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Purchase tickets at festival gate via cash, check or credit card!
@ Diamond Hill Park, Rte. 114, Cumberland, R.I.
Rain date: June 19
Tickets for children $ 5.00 payable at gate; kids under-5 free!
Four stages of Celtic and world music plus Irish step dance, children’s activities and 40+ craft & food vendors!
Atwater~Donnelly Trio • The Mari Black Band • John Doyle & Mick McAuley • NEA fellow Kevin Doyle • Eastern Medicine Singers • Genticorum • The Winifred Horan Band • RUNA • Torrin Ryan • The Vox Hunters • Windborne • The Music of Jimmy Devine • Irish session with Bob Drouin • Tir Na Nog Irish Dance • Mary King • Ed Sweeney • The Broad Street Fiddlers
Sponsored by: Town of Cumberland • Navigant Credit Union • The Valley Breeze • Sound Advice LLC • Open MRI of New England • Quebec Government Office in Boston
Or call in your reservations for our May 22, 7:00 p.m. show with Cantrip to 401-725-9272.
The name Cantrip is an Old Scots word meaning a charm, a magic spell, or a piece of mischief and it aptly describes the unexpected twists and turns in the trio’s musical arrangements. Swirling border pipes, dynamic fiddle, driving guitar and three rich voices blend to create a sound that gets the audience on their feet. After 20 years of touring, Cantrip has found a reputation like few others. Echoes can be heard of traditional music from the 1960s and 70s, but the passing years have slowly infested their Scottish music with the sounds of bluegrass, swing, and even klezmer. Scotland’s Dan Houghton and Jon Bews and singer/guitarist Eric McDonald stir the varied elements into a sound uniquely their own!
All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.
Or call in your reservations for our May 15, 4:00-5:00 p.m. concert with Matt & Shannon Heaton to 401-725-9272. This will be the first of five OUTDOOR CONCERTS held on Sundays behind the theatre building!
With engaging stage presence and masterfully-crafted music, Boston-based Matt and Shannon Heaton offer well-travelled Irish music from the heart. Steeped in sessions in County Clare and brewed in the acoustic music scenes of Chicago and Boston, their flute/guitar/bouzouki instrumentals and sweet husband-and-wife harmony singing draw deeply from the Irish tradition. The Heatons are an integral part of Boston’s vibrant trad music scene. Shannon co-founded Boston’s Celtic music fest and was named Massachusetts Traditional Artist Fellow in 2016. Matt has performed with countless traditional music bands and has received multiple MCC grants and awards for his music for kids. Matt and Shannon are comfortable onstage and have a warm connection with their audiences. They are world class American performers with Irish roots and universal appeal. “Their playing is masterful and inventive, their arrangements city-smart and spacious. Still, they never forget that Irish music is, at its heart, a neighborly form, meant for sharing, not showing off.” —The Boston Globe
* All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.
Or call in your reservations for our September 24, 8:00 p.m. show with North Sea Gas to 401-725-9272.
North Sea Gas is a folk band from Scotland who have now been performing their blend of poignant and rousing songs and high-energy instrumentals for 40 years. With a combination of fiddle, guitar, mandolin, bodhran and bouzouki, complementing strong three-part vocal harmonies and a keen sense of humor, an entertaining evening is always guaranteed! North Sea Gas have released 23 albums and they are constantly adding new material to their shows. This tour sees the U.S. CD release of “A Long Road: Celebrating Over 40 Years” showcasing four decades of a band’s life, its music, its memories, and its members. One of their previous albums, “The Fire and the Passion of Scotland,” was “Album of the Year” at Celtic Radio in the U.S., winning first place in the “Jigs and Reels” category as well for the set of tunes on the album. The band is led by founder Dave Gilfillan on lead vocals, guitar and banjo, well-known for his tongue-in-cheek humor. Ronnie “Mac” MacDonald on lead and harmony vocals, guitar and bouzouki is joined by Grant Simpson on high-energy fiddle and vocals.
This show is postponed as of 4-15-22. A rescheduled event will be announced at a later date.
Please join us as we present BRT favorite Kim Trusty in a full band setting as she sings songs from her new CD and revisits some past favorites. After studying songwriting at the Berklee College of Music in Boston where she was referred to as “the girl with the golden voice,” Kim has spent the last three decades residing in Providence, crafting and branding her own style of Jazz, R&B, Blues and original music. Joining Kim tonight will be Musical Director George Dussault on guitar, John Cote on drums, Mibbit Threats on bass, Cathy Clasper-Torch on fiddle, Earl Bright on organ/strings, and special guest, Spoken Word Artist Marlon Carey. In Kim’s own words, “My COVID relief was writing songs. I began writing in the summer of 2020 and started recording in December of the same year. COVID forced me to slow down and focus and think about what was really important to me – God, Faith, Spirituality, Courage and Strength, Family, Friends, Humanity, and Love one for another. I began to write about all I was experiencing and all that surrounded me. I bring to you tonight what I wrote and experienced through my words and music. Sit back and enjoy these songs of encouragement and hope in these still uncertain times.”
* All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.
Or call in your reservations for our April 30 show with House of Hamill to 401-725-9272.
House of Hamill owes its existence – almost entirely – to a series of cancelled flights. Rose Baldino’s band Burning Bridget Cleary was scheduled to perform, but inclement weather prevented two bandmates from flying. Desperate to salvage the showcase, Rose approached Brian Buchanan, who she knew fronted Canadian Celtic rock band Enter the Haggis. She thrust a guitar into Brian’s hands, pulled him onstage, and the two just clicked. Four years and hundreds of shows later, the duo was booked to play a closing slot at a Colorado festival, so they hired a bass player and drummer to fill out their sound. By the oddest of coincidences, their hired bandmates’ flights were canceled the day of the show. A frantic Facebook post introduced Brian and Rose to local musician Caroline Browning, who joined them on bass for the weekend. Once again, the chemistry was undeniable, and House of Hamill became a trio. They are now a fixture on festival stages across the U.S. and their version of “Pound a Week Rise” rose to #1 on the US Folk DJ charts. Their latest release, “Folk Hero,” captures perfectly the frenetic energy of an always engaging live show featuring a dynamic collection of original instrumentals, reimagined folk ballads, and new songs that showcase the trio’s versatility, Whether they’re ripping through a set of original jigs and reels, adding lush three-part harmonies into traditional folk ballads, or cracking up an audience with stories from the road, House of Hamill puts on a show that captivates audiences from the very first note. Don’t miss their Blackstone River Theatre debut!
* All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.
Masks are required for all patrons and staff until further notice. Patrons will also be asked to show their vaccination card or a photo of their vaccination card when they enter the club. Patrons will be asked to show proof each time they attend BRT. If a patron is not able to show proof of vaccination they will not be allowed to attend the performance. Our March 5, 7 p.m. show with Cherish the Ladies is SOLD OUT as of Thursday afternoon!
Celebrating 35 years of music making, Cherish the Ladies continues to delight audiences with its beautiful vocals, captivating arrangements and stunning step dancing. “It is simply impossible to imagine an audience that wouldn’t enjoy what they do,” says the Boston Globe speaking of Cherish the Ladies, the long-running, Grammy Award-nominated, Irish-American super group formed in New York City in 1985 to celebrate the rise of extraordinary women in a male-dominated Irish music scene. The past three-plus decades have included world tours, concerts at the White House and the Olympics and 17 critically-acclaimed albums including their Emmy Award-winning special, “An Irish Homecoming,” which was broadcast on PBS. Under the leadership of All-Ireland Flute and Whistle Champion Joanie Madden, named by The Irish Voice Newspaper as one of the Top 25 most influential Irish Americans of the past quarter century, Cherish the Ladies create an evening that includes a spectacular blend of virtuoso instrumental talents, beautiful vocals, captivating arrangements, and stunning step dancing. Joining Joanie will be Mary Coogan (guitar, mandolin), Mirella Murray (accordion), Gabriel Donohue (piano, filling in for KT Boyle who just had a beautiful baby!), Nollaig Casey (fiddle), County Clare songstress Kate Purcell (lead vocals), and Canadian step dancing champion Nathan Pilatzke from the Chieftains!
* All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.
Masks are required for all patrons and staff until further notice. Patrons will also be asked to show their vaccination card or a photo of their vaccination card when they enter the club. Patrons will be asked to show proof each time they attend BRT. If a patron is not able to show proof of vaccination they will not be allowed to attend the performance. Call in your reservations for our March 12 show with Rock Hearts to 401-725-9272.
Formed in 2013, Rock Hearts brings together five veteran musicians from Southern New England who love to sing and pick bluegrass, old country tunes, and seek out newer tunes from other genres to “bluegrass-ify.” Since the release of their well-received debut in 2020, “Starry Southern Nights,” they have experienced tremendous success on the national bluegrass charts and were selected as one of 20 Official Showcase Bands at the 2021 IBMA World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, NC. Their videos have amassed 250k views and the band has been featured in magazines including Bluegrass Unlimited, Bluegrass Today and the Bluegrass Situation. Joe Deetz’s career on banjo spans over 40 years. A New England Bluegrass Boy with Joe Val, Joe has also worked with Back Eddy and many others. Alex MacLeod grew up in bluegrass. With a classic leading voice and rock-solid rhythm guitar, Alex has served as front man for several bands in the region including Northern Lights, Southern Rhode, Back Eddy, and the Iron Skillet Band. Billy “BT” Thibodeau boasts an undeniable bluegrass pedigree and he brings his high tenor and lead vocals, along with his rock solid mandolin and guitar playing to Rock Hearts. Cutting his teeth with his Dad, Sam Tidwell and Uncle Bob in the Kennebec Valley Boys, he would later lead his own band, The Bill Thibodeau Band. Billy currently teaches at Rick’s Music in Cumberland, RI. Rick Brodsky is a multi-instrumentalist who has played within numerous musical genres over 35 years. Rick is a regular on the Connecticut/New York bluegrass scene and has played bass for numerous regional and national artists. Austin Scelzo was introduced to various fiddle traditions at Mark O’Connor’s early Berklee String Camps. He teaches Wernick Method Jam classes, created and maintains the performance venue, the Bluegrass Coffeehouse, and launched the Connecticut Bluegrass Music Association.
* All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.
Masks are required for all patrons and staff until further notice. Patrons will also be asked to show their vaccination card or a photo of their vaccination card when they enter the club. Patrons will be asked to show proof each time they attend BRT. If a patron is not able to show proof of vaccination they will not be allowed to attend the performance. Call in your reservations for our April 3 show with Eileen Ivers to 401-725-9272.
Grammy®-Awarded and Emmy-nominated, Eileen Ivers continues to push the fiddling tradition boundaries from a folk music staple to a powerfully beautiful and intensely driving world stage experience. Ivers was the groundbreaking musical star of Riverdance, a founding member of Cherish the Ladies, and she is one of the most awarded All-Ireland Fiddle and Banjo champions ever. Ivers’ most recent CD, “Beyond the Bog Road,” focuses on the influences of the Celtic tradition on Roots music – bluegrass, French-Canadian, Cajun, Appalachian, Americana – and how the music journeyed on to become a fundamental ingredient of the American Country music tradition. Ivers has been called “the Jimi Hendrix of the violin,” by The New York Times. Her recording credits include over 80 contemporary and traditional albums and numerous movie scores. A 9-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion, Eileen is hailed as one of the great innovators and pioneers in the Celtic and World music genres. Eileen’s band, Universal Roots, connects music, cultures, stories and emotions that tie us together …celebrating the fact that we are more alike than dissimilar. The ensemble features Matt Mancuso (lead vocals, guitar, trumpet, fiddle), Buddy Connolly (button accordion, whistles, piano, vocals), Lindsey Horner (upright and electric bass, baritone sax, vocals), Dave Barckow (lead vocals, percussion, guitar), joining together with Ivers on fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bodhran, and live looping.
* All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.
Due to a positive Covid case within the band, we need to reschedule our Mile Twelve concert to Nov. 12. Call in your reservations for our November 12, 8 p.m. show with Mile Twelve to 401-725-9272.
Mile Twelve is a progressive string band from Boston, Massachusetts. Winners of the 2020 IBMA New Artist of the Year award, they have been making waves in the acoustic music community with their seamless blend of expertly-crafted songs, creative arrangements, and virtuosic execution. The band takes their name from the mile marker that sits at Boston’s southern border on Route 93, a road sign they’ve passed countless times while heading out on tour. They’ve found receptive audiences across the globe, touring throughout North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The Mile Twelve lineup offers five of the most promising young musicians in bluegrass: Catherine “BB” Bowness (banjo), Evan Murphy (guitar, lead vocals), Nate Sabat (bass, lead vocals) and new members Ella Jordan (fiddle, vocals), and Korey Brodsky (mandolin). Join us for a great night of bluegrass!
* All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.