McKasson, McDonald and McLane –
Saturday, November 16 at 8:00 pm

Ryan McKasson, Eric McDonald and Jeremiah McLane are masters of tradition who purposefully explore the dark corners floating on its edges. Their individual artistry is enhanced when together. In short, the sum creates a greater whole. The result is an alluring complexity, full of spontaneous musicality. Pulling from parallel strands of influence, they create a swirling level of intensity that traverses darkness, light, and everywhere in between. An air of mystery pervades a sound compelling enough to transcend boundaries and appeal to music lovers of all stripes.

Devon Leger of Hearth Music says, “This trio really shows how masterful musicians listen and play off each other.” The music they create is to share, and live performance is the forte. But their mutual attitude stretches beyond the music. They have been good friends ever since they met, and this is present in their live performances, which are full of organic banter and good humor to go along with the music. They create an environment of their own design, drawing in listeners without pretense. Despite living active musical lives thousands of miles apart these musicians have committed to working together to forge a new musical path.

Ryan, Eric and Jeremiah create music together that is at once energetic, sublime, pensive, thought provoking and jubilant.

Steve Behrens, 67 Music

There’s a certain spontenaity at work as the three musicians alternately contest and duel, combine and coalesce to bring their talents together.

Tim Carroll, Folkwords.com

The narrative power of McDonald’s vocals joins the darker riffs of McKasson’s fiddle [and McLane’s soulful accordion] for an album with pluck, depth, and good reels aplenty.

Lynne Wilkerson, folkradio.co.uk

McKassonAndMcDonald.com
Video

David Jacobs Strain and Bob Beach – Saturday, October 26 at 8:00 pm

David Jacobs-Strain is a fierce slide guitar player and a song poet from Oregon.  He’s known for both his virtuosity and spirit of emotional abandon; his live show moves from humorous, subversive blues, to delicate balladry, and then swings back to swampy rock and roll.  It’s a range that ties Jacobs-Strain to his own generation and to guitar-slinger troubadours like Robert Johnson and Jackson Browne.  “I try to make art that you can dance to, but I love that darker place, where in my mind,  Skip James, Nick Drake, and maybe Elliot Smith blur together.”

Jacobs-Strain began playing on street corners and at farmer’s markets as a teenager and bought his first steel guitar with the quarters he saved up.  Before he dropped out of Stanford to play full time, he had already appeared at festivals across the country, often billed as a blues prodigy, but he had to fight to avoid being a novelty act:  “I wanted to tell new stories, it just wasn’t enough to relive the feelings in other people’s music.”

Bob Beach’s career has spanned more than 45 years. With his roots in blues, rock and folk, his innate feel for the music transcends genre, and can be integrated into everything from hip hop to bluegrass to kids’ cabaret and more. “Bob Beach, you snuck into the tunes with us with the grace and sensitivity of an old school sax man, making everything better while calling attention to the music not yourself” Scott Ainslie, blues musician & educator.

David and Bob have been performing together since 2010. They currently perform between 70 and 100 shows a year on both east and west coasts. Their live show moves from humorous, subversive blues, to delicate balladry, and then swings back to swampy rock and roll.

David Jacobs-Strain and Bob Beach blew me away last summer at Swannanoa. As we say at home, they “knocked my hat in the creek.” I can’t envision the audience that could fail to take to them from the first chord and to the last. Hear them yourself as soon as you can .

Tom Paxton

DavidJacobs-Strain.com
Videos

Jimmy Grant Ensemble –
Saturday September 14 at 8:00 pm

The Jimmy Grant Ensemble performs primarily in the style of Django Reinhardt, infusing swing era pieces, original work, and traditional gypsy tunes with the jazz guitar pioneer’s crunchy rhythms and hot harmonies. Jimmy Grant was recently a finalist in the John Lennon songwriting competition for his original song “Insomnia,” and also had an interview with Guitar World for his “5 in 5″ project, in which he wrote five different songs in five days. His style synthesizes a rich blend of Russian folk, bluegrass, celtic and classical music while remaining true to Django’s innovative guitar technique. The Jimmy Grant Ensemble will bring together two guitars, bass, and violin in an intimate yet energy-charged performance.

“…He is a player to watch and listen to if you want to know where gypsy jazz is headed….”

Nick Lehr (Diangofest Northwest)

www.JimmyGrant.net
Music

Greg Blake Band – Saturday June 29, 2019 at 8:00pm

You’ll hear it in his voice immediately … the original strain of Appalachian mountain music that lies at the heart of all great modern bluegrass and country. Greg Blake grew up in the mountains of southwest West Virginia, and when he sings, you can hear a voice that connects to the great old generations of mountain singers, invested with a rich twang and rumbling drawl, and the kind of eerily powerful high tenor cry that first inspired the ‘high, lonesome sound.’

These days he’s traded the low, rolling mountains of his West Virginia homeland for the sky-scraping peaks of Colorado, and he’s moved his lifelong calling as a minister to the full-time bluegrass music scene, but he still keeps his faith close and his family closer. On songs like “Dreaming of a Little Cabin” or “Turn Your Heart Toward Home”, you can hear the gentle guidance of a pastor and a devout family man reflecting on the good path. While bluegrass gospel may be one of Greg Blake’s signature talents, he’s certainly not averse to a little rough-and-tumble country singing, and his new album features a blazing bluegrass version of Johnny Cash’s “Hey Porter” that shows off Blake’s razor-sharp and lightning-fast guitar picking abilities. Drawing from a wide variety of song sources, from Cash to 80s country (Joe Diffie), to Canadian folk (Ian Tyson), to the original source himself, Big Mon, Greg Blake has a far ranging set of influences but a powerful Appalachian base to his music that resets these vocal gems in new ways.

Now after touring North America and raising a family, he’s poised to come into his own as one of the true Appalachian stars of modern bluegrass. This debut solo album, Songs of Heart and Home, measures Greg Blake spreading his wings as a vocalist and bandleader, crafting genre crossing music and following in the footsteps of his idol, Mac Wiseman, to make music that appeals to Bluegrass, Folk, Country, and Gospel fans alike.

“[Songs of Heart & Home] is a well conceived, nicely executed release with top-flight songs and excellent vocals and instrumental work. Highly recommended.” – Bluegrass Unlimited, March ’16

www.GregBlakeMusic.com
Music

Chris Jacome Flamenco – Saturday May 11, 2019 at 8:00pm

Chris B. Jácome is the artistic director and creator, Jácome Flamenco, Chris writes the music and lyrics for all of the touring company’s productions and has toured extensively throughout the US and beyond.

In November of 2015, Chris’ first feature film score “Just the Vampire Hunter” was released and is receiving RAVE REVIEWS!

Chris’ music has received critical acclaim from the beginning of his career. From Chris’ debut CD, Motivación, the title track “Motivación” finished in the Top 10 in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest World Music Category. Since his first CD’s debut Chris has written and recorded three other original flamenco albums: Pa’lante, Flamenco and LEVANTO. LEVANTO features the music, lyrics and even the footwork from the flamenco spectacular by flamenco dance company, CALO FLAMENCO. TWO of Chris’ original songs from LEVANTO, “Ritmo-Canix” and “Sin Ti” won the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest!

“LEVANTO is fabulous flamenco that can stand alongside any created in Spain or by those inspired beyond its borders.” — World Music Central.

www.ChrisBurtonJacome.com
Music

Kathryn Claire and Friends – Saturday April 13, 2019 at 8:00pm

Featuring Don Henson (piano/percussion) Sid Dilson (violin).

Kathryn Claire has spent years cultivating her own style and approach to music as a violinist, guitar player, singer, and songwriter. Strong fundamentals from her classical and traditional music background combined with improvisation has made her a favorite at venues, festivals and institutions around the world. She has toured and performed extensively in the US, Japan, India, Holland, Belgium and France.

In her latest album “Bones Will Last,” musician and composer Kathryn Claire has created a unique collection of songs and instrumental compositions. With her violin and voice at the forefront, Kathryn is supported by Zak Borden on mandolin, Allen Hunter on upright bass, and Don Henson on piano.

“Bones Will Last” is a hopeful and heartbreaking album, exploring deeply both personal and universal themes of loss, love and transformation. Kathryn Claire skillfully weaves together stories and melodies rooted in her classical and traditional musical background. Her honest and poetic writing and her unique voice move seamlessly across genres creating an aesthetic which is original and diverse. The ten tracks on “Bones Will Last” draw from her extensive international travel over the past 10 years, and synthesize her personal and musical history.

“Claire’s deep vocals combine with exquisite layered orchestrations. These dark, provocative, thoughtful songs engage the listener and elicit deep emotions.”
-Amy Steele, ENTERTAINMENT REALM

“They bring to the music a vital and joyous creativity that excites even the hardest of hearts.” -John Doyle, founding member of Solas.

“The instrumentals play just as profoundly, perhaps more effectively, as if stepping lightly around the graves of the forgotten and the missed.” -Carol Banks Weber, MEDIUM

“Claire’s song’s and instrumental arrangements, blessed with a fine back-up band, flow into one another in a highly emotional way, the instrumentals containing a dark beauty about them, while the songs burst into melodic gusto, the two continually born of one another.” -Dinah Urell, HIPFISH MONTHLY

www.KathrynClaireMusic.com
Videos

New World String Project – Saturday January 12, 2019 at 8:00pm

Extraordinary instruments and heartwarming music rooted in the Nordic, Celtic, and American folk traditions.

Science tells us that cross pollination can result in hybrid vigor that transcends the sum of its parts. In a parallel vein, the vibrant West Coast traditional music community has given birth to the New World String Project. Four highly skilled and well known multi-instrumentalists have joined forces to create an exciting weave of music rooted in the Celtic, Nordic and American folk traditions. Ancient and modern sounds mingle freely on Swedish nyckelharpa, Celtic harp, fiddle, guitar, cittern, bouzouki, and more.

Lisa Lynne and Aryeh Frankfurter teamed up with fiddler John Weed and guitarist Stuart Mason, members of the Celtic band Molly’s Revenge, to create the New World String Project. Now roughly two years old, the result has been a marriage of the Swedish and Nordic music Frankfurter and Lynne focus on with the Irish and Appalachian tunes Weed and Mason perform.

Join the New World String Project for a musical ride that will shake your boots, uplift your spirit and warm your heart.

www.NewWorldStringProject.com
Videos

Marty O’Reilly & The Old Soul Orchestra – Saturday November 10, 2018 at 8:00pm

Just when you think American roots music should be relegated to the dusty confines of a purist’s museum it will surprise you with a paradigm shift. Take Marty O’Reilly & the Old Soul Orchestra— passing through tradition, the quartet stumbled upon innovation, proving that old souls can be creatively fresh.

Marty O’Reilly & the Old Soul Orchestra features Marty on electrified resonator guitar and vocals, Chris Lynch on violin and keys, Ben Berry on upright bass, and Matt Goff on drums and percussion. The group specializes in roots music with evocative lyrics that are conceptually cryptic, relying on imagery and symbols to convey emotion. Artistic touchstones for the group include John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, the darkly cathartic oeuvre of Tom Waits, and the experimental arrangements of Radiohead.

“A band true to its name: soulful” – NPR

“Delightful… well crafted music.” – SF Weekly

www.MartyOReilly.com
Videos

Flamenco Pacifico – Saturday October 13, 2018 at 8:00pm

Based in the majestic state of Oregon, Flamenco Pacifico is a dynamic, professional performance group dedicated to bringing the art of flamenco music and dance to audiences in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Led by virtuoso flamenco guitarist and composer, Berto Boyd, the group’s guitar-driven performances feature original modern flamenco compositions rooted in the time-honored forms of traditional flamenco. With inspired dancing by Elena Villa and the passionate vocals and guitar artistry of guitarist/singer Grant Ruiz, Flamenco Pacifico takes audiences on an unforgettable journey into the fascinating world of flamenco.

Flamenco is a living culture, steeped in history, with many roots and branches. Flamenco Pacifico seeks to present flamenco as a cultural event and an art form that invites creative innovation. The group offers educational lectures and demos that involve the audience and place flamenco in its compelling historical and cultural context, lending deeper meaning to the performances they share with the public.

True to the spirit of flamenco, Flamenco Pacifico’s name reflects both geographical place and the idea that flamenco is expansive and inclusive enough to absorb the personal experiences and backgrounds of anyone who wants to participate in the art form. With collective musical influences as diverse as Brazilian, jazz, Western classical, and Middle Eastern, Flamenco Pacifico offers their unique version of modern flamenco with a world orientation.

What also sets this group apart artistically is that their music is based around melodic themes–both in Berto Boyd’s original compositions and in the group’s arrangements of traditional pieces. These thematic elements function as landmarks on the listener’s journey through a musical landscape that can be haunting and deeply moving, due in no small part to the spine-tingling duende, or trance-like spirit unleashed by the music. The festive strains of many of Boyd’s lighter, or chico, compositions also assure that even after the last chords of the guitar have faded, audiences will walk away from the performance with an infectious melody in their ears.

Flamenco Pacifico has performed in a variety of venues–from intimate house concerts to major festivals such as The Britt Festival (Jacksonville, OR), Party on the Plaza (Hult Center-Eugene, OR), The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s popular Green Show (Ashland, OR), and the Oregon Country Fair. They are available for public and private events, festivals and educational lectures and demonstrations.

www.FlamencoPacifico.com
Videos

Evie Ladin Band – Saturday September 22, 2018 at 8:00pm

Tenacious, innovative string musicians/dancers with a pulsing neo-trad heart, the Evie Ladin Band – Evie Ladin, Keith Terry and Erik Pearson – throws down soulful folk songs with a four-dimensional live show. Grounded in Appalachian old-time repertoire, seasoned in African-diaspora roots, writing from life in modern cities, blurring the lines between music and dance, “I had no idea!” is how audiences describe the ELB’s captivating concerts.

The 2012 eponymous release Evie Ladin Band won Americana Album of the Year from the Independent Music Awards Vox Pop Vote and their 2016 release JUMP THE FIRE reveals the tight trio the band has become – after many miles, and a host of new songs, a truly original sound in new old-time Americana – taking home the silver from 2017 Clifftop’s illustrious Neo-Trad Stringband contest.

The polyrhythmic heat of Evie’s clawhammer banjo, resonant voice, real stories and rhythmic dance have been heard from A Prairie Home Companion to Celtic Connections, Lincoln Center to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Known as a driving force behind San Francisco’s Stairwell Sisters, Evie is fluid in traditional Appalachian arts, even as she brings an urban edge and contemporary vision to her own stories, deep interpretations of old songs, contemporary percussive dance. Folk music in her family life, early urban hip hop in her teen life, diving deep into the African side of old-time country music and dance…Music, dance and song became inseparable.

Ladin’s voice is sultry, wistful and defiant all at once. She possesses a keen songwriting sense and a stable of strong musicians to back her up. –POP MATTERS

Keith Terry (bass, Body Music, vocals) is a renowned percussionist/rhythm dancer, and the founder of the International Body Music Festival. A pioneer in contemporary Body Music, Keith produces large-scale intercultural collaborations and education. Keith brings a cinematic ear to playing bass as tonal percussion, with bells, box, body and toys.

Erik Pearson (guitar, banjo, vocals) is a musician’s musician with the Crooked Jades, storyteller Diane Ferlatte, and his solo projects. His original banjo tune “Fork & File” was the soundtrack for a rapids rafting scene in Sean Penn’s movie Into the Wild.

“You don’t often hear words like “traditional,” and “authentic” paired with “innovative” and “unique,” but Evie Ladin has brought them together brilliantly in the self-titled, debut album, and the result is truly a high point in new old-time music.” – FOLKWORKS, Los Angeles

“The best example I have seen of a Neo-Trad band’s sound being authentically anchored in old time music but extending it into new and entertaining directions.” – Clifftop Contest Judge

Evie Ladin Band
Videos