Tag: Music

The Tillotson Center Presents: ‘Sunday on the Steinway’ with Matthew Odell

The New Hampshire-born pianist Matthew Odell began his studies at the age of 10 and has since won acclaim for performances of a wide range of repertoire as a solo recitalist, soloist with orchestra, and chamber musician. Mr. Odell currently teaches at The Juilliard School and frequently presents master classes, workshops, and lectures at professional conferences and universities throughout the U.S and Europe. Admission $10/Students $5.

The Colonial Theatre Presents: Gangstagrass

Bluegrass and Hip-Hop may sound like an odd combination, but don’t tell that to Producer Rench, who birthed the fusion in 2006, with Gangstagrass. “There are a lot more people out there with Jay-Z and Johnny Cash on their iPod playlists than you think.” says Rench, who had previously made a name for himself as an in-demand Brooklyn country and hip-hop producer and singer/songwriter. He should know – he’s toured the country with a band of bluegrass pickers and hip-hop emcees to the delight of standing room crowds everywhere.

When FX Network came to Rench looking for the Gangstagrass sound for the theme song to their new series Justified, he had bluegrass players lay down an original track with rapper T.O.N.E-z, the younger brother of early hip-hop legends Special K and T-LaRoc. The result was “Long Hard Times To Come,” the song that opened every episode of six seasons of the hit series. “Long Hard Times To Come” was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2010, contending for best theme song after critical praise and massive fan response.

The same live bluegrass band approach was used to make Lightning On The Strings, Thunder On The Mic, a full length album of with T.O.N.E-z, the emcee featured on the Justified theme song. Two years later the Gangstagrass sound was expanded with the release of Rappalachia, a 15 song album featuring a variety of rappers, including Kool Keith, Dead Prez, Nitty Scott MC, T.O.N.E-z, BROOKLYN35, R-SON, and Dolio The Sleuth. Country singers Brandi Hart from the Dixie Bee-Liners and Jen Larson added gritty harmonies alongside Rench’s choruses. Broken Hearts and Stolen Money was released in 2014 featuring performances by legendary rap team Smif-N-Wessun, Juno award winning rapper Liquid (of BranVan 3000), Brandi Hart of the Dixie Bee-Liners and Alexa Dirks of Chic Gamine in addition to the now regular crew of emcees and pickers. The album received universal critical acclaim including the Boston Globe labeling the raucus single Two Yards “essential.” A fourth official album titled American Music was released in April 2015. Featuring a collection of standout original cuts and traditional folk anthems the band once again broke new ground, while also paying tribute to their cast of American songwriting heroes, and debuted at #5 on the Billboard bluegrass charts.

Gangstagrass has toured internationally, blowing minds on main stages from SXSW to Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, with a live stage act taking full advantage of the improvisational aspects of both hip-hop and bluegrass. With two emcees R-Son and Dolio The Sleuth trading verses, Dan Whitener on Banjo, Landry McMeans on dobro, and Rench on guitar, and frequent 3 part harmonies, the Gangstagrass live show has garnered a reputation among fans for its dynamism and spontanaety. Currently touring across the US, Gangstagrass is using live performances to organically develop new material for an album that will further explode the boundaries between genres generally thought to be incompatible.

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn at The Colonial Theatre

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, “the king and queen of the banjo” (Paste Magazine), have a musical partnership like no other. Béla Fleck is a fifteen-time Grammy Award winner who has taken the instrument across multiple genres, and Abigail Washburn a singer-songwriter and clawhammer banjo player who re-radicalized it by combining it with Far East culture and sounds. The two met at a square dance, began collaborating musically and eventually fell in love. Over the years, they played together most visibly in the Sparrow Quartet alongside Ben Sollee and Casey Driessen and informally at a pickin’ party here, a benefit there, or occasionally popping up in each other’s solo shows. Fans of tradition-tweaking acoustic fare eagerly anticipated that Béla & Abigail would begin making music together as a duo.

Fleck has the virtuosic, jazz-to-classical ingenuity of an iconic instrumentalist and composer with bluegrass roots. His collaborations range from his ground-breaking standard-setting ensemble Béla Fleck and the Flecktones to a staggeringly broad array of musical experiments. From writing concertos for full symphony orchestra, exploring the banjo’s African roots, to jazz duos with Chick Corea, many tout that Béla Fleck is the world’s premier banjo player.  Washburn has the earthy sophistication of a postmodern, old-time singer-songwriter who has drawn critical acclaim for her solo albums. She has done fascinating work in folk musical diplomacy in China, presented an original theatrical production, and has contributed to singular side groups Uncle Earl and The Wu-Force. In addition to being named a TED Fellow in 2012, Abigail was recently named the first US-China Fellow at Vanderbilt University, in addition to Carolina Performing Arts/Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s DisTil Fellow for 2018-2020

With one eye on using the banjo to showcase America’s rich heritage and the other pulling the noble instrument from its most familiar arena into new and unique realms, Bela & Abigail meet in the mean, head-on, to present music that feels wildly innovative and familiar at the same time. Whether at home, on stage or on record, their deep bond, combined with the way their distinct musical personalities and banjo styles interact, makes theirs a picking partnership unlike any other on the planet.

4th Annual “Railway to the Moon” Steampunk Festival – Mt. Washington Cog Railway

Step back in time with a twist into the future with the Railway to the Moon Steampunk Festival.

Immerse yourself for a day in the world of steam power, antique bicycles and the inventive spirit where the creative mind reigns!

This is a free event with special vendors, educational sessions and performances throughout the day, with a separate (optional) paid Steam Trip Rides throughout the day.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, rain or shine. FREE EVENT!!!

www.railwaytothemoon.com — Official website

The Hot Sardines On Stage at The Colonial Theatre

Fueled by the belief that classic jazz feeds the heart and soul, THE HOT SARDINES are on a mission to make old sounds new again and prove that joyful music can bring people together in a disconnected world.

In the last two years, the Hot Sardines have been featured at the Newport Jazz Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival, have sold out NYC venues from Joe’s Pub to Bowery Ballroom, and have released two albums to critical raves and a No. 1 slot on the iTunes Jazz chart in the U.S. and internationally. 

These mischief-makers of hot jazz have been described as “potent and assured” (The New York Times) and “simply phenomenal” (The Times, London). “Everything in our DNA is about connecting with the audience. That’s where we feel most at home,” says Elizabeth, of playing live with the eight-piece band (including one wildly percussive tap dancer).

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.

10th Annual Jericho ATV Festival

It’s all about the MUDD!! at the 10th Annual Jericho ATV Festival!

The Jericho ATV Festival is an ATV enthusiast’s dream come true, featuring mud races, demo rides, live music, delicious food, and more!

The annual festival takes place at Jericho Mountain State Park, which boasts more than 80 miles of trails. With more than 1,000 miles of interconnected OHRV trails in the Ride the Wilds network, New Hampshire’s Grand North is paradise for ATV riders, and the Jericho ATV Festival Presented by Progressive puts the spotlight on the very best riding in the northeast. Be sure LIKE us on Facebook for all the latest updates!!

Some of the events and activities taking place at the Festival include:

Poker Run  –  Mud Pit Grudge Runs  –  Aftermarket Vendors  –  Helicopter Rides  –  Food Vendors –  Vintage ATVs
Live Music  –  Beer Tent –  Demo The New ATV’s and S X S’s  – Major Manufacturers

Don’t miss:

Live Music by 8084 – Check them out at: http://8084rocks.com/

ATV / Motorcycle Freestyle Show with ATV Big Air Tour! Check them out: www.atvbigairtour.com

The Tillotson Center Presents: ‘Sunday on the Steinway’ with Hélène Papadopoulos

Hélène Papadopoulos was born in Paris, and studied the piano at the Conservatoire de Strasbourg. Recent appearances in the US include Church of the Epiphany in Washington, DC. Hélène has developed an expertise in Baroque music with a large piano repertoire, and also with the publishing of a book on music in the 18th century. Admission $10/Students $5.

The War & Treaty at The Colonial Theatre

The War and Treaty. The name itself represents the pull between trauma and tranquility, music inspired by darkness and despair that ultimately finds a higher spiritual purpose. A rising act in the Americana field, are a married duo comprised of Michael and Tanya Trotter, which have received comparisons to Ike and Tina Turner. Separately and together, they’ve tried on numerous stylistic identities and artistic approaches. Long before she met Michael, Tanya (nee Blount) dueted with Lauryn Hill in Sister Act 2 and recorded sultry, mid-’90s R&B slow jams in a Toni Braxton vein. Michael sang in church, and during a tour of duty in Iraq, was dealt the singular sacred duty of paying tribute to fallen comrades in song, before striking out as a smoothly seductive R&B singer-songwriter. After teaming up in life and music, the pair dabbled in sleek soul updates under their combined surnames. But they also drew inspiration from voices embraced as touchstones across generations and genres — Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and Nina Simone among them — and ultimately settled into a rootsy aesthetic animated by the range of their musical experiences.