notlobmusic

notloB Folk Concerts

presents.....

Kimberly Fraser, Brian Conway & Mark Simos

On Friday, February 17 8pm at Unity Somerville notloB Folk Concerts will present three of the finest traditional musicians of their genre – Kimberly Fraser (Cape Breton), Brian Conway (Sligo) and Mark Simos (Irish, Southern old-time, New England, Quebeçois, bluegrass, and Klezmer.

Unity, 6 William Street, Davis Square, Somerville

Suggested donation $15/12 advance reservation. $10 student rush will start a few minutes before 8pm.

Reservations suggested - notlobreservations at gmail dot com

Kimberly Fraser

Kimberley Fraser was born on Cape Breton Island, and nurtured within its rich musical heritage. She first began to impress audiences at the age of three with her step-dancing talents. Soon after that she took up both the fiddle and the piano. Though still in her 20s, Kimberley’s already has a distinguished career. She has traveled the world, from Victoria to Afghanistan, performing at venues such as The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. bringing Cape Breton music with her wherever she goes. Dan MacDonald of the Cape Breton Post says about Fraser’s versatility, “She has matured to become one of the stellar players of the Cape Breton fiddle tradition, equally at home at a house party, playing for a square dance or on stage for a concert in Bras d'Or or Boston, Scotsville or Scotland.” Kimberley has shared the stage with the finest acts in Celtic music, such as Alasdair Fraser, Martin Hayes and Lunasa. Kimberley is also in demand for her piano skills, accompanying musicians at home and abroad.

Kimberley holds a degree in Violin performance from Berklee College of Music and in Celtic Studies from St Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Education is important to her, reflected in Kimberley’s dedication to teaching Cape Breton music both at home and abroad. A master at the trio of fiddling, step dancing and piano, Kimberley is a much sought after teacher for all three. Her reputation as a teacher has brought her to conduct workshops at many camps and festivals, including Alasdair Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Fiddle Camp, the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina, and The American Festival of Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington to name a few. Kimberley also has experience giving workshops to string orchestras demonstrating how traditional music can be arranged for classical ensembles.

In 2006, Kimberley released her second studio album, Falling on New Ground, a winner of the East Coast Music Award for best Roots/Traditional Album of the Year. This self-produced album reflects on her experiences and growth as a musician since the release of her first studio album Heart Behind the Bow in 2000. Falling on New Ground demonstrates Kimberley’s many talents and versatility.

Brian Conway

New York born fiddler Brian Conway is a leading exponent of the highly ornamented Sligo fiddling style made famous by the late Michael Coleman. The winner of two All- Ireland junior titles in 1973 and 1974 and the All-Ireland senior championship of 1986, Brian's early studies were with his father Jim of Plumbridge County Tyrone and with Limerick born fiddler/teacher Martin Mulvihill. However, it was the legendary fiddler and composer Martin Wynne who taught him the real secrets of the County Sligo style. Later, Brian met and befriended the great Andy McGann of New York a direct student of Michael Coleman, who further shaped his precision and skill on the instrument.

In 1979, Brian recorded a duet album, The Apple In Winter (Green Linnet) with fellow New York fiddler Tony Demarco. He released his debut solo CD, First through the Gate, on the Smithsonian-Folkways label in July 2002. This CD was voted the prestigious Album of the Year by the Irish Echo. Brian is also featured on the CD, My Love is in America, recorded at the Boston College Irish Fiddle Festival, and on the documentary "Shore to Shore" which highlights traditional Irish music in New York. He is considered one of the musical rocks of the New York area.

Brian remains faithful to the rich tradition handed down to him. The distinctness of his tone, the lift of his playing, and the deft ornamentation he brings to the tunes have placed him amo ng the finest Irish fiddlers of any style, Sligo or otherwise. He has performed all over North America from San Francisco to New York and places in between such as Chicago, Milwaukee and Colorado. His talents have also been enthusiastically received throughout Ireland and the rest of Europe. His current CD, First through the Gate, exemplifies the versatility that characterizes his concert performances and festival appearances. He is also a noted instructor who has mentored many fine fiddle players, including several who have gone on to win All-Ireland championships.

In 2007, Brian released a CD titled A Tribute to Andy McGann on the prestigious Irish Label Cló Iar-Chonnachta. This CD pairs up Irish Music legends Joe Burke and Felix Dolan along with Brian in a CD which has received glowing accolades since it's release in the summer of 2007. Brian followed this CD with a much anticipated new Solo CD titled "Consider the Source" in deference to the rich environment from which Brian learned his music. This CD was released in 2008 on the Cló Iar-Chonnachta Label. This CD features guest appearances by music greats Niamh Parsons, Dan Milner, Billy McComiskey, Joannie Madden, Felix Dolan, and Brendan Dolan. Earle Hitchner of the Irish Echo described this CD as "Easily one of the best releases this year".

Read a very nice profile of Brian by Sean Smith in the Boston Irish Reporter.

February 2, 2012

Arts and Entertainment

Fiddler Conway learned his music ‘pure’ – Sligo style

By Sean Smith, special to the BIR, February 2, 2012

Brian Conway makes no bones about it: He understands that his particular tutelage in the Irish music tradition was a profoundly rare thing, and he feels very fortunate as a result. “I think that, in my upbringing, I definitely got the music pure,” says Conway, who will bring his widely admired fiddle-playing talents to the Boston area later this month....

Mark Simos

The Musical imagination of Mark Simos weaves a lifetime love of many traditions into innovative musical forms. As songwriter and composer, fiddler, ‘tunesmith,’ and guitar and piano accompanist, Mark draws on long apprenticeship in a wide variety of genres—Irish, Southern old-time, New England, Quebeçois, bluegrass, and Klezmer among others—creating a musical language grounded in traditional forms, yet uniquely his own.om

"... a musician's musician, versed in many musical idioms and excelling at all of them. He is one of the few musicians I know equally at home in the often incompatible roles of traditionalist and innovator." —Mick Moloney

Friday, February 17, 2012

Doors 7:30, Concert 8:00

Unity

6 William Street, Davis Square, Somerville

Suggested donation $15/12 advance reservation. $10 student rush.

More info - https://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic/

Reservations - notlobreservations at gmail dot com

YouTube Video

Our Venues
Loring-Greenough House, 12 South Street, Jamaica Plain, 40 seats, "unplugged."
and
Unity, 6 William Street, Davis Square, Somerville, 175 seats, sound by Dana Westover.

About the series Since 2007, notloB Folk Concerts has produced close to 100 not-for-profit concerts in the greater Boston area. 100% of the donations go to the musicians and production expenses. The series is volunteer-run and new applicants are always welcome.
Stay in touch ~ Facebook / Mailing list / Contact / notloB Music Blog

Upcoming concerts

March 2 ~ Katie McNally & Eric McDonald @ Loring-Greenough House, JP

April 12 ~ Darol Anger & Emy Phelps with Special Guest Sharon Gilchrist @ Loring-Greenough House, JP

notloB recommends these other fine concerts

March 23 ~ NEFFA Showcase featuring

Celtic - Corvus

Traditional/old-time - Bronwyn Bird and Justin Nawn

Pre-war blues - Marylou Ferrante

Singer/song leader - tba.

details coming soon, watch the NEFFA website.

April 20 ~ Paul Geremia & Jaime Brockett @ Unity Somerville

Additional information here.

...and April 20-22, the New England Folk Festival in Mansfield.

Dinner and a Show

Concert patrons can save 10% when they bring proof of concert reservation to The House of Tibet Kitchen, 235 Holland Street, Somerville - 617-629-7567.

Patrons who make a dinner reservation and show proof of concert attendance (printed reservation confirmation) will be entitled to 10% off their dinner bill. Tax and tip not included.

Before being seated please identify yourself to the staff as attending the “notloB concert”.

The historic Loring-Greenough House, our Jamaica Plain venue
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Loring-Greenough House is the last surviving 18th century residence in Sumner Hill, a historic section of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, a neighborhood of Boston. It is located at 12 South Street on Monument Square at the edge of Sumner Hill.

This mid-Georgian mansion was built as a country residence and farmstead in 1760 for wealthy British naval officer Commodore Joshua Loring on the original site of John Polley's estate established in the 1650s. Originally, the Loring-Greenough house was situated on a 60-acre (240,000 m²) estate. Loring, a Loyalist prior to the American Revolution, abandoned the house in 1774, just prior to the conflict, and he fled from Boston in 1776. The house was confiscated by colonial forces and in 1776 served as a headquarters for General Nathaniel Greene and, soon after, a hospital for Continental Army soldiers following the Battle of Bunker Hill.

In 1780, the house was sold to Isaac Sears, the rebel leader from New York, and was then purchased in 1784 by Ann Doane, a rich widow, who soon after married David Stoddard Greenough. Their descendants lived here for five generations until 1924. At that time the Jamaica Plain Tuesday Club (until 1993 a ladies'-only club and today a community group) purchased the house, along with almost two acres of landscaped grounds, to convert it into a museum and save it from development.
The Loring-Greenough House is a very well-preserved structure of almost 4,500 square feet, on property that includes sweeping lawns, historic flower beds, handsome trees, and the two-and-one-half-story house itself. The property is fenced and gated with wrought-iron restricting access except for times when the building is open to the public. The Tuesday Club has been careful to preserve the house and grounds over many decades. The most recent restoration occurred with a $350,000 grant and included painting and other repairs.

The Loring-Greenough property is now a historic house museum still owned and operated by the Tuesday Club, which offers tours and other events throughout the year. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Massachusetts Landmark and a Boston Landmark.

Rest in peace, "Folk on WGBH" and "Blues on WGBH"

On November 6, 2009 WGBH announced it was canceling its long-running folk and blues programs in order to become a "single stream" news/talk station. "Folk on WGBH" (produced/hosted by Brad Paul and Naomi Arenberg) and "Blues on WGBH" (produced/hosted by Brendan Hogan) had been fabulous partners, hosting notloB's artists no fewer than eight times.

From Jim Kweskin, in Supporters of Folk and Blues on WGBH, November 11, 2009: "I can only assume this has something to do with the almighty dollar. Isn't this supposed to be public radio and aren't we the public. Folk music has been a mainstay on WGBH for as long as I can remember. Acoustic artists are as popular as ever and in some ways even more popular then in days gone by. I don't get it. WGB...H should be ashamed of itself. Well, as Ma Joad said, "We're the people and you can't stop us and you can't lick us. We just keep coming, 'cause we're the people.""

More information (notloB Music blog, 11/6/09)
Supporters of Folk and Blues on WGBH

notloB Folk Concerts are dedicated to the memory of Jack Hardy (November 23, 1947 – March 11, 2011),

who, with David Massengill and Peggy Seeger, graced our stage November 1, 2008.

"In this era of pop-driven acoustic music, notloB is keeping the folk tradition alive." ~ Jack Hardy

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Websites of interest

NEFolk ~ a news and discussion group celebrating and supporting traditional folk, folk revival, folk rock, roots, blues and bluegrass music and dance in the northeast US and from beyond that affects our community.

New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA) ~ The New England Folk Festival Association is a non-profit educational and cultural organization, incorporated under the General Laws of Massachusetts to encourage, sponsor, and preserve high standards of performance of the folk arts and traditions in New England and elsewhere.

A Nobel Prize for Pete Seeger

New England Folk Music Archives ~ preserves, promotes and documents the ongoing cultural legacy of folk music and its connections to New England through education, collaboration and entertainment.

Keeping the Public in Public Radio

Community and Independent College Radio Community and independent are types of radio service that offer a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial and public service. Community and independent college stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular to a local/specific audience but which may often be overlooked by commercial/mass-media and so-called "public" broadcasters.

Since June 2, 2007, notloB Folk Concerts has presented fine local and touring roots, newgrass, traditional and contemporary folk and blues artists to audiences in Jamaica Plain, Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Newton, Malden and Grafton. All are volunteer run and presented on a not-for-profit basis. Artists presented include Sometymes Why, Sharon Lewis, Rose Polenzani, Danielle Miraglia, Christina Thompson Lively, Geoff Bartley, Brian Webb, Dennis Brennan, The Rowan Brothers, Pat Wictor,, Jud Caswell, Bob Franke, Michael Troy, Kristin Andreassen, Laura Cortese, Tristan Clarridge, The Lissa Schneckenburger Band, The Tornado Rider Band (Rushard Eggleston & Gabriel Cazes), Tripping Lily, Alastair Moock, Greg Greenway, John Flynn, The Folk Brothers (Jack Hardy and David Massengill), Mary McCaslin, The Sacred Shakers, The Hanneke Cassel Band and many more. For a complete listing with links to the artists' websites see the alumni page. Contact us if you would be interested in having a concert in your home or community.

Reservations, Questions & Information - notlobreservations (at) gmail.com