The Monadnock Folklore Society is excited to present home-town boy Jeff Murphy and his band, ‘Wooden Dinosaur’, to celebrate the release of their new CD ‘Spaces’ at the Nelson Town Hall Admission is $12/$9 (senior, youth, & advance internet).
Click here for more info and tickets.

“Wooden Dinosaur makes the kind of simple, stripped-down music that leaves you feeling nostalgic and longing for more.”
-NPR’s All Songs Considered

Wooden Dinosaur is an original six-piece folk ensemble with members from throughout New England. The band makes music that is deeply American, yet forward thinking. Built around the songs of Brattleboro-based guitarist Michael Roberts, Wooden Dinosaur uses a diverse array of instruments – fiddle, upright bass, drums, trumpet and euphonium – in its tasteful arrangements of original material. Though “indie-folk” is the label most often applied to this music, alt-country, blues, old time, and jazz influences are woven into the band’s signature sound.

Wooden Dinosaur’s debut album, Nearly Lost Stars (2010), garnered both regional and national attention, and cemented the band’s reputation as a fresh voice in the New England Americana scene. Since then the group has toured throughout the Northeast and shared the stage with some of the country’s most exciting new acts, including The Devil Makes Three, Brown Bird, The Low Anthem, Joe Pug, Rusty Belle and David Wax Museum.

The band spent 2011 working on their second full-length album, Spaces. Much of the recording for the new album took place at a house in Nelson, over July 4th weekend. Recorded in between family-style BBQ’s and trips to the local swimming hole, the album reflects the group’s dedication to a diverse array of American musical traditions.

Opening the show will be Dollar General, the new project from Vermont composer and guitarist Michael Chorney. This folk-jazz group features the rhythm section from Anais Mitchell’s acclaimed Hadestown Orchestra, along with pedal steel player Asa Brosius. The band plays Chorney’s original songs, which show jazz, country and folk influences, and reflect Chorney’s unique approach to the craft of songwriting.

Come here the Nelson Town Band performing holiday music. It’s FREE and it’s FUN.

The Monadnock Folklore Society brings this community event to the Nelson Town Hall each year, admission is $5, and treats are appreciated for the dessert potluck. This year the evening will begin with a holiday concert featuring a selection of traditional and original seasonal music; as part of the concert 2011 Johnny Trombly Scholarship recipient  will entertain us with their musicianship. The Folklore Society invites you to bring along your favorite holiday dessert and we’ll supply the beverages for the intermission. After the concert the chairs and benches are cleared to make way for a traditional New England Contradance. Unfortunately, or not, the dance is often interrupted by various groups of unsavory characters presenting their idea of seasonal entertainment. These diversions, sometimes involving costumed individuals making complete fools of themselves or performing ancient ritual dances to help us through this dark time of the year, are generally tolerated as once they are applauded and fed we can return to dancing the night away.

Admission $18/$15(senior, youth & advance online)
click here for tickets

Sally and Claudia met in the fabulous Folkie 80s for the first time, and immediately developed a deep friendship and musical collaboration.  This led to lots of joint touring as well as 2 CDs together before Sally left the road to raise a family.  Throughout, they have maintained the friendship and the musical connection, albeit restricted to a couple concerts a year, when Claudia’s out East or Sally’s back in the Midwest for a family reunion.  Last year they had such a good time with their New England concert that they decided right then and there to record a new CD including songs they’ve been adding to their repertoire over the decades (2, to be exact, since their last release!)as well as some brand new ones just for this project.  They continue to have an amazing ease onstage together (as well as a lot of double dulcimer!) and an exquisite blend when they put their harmonic wits together.  Come and get a sneak preview of what they have up their musical sleeves.

World class fiddler and local hero Lissa Schneckenburger with Boston based guitarist Bethany Waickman come to the Nelson Town Hall on Friday, October 7 for an 8 PM concert. Admission is $12/$9(senior, youth & advance internet).
[click here to go to the Monadnock Folklore Society website, where you may buy tickets online]

The traditional music of New England can be as warm and comforting as a winter fire or as potent and exhilarating as a summer thunderstorm. Fiddler and singer Lissa Schneckenburger is a master of both moods, a winsome, sweet-voiced singer who brings new life to old ballads and a skillful, dynamic fiddler who captures the driving rhythm and carefree joy of dance tunes old and new.

Raised in a small town in Maine and now living in Vermont, Lissa grew up with music. She began playing fiddle at the age of six, inspired by her mother’s interest in folk music and a family friend who was a professional violinist. Soon she was studying with influential Maine fiddler Greg Boardman and sitting in with the Maine Country Dance Orchestra. By the time she was in high school she was playing concerts on her own, specializing in the sprightly New England dance tunes that combine influences from the British Isles and Quebec with homegrown twists that have been evolving since Colonial days. Another of her major influences was the diverse musical community that she found at fiddle camps, where she had a chance to play with and learn from a wide variety of musicians including noted Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser. In 2001 she graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a degree in contemporary improvisation, and since then has been performing around the US and internationally for a growing audience of enthusiastic listeners. She has recorded seven CDs, (four solo and three with various groups).

Lissa’s fiddling is uplifting and lively, and her singing is gentle and evocative. Both in concert and in the studio she is regularly accompanied by some of New England’s best musicians, including guitarists Keith Murphy and Matt Heaton and double bassist Corey DiMario. Recently she has been closely studying the roots of the Downeast traditional music that she first heard as a young girl. Her latest project is a pair of CDs dedicated to reintroducing some wonderful but largely forgotten songs and tunes from New England that she uncovered through archival research at the University of Maine and elsewhere. “Song”, to be released in April 2008, contains ten timeless ballads that go back as far as the eighteenth century that she set to carefully crafted modern arrangements, while “Dance”, scheduled for 2009, will feature fiddle tunes. “There is currently a lot of focus on traditional American music from the South”, she explains, “and many bands are exploring and recording that repertoire, but no one is getting to hear the amazing repertoire of traditional music from the North. This is my first attempt at getting some of that music out there for people to enjoy.”

Whether playing for a folk club audience or a hall full of dancers, Lissa brings to the stage enthusiasm, energy, and the bright future of New England’s musical traditions.

For tickets, please go to the web site of the Monadnock Folklore Society.

Sarah McQuaid brings her sparkling guitar playing and compelling alto voice to the Nelson Town Hall on Friday, September 9 for an 8:00 PM concert. Admission is $15/$12(senior, youth & advance internet)

Renowned for her warm, engaging stage presence, Sarah McQuaid is a versatile and beguiling performer. In addition to her own elegantly crafted originals, she interprets traditional Irish and Appalachian folk songs, Elizabethan ballads, 1930s jazz numbers, surprise covers and lively guitar instrumentals with panache and poignance.

Her deliciously earthy voice delivers a powerful emotional punch that’s matched by her distinctive, eloquent guitar style. Add this to a real rapport with her audience, and you have all the ingredients of a great night out.

Born in Spain, raised in Chicago and holding dual Irish and American citizenship, Sarah spent 13 years in Ireland and now lives near Penzance, Cornwall, in the southwest of England.

As might be expected of one who has led such a peripatetic existence, Sarah developed a taste for the road early on: From the age of twelve she was embarking on tours of the US and Canada with the Chicago Children’s Choir. At eighteen she went to France for a year to study philosophy at the University of Strasbourg, and in 1994 Sarah moved to Ireland.

In February 2010, Sarah re-released her first two albums in a double-disc package for the North American market, to coincide with her appearances at the Folk Alliance conference in Memphis and her first US tour, which immediately followed the conference.

The double CD became the No. 1 album, and Sarah the No. 1 artist, on the folkradio.org chart (based on playlists from 195 DJs) for February 2010 (http://folkradio.org/airplay/feb10.html); the final tally at year’s end saw the double CD in the No. 6 slot for the year, beating powerful competition from far more established artists.

In February 2011, Sarah was invited back to the Folk Alliance conference, this time for an official showcase – a significant honour that’s only extended to 20 overseas artists each year. Immediately following the conference, she travelled to Nashville to co-write with industry heavyweights Peter Cronin and Thomm Jutz. Now spending approximately six months of each year on the road in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the USA, Sarah will be returning to the studio in June 2011 to record her third solo album, provisionally titled The Plum Tree And The Rose, once again with Gerry O’Beirne producing and Trevor Hutchinson engineering.

Sarah is also slowly but surely working on a novel for which she’s received two Irish Arts Council Bursaries in Literature. She hopes to finish it one of these days.

Renowned for her warm, engaging stage presence, Sarah McQuaid is a versatile and beguiling performer.

In addition to her own elegantly crafted originals, she interprets traditional Irish and Appalachian folk songs, Elizabethan ballads, 1930s jazz numbers, surprise covers and lively guitar instrumentals with panache and poignancy. Her deliciously earthy voice delivers a powerful emotional punch that’s matched by her
distinctive, eloquent guitar style.
Add this to a real rapport with her audience, and you have all the ingredients of a great night out.

Tickets: $15.00 and $12.00

Larry Ames
Monadnock Folklore Society
lsames@worldpath.net
www.monadnockfolk.org
Location: Nelson Town Hall

Nelson Ice Cream Social and Nelson Town Band Concert
Nelson Congregational Church
Sept 4th, 3:00pm on the lawn, bring your own chair
Local ice cream, hot fudge, hot butterscotch, strawberries, blueberry sauce, raspberry sauce, whipped cream and toppings.
Bring friends and families to enjoy this summertime favorite!
Contact Nelson Congregational Church 847-3280

The Monadnock Folklore Society presents Dick Hensold in a solo concert entitled ‘Northumbrian smallpipes and other strange beasts’ on Tuesday, July 19 at 7:30 PM at the Nelson Town Hall in Nelson, NH. Admission is $12/$9 (senior, youth & advance internet). (click here for online ticket sales)

“Dick Hensold is a master piper with an exquisite touch.” –City Pages, Minneapolis, MN

Dick Hensold is the leading Northumbrian smallpiper in North America, and for the past 20 years has performed and taught in England, Scotland, Japan, Canada, and across the United States.  He has released numerous CDs as a member of the groups Piper’s Crow, Way Up North, The New International Trio, the Lyra Baroque orchestra, and with Ruth MacKenzie’s Kalevala.  His solo Northumbrian smallpipes CD Big Music for Northumbrian Smallpipes was released in 2007.  He is much in demand as accompanist, studio musician and theater musician, and frequently composes new works based on the traditions of the Northumbrian pipes.

The concert will feature Hensold on Northumbrian smallpipes (a quiet bagpipe from Northeast England), reel pipes (an indoor version of the Scottish Highland pipes intended for Scottish dance music), seljefløyte (Norwegian willow-flute), säckpipa (Swedish bagpipes), pibgorn (Welsh hornpipe), and several other instruments. He will play music in several traditional and historical styles, with particular emphasis on Cape Breton, early Scottish, and Northumbrian, but also including Scandinavian, medieval, Irish, and original music. The program also includes a couple of songs, neither of them in English, and a limited amount of dancing while seated.  Join us for a unique musical evening with one of America’s finest and most unusual traditional bagpipers.