Bluegrass Related Events for August 2019

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, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn’s second album Echo in the Valley is simultaneously familiar and wildly innovative.

Southern Rail brings their high energy, exuberant Bluegrass to the Wayside Inn's Fresh Strawberry Concert Series on Tuesday July 30 at 7 pm. The concert will be held indoors, in the air-conditioned Martha Mary Chapel, and fresh strawberry shortcake will be served during intermission! Come early and enjoy dinner at the Inn at a special discount. Southern Rail's music is electric, featuring lush harmonies, irrepressible good humor, and sparkling banjo, guitar, mandolin and and bass. Two of their members have just been inducted into the RIBA Buegrass Hall of Fame. The concert always sells out, so reserve your tickets 978-443-1776.

From New Jersey, John Gorka is a world-renowned singer-songwriter who got his start at a neighborhood coffeehouse in eastern Pennsylvania. Many well known artists have recorded and/or performed John Gorka songs, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, Mary Black and Maura O’Connell. John has graced the stage of Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage, etown and has appeared on CNN. He continues to tour, playing festivals, theaters and clubs all over North America and Europe. Though small, Godfrey Daniels was and is one of the oldest and most venerable music institutions and has long been a hangout for music lovers and aspiring musicians. In the late 1970’s, John was was one of these aspiring musicians. Although his academic coursework at Moravian College lay in Philosophy and History, music began to offer paramount enticements. Soon he found himself living in the club’s basement and acting as resident MC and sound man, encountering legendary folk troubadours like Canadian singer-songwriter Stan Rogers, Eric Andersen, Tom Paxton and Claudia Schmidt. Their brand of folk-inspired acoustic music inspired him, and before long he was performing his own songs – mostly as an opener for visiting acts. Soon he started traveling to New York City, where Jack Hardy’s legendary Fast Folk circle (a breeding ground for many a major singer-songwriter) became a powerful source of education and encouragement. Folk meccas like Texas’ Kerrville Folk Festival (where he won the New Folk Award in 1984) and Boston followed, and his stunningly soulful baritone voice and original songwriting began turning heads. Those who had at one time inspired him – Suzanne Vega, Bill Morrissey, Nanci Griffith, Christine Lavin, Shawn Colvin – had become his peers.In 1987, the young Minnesota-based Red House Records caught wind … Read More »

Mipso is born from North Carolina’s broad range of disparate musical influences, their distinctly unique sound an undeniable alchemy of the historical musical traditions of the rural south and their progressive home of Chapel Hill.

One of Nashville’s most beloved songwriters, Darrell Scott’s tunes have been covered by the likes of The Dixie Chicks (”Long Time Gone”), Brad Paisley and Tim McGraw among many others. Though lauded for his songwriting, Scott’s a powerful and soulful singer in his own right, as well as a nimble multi-instrumentalist, releasing a handful of solo and duo recordings with bluegrass hero Tim O’Brien.

Three of the very best musicians in bluegrass and acoustic music in general, they play exquisite versions of Bill Monroe, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and McCoy Tyner, among others. Grier on guitar, Flinner on mandolin, and Phillips on bass, are veterans of the most acclaimed bands in bluegrass. This is the 20th anniversary of their debut album.

With Mick & Oisin McAuley. The Lindsays open the show. Name many of the most notable recordings and/or performers in Irish music and it's a fair bet that John Doyle had something to do with them. Liz Carroll; Eileen Ivers; Karan Casey; Solas; Michael Black; Mary Black; the trio of McCusker, McGoldrick and Doyle; The Teetotalers (Martin Hayes, Kevin Crawford, John Doyle); and now Usher's Island (Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny, Mike McGoldrick, Paddy Glackin and John Doyle) - a veritable who's who of the greatest names in Irish music. These are just a very few of the stellar artists for whom John Doyle's signature guitar sound, singing or songwriting is essential.From a musical family in Dublin, John’s influences include well known English folk singers Nic Jones, Martin Carthy, Richard Thompson, and The Watersons; Scottish singers Dick Gaughan and John Martin; and fellow Irishmen Paul Brady and Al O’Donnell as well as his father, Sean Doyle - probably the biggest influence of all. John went on the road as a pro at 16 with the group Chanting House which he formed with Susan McKeown and which eventually included such great players as Seamus Egan, Eileen Ivers, & Donogh Hennessy.  John went on to form the highly acclaimed super group, Solas, with Seamus Egan, John Williams, Karan Casey and Winifred Horan which took the folk and Celtic music worlds by storm, in no small part due to John’s powerhouse rhythmic guitar style and innovative arrangements. As a member of Solas, John performed to sold out audiences nationally and internationally as well as appearing on many national TV and radio programs: NBC’s The Today Show, various programs for National Public Radio and Public Radio International, A Prairie Home … Read More »