If you ever have a chance to see any of them, anywhere, don't miss the opportunity! For general questions about the series, or for questions from artists and their agents, click here.
A WELL-DESERVED ROUND OF THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOLKS FOR MAKING THE SWEETBACK SISTERS SHOW SO MUCH FUN. EMILY WAS BESIDE HERSELF WITH THE RESPONSE, AND THE WHOLE GROUP REALLY HAD A GREAT TIME. march 13 (ALMOST) ST. PADDY'S WITH GRADA YUP, IT'S TRUE, THEY MIGHT ACTUALLY GET A VISA. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN GRADA HERE BEFORE. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THEM AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE, OR AT LINCOLN CENTER, OR AT A SHOW IN DENMARK WHERE THEY DREW 15,000 PEOPLE. YOU MAY BE AWARE THAT WE WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN BRINGING THEM TO THE U.S. FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, THEY'RE STILL MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE IRISH BAND, AND I'VE HEARD MANY. THERE ARE MANY GREAT ONES, TO BE SURE, BUT FOR MY TASTE, NONE ARE THIS MUCH FUN, THIS ENGAGING, AND HAVE SO MUCH PUNCH AND VARIETY TO THEIR PLAYING. MANY TIMES, THEY CROSS OVER INTO JAZZ. WE'LL BE DOING A LIMITED SEATING AT THIS ONE, AS THEY'VE AVERAGED OVER 300 PEOPLE AT EACH SHOW HERE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE THE ENERGY FOR THAT AGAIN! AND YES, THERE WILL BE WORKSHOPS, BUT WE'RE STILL WORKING ON ALL THAT STUFF. THERE WILL BE A FIDDLE CLUB PERFORMANCE, TOO, SO GET READY.
SOMETIME THIS WEEK, I'LL FILL IN ALL THE DETAILS FOR: LAURA LOVE AGAIN, ONE OF THOSE OUT-OF-THE-LIMELIGHT PERFORMERS WHO, AFTER YOU'VE FINALLY SEEN THEM, WONDER WHY THE HECK THEY AREN'T INTERNATIONAL STARS. ONE OF THE BEST VOICES ALIVE, SHE HAS RECORDED MY FAVORITE VERSION, BY FAR, OF "HARD TIMES".
APRIL VERCH NEED A FIX OF SOME OF THE WORLD'S BEST PURE DANCING AND FIDDLING? OUR FAVORITE CANADIAN IS COMING BAVK TO THE CHURCH IN MAY. IF YOU SAW HER THE LAST TIME, I'M BETTING YOU'LL BE BACK. IF YOU MISSED HER, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO CATCH A REAL PHENOMENON. BEST "FAMILY" SHOW OF THE YEAR? PROBABLY. LINKS TO MUSIC WE LIKE, AND MAY WELL HAVE AT THE CHURCH IF THE SCHEDULING WORKS OUT
Need More Music? THERE'S GREAT AND AMAZING STUFF OUT THERE, ALL LOCAL!!
Our friends over at Guitartownct Tony Rice up next with Chris in New Haven at the great Little Theatre
Our Friend Bob Congdon at Connecticut Folk has nice monthly shows, and a really great festival
What can you say about Strawberry Park Campground? They host a few really great small festivals, very friendly. Bluegrass, Cajun, each one a blast with great talent.
And of course, a local festival rapidly becoming one of the East Coast's best, Podunk Bluegrass Festival
you can always check out ibluegrass.com for great listings also
"Fire in the kitchen" is an old saying for traditional music house parties from Scotland and Ireland, over to Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island, down through the Appalachians, and all the way to Louisiana. It's foot stompin' roots music full of fiddles, guitars, accordions and all manner of homemade instruments. No matter where it comes from, you can't sit still when you hear it.
The main mission of our series is to bring you some of the finest roots musicians in the world, with special emphasis on Celtic-inspired music from Ireland, Scotland, and North America. A related mission is to showcase young or unheralded talent, as it helps them to be seen, and allows us to experience the growth of some fantastic performers. Bands that have played here have also played some pretty impressive places, like the Sydney Opera House.
As a bonus, we try to arrange for workshops for local amateur musicians, led by the performers themselves. We're very proud of the fact that artists who play here consider it one of their favorite venues world-wide, and are always asking to come back and play again. The acoustics, the ambience, and the audience are all first-rate!
