrumental side of things, while vocalists Morgan Morrison (bouzouki) and Aimee Curl (bass) layer in a stunning mix of the earthy and ethereal. Their music is at times lively and raucous, with spirited fiddle melodies weaving in and around the powerful rhythms of the bass and bouzouki. At other times it is poignant and poetic, with sublime vocal harmonies beautifully interpreting some of the oldest songs ever written. They’ve just released a new CD, Fields of Fescue.

The band has graced stages near and far, from the Yangtzee River in China to the banks of the Shenandoah River, where they host the famous Watermelon Park Fest each year.

David Van Deventer (aka Fiddlin' Dave) has been studying the folk origins of the fiddle for over 25 years. He is a fiddle and mandolin instructor, organizer of the Watermelon Park Festival and partner in Shepherds Ford Productions, as well as an active member of Furnace Mountain and the Woodshedders.

Morgan Morrison began singing and playing guitar with her family at thirteen, and at eighteen took up the bouzouki after becoming interested in old-time and celtic music. She soon began creating her own compositions as well as arranging new versions of traditional folk songs and tunes. Morgan counts her father John Morrison, Heidi Martin, John Doyle, Donal Lunny, Bob Dylan and Sandy Denny among many who have inspired her. She also sings with the gypsy jazz sensation, the Woodshedders.

Aimee Curl is from Loudon County, Virginia. In addition to playing bass, she has an unmistakable breathy sound and sultry vocal style that combine in a musician with incredible depth. An original member of the Musemeant, she has toured with bands including Dave Matthews, Widespread Panic and Blues Traveler. She is also an active member of the Woodshedders.

Danny Knicely is a fourth generation Appalachian multi-instrumentalist from a Virginia family steeped in the mountain music tradition. He has won many awards for both his mandolin and guitar expertise, including first place in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival mandolin contest. He has recorded and toured nationally and internationally with many groups including the award winning Magraw Gap, David Via and Corn Tornado, James Leva and Purgatory Mountain and Tim O'Brien, and is a musical director for the Mountain Music Project and Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble.

Visit Furnace Mountain's web site to learn more about the band or listen to music on their Myspace page.

Tickets $18 advance, $21 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

 
Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill
Saturday, April 10 2010, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
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Tickets $26 advance, $30 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

A native of County Clare, to which he returns for extended periods several times a year, Martin Hayes has been based in the United States for the past twenty-three years. He has drawn musical inspiration from sources as diverse as the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, the Spanish viola da gamba master Jordi Savall and the jazz genius John Coltrane. Still, he remains grounded in the music he grew up with in his own locality, Maghera, Feakle, East County Clare. The music he learned from his late father, P. Joe Hayes, the legendary leader of the long-lived Tulla Ceili Band, profoundly influenced his musical accent and ideas forever after.

In his younger days he played in an experimental electric band in Chicago. Recently he has composed scores for film, theatre, and modern dance, and has collaborated with like-minded musicians from other genres, such as jazz guitarist, Bill Frisell and eclectic violinist Darol Anger. He views these explorations as a means of shedding light on his ongoing artistic journey, as well as a challenge to any rigidity of thought. The fundamental artistic quest is to go deeper and deeper within traditional Irish music and himself.

Dennis Cahill is a master guitarist, a native of Chicago born to parents from the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. He studied at the city’s prestigious Music College before becoming an active member of the local music scene. Cahill’s spare, essential accompaniment to Martin Hayes’ fiddle is acknowledged as a major breakthrough for guitar in the Irish tradition. In addition to his work with Martin, Dennis has performed with such renowned fiddlers as Liz Carroll, Eileen Ivers and Kevin Burke, as well as many Irish musicians on both sides of the Atlantic.

Dennis is a sought-after producer for musical artists whom he records in his own Chicago studio. He is also an accomplished photographer. Taking full advantage of the Hayes and Cahill international travel opportunities, Dennis shoots photos that document both the backstage world as well as otherwise overlooked whimsical visual moments in rural villages, towns and cities, far and wide. His photos can be viewed on his website.

Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill met in Chicago in the 1980s. They formed the jazz/rock/fusion band, Midnight Court, which allowed them to experiment with a variety of new music styles. When Martin reclaimed his traditional roots, reinvigorated, and after recording two solo albums, he began a new musical relationship with Cahill, beginning with the lyrical music of East Clare. They played long, sometimes thirty-minute, multi-tune sets in their concerts, starting from the simplest of melodies, building in intensity, but never abandoning musicality and ideas.

Visit Martin's web site.

Tickets $26 advance, $30 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

 
The Kane Sisters, traditional Irish fiddle
Saturday, July 31, 2010, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
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Tickets $20 advance, $23 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

Sisters Liz and Yvonne Kane, from Connemara, learned music from both their grandfather Jimmy Mullen and South Sligo musician and teacher, Mary Finn McCrudden. Along with the recordings of the Rainey brothers, their grandfather and Mary were an early influence on their music. The Raineys were travelling fiddle players in the 1950s who visited the sisters' hometown and surrounding areas.

Yvonne and Liz consider their style to be heavily influenced by South Sligo fiddle playing, the music of East Galway and in particular the fiddle playing and compositions of Paddy Fahey. In recent years, the sisters have been privileged to meet and play with Paddy, whose music plays a central role in their repertoire. The recordings of Michael Coleman, Hughie Gillespie, Andy McGann and Kathleen Collins have also made an impact on their music.

Visit Liz & Yvonne's web site.

Tickets $20 advance, $23 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

 
Red Molly
Friday, Sept. 17, 2010, 8:00 pm at The Lyceum
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Tickets $20 advance, $23 at the door. Children under 14 half price.

Red Molly consistently brings concert-goers to their feet with stunning three-part harmonies, crisp musicianship and a warm, engaging stage presence. Laurie MacAllister, Abbie Gardner and Carolann Solebello have a lot of fun on stage, and it's contagious.

The Boston Globe says: "Everything Red Molly sings is delivered with tick-tight arrangements, crystalline vocals, and caramel harmonies. But what is most striking is the ardor they bring to everything they do, whether snuggling into the sweet parochialism of an old spiritual, or the gritty pathos of a Gillian Welch tune. They come on less like stars strutting for their minions than pals sharing their favorite songs. In the friendly world of the coffeehouse, that remains a star-making quality."

Visit Red Molly's web site.

Tickets $20 advance, $23 at the door. Children under 14 half price.