The Tillotson Center Presents: Guitarist Sofia Talvik in Concert

Unmistakably Nordic in flavor, Sofia Talvik somehow still conforms to American interpretations of her own original music, blending sparkle and melancholy, creating a special niche of folk music that has been described as neo-folk.

Admission $10/Students $5.

Rising Appalachia in Concert at The Colonial Theatre

Rising Appalachia brings to the stage a collection of sounds, stories, and songs steeped in tradition and a devotion to world culture. Intertwining a deep reverence for folk music and a passion for justice, they have made it their life’s work to sing songs that speak to something ancient yet surging with relevance. Whether playing at Red Rocks or in rail cars, at Italian street fairs or to Bulgarian herbalists, this fiercely independent band has blazed a unique and colorful path across the globe. 11 years into their movement, Rising Appalachia believes that the roots of all these old songs are vital to our ever evolving soundscape.

Led by the collective voice of sisters Leah and Chloe, and joined by their beloved band – percussionist Biko Casini and bassist/guitarist David Brown – Rising Appalachia is a melting pot of folk music simplicity, textured songwriting, and those bloodline harmonies that only siblings can pull off. Listen for a tapestry of song, clawhammer banjo tunes, fiddle, double bass, acoustic guitar, djembe, barra, bodhran, spoken word, and a wealth of musical layering that will leave you called to action and lulled into rhythmic dance simultaneously. It is both genre bending and familiar at the same time. Proudly born and raised in the concrete jungle of Atlanta, Georgia, sharpening their instincts in the mountains of Appalachia, and fine tuning their soul on the streets of New Orleans they have crafted a 6-album career from the dusts of their passion.

Folk Duo-Hungrytown in Concert at Tillotson Center

After more than 15 years of world-wide touring and three album releases, Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson — otherwise known as the folk duo Hungrytown — have earned a reputation for the quality and authenticity of their songwriting. “It’s great to hear an act eschew sentimentality in favor of honesty and to prove that you don’t have to go raiding the memory of others to find the stuff that really good songs are made of,” writes Jedd Beaudoin of Popmatters.

Admission $10/Students $5.

The Tillotson Center Presents: The Gawler Family Concert

The Gawler Family is a fun-lovin’ folk-singin’ family from Maine. Ellen, John, Molly, Edith Elsie Gawler and Bennett Konesni bring you an assortment of old and new sounds from many folk traditions. Admission $10/Students $5.

Ghost of Paul Revere & Jason Spooner Band at The Colonial Theatre

“We grew up listening to Radiohead and the Beatles and Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd,” says Griffin Sherry, guitarist/singer in The Ghost Of Paul Revere. “Everyone assumed we were a bluegrass band because we were playing these traditional instruments, but we weren’t writing traditional music. We were just writing songs with the instruments we had.”

The result is a sound that the Portland, Maine-based band describes as “holler folk,” not because it involves a lot of hollering, per se, but because it invokes the rich communal tradition of field hollers, with their call-and-response melodies, sing-along hooks, and densely layered harmonies. That sense of musical camaraderie is essential to everything The Ghost of Paul Revere does.

“The Monday before Newport we got a message saying to pack our bags and come on down,” remembers Sherry. “We hadn’t played much outside of Maine or started opening for any big acts yet at that point, and it was a hugely inspiring moment.”

Word began to spread about the rowdy pickers from the north. The Boston Globe raved that they “create the type of music for which festivals are made,” while No Depression said they “prove that superior roots music can come from anywhere,” and Dispatch Magazine wrote that they possess not only “the chops, but the heart to reach their audience and leave an undeniable impression.” Hitting listeners straight in the feelings has been the band’s M.O. since its inception in 2011, and they’ve used their powerful stage show to convert the masses at every stop along their long and winding journey, which has included shared stages with artists like The Avett Brothers, The Travelin’ McCourys, Brown Bird, The Revivalists, the Infamous Stringdusters, and more.

The Jason Spooner Band: The ingredients behind northern New England’s Jason Spooner Trio read like a bizarre musical science experiment. Start with a prolific, singer/songwriter (Jason Spooner) with heavy roots, folk & blues influences. Then mix in a classically trained bassist (Adam Frederick) with foundations in jazz and a knack for serious pocket grooves. Lastly, shake things up with a rock-solid drummer (Reed Chambers) with deep-seeded roots in funk, soul & reggae and you’ve begun to scratch the surface of this unique, energetic band.

Energetic Young Band From Scotland at Rialto Theatre

Heron Valley, an energetic, young folk band from Scotland is in the midst of a U.S. tour, with a stop planned in Lancaster.

They will be making their debut appearance in the region on Tuesday, March 12, when the band takes to the stage at the Rialto Theatre at 80 Main Street, beginning at 7 p.m. The concert is presented by the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts.

Heron Valley is a five-piece band that brings with them their unique Scottish sound and high-energy performance with a lineup of bagpipes, fiddle, vocals, whistles, banjo, guitar, piano, drums and bass. The band’s roots lie in Scottish and Irish traditional music, while taking influence from various folk, country and bluegrass styles. The group includes Alex Mackechnie on fiddle, accordion and guitar, Nick Hamilton on drums and banjo, Abigail Pryde on vocals and guitar, Euan McNab on bagpipes, whistles and guitar, and Callum Cronin on bass guitar.

Right from the start, Heron Valley quickly established a major impact on the folk scene in Scotland, and saw the group branch out to 11 festival stages all over the United Kingdom. The year 2017 saw Heron Valley on a tour of over 20 festivals around the UK and Europe. With the exuberant reaction they received at these gigs, the demand was on for more of their music. Heron Valley released its debut album, “Roam,” in May 2017. This was extremely well received, featuring eight tracks of self-penned songs and lively sets of familiar tunes.

Tickets are $15 per person, available at the door or in advance at the Rialto Theater in Lancaster or at Fiddleheads on Main Street in Colebrook. You can also order tickets through the GNWCA’s website. Visit www.gnwca.org or call 246-8998 for more information.

Granite Grind Presents: Dana & Susan Robinson

From Cabot, Vermont – Americana-roots and folk duo, Dana and Susan Robinson combine vivid, songwriting and storytelling, with fiddle tunes, banjo grooves, elegant melodies, and rich harmony singing.

Drawing upon experiences of more than 20 years of touring, Dana and Susan craft a performance that conveys the mystery and wonders of their journey. Their unique blend of original songwriting and traditional Appalachian music, bring to their performances a deep understanding of America’s musical heritage.

Their compositions have been featured in Ken Burns’s “The National Parks, America’s Best Idea” and “The Dust Bowl.”

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Dana relocated to New England where he discovered both a thriving songwriters scene and the deep well of traditional mountain music. In the early 1980s, Dana settled in northern Vermont and built a house “off the grid” on 30 acres near the Canadian border. There he founded a popular bakery, café and music venue. Dana launched into full-time touring after the release of his 1994 debut CD, Elemental Lullabye, and after receiving a request to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City for Putumayo’s Shelter benefit project.

Susan grew up with her dad’s jazz big band rehearsing in the basement in Manchester, Vermont and learned classical piano as a child. As an adult she turned to oboe and Scottish fiddle. After Susan and Dana met in 2002, she took up old-time banjo and learned from the banjo-greats in and around Asheville, North Carolina. Since 2003 Dana and Susan have performed hundreds of concerts across the United States, Great Britain and Canada.

“Exquisite music – physical and spiritual, contemporary and ancient, up to its eyeballs in mud and transcendence. Musicians like Dana Robinson don’t grow on trees!” — Music Upstream

“Rural America explored with elegant simplicity. Their music and cleanly poetic songwriting bring to mind the great folksingers of our times.”
— Asheville Citizen-Times

“Many songwriters have been heralded as modern day Woody Guthries or keepers of the American rural spirit, but that mantle might be better entrusted to musicians like Dana Robinson who embody both the heart and soul of folk music.” — Dirty Linen

Sparrow Blue & Crowes Pasture at Tillotson Center

Sparrow Blue are Katy Boc and Todd Nickerson. They met in 2014 and began writing songs together after discovering a mutual love for American roots music. At the time they were each playing in different bands, but it wasn’t long until they began performing together as a duo.

Crowes Pasture is the Boston-based acoustic duo of Monique Byrne and Andy Rogovin. They draw from old-time, folk and bluegrass traditions, including such artists as Gillian Welch/David Rawlings and Ian & Sylvia.

Admission: $10; Students $5

Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards Concert at Tillotson Center

Their music echoes inspiration from traditional folk duos and singer/songwriters like Neil Young – combining beautiful harmonies and a lyrical intensity, while establishing a unique sound of their own.

Since 2010, co-founders Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards, have organized the Massachusetts Walking Tour. This is an annual non-profit bipedal concert tour of Massachusetts in support of arts and culture for towns throughout the state. Each free community concert collaborates with local artists, musicians, educational programs, trail managers and land trust groups to highlight both artistic diversity and recreational land use.

Admission $10/Students $5. Information can be obtained from the Tillotson Center at 603-237-8576. The Tillotson Center is located at 14 Carriage Lane, Colebrook, near the Colebrook post office.

Mt. View Grand Summer Concert Series: Beard & Glasses

Enjoy live music by local artists during our outdoor concert series, bound to keep you singing all summer long. Shows are 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the Club House Lawn.

Beard & Glasses represents the shortest distance between two musical points; Sam Clement (guitar, vocals) from Rockland, ME and Matt Scott (guitar, vocals) from the foot hills of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. The duo has been playing together for more than a decade, and are staples of the Southern VT Music scene. They’ll be joined by veteran musician and multi-instrumentalist Micah Carbonneau for an evening of acoustic soul music interspersed with jazz and folk.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/beardandglassesband/