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Our 2007 — 2008 Concert Series
The Glengarry Bhoys
Saturday, Oct 20th at 8:00pm
Peterborough Players Theater
For over seven years the Glengarry Bhoys have been creating the energy that earned them the label, "the band that prevents you from being still." Their music shows the influences of the musical heritage of Glengarry, Ontario—a mixture of French Canadian and traditional Scottish music— and is a signature characteristic of the region they call home. In addition, the heartfelt, inspired songwriting by leader Graham Wright adds a contemporary feel to the time-honored instrumentation, with stunning vocals mixed with fluent piping, percussion, and virtuoso fiddling and step dancing. Their blending of big beat and fat electric sounds of Celtic Rock with the rich sounds of traditional acoustic Celtic music have cemented their status at the top of the independent music scene. In the United States and Canada they are a major act on the Celtic festival circuit. They were such a big hit last year that we asked them back. This is one show you won't want to miss!
Tickets: $17 in advance, $20 day of show
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Cheryl Wheeler
with special guest Antje Duvekot
Saturday, Nov. 10, 8:00pm
Peterborough Players Theater
The Peterborough Folk Music Society has four seasons: Fall, Winter, Cheryl Wheeler, and Spring. However, this year the perennial favorite returns before the snow flies to put you back on the emotional roller coaster with her acerbic wit and amazing repertoire of original folk songs. Get ready for the comedy club in high gear. This concert is not for demure folkies.
Cheryl Wheeler has to be seen to be appreciated. Nothing you read and nothing you hear from her albums prepares you for her performances. From other people's comments about her you can learn that she is a gifted singer- songwriter and a natural story teller with a fantastic sense of humor. But until you see her in person, you never really believe what you've been told about her. For those of you who are returning fans, welcome back! And for those of you who have never seen Cheryl do a live concert, then by all means do so!
Cheryl on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=rRbXI7X3rlA
Opening for Cheryl Wheeler is Antje Duvekot, someone Ellis Paul has called the "next great American folk singer-songwriter." The first thing you notice is the name and wonder how to pronounce it-- it's Aunt-ya DOO-va-kot. The second thing you notice is the voice—hushed and alluring. Third are the lyrics—heartfelt and confessional. Antje's Lorelei voice entices the listener into her private world where her "provocative, dark-eyed ballads are becoming the talk of the folk world"—Boston Globe.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=K_PJhYflKps
Tickets: $22 advance/ $25 day of the show
Harvey Reid &
Joyce Andersen
Saturday, Dec. 15 at 8:00pm
Peterborough Players Theater
One of the most potent duo teams in acoustic music, Reid and Andersen are both gifted instrumentalists, strong and versatile singers, prolific songwriters, and are comfortable in a dizzying array of styles of roots and Americana music: from Celtic jigs and old-time fiddle tunes to house-shaking blues rockers, soaring gospel duets and beautiful ballads. Andersen's strong fiddle work and a captivating voice are a perfect complement to Reid's guitars, autoharp, banjo, and his legendary, slashing bottleneck slide work. Reid and Andersen are married and have also teamed up professionally to record three CDs: Christmas Morning, The Great Sad River, and Kindling the Fire. Together they form a rare musical partnership, taking to the stage with a rich and varied song bag, an arsenal of stringed instruments, and with a fresh northern New England sensibility, free from showbiz and pretense. We can't think of a better way to kick off the Christmas season!
Harvey & Joyce performing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen:
http://woodpecker.com/audio/gentlemen.mp3
Tickets: $17 advance / $20 at the door
The WIYOS &
The Sweetback Sisters
in a co-bill
Saturday, Jan. 12, 8:00pm
Peterborough Players Theater
The WIYOS, a Brooklyn-based trio formed in 2002, named after one of New York City's toughest old-time street gangs, is comprised of three vocalists, washboard/harmonica/kazoo, guitar, and upright bass. They draw on rural blues, ragtime, spirituals and Appalachian jug-band music of the 1920s and '30s. "The group brings exuberance and intensity to these vintage styles, and its performances are layered with vaudevillian stage antics reminiscent of such mavericks as Uncle Dave Macon."-The New Yorker. The WIYOS transport listeners back to a time before TV and mass-media, to the days when music could be heard on live radio and at community dances, juke joints and house parties. If you like Old Crow Medicine Show, Hot Club of Cowtown and great entertainment, you'll love these guys!
The WIYOS on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bu_tLBGdmk4
Introducing...The Sweetback Sisters! Fresh from Prairie Home Companion, this young group of pie-eyed plunkers performs a broad array of traditional old-time and honky-tonk music reminiscent of the 1940s and '50s. With their hot licks and sweet girl-on-girl harmonies, they're sure to warm the heart of any of you modern cowboys and girls. The Sweetback line-up features Zara Bode and Emily Miller on lead vocals. They are joined by an all-star cast of instrumentalists playing fiddle, guitar, drums, telecaster, lap steel, and bass. This wild bunch is sure to please, so get yer shanks in gear, grab a root beer, and swoon while they croon the country classics.
The Sweetback Sisters on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=r_Ttuvf_F-s
Tickets: $17 advance / $20 at the door
Ellis Paul &
Vance Gilbert
Saturday, Jan. 26 at 8:00pm
Peterborough Players Theater
Ellis Paul and Vance Gilbert need no introduction. Each a renowned performer in his own right, they have teamed up again to form a dynamic duo, and return to Peterborough to work their magic. Ellis Paul, with 11 CDs behind him, has carved out a place among the finest singer-songwriters of his generation. He has bridged the gulf between the modern folk sound and populist traditions of his hero Woody Guthrie more successfully than any of his songwriting peers. His strong, acoustic melodies and highly literate lyrics make him one of the finest contemporary folk musicians on the circuit today.
See Ellis on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ay4MrybVGQg
Vance Gilbert brings a lot in one well-known package: a spellbinding live show, a smooth, virtuosic tenor voice, accomplished guitar style, outrageous, edgy humor, and classic songwriting. He "is a formidable vocalist. His voice has the beauty of a choral singer, the strength and control of Broadway's finest, the power of lead rock singers and enough play to match any comedic imitator." -Sing Out. For those of you who have seen this duo before, you know what a thrill you're in for. For the rest of you, don't miss out on a rare opportunity to enjoy these two highly accomplished musicians performing together.
Check out Vance on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Wddf51-R-k4
Tickets: $20 advance / $23 at the door
Chris Smither
Saturday, Feb. 23 at 8:00pm
Peterborough Players Theater
Also needing no introduction, Chris Smither, one of the finest interpreters of classic blues and contemporary roots music on the scene today, returns to Peterborough to deliver another one of his riveting live shows. After coming on the radar in 1970, and after releasing 11 albums, Smither's new album, Leave The Light On, stands as the quintessence of his life's work. Some artists continually reinvent themselves; others identify their muse early and spend their careers single-mindedly pursuing it, remaining recognizably themselves through a career-long process of refinement, growth, and discovery. Chris Smither belongs in the latter group. Through the decades he has taken the blues in a direction entirely his own. Don't miss an opportunity to see this renowned performer at the peak of his creative powers.
Chris Smither on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kpNoQaB2LT0
Tickets: $18 advance / $21 at the door
Jonathan Edwards
with special guest Alastair Moock
Saturday, March 8 at 8:00pm
Peterborough Players Theater
After celebrating 30 years of Sunshine with a "First Annual Farewell Tour" with Kenny White on piano in 2001, Jonathan Edwards still tours occasionally, but selectively. We are very honored and pleased to be able to welcome this legendary folk/rocker back to Peterborough this season. A Jonathan Edwards' show covers nearly 40 years of music history and a wide spectrum of genres: 1960s rock, country, bluegrass, and folk. He has collaborated with artists like Emmylou Harris (Rockin' Chair & Sailboat), Wendy Waldman (Natural Thing), Maura O'Connell, Jimmy Buffet, Cheryl Wheeler (Driving Home), and Christine Lavin. Jonathan's career has included theatre, commercials, record production, the Cruising America's Waterways series for PBS, and movie soundtracks, including Sunshine in the 2004 Will Ferrell film Anchorman" Come welcome him back!
Johathan Edwards on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nbHBLh1uImQ
There was a time in America when folk music was relevant, edgy, even dangerous - a tool of personal and political expression, at once raw and beautiful. That spirit lives on in the music of Alastair Moock. Moock's writing style is often compared to those of John Prine and Woody Guthrie. Like them, he tends to stick to simpler harmonic forms and tight rhyming patterns that emphasize his lyrical dexterity and natural talent for storytelling.
A sound sample from Alastair's web site.
Tickets: $20 advance / $23 at the door
April Verch
Saturday, April 12 at 8:00pm
Peterborough Players Theater
Experiencing an April Verch show is like hopping a supersonic, musical freight train from an old lumber camp in Northern Ontario, across the wide open prairie, through the Appalachians, down the Mississippi to the Louisiana Bayou, across the sea to Brazil, France, the Scottish Highlands and back, with stops at Carnegie Hall and church thrown in for good measure. April and her band were so popular with the crowd last year that we asked her back.
Not only a world-class fiddler, April is also a world-class dancer, and a singer whose voice has been hailed as "absolutely captivating" by the Toronto Star. After signing with Rounder Records in 2000, she has been winning audiences not only with her sheer technical ability, but also with her charm, humor, and boundless energy on stage. She crosses genres easily from Bluegrass to Brazilian to Celtic, from a jaunty Canadian folksong to a poignant contemporary ballad, and the audience is with her all the way. This is one show you don't want to miss!
April Verch on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=F9rbQtXwY6Y
Tickets: $17 advance / $20 at the door
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