Larry Bellorín hails from Monagas, Venezuela and is a legend of Llanera music. Joe Troop is from North Carolina and is a GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass and oldtime musician. Larry was forced into exile and is an asylum seeker in North Carolina. Joe, after a decade in South America, got stranded back in his stomping grounds in the pandemic. Larry works construction to make ends meet. Joe’s acclaimed “latingrass” band Che Apalache was forced into hiatus, and he shifted into action working with asylum seeking migrants.
Currently based in the Triangle of North Carolina, both men are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters on a mission to show that music has no borders. As a duo they perform a fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music on harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, upright bass, and whatever else they decide to throw in the van. The program they offer features a distinct blend of their musical inheritances and traditions as well as storytelling about the ways that music and social movements coalesce.
The two musicians will be performing a concert at the Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse in Lancaster on Sunday January 15th at 7:30 sponsored by the Susquehanna Folk Music Society. More information and tickets can be found on the official SFMS website!
Prior to the concert, SFMS Executive Director Peter Winter Lee got to chat to Joe about the duo’s origins, the process of bringing two distinct folk musical styles together, and learning from each other!
What is something you’ve learned from the other during the collaboration?
We are both learning each other’s respective folk traditions, song by song. But music aside, we are learning about each other’s worldviews. We are from completely different worlds but enjoy expanding our notions of reality and finding common ground.
What are ways you feel your respective musical folk traditions are similar?
Llanera music and Appalachian folk are like old friends, perhaps from a past life or something. Both polycultural hybrid forms born in the Americas, both string band traditions with vibrant festivals and recording industries born out of them. The rhythmic and melodic structures are distinct, but the way practitioners make music a life path is similar. The vibe is the same.
What do you want your audience to take away from a Larry and Joe concert?
An entire gamut of emotions, an array of textures and colors, a whole bunch of stories, faith in the human spirit, and hopefully healing. We feel like our shows are medicine for the human soul.
You are both really passionate about how music and social justice work together. Can you speak a little about that?
I myself have worked with different communities in the US and found my footing as an artivist by writing social justice ballads about disenfranchised friends. Right before I met Larry, I was specifically working with asylum seeking migrants on the Mexican border, where I volunteered at a shelter in 2021. The social justice component of our duo project is self-evident, though. Larry is an asylum seeker, who had to leave behind a twenty some year musical career and work construction for 6 years in North Carolina to provide for his family. His is the story of a maestro musician forced to do back-breaking labor just to survive. January 11th is his last day on that job, though, and from then on, this duo is both of our full-time jobs. Larry’s difficult story is one of millions in this country, and we hope this duo can shine a light on issues surrounding migration.
Peter Winter Lee is the Executive Director of The Susquehanna Folk Music Society and plays guitar and sings in Celtic/Americana Band Seasons with his siblings. Give him a follow on instagram if you’re so inclined.
Pittsburgh based modern folk/Americana outfit Buffalo Rose will perform this Sunday 12/18/22 at the Abbey Bar in Harrisburg at 7 pm as part of the first ever Susquehanna Folk Emerging Artist Showcase Reunion. More information and Tickets can be found HERE. Sharing the bill will be fellow EAS alums Angela Autumn and Noah G. Fowler.
Buffalo Rose has had their praises sung my luminaries across the folk scene, including celebrated songwriter Tom Paxton who said, “”How can a band be loose and tight at the same time? Listen to Buffalo Rose for the answer. I flat love them.” The group recently released their newest record entitled, “Again, Again, Again,” Prior to the show, Susquehanna Folk Executive Director Peter Winter Lee caught up with Buffalo Rose guitarist, singer, and songwriter Shane McLaughlin to discuss the new album, the band’s process, and how on earth you keep a six member band going through a pandemic.
Tell me the tale of how Buffalo Rose came about?
It was supposed to just be a one off project, but we fell in love with making music together! Originally 4 of us got together to record one of my songs “Momma Have Mercy”. By the time a year had passed we had the 6 of us and we’ve been making music ever since!
This is the record I feel that we have been working toward since we started. It reflects so many of the sides of our musical identity while still having a cohesive flow. We also produced, edited, and mixed the record together, so we learned a lot in that process.
We applied to be a part of a social justice musical compilation put together by an organization called Hope Rises. We submitted our song “Simone” which Lucy wrote, and Tom was on the judge panel and loved it! He reached out to us and we have been writing almost every week ever since!
Walk me through the arrangement process of Buffalo Rose! What’s the process with working out all of those vocal harmonies?
The instruments and vocalists meet separately to work out their parts. Usually we start with just a melody and some chords, and we go over every line until it feels right. I feel that our approach vocally is more intuitive then technical. Instrumentally it definitely has an interesting contrast, more of a who is filling the percussive role at this point, who is going to play this melody.
What was it like navigating the pandemic as a band? Any lessons learned amongst all the challenges?
It was a huge challenge of course, especially with 6 of us! We also had a member step down during the pandemic, though we were extremely fortunate to have that lead us to Margot. I would say we learned how important meeting everyone’s emotional, physical, and mental is to creating and playing music in a sustainable way. We learned to listen to each other and how to take care of each other.
Details and Tickets for the Emerging Artist Showcase Reunion Show on Sunday, 12/18 ft. Buffalo Rose, Angela Autumn, and Noah G. Fowler can be found HERE.
Peter Winter Lee is the Executive Director of The Susquehanna Folk Music Society and plays guitar and sings in Celtic/Americana Band Seasons with his siblings. Give him a follow on instagram if you’re so inclined.
West Coast blues guitar and ukulele queen Del Rey will return to again wow SFMS audiences with her distinctive ukulele and resonator guitar stylings in both a virtual concert held this Saturday (Nov 14, rescheduled date!) at 7:30 pm as well as an online ukulele workshop held at 4 pm on Sunday, November 15th. Tickets and additional information can be found at the SFMS Website.
Earlier this week, SFMS staff writer Peter Winter and Del chatted over email about setlist construction, playing online, and the importance of passing on musical know how! This is the second time Peter and Del have spoken. Their 2019 conversation is in the Folkmama Archive and can be read HERE.
What can people expect from your ukulele workshop?
In the ukulele workshop I’m going to introduce people to fingerpicking. Fingerpicking is basically a way to turn a solo instrument into a band-your thumb is the bass player and your fingers play the melodies and articulate the chords. We all are unable to get together and play right now, so being your own band is the way to go!
You do quite a bit of education on your instruments in addition to just performing (I loved your boogie woogie guitar tutorial) why is educating and instruction important to you?
Music is a fundamental part of being human-I call it “the sound of humans doing no harm.” Making your own music is one of life’s great pleasures, no matter your skill level.
Have you played many virtual concerts during lock down? How has the shift been?
I’ve played one ortwo concerts a month since the lockdown. It’s a totally different experience for me. An audience is a living thing, unique every time and different every where. Virtual audiences don’t have an opportunity to be with each other while having the musical experience. I’m grateful to be able to play and that people listen, but I miss being all together. But I do like a camera-I like how close it is.
You obviously have an extensive repertoire and back catalogue, how do you decide what makes the setlist for the concert?
I often respond to the feelings of a live audience-which I can’t really get to on camera. So for virtual reality I rely on my 40 (!) years of playing music for similar kinds of audiences in real life. The songs themselves tell stories and fit together in certain ways. Much of my aesthetic is based on serving the songs, bringing them to different listeners and letting them loose. I’m a song vector!
Any current musical projects in the works?
I’m doing an online teaching project with my colleague Jim D’Ville teaching fingerpicking in January. More info HERE. We are having success in getting players to syncopate. But my usual lifestyle of running around the world with an instrument on my back and a small suitcase doesn’t seem possible any time soon.
Folk icons Jay Ungar and Molly Mason join us for a day of live music, from upstate New York direct to your home. From 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm the duo will lead an online workshop, with a live stream concert later that evening at 7:30 pm. Included in the concert will be a Q&A with SFMS Board Member Autumn Moore. More information as well as tickets for both the Concert and the workshop can be found at the SFMS website.
Earlier this week Jay and Molly spoke with SFMS Staff Writer Peter Winter via email about playing in a duo, making and teaching music amidst a pandemic, and the enduring quality of a slow waltz.
You are one of the most revered duos in acoustic music. What is special/different about playing in a duo as opposed to a larger ensemble?
It’s more flexible and allows us each space for spontaneity. We have been playing together for so long that we can almost read each others minds. While bandmates who’ve played together for years can read each others minds, we each have only one mind each to read. When one of us introduces a spontaneous musical idea the other is able to follow. We each also carry more responsibility. I play most of the solos and fills, while Molly functions as chord player, bass player and drummer. But with more responsibility comes more opportunity as well.
It’s so impressive that you two have been able to move your revered fiddle camps and workshops online due to the pandemic. What was that experience like? Was there a learning curve moving your operation online?
This year was the 40th anniversary of Ashokan Music & Dance Camps. From April through August we offered ten camps ranging from weekends to full weeks and for lots of different instruments, plus singing and dancing. You can check out our future lineup of camps at ashokan.org. The lock-down hit just a few weeks before our first camp in April, the Old Time Rollick. We were fortunate to have Debra Clifford as the director of that program. She’s very social media savvy and had hired a staff who share that interest and talent. They were all a huge help in making the Online Rollick a success. None of this would have happened without our daughter Ruth Ungar Merenda, you may know her from the Mammals. As director of communications and the arts at Ashokan, Ruth headed the team that created our online camps. The Old Time Rollick has usually been capped at 110 people including staff. But the Online Rollick was three or four times that size with participants from around the world. Ruth and her team did a great job and learned a ton doing it, which they were able to apply to our next camp, the Cyber String Fling with Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas. By mid summer they were pros and were being asked to consult with other organizations that were building online music camps. We’re still offering an online series of weekly music and dance workshops along with an interactive lecture series called Catskill Conversations. You can check it all out at ashokancenter.org/events. All the camps and events are archived and are available to participants for a year and a subscription service is also being offered. Frankly we’re blow away by it all!
What can musicians expect from participating in your fiddle/guitar workshop prior to the concert?
We start by demo-ing the tune we’re teaching together as a duo, then split into two zoom rooms. Molly teaches the basics and subtleties of her approach to chords and runs for guitarists (piano and bass players might also be interested). Jay teaches the melody, ornaments and expression for fiddlers—with all melody instruments welcome.We then get back together and everyone has a chance to play what they’ve learned with the two of us from their own homes.
How have you two adjusted to the experience of performing virtually?
We’ve been doing a concert from our home every Wednesday at 8pm on Facebook Live. We play some of our regular concert material and other music that we’ve recorded. But to keep things fresh from week to week, we also play tunes that we haven’t done in years and we dig up new material for each show. It’s a challenge that we both welcome and thoroughly enjoy. It gives shape to our weeks during these crazy times. And most importantly it gives us a way to share our music and connect with people on a regular basis, something that’s so important to us both. We read online comments and have started communicating directly with some of our regular viewers. It’s an exciting new world!
You two are famous for your love of a good waltz! What about that melodic 3/4 time calls to you?
Wow, what is it about waltzes? Our tune book, Catskill Mountain Waltzes & Airs, ventures into slow tunes in 2/4 or 4/4 as well. I think we both love music that makes an emotional connection and touches the heart. Who doesn’t of course. But we have somehow found that waltzes and airs are where we both make the deepest connection with audiences and with one another.
Peter Winter lives in Harrisburg where he writes, teaches music, plays in the Celtic group Seasons, DJs, runs half of the record label His & Hers Records and serves on the board of the SFMS. He is on instagram
HighTime, a fresh new trio from the heart of the Connemara region in Ireland, will bring their mix of traditional Irish and modern folk music to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York on Sunday, February 23rd. The evening begins at 7:30 pm. The concert is sponsored by the Susquehanna Folk Music Society. More information can be found on the Susquehanna Folk Music Society website. Tickets are $25 General Admission, $21 for SFMS Members, and $10 for students (ages 3-22). Tickets will be available at the door or online.
Earlier this week, band members Séamus Ó Flatharta, (Celtic Harp, whistle, bódhran drum, Irish dancing & vocals) Ciarán Bolger, (guitar and vocals) and Conall Ó Flatharta (flute, whistle & vocals) chatted with SFMS staff writer Peter Winter about the groups origins, their 2018 debut “SUNDA,” and being ambassadors of the Irish Gaelic language.
Ciarán (Guitar/Vocals): The name “HighTime” came about in reference to a feeling within the band and between its members that it was long overdue (high time) that we started a band seeing as we had been playing together for so long.
This is a widely used saying in Ireland and throughout the world. Séamus and I are more accustomed to the Gaelic version of this saying as we come from a Gaeltacht (Irish Speaking) area in Connemara in west Galway. This expression has an equivalent in the Irish/Gaelic language (thar ama – pronounced haur – awwmah).
HighTime also implies a fun, fresh and exciting experience which is what the band aims to give their audiences at each show using music, songs in the English language as well as the Irish language, dance and story.
How did the three of you all begin playing together?
Ciarán: Séamus and I have known each other since childhood. We are next door neighbours living on the same mountain face with a small cattle field separating both houses, looking out over Ardmore bay in Connemara, County Galway. For as long as we can remember, our families have been playing music together.
In 2015, Michael and I met while performing with a touring professional Irish music and dance show, Celtic Legends. Michael hails from the Irish Music hub of Manchester, England and has been living in Ireland for many years; moving over permanently to study and graduate from the highly regarded University of Limerick where he attained an Honours BA in Traditional Irish Music & Dance.
Séamus and Michael met later in march of 2016 while performing at the Hövelhof Irish Music festival alongside Séamus’ older brother, Conall and I. This sparked a huge connection between all of us and the band, as a three piece outfit, was formed officially in late 2017. In early 2019, Michael replaced Conall as a full time member.
How did you decide on “Sunda” the title of your 2018 debut album?
Ciarán: Sunda, as an album name, came about as a play on words initially. In the Gaelic language, Sunda means Sound – the nautical term for a stretch of water between land and an island etc. There are many such sounds to be observed on the rugged west coast of Ireland where Séamus and I hail from.
However we found that it came to represent a deeper meaning within the band; the will to navigate between the tradition of Irish music and also other influences we have in music and to showcase that in our music and in the debut album.
Two of you grew up learning Irish Gaelic, do you think the traditional language of Ireland is becoming more wide spread?
Séamus (Harp, Dance, Vocals): We certainly hope so! Wherever we go, we try and fly the flag for the language, so to speak, and generate an interest among our audiences. We feel that this a great platform to get people excited about the language. It is an exceptionally beautiful language and we feel it is our duty to showcase it during our shows and to make songs in the Irish language as well as phrases relatable to audiences of all ages and nationalities.
The more utility a language has, the stronger it is and can become. We feel that music and the arts in general can be a great way to give any language utility. Music is a true mode of expression after all! We hope that by weaving Gaelic into HighTime shows people will feel the urge to learn more about the language and take initiative to find out more.
How do the three of you balance honoring tradition but also bringing your own innovations to this music?
Séamus: I don’t think this is something we do consciously, it’s more of a natural occurrence. Because our tradition and culture has been such an integral part of our upbringing, it’s almost inevitable that it should emerge in whatever style or genre we decide to explore.
As three very curious and open minded individuals, we are very interested in exploring different genres as a band. We have a somewhat unique and flexible approach to our musical and vocal arrangements. We thrive off drawing from different influences and inspirations, be they traditional or more contemporary, while allowing our interpretation of the music to materialize with as much time and space as we see fit. Similarly when it comes to our original compositions, our tradition, culture and language remain an integral part of the finished product.
What are some other musical acts (of any genre) that have been an influence on you three?
Michael (Flute, Whistles, Vocals): I am hugely influenced by great flute players such as Matt Molloy and Michael McGoldrick, Alan Doherty, Kieran Munnelly, etc. I listen to a range of different music from different world traditions too. I particularly enjoy backing up voices harmonically with the flute and am influenced a lot by vocal music. I think we all have a keen interest in singing and harmony singing which is why it is to the fore in our music. Ciarán, no doubt, has been influenced by the great Irish balladeers such as The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners, Paul Brady and Andy Irvine (the list goes on!). Yet we all have very broad musical tastes especially in the wider folk music world.
I think the areas that we grew up in also massively influenced us. It’s clear that Séamus and Ciaran are influenced by the traditions and musicians of their native Connemara area, be it Sean Nos singing or the instrumental music of the region. Séamus would have grown up listening to the singing of Connemara Sean Nós legends such as Bríd Ní Mhaoilchiarán, Joe John Mac an Iomaire and Josie Sheain Jeaic Mac Donnacha. In a broader sense as a harpist, the likes of Michael Rooney, Laoise Kelly and Michelle Mulcahy have been massive influences.
What do you want audiences to walk away with from a High Time show?
Michael: We hope that they walk away with a sense of joy and fun at the end of a show. There is a big sense of community in any traditional music genre and we love getting the audience involved in the show whether it be singing, clapping or dancing along.
We like to exhibit many facets of the traditions of Irish music, Irish song, language and dance throughout the show and hope that we can foster an interest for these aspects in our audiences. Irish music is full of life and as a band, we are always wanting to give the audience an uplifting experience.
In a sense, we also want to bring the audience on an adventure. As with any adventure, there are always ups and downs and we bring these struggles and triumphs to light throughout the show. We love telling the stories that underpin the music and songs. This means navigating through history and culture; whether it be through sorrowful haunting sean nós songs as well as lively blasts of traditional tunes with Irish dancing. Most of all though we want our audiences to walk away feeling energized (and wanting to come back and see another show)!
Peter Winter lives in Harrisburg where he writes, teaches music, plays in the Celtic group Seasons, DJs, runs half of the record label His & Hers Records and serves on the board of the SFMS. He is on instagram
Earlier this week, fiddler, vocalist, and co-founder of Altan, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh chatted with SFMS staff writer Peter Winter via email about the musical tradition of Donegal where the band hails from, her work with the organizaion Cairdeas na bhFidléirí (Friendship of Fiddlers), and what keeps Altan exciting after 30 years!
So much of your music is a celebration of the musical tradition of your home county of Donegal. What do you associate with the music of this region?
County Donegal is situated in the North West of Ireland. On the Western part it is dominated by the Derryveagh mountains, which divides the county between the bog land and the good farming land. This varied topography gives Donegal a distinctive style in the musical dialects of the area as a whole! It seems to lean towards Scotland in its music, where a lot of the people had to emigrate to make a living and in turn brought back songs and tunes! Today the fiddle is the main instrument in the county but all of the other instruments , flies, pipes, whistles and accordions are also in abundance.
You founded Altan in the late 80s. What about this band has kept it exciting and fulfilling for you over the years?
Myself and my late husband Frankie Kennedy started the band together, never planning to take it too seriously as we were both teaching at the time. But after 30 something years of touring and life in general I’m very proud that the band has continued and evolved. I am really excited about this latest combo and our latest album The Gap of Dreams, as I feel with Martin Tourish (accordion) and myself playing melody and Ciaran (bouzouki) and Dáithí (guitar) adding great color with their accompaniment, the music has a very special dynamic and depth.
What was behind the decision to return to Donegal for newest album “The Gap of Dreams” (2018)?
We wanted to indulge in the atmosphere and source of our music. It seemed that it was time to go to the hills of Donegal and play the music of the area. It worked as when we would travel to the studio daily, we would stop and appreciate where we really were. As an artist would bring his easel and paints out to paint a picture, we would bring the images into the studio while playing and singing! The Gap (of the title) being that space between this world and the other!
You are a founding member of Cairdeas na bhFidléirí. Could you explain a bit about what this group stands for and why it is important to you?
Cairdeas na bhFidléirí meaans the “Friendship of Fiddlers,” which was set up in the early eighties (circa 1982) to promote and make sure that the fiddle music and style of Donegal was preserved and passed on to future generations. Donegal fiddling is unique and very different to other Irish fiddling styles. It also has a very unusual repertoire which isn’t found anywhere else!
What do you hope audiences take away from an Altan show?
I hope everyone will enjoy the show! I also hope that listeners will take away an understanding of the deep tradition of songs, both in my native language Gaelic and English, and of course the unique fiddle music of the area.
Who are artists in traditional music that are inspiring and interesting to you right now?
I’m enjoying so many young musicians at the moment! I can’t get over the standard and integrity of the musicianship these young musicians have obtained. I love listening to a young Dublin fiddler by the name of Liam O’Connor, Another one to look out for is Iarla O’Donnell. There’s also a 12 year old Donegal fiddler by the name of Brandon Shovelin that blows me away. There are so many amazing musicians, Rebecca McCarthy Kent, Aoife Ní Bhrídín, Molly Wall….. I could go on! Recently while discussing this with one of Donegal’s veteran fiddlers Danny Meehan, he pointed out that long ago we looked to all the older musicians for inspiration; but that now its the opposite! We are looking at the younger generation for inspiration! He was so right!
Peter Winter lives in Harrisburg where he writes, teaches music, plays in the Celtic group Seasons, DJs, runs half of the record label His & Hers Records and serves on the board of the SFMS. He is on instagram.
Celebrated multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins, formerly of the Carolina Chocolate Drops will bring his mix of country blues, ragtime, and traditional jazz to the Fort Hunter Barn in Harrisburg on Sunday, November 17th. The evening begins at 7:30 pm. The concert is sponsored by the Susquehanna Folk Music Society. More information can be found on the Susquehanna Folk Music Society website. formation can be found on the Susquehanna Folk Music Society website. Tickets are $20 General Admission, $18 for SFMS Members, and $10 for students (ages 3-22). Tickets will be available at the door or online.
Earlier this week, Hubby chatted with SFMS staff writer Peter Winter via email about his roots as a street musician, the relevance of old-time music today, and the African American origins of American roots music.
Growing up in Brooklyn what was your gateway into traditional old-time American music?
I grew up playing saxophone, switching to cello and bass in high school before finally finding the guitar. I got into blues music first from listening to Hendrix and Dylan, which led to Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, etc. The first blues song I heard that really blew me away was “Devil Got My Woman,” by Skip James. It was the most powerful music I heard or felt coming from just one person with a guitar. I also had a group of close friends who were getting into prewar American music and we got our inspiration from the musicians of the New York folk scene. We spent a lot of time in the west village like they did; busking in Washington Sq. Park and hanging around MacDougal Street.
What were the lessons you learned as a musician from starting out busking?
I guess I learned a lot about performing. Shyness and quietness are not effective tools when busking. I used to have terrible stage fright and I had to get over it quick if I wanted to make any money. I also looked at busking as kind of getting paid to practice so I think my early chops came from playing the 10 songs I knew over and over again.
Why is this music still relevant today?
This music is still relevant today because within it is the narrative of our country. So many overlooked stories fill these songs. Now a days there is a conflict over what the character of our country is and use to be, but it’s all there in old time music. That being said, it’s also just real good music for any mood and occasion.
If you were going to play someone one blues song to introduce them to the genre, what would it be?
It’s hard to pick just one, but I think I would have to choose Skip James “Devil Got My Woman” or “Hard Time Killing Floor.” His haunting style of singing and minor tempered playing are so beautiful. The first time I heard him, it stopped me in my tracks.
Do you feel like the African American roots of so much of what is considered traditional American music is being recognized more today?
Absolutely. When I first joined Carolina Chocolate Drops almost 10 years ago, it seemed that most people didn’t know the African and Black roots of the banjo, but nowadays that seems like more of a common fact. I also think that a lot of people just don’t think about it. I mean to say that they do not wonder where the music they enjoy comes from and not in a malicious way. I order a burger I don’t know where it was raised, what it ate, etc. I do see younger black artist finding that they do have a place and a history in old time music whether it be blues, fiddle banjo, hot jazz, folk, and that is a very important recognition.
What do you want your audience to take walk away with from a Hubby Jenkins show?
I want my audience to walk away having learned at least one thing, that spurs them to learn more and to listen to old time music with a different filter. They should also walk away thinking, “That guy sure knows how to play!”
Peter Winter lives in Harrisburg where he writes, teaches music, plays in the Celtic group Seasons, DJs, runs half of the record label His & Hers Records and serves on the board of the SFMS. He is on instagram
Roots music legend Tim O’Brien will perform with Jan Frabricius at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York on Sunday, October 27th. The evening begins at 7:00 pm with opener Kevin Neidig. The concert is sponsored by the Susquehanna Folk Music Society. More information can be found on the Susquehanna Folk Music Society website. Tickets are $27 General Admission, $23 for SFMS Members, and $10 for students (ages 3-22). Tickets will be available at the door or online.
Earlier this week, Tim chatted with SFMS staff writer Peter Winter via email about playing in a duo, the state of Bluegrass today, and continuing to challenge yourself as an artist.
Some of your first records were duo records with your sister, and now you and Jan perform in a duo. What is special to you about this particular musical configuration?
In the case of Jan and me, we live together and when I write a song or learn a song, she’s often right there with me, maybe a room away, but she’s familiar with it from my first iteration. That familiarity is sorta what family harmony is. We travel together of course and will sing new and old songs in the car as we go along.
How did you and Jan first start performing as a duo?
We started in January 2015 when we launched a new record label called “Short Order Sessions” – single song releases started coming out once a month. Jan had contributed her vocals to several songs on the Pompadour record too, so we performed those together, and we added others as we went along. She had also started in 2013 working in the home office with me, doing advance work, tour managing, etc, so she was already part of the show in that way!
How does being the only instrument on stage change your approach to playing?
Jan plays some mandolin on stage now, so sometimes there are two instruments on the duo show. I still try to play at consistent tempo, but I can change arrangements on the fly. It’s counter intuitive in that my parts in this situation get a little more sparse. With a band, I play a certain role that compliments whatever else is going on, but as the only player onstage, I kinda try to suggest things more than actually play them. If I play a tune on the fiddle, I want to play melody as clearly as possible. In some cases, I might play just two notes at a time on the mandolin, and try to play only the notes from the chord that I’m not already singing. It’s smaller but it can sound bigger.
With such a wide repertoire, how do you go about coming up with a setlist for a show like this?
We mostly focus on recent releases, but part of the process is bringing more of my own back catalog songs songs into the stage repertoire. So we’re working up our own duo versions of those as we go. At home we play a lot of old time and Irish tunes and some of that has come forward on stage now as well. There are occasional wild cards. I should get a teleprompter really, or an ipad with a foot operated scrolling device, because I don’t remember every lyric. Instead of that, I have a couple moleskin notebooks with lyrics of songs I SHOULD know, and songs I WANT to know. I have them in my fiddle case in case I get a request and need to review.
You are wide respected on not just one instrument, but many! How do you continue to challenge yourself as a musician?
Maybe the greatest challenge is making a clear presentation, playing so that folks can understand the songs harmony, rhythm, and words. I learned watching my heros – Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, David Grisman for instance – that as they got older, their playing became more concise. My hands and voice aren’t as agile as they used to be, and I can’t play as hard as I used to (that’s a really good thing it turns out), so I try to do the most important thing, which is to get the song across. The tone I put forward is more important to me nowadays. There’s a lot of things to pay attention to, and it’s taken this long to get around to some of them!
How do you think Bluegrass has changed since when you started playing?
The music has broadened in so many ways. It’s not just the branches of the tree but just as notable it’s the roots that keep growing. I love that people are learning more about the African influence. Folks used to see and hear a banjo and say, that’s old, it’s southern, but now they’re realizing the banjo is a tangible part of the American melting pot. We learned with the folk revival that the old ballads and fiddle tunes come from England, Scotland, and Ireland, as well as the rest of Europe, but now we know and acknowledge more of the African contributions. There’s so much history in music, every era expresses what’s going on at the time, but the history of slavery and African American culture has been pushed under the rug. Ken Burns’s “Country Music” series gave long overdue attention to that missing part of the story.
The music changes as society changes, it changes as technology changes. Youtube alone has already revolutionized how people learn the music, as well as enabled the fan to get deeper in the core of it. I got online before dinner last night and watched J.D. Crowe and the New South circa 1975 with Ricky and Tony and Flux, and then followed with Don Reno and Red Smiley doing a show for Kroger in about 1965. If you want, you can find the most obscure recordings on Youtube (not video, just audio). For instance, you can hear the earliest version of “Man of Constant Sorrow to get an idea of where it started. Multi track recording was a game changer in the late 60’s, groups had more options in the process, and a new clarity of sound emerged. With digital recording came another change in the process, new tricks to make you sound better. The young kids now hear the effects of that, and assume everyone sings in perfect tune, so they learn how to do that without the processing. It can seem difficult to update the lyrical content of songs withing bluegrass, but it happens without anyone really thinking about it anyway. Think about traditional music before there were trains. When trains became the new technology for transportation, they quickly found their way into older songs, and inspired new lyrics to go with older melodies. Del McCoury probably sings songs his great father sang, but Del owned an Indian motorcyle as a young man, and to him it was normal and fun to sing about what he knew from those days in “Vincent Black Lightning”. As it changes, the old stuff remains too though, as in anybody who sings about a horse race in “Molly and Tenbrooks”, while somebody puts up the performance on Facebook live.
Peter Winter lives in Harrisburg where he writes, teaches music, plays in the Celtic group Seasons, DJs, runs half of the record label His & Hers Records and serves on the board of the SFMS. He is on instagram
Noted blues, jazz and ragtime singer, guitarist and ukulele player Del Rey will bring her resonator guitar and ukulele stylings to the Fort Hunter Centennial Barn in Harrisburg on Saturday, April 13th at 7:30 pm. The concert is sponsored by the Susquehanna Folk Music Society. More information can be found on the Susquehanna Folk Music Society website. Tickets are $24 General Admission, FREE for SFMS Members, and $10 for students (ages 3-22). Tickets will be available at the door or online.
Earlier this week, Del chatted with SFMS staff writer Peter Winter via email about her discovery of traditional blues and ragtime, her introduction to the resonator ukulele, and her passion for telling the stories of great, largely unsung, female musicians.
You’ve mentioned how your journey to ragtime and blues really began when Lou Curtiss, proprietor of Folk Arts and artistic director of the San Diego Folk Festival got you into some older recordings when you were a teenager. What were some of these records and what about them spoke to you?
When I stumbled into Lou Curtiss Folk Arts Records I stumbled into a several wonderful art worlds. First there were the up and coming musicians playing gigs in the tiny store: I saw inspirational early performances of Tom Waits, The Summerdog Bluegrass Band, Pop Wagoner-all playing to 30 people wedged under the record bins. Lou ran the San Diego Folk Festival too, where I saw Lydia Mendoza, Martin Bogan and Armstrong and Sam Chatmon. So I got to hear and learn from a lot of real characters.
Then on record, there was everything from Memphis Minnie to Seven Foot Dilly, 78s to LPs, and Lou had a good way of playing you things and making cassettes that gave me a good idea of what songs I wanted to learn.
What first called you to the ukulele?
My friend Sandy Hines from (at that time) Charleston SC was the first real ukulele fanatic I met. It rubbed off on me hanging around her and I found a cheap pineapple uke at the flea market. Then my guitar maker, Ron Phillips made a me a superior metal resonator uke and I was really hooked by that sound.
What were some of the hurdles you experienced converting your guitar style to ukulele?
The change from guitar to ukulele made me think about chords differently and understand them better. The shapes are clarified, being only four notes. Even though I use the re-entrant string as a time-keeping note with my thumb, I’m also attracted to how that high sound inflects chords, with the sweet brightness of ukulele.
What about resonator guitars and ukuleles do you love so much?
Sparkle! Metal resonator instruments made of nickel silver like mine have a lot of sparkle.
Who are some of the figures you touch on in your Women in American Music presentation, and why so you think projects like this are important?
Women In American Music is a project where I talk about a few of the incredible stories of women musicians often left out of standard music histories. Vahdah Olcott Bickford a classical guitarist who helped make guitar the popular instrument it is today; Memphis Minnie, one of the most influential fingerstyle blues guitarists; Carrie Jacobs Bell, songwriter and music publisher; Lovie Austin, pianist, arranger, songwriter and bandleader; Mary Osborne, electric bebop guitarist…it’s an ever changing list of women who interest me who played great music.
You’ve been really prolific over the last two years! What can you tell us about your last two records, Communique in 2018 and Solo in 2017?
My latest albums are Comuniqué and Solo. The latter is a response to requests for an absolutely solo cd of me singing and playing uke and guitar. It’s recorded in a very unadorned manner, “straight to tape” as they used to say. Comuniqué is a collaboration with Suzy Thompson, the great blues singer and fiddler, and bassist Matt Weiner. They are two of my favorite living musicians and we play everything from Bessie Smith to originals on that one.
Married Musical duo Zoë Conway & John McIntyre, touted by the BBC as “simply one of the best folk duos on the planet,” will bring their innovative combination of Irish fiddle and guitar to the Fort Hunter Centennial Barn in Harrisburg on Monday, March 18th at 7:30 pm. The concert is sponsored by the Susquehanna Folk Music Society. More information can be found on the Susquehanna Folk Music Society website. Tickets are $24 General Admission, $20 for SFMS Members, and $10 for students (ages 3-22). Tickets will be available at the door or online.
Earlier this week, Zoë Conway chatted with SFMS staff writer Peter Winter via email about the origins of her ongoing musical collaboration with her husband John McIntyre, her personal musical journey, and her unique position as a celebrated musician with a foot in both classical and traditional folk music.
You took the road less traveled, learning both classical and traditional Irish music. How did that come about? I know you were eight at the time, was that something you wanted to learn or were your parents and teachers advocates for both styles?
Ah! My parents don’t play any music but they love it, and brought all five of us children to traditional music lessons, sessions and competitions. By the time I was born, my older siblings were excellent traditional musicians, so I was totally surrounded by it from day one. When I was around 9, I saw a young girl performing an incredibly difficult virtuoso piece on an American Chat show – Introduction and Tarantella by Sarasate – and I said “That’s what I want to do!” My father then found me a classical violin teacher and I went to her for some years and continued my studies into my twenties in Dublin. At the time, traditional music teachers wouldn’t allow you to learn classical and vice versa, so I had to continue living separately in two worlds with this hidden life for a long time.
I am so fascinated by your dual musical background, because I think so many people still think these two styles are at odds with each other. What are some distinct elements from both trad and classical that have made you the musician you are today?
You know, a lot of the time they are at odds with each other. But for some reason, perhaps if you start both early enough, they complement each other, a bit like learning two languages at once – things just click into place. In the trad world, you must learn by ear and memory, and remember an incredible amount of tunes which is so beneficial for musicality. In classical, you learn so much as it is so disciplined. You learn your whole instrument, technique, tone, tuning, speed, accuracy, control and to relish practice. Put the two together and it’s a winning combination!
How did you and your husband John begin working together musically?
We have a very long story, actually living across the road from each other as children before both moving away, then meeting once in secondary school, but when we finally got together we were both professional musicians. John was at the time touring worldwide with his Indie band, The Revs, and I was touring with Riverdance and Rodrigo y Gabriella, so we didn’t have any time to actually play together! When we got married, we slowed down a bit and wanted to spend more time together, so we started to play, and it was just so easy and fun! We haven’t looked back since! Of course, as it now turns out, John was the perfect fit for me as he also studied classical guitar, and grew up playing traditional music sessions in South West Donegal, alongside his rock and roll!
You two keep it eclectic in your performance! Why is it important to you guys to not limit yourselves to just one genre?
Really, our first love is traditional Irish music. That’s what we listen to in the car and at home. However, quality music from every genre is amazing, and it inspires us. These other genres have really influenced our interpretation and composition of traditional Irish music, and they challenge us as musicians. I also find that these pieces from other genres, say Tiger Rag which is a swing jazz piece, acts like a sorbet in a meal – they give light and shade to a whole performance, and actually help shine a light on the traditional elements in a way.
In 2018 you released the record “Allt” with Julie Fowlis and Eamon Doorley. They have also been guests of our concert series a couple of times! When did your paths first cross and how did the idea for the project come about?
Well, you already know how amazing they are! As people and as musicians! I have known Éamon from a young teenager, and met Julie a few times at events and more recently when we were both filming for a TV show. I was frantically finishing a commission for orchestra, so running away into corners to get a few more bits done, and I think Julie was delighted to meet someone very similar to her!! We both have a lot on with family and music! She suggested that we could collaborate on a project and so we spent a while emailing, coming up with ideas. John speaks Irish in our house, and Julie and Éamon speak Irish and Scots Gaelic, so we came up with the idea of taking Gaelic poetry and composing new music and settings for it. We then spent over a year gathering ideas and rehearsing, and finally recorded and released the album. We are very proud of it, but were absolutely overwhelmed with everyone’s response!
You have collaborated with so many different artists and been a part of so many different projects! What is one that always comes to mind as being special?
Oh gosh, everything I do is such a pleasure. Last night for example, we performed at the University of Limerick Concert Hall with singer Iarla O Lionard of The Gloaming, and Australian-Irish genius guitarist, Steve Cooney. What an honour! But the main one for me was being invited to perform at a night for Leonard Cohen at The Point in Dublin some years ago, as the only Irish musician there! I had been recording the week before with an American producer on a track with Bono and Andrea Corr, and the producer asked me to come and play at this special event at the Point. I got to perform that night with so many legends – Beth Orton, Jarvis Cocker, Lou Reed, Nick Cave…it was amazing!
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