Sadly, it’s true. The decision to end our series was a difficult one that was made over several months, and well before any of us had heard of COVID-19. The timing is coincidental.

As you know, professional touring musicians have been especially hit hard by this situation and most of them are scrambling to find other ways to keep their incomes from disappearing for an undetermined amount of time.  We invite you, right now, to go to your favorite musicians’ websites. Purchase their CD’s and/or music downloads. Buy their merch. Check out their plans for on-line gigs and streaming and SUPPORT them every way you can think of.

We are deeply grateful to each of you for your help in building and sustaining this wonderful music series community of ours.

We will miss the music in our home and we will miss the wonderful heartfelt community that formed here. We genuinely hope to see each of you at other music offerings in the community. As we say at the end of most of our emails: thank you for supporting traditional music! And please, keep up the good work!

This house concert was cancelled on March 15, 2020, due to health concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Evie Ladin Band is coming to SLO House Concerts and bringing their foot-stomping original and traditional tunes, and their amazing body percussion. We have been trying to get this group here for several years and are delighted that all of the stars and schedules lined up for March 26th!

The neo-trad kinetic-folk of the Evie Ladin Band is a mingling of the deep Appalachian sound of clawhammer banjo, guitar, bass, and percussive dance, with contemporary storytelling and original, conversational interplay among the band members. Some of their adventurousness comes from early hip hop in the high school cafeteria, some from Evie’s early attraction to, and study of, the African roots in Appalachian music and dance. While myriad world and contemporary music influences permeate the band’s choices, they never reach too far, remaining seamless and true to the stories they tell.

You don’t often hear words like “traditional” and “authentic” paired with “innovative” and “unique,” but Evie Ladin has brought them together brilliantly…and the result is a truly high point in new old-time music.
–Folkworks, Los Angeles

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please CLICK HERE to request an invitation and indicate which show you would like to attend and how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other information.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20-$25. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

 

More About the Musicians

The polyrhythmic heat of Evie Ladin‘s banjo, her resonant voice, real stories, and rhythmic dance have been heard from A Prairie Home Companion to Celtic Connections, from Lincoln Center to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, from the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley to the Parkfield Bluegrass Festival, and across many continents. Born and raised on Southern music, from inner city Baltimore to Oakland, she has taken home ribbons in folk song from Mt Airy, NC Fiddler’s Convention and Neo-trad Band from the Appalachian Stringband Festival, Clifftop, WV, among other accolades.

Keith Terry (bass, Body Music, vocals) is a renowned percussionist/rhythm dancer, and the founder of the International Body Music Festival. A pioneer in contemporary Body Music, Keith produces large-scale intercultural collaborations and education around the world. Keith brings a cinematic ear to playing bass as tonal percussion, with bells, box, body, and toys.

Erik Pearson (guitar, banjo, vocals) is a musician’s musician with the Crooked Jades, storyteller Diane Ferlatte, and his own solo projects. His original banjo tune “Fork & File” was the soundtrack for a rapids rafting scene in Sean Penn’s movie Into the Wild.

 

We are delighted to have the lads back with us again for two shows, at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm, to help us get a jumpstart on St. Patrick’s celebrations, AND, to help Molly’s Revenge celebrate their 20 Year Anniversary as a band!

To the lads of Celtic band Molly’s Revenge, “March Madness” means something other than basketball playoffs. Indeed, for all players of traditional Irish music, the month of March means making hay while the sun shines, for March 17 is the date when Irish people all around the world love to celebrate the venerable Saint Patrick. And since they can’t be everywhere on that one day, Molly’s Revenge will once again be crisscrossing the West Coast for much of the month. Hence the nickname of their annual tour: March Madness. We are excited that they will kick-off their tour with two SLO House Concerts on Friday, February 28th.

David Brewer has been playing whistle and four types of bagpipes for over 20 years. He studied in Scotland at the Ceolas Music School in South Uist under the tutelage of some of the best pipers in the world. His authentic and unique style of playing has earned him the reputation of being one of the most accomplished pipers on the West Coast. David has composed close to 200 traditional style tunes, many of which have appeared on recordings, independent films, and television.

John Weed is a classically-trained violinist who switched to playing Irish fiddle over 20 years ago. John has lived in Ireland and taught fiddle workshops at the Flowing Tide International Music School in Doonbeg, County Clare. He attended the Frankie Kennedy Winter School in Dunlewey, County Donegal where he has studied with Ciaran O’Maonaigh and Dermot Mcloughlin. He is a popular teacher and workshop leader.

Stuart Mason has been collecting and performing traditional music for over 40 years. He has appeared on stage from Ireland to China performing Celtic and old-time music, and his original compositions, which have won awards from the West Coast Songwriters Association. He leads workshops and classes in traditional music techniques at music festivals and camps.

Molly’s Revenge is a dynamic, acoustic, Celtic band known for its unique and infectious enthusiasm. The classic combination of bagpipes, whistle, and fiddle with a backdrop of guitar, mandola, and bodhran guarantees a most enjoyable experience for all fans of Scottish and Irish music. Molly’s Revenge has performed at many of the top folk festivals and performing arts events in the USA and prestigious events in Scotland, Australia, and China. Their arrangements of traditional Celtic jigs and reels bring these dance tunes up to date with a driving, hard-edged accent that always leaves our friends shouting for more. Don’t miss this one!

They bring to the music a vital and joyous creativity that excites even the hardest of hearts.       –John Doyle, founding member of Solas.

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please CLICK HERE to request an invitation and indicate which show you would like to attend and how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other information.

2:00pm Show: Doors open at 1:30; show starts at 2:00.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20-$25. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

 

Additional Sights and Sounds

mollysrevenge.com

facebook.com/MollysRevenge

a VIDEO we took at the KVMR Celtic Festival in Grass Valley, California

David Brewer’s website: davidbrewermusic.com

Stuart Mason’s website: stuartmasonmusic.com

The Lonesome Ace Stringband is an old-time band with bluegrass chops that plays really good folk and country music. There’s a depth of groove and sense of space not often heard in bluegrass today, a level of instrumental interplay and vocal blend uncommon in old-time, and an on-stage rapport that transcends all of this.

Three Canadians lost in the weird and wonderful traditional country music of the American South, Chris Coole (banjo), John Showman (fiddle) and Max Heineman (bass) are each journeyman musicians and veterans of some of Canada’s top roots music acts (New Country Rehab, The David Francey Band, The Foggy Hogtown Boys, and Fiver).

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only.

Please click here to request an invitation and indicate for which show and how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you a confirmation email with directions and other information.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20-$25. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

Additional Sights and Sounds

Website: www.lonesomeace.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lonesomeacestringband

Instagram: instagram.com/lonesomeacestringband

Videos: The Lonesome Ace Stringband 

Say Old Man

Cherry River Line

 

We have presented both John Doyle and Mick McAuley as sold-out solo acts in the past, and now we are beyond delighted to be able to present them as a duo. They are both known for their virtuosic playing, playful banter and stage presence, and lovely, and sometimes hilarious, songs. ‘Twill be an evening to remember!

John Doyle and Mick McAuley’s nearly telepathic musical connection began in the early ’90’s in the truly groundbreaking Irish-American band, Solas. Now, both have flourishing high profile solo careers and periodically come together to brush off some Solas standards along with lots of their individual material, played together, for these magical musical offerings.

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only.

Please click here to request an invitation and indicate for which show and how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you a confirmation email with directions and other information.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20-$25. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

Additional Sights and Sounds

Websites: johndoylemusic.com    mickmcauley.com

Video:  The Silver Spear Set

Lyric, fluid, and precisely as tricky as he needs to be…probably the greatest Irish fiddler living.  -The Village Voice

Kevin Burke’s fiddle playing has been at the forefront of traditional music for over 30 years.  Whether solo or accompanied, on record or in concert, Burke is an immensely engaging performer. He has been established as a first class musician ever since his work in the early 1970’s with such renowned performers as Arlo Guthrie, Christy Moore, The Bothy Band, and his far-reaching solo album, If the Cap Fits. During his long musical career Kevin has earned international acclaim in both Europe and America as a solo performer, a teacher, and as a member of some of folk music’s foremost groups including Celtic Fiddle Festival and Patrick Street. He is also a featured member of Grammy winner Tim O’Brien’s wonderful crossover band, The Crossing.

Kevin’s contribution to music was acknowledged by The National Endowment for the Arts when he was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship, the USA’s highest honor for excellence in the folk and traditional arts. In Ireland he was given the prestigious Gradam Ceoil award, acknowledging him as a master of the tradition.

Although Kevin has spent much of his life playing in a group context, he has never lost his love for solo fiddle music – the “naked fiddle” as he himself sometimes puts it.  This is very evident in his live solo release, In Concert, a performance of mostly unaccompanied traditional pieces.

With the great popularity of various groups over the last 25 years or so, many people have forgotten that this kind of music used to be played mainly solo. The bands, groups and accompanists are a relatively recent development… so I thought it would be interesting to let people hear the ‘naked’ fiddle once more. –Kevin Burke

The great Irish fiddler Kevin Burke…plays the fiddle so smoothly, with such buoyancy, and with such relaxed showmanship, that even a large concert hall becomes intimate.
–The New Yorker Magazine

One of the great living Celtic fiddlers.
–The New York Times

 

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only.

Please click here to request an invitation and indicate for which show and how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you a confirmation email with directions and other information.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20-$25. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

Additional Sights and Sounds

Website: kevinburke.com

Video: Tuttle’s Reel / The Bunch of Green Rushes / The Maids of Mitchelstown

A Return to the Roots of Bluegrass

We are thrilled to welcome Mike Compton and Joe Newberry back to SLO House Concerts. Their musicianship is outstanding and they are both just a lot of fun to be around!

Mike Compton and Joe Newberry mine one of the more neglected segments of country music history: the period during the ‘30s and ’40s when brother duet music was transitioning into, what is now known today as, bluegrass. Both masters of the bedrock instruments of old-time music, they collaborate with a vision that is both modern and ageless. As virtuosos of old-time mandolin, banjo, and guitar, they dig deep into early country music and blues. With a seemingly limitless library of brother duets, audiences can expect to hear their favorite tunes along with traditional instrumentals, mother ballads, and award-reaping originals. Their combined pedigree has enabled them to reach millions of people, including the more than 4 million regular listeners of A Prairie Home Companion, and also devoted fans of the Grammy Award-winning O Brother, Where Art Thou and Cold Mountain soundtracks.

 
Mike Compton is a Grammy Award-winning, IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year nominee, mandolinist for the Nashville Bluegrass Band and longtime steady sideman to the late John Hartford. He has entertained from Carnegie Hall to the White House — and lots of good folks’ houses in between. The New York Times calls him “a new bluegrass instrumental hero.” He has made music with such diverse notables as the iconic Dr. Ralph Stanley, British rock legend Elvis Costello, guitar virtuoso David Grier and producer T-Bone Burnett. He has performed on 100+ CDs in a variety of genres with some of the most beloved artists of our day. At heart, Mike Compton is a preservationist, continuing the music that Bill Monroe innovated on the mandolin and which set the standard for two generations of bluegrass mandolin players.

There are powerful people in every walk of life. Mike Compton is the General George Patton of the mandolin. – CyberGrass.com

 

Joe Newberry is a prizewinning guitarist, songwriter and vocalist known far and wide for his powerful banjo playing. He won the songwriting prize for “Gospel Recorded Performance” at the 2012 IBMA Awards for his song Singing As We Rise, and was co-writer [with Eric Gibson] of the 2013 IBMA “Song of the Year,” They Called It Music. A longtime guest on A Prairie Home Companion, he was a featured singer on the Transatlantic Sessions 2016 tour of the U.K., and at the Transatlantic Session’s debut at Merlefest in 2017. Growing up in a family full of singers and dancers, he took up the guitar and banjo as a teenager and learned fiddle tunes from the great Missouri fiddlers.

His lyrics read like a cross between Longfellow and Johnny Cash…The muse is sometimes gentle and other times rough. But she never strays too far from Joe Newberry’s side. – Indyweek

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please click here to request an invitation and indicate how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other information.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20-$25. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

Additional Sights and Sounds

For more information about Compton & Newberry, please visit their duo website comptonandnewberry.com  and their individual websites: mikecompton.net  and joenewberry.me

Columbus Stockade Blues  www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVwOYKz2ZYY

 

The previous time that the New World String Project performed at a SLO House Concert, their show sold out in record time. So, this time we booked them for two shows, at 2:00pm and 7:00pm, on Saturday, August 17th so that everyone who wants to see them will have the opportunity. As of August 1st, the 2:00pm show still has plenty of seats and the 7:00pm show is currently full, with a waiting list.

Four highly skilled and well known multi-instrumentalists – John Weed, Aryeh Frankfurter, Lisa Lynne, and Stuart Mason – have joined forces to create an exciting weave of music rooted in the Celtic, Nordic, and American folk traditions. Ancient and modern sounds mingle freely on Swedish nyckelharpa, Celtic harp, fiddle, guitar, cittern, mandola and more. Join the New World String Project for a musical ride that will shake your boots, uplift your spirit, and warm your heart.

John Weed is a traditional-style fiddler who has spent the last 20 years learning and teaching various fiddle styles. As a classically trained violinist, he expertly leverages his understanding of the instrument to coax emotion from every tune. John has lived in Ireland and immersed himself in the regional styles of Clare and Donegal, returning several times to hone his skills and collect tunes at their source. An accomplished fiddler across genres with an affinity for American fiddle styles, John explores the connections between Irish, Scottish, and old time fiddle. John is the fiddler for Molly’s Revenge and tours with Story Road, Little Black Train, in a duo with Stuart Mason, and has performed on festival stages from Scotland to Australia to Shanghai, as well as much of the US.

Aryeh Frankfurter’s musical endeavors began at the age of three when he undertook classical training on the violin. His musical development led him to explore various ethnic and international musical genres, particularly Celtic folk music, and at the age of fifteen he discovered the Celtic harp which has become the focal point of his musical inspiration and expression. In addition, Aryeh taught himself to play a variety of instruments including electric violin, viola, cello, guitar, cittern, mandolin, lap and hammered dulcimers, bowed and plucked psaltry, penny whistle, baroque flute, recorder, and more recently the Swedish Nyckelharpa. He tours full time as a solo artist and also with Lisa Lynne, Patrick Ball, and the Windham Hill Winter Solstice Tours.

Lisa Lynne is a multi-instrumentalist who has gained worldwide recognition for her original music featuring the Celtic Harp. She has composed memorable melodies on the Windham Hiill/Sony labels that have repeatedly placed in the Top 10 and Top 20 on the Billboard New Age music charts. Her work in therapeutic music has gained recognition from NBC, CNN, Fox News Atlanta, and numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal. Lisa’s music is featured in the PBS special “Alone in the Wilderness,” and in other television and film soundtracks. She performs regularly as a solo artist, and also with Aryeh Frankfurter, Patrick Ball, and the Windham Hill tours. She was recently named one of the 50 most inspiring women by Los Angeles Magazine.

Veteran artist Stuart Mason is known for his authentic vocals and nimble skills on guitar, mandola, and clawhammer banjo and has been collecting, performing, and teaching traditional music for over 40 years. He has appeared on stage from Ireland to China performing Celtic, old-time bluegrass, and his original compositions which have won awards from the West Coast Songwriters Association. He has also won awards for traditional singing and mandola performance. Stuart teaches at various workshops and music camps and tours with the Celtic band Molly’s Revenge as well as old-time bluegrass band Little Black Train, singer Colleen Raney, Celtic band Story Road, and in a duo with fiddler John Weed.

Additional Sights and Sounds

For more information about the New World String Project, please visit the group website newworldstringproject.com  and their individual websites:  stuartmasonmusic.com   lisalynne.com   lionharp.com

New World String Project – Live at the Back Room: youtube.com/watch?v=i-1fYKftYf8

A video showcasing Aryeh Frankfurter and Lisa Lynne and the variety of instruments they play:  youtube.com/watch?v=ojdHUOKSYhM

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please click here  to request an invitation and indicate which show and how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other helpful information.

2:00pm show: Doors open at 1:30pm. Concert starts at 2:00pm.

7:00pm show: Doors open at 6:30pm. Concert starts at 7:00pm.

Suggested donation: $20 – $25. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

Andrew “Finn the fiddler” Magill is a multi-instrumentalist, All-Ireland fiddle finalist, and Ropeadope Recording artist who has watched his career surge ever since the 2016 release of his 2-disc concept album  Roots & Branches, which feature John Doyle, Colin Farrell, and Cillian Vallely among others. Magill was raised at The Swannanoa Gathering and has learned and carved out a name for himself in Irish, Old-Time, and Brazilian music and has taught these traditions at various fiddle camps including the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, Montana Fiddle Camp, Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp, The Freight & Salvage’s Fiddlekids, The Acadia Trad School, and Le Séjour du Cléguérec in France. After moving to Rio de Janeiro in 2014, he became an ambassador of Brazilian violin and co-founded the nationally touring  Brazilian Strings Trio with violinist Ted Falcon and guitarist Nando Duarte. Based in Asheville since 2016, Magill tours the U.S., France, and Brazil regularly with many acts including Dave Curley, Brazilian Strings Trio, his own Brazilian jazz trio, and solo.

Cary Novotny‘s trademark sound has made him one of the most in-demand guitar players in Irish music today. With unerring rhythm, boundless energy, and versatility, he varies from breakneck speed to delicate finger-style in the blink of an eye. He was born in South Dakota and later moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he studied classical guitar and also learned the music of the region. After moving to the Pacific Northwest, he earned a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Portland and established himself as a professional guitarist, singer, and songwriter in the folk and popular music scenes of Portland and Seattle. In 1995, Novotny cofounded Cul an Ti, which became a household name over the next 20 years in the Northwest with its hundreds of performances of lively traditional Irish tunes and  unique blend of Irish and popular songs. Novotny has recorded and performed with many other notable Irish musicians, including Kevin Burke, The Bridies, Johnny Connolly, Winifred Horan, Hanz Araki, Laurence Nugent, and the touring Irish dance show Celtic Legends. This will be Cary’s second SLO House Concert appearance.

 

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please click here to request an invitation and indicate how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other information.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

 

Additional Sights and Sounds

Roots and Branches

Andrew Finn Magill with Alan Murray – Hornpipes & Reels

andrewfinnmagill.com

facebook.com/andrewfinnmagill

RICHIE STEARNS and ROSIE NEWTON grew up 150 miles and a few decades apart. While both were raised by professional cellists, Richie started playing banjo at fourteen, and Rosie began classical piano lessons at eight, eventually moving to classical viola as a teen. Both shared incredibly unique, musically-immersed childhoods: Richie’s family founded the iconic GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance (which he is now President of) and by her junior year of high school, Rosie was playing fiddle and touring with folk rock band The Mammals. During that time, the two were introduced at Saratoga Springs’ Flurry festival — a meeting that would spark a fated friendship and unique musical bond.

“He left an impression on me because he was wearing Converse. I had never seen an adult wear Converse before,” said Rosie, reflecting back on the first time she shared the stage with Richie. As a Woodstock native, she graduated high school and decided to move to Ithaca after being drawn to the thriving old-time scene — which happened to also be Richie’s stomping grounds. While studying viola at Ithaca College and playing fiddle on the side, Rosie started incorporating folk with her traditional Celtic and classical upbringing.

Meanwhile, Richie was a well-established singer and banjo player in the community, having performed around the world with bands like Bela Fleck, Pete Seeger, David Byrne, Billy Bragg & Wilco, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Joan Baez. In addition to releasing two solo albums, Richie was adding to his endless discography, which includes three Natalie Merchant records, multiple collaborations with Jim Lauderdale and Donna The Buffalo, and Carrie Rodriguez.

A founding member of the neo traditional alternative rock band The Horse Flies, Richie Stearns has toured extensively over the last three decades, recording eight albums with The Horse Flies, including releases on MCA and Rounder Records. The Horse Flies have been featured on MTV, Prairie Home Companion, All Things Considered, World Café and Mountain Stage, and have been written about in Rolling Stone, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and other major publications.

During Rosie’s freshman year, they began touring together regionally as members of the Evil City String Band and eventually decided to pursue a more intimate project as a duo. In 2013, the duo released their first album, Tractor Beam, a mix of originals and classics, designed to mirror the experience of a live performance.

Rosie Newton joined the folk fusion band, The Duhks, in 2014, and her fiddling can be found on the Duhks record, Beyond the Blue. Rosie has taught fiddle at Sunshine Coast School of Celtic Music, the Taylor Music Festival, and the Black Pot Camp. She has appeared at major US music festivals (Rhythm & Roots, Newport Folk Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, MerleFest, DelFest) and has performed with Natalie Merchant, Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers), and Jefferson Hamer (Anaïs Mitchell/Child Ballads).

In 2017, Richie and Rosie released their second full-length album, Nowhere in Time. With the fated combination of Richie and Rosie’s unique skill, varied musical influence, and honest storytelling, Nowhere in Time defines exactly what the duo hopes to achieve — music that people can connect with. As two musicians in two very different parts of life, Richie and Rosie are proof of two things: the power and magic of two people making music, and that the universal messages that lie within their songs remain timeless.

 

House Concert Details

SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please click here to request an invitation and indicate how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other information.

7:00pm Show: Doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:00.

Suggested Donation: $20. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.

 

Additional Sights and Sounds

richieandrosie.com

facebook.com/richieandrosie/

richiestearnsmusic.com

rosienewtonmusic.com/rosie-newton

Say Darlin’ Say

Waterbound