Town Hall Meeting to Prevent Underage Drinking

Blackstone River Theatre is proud to be hosting a Town Hall Meeting to Prevent Underage Drinking on Dec. 10, 6 P.M. presented by the Blackstone Valley Prevention Coalition. This important and free event features a guest speaker, “Dirt: A One-man show” by John Morello, a panel discussion with local youth about underage drinking and a Q&A session. For more info call 401-301-2894

Call in your reservations for the November 8 show with Young Rust to 401-725-9272.

Young Rust will celebrate the music of one of the most iconic songwriters of our lifetime – Neil Young. “Through the Years … a Retrospective” will take listeners back to the early years of Buffalo Springfield through all the twists and turns of Neil’s amazing career as we focus on his acoustic music at Blackstone River Theatre. Young Rust was formed in 2004 by longtime local original musicians Mike Gendron, Ryan Meehan, and Kevin Ferschke. Shortly thereafter, the band was joined by multi-instrumentalist John Winters on rhythm guitar and pedal steel. Known for their ability to replicate the raw emotion and musical chops of Neil Young in all his incarnations, the band currently knows and can perform 60+ Neil Young songs, spanning his musical career. Join Young Rust, close your eyes, and feel like you’ve been transported straight to a live Neil Young performance…

 

Our November 23 show with the Eileen Ivers Band is SOLD OUT! Thank you!

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. Eileen 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. Eileen’s 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. Irish Music Magazine called it “a triumph … a musical Magnus-Opus” and the album reached number one on the Alt-Country Roots Music Chart. Eileen’s new joyous and passionate 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 Eileen on fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bodhran, and live looping. Not to be missed!

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

 

 

Call in your reservations for our November 17 show with Archie Fisher to 401-725-9272.

Master guitarist, singer and songwriter Archie Fisher is Scotland’s foremost troubadour and is known throughout the country as the host of BBC Radio Scotland’s award-winning “Travelling Folk” show, which he has presented for more than 30 years. Recognized for his contributions to Scottish folk music, he was inducted into the Scots Traditional Music Hall of Fame and in 2006 was awarded an MBE, (Distinguished Member of the British Empire), a prestigious honor nominated by his peers and bestowed by Queen Elizabeth for services to traditional music in 2007. Fisher was born in Glasgow into a large singing family, which yielded three professional singers – Archie and his sisters Ray and Cilla Fisher. Fisher’s first self-titled album was recorded in 1968. During the mid-1970s he joined the revived pairing of Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy. As well as performing as a backing musician and arranger for Makem & Clancy, he also produced a series of albums with them and got involved in record production with the dynamic Scottish band Silly Wizard. His  “Windward Away” release on Red House, a collection of introspective ballads that evoke the wild and rough beauty of the Scottish Border country, achieved widespread acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2015, seven years in the making, “A Silent Song” finds Archie combining original compositions with his interpretations of classic songs for a wonderful addition to his distinguished catalog.

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

 

Call in your reservations for our December 14 Celtic Christmas CD release show with Áine Minogue to 401-725-9272.

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

 

Our December 7 show of Irish Christmas in America is SOLD OUT! Thank you.

The hugely popular Irish Christmas in America show features top Irish musicians, singers and dancers in an engaging performance rich in history, humor and boundless energy. Produced by fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada of award-winning lrish group Téada, the 2019 tour brings back the amazing Séamus Begley (TG4 Traditional Singer of the Year) along with the vocal talents of Sligo’s Niamh Farrell. Also performing will be Grainne Hambly on harp and concertina and Sean Gavin on flute and uilleann pipes, plus step dancer Samantha Harvey! Mac Diarmada enthuses about the program as a way to bring traditional and often unknown Irish customs to the States. “One of the most heartfelt themes of Irish Christmas is emigration,” says Mac Diarmada. “Music was a way that people stayed close to home.” A sparkling tradition among holiday events, Irish Christmas in America is a special show to see this season – Blackstone River Theatre is proud to bring it to you!

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

 

Call in your reservations for our November 16 show with Fuzek-Rossoni to 401-725-9272.

John Fuzek and Mary Ann Rossoni will reunite this evening for a special 30th Anniversary Concert. The duo has not formally performed on stage together since a Stone Soup fundraiser brought them together for a brief set in 2012. Joining Fuzek-Rossoni during their set will be Ed McGuirl on guitar, mandolin, bass and percussion and Amy Bedard on backing vocals and violin. Opening the show will be Dan Lilley (guitar, vocals, harmonica) accompanied by Amy Bedard on vocals and violin. From 6 to 7 p.m. there will be an opening reception for the artwork of Mary Ann Rossoni which will be on display at Blackstone River Theatre through mid-December. A very popular duo in their day, Fuzek•Rossoni was formed 30 years ago when John Fuzek and Mary Ann Rossoni were simultaneously running ads in the “musicians wanted” classifieds of a local paper, looking for musical partners to perform with. The musical chemistry was immediate and they began writing songs. In a few months they released their first recording, “Living with the Fury and the Fire.” Together they created songs that dealt with such issues as relationships, politics and the environment. Tight harmonies and nice blends of both rhythm, lead and fingerstyle acoustic guitar were their trademark. They released a second recording, “Waking Up from the American Dream” and also contributed to many compilations, touring extensively around the Northeast. Fuzek•Rossoni were the driving force behind the beginnings of the Rhode Island Songwriters Association and Hear In Rhode Island. After 7 years together they decided to take a break. They remained great friends but musically began to move in different directions. After years of not performing publicly, they are back for this special anniversary reunion. 

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

 

Call in your reservations for our November 9 show with Robin Bullock to 401-725-9272.

Hailed as a “Celtic guitar god” by Baltimore City Paper and “one of the best folk instrumentalists in the business” by Sing Out! Magazine, Robin Bullock is one of the preeminent acoustic music masters of our time. His virtuosity on guitar, cittern and mandolin blends the ancient melodies of the Celtic lands, their American descendants, and the masterworks of the Baroque and Renaissance eras into one powerful musical vision. The 17th-century harp tunes of legendary Irish bard Turlough O’Carolan, the spirited jigs and reels of rural Ireland, the haunting ballads of the southern Appalachians and the timeless compositions of Bach, Dowland and Francesco da Milano all find a musical common ground in Robin’s music, where lightning-fast fingerwork one moment is perfectly balanced with tender, quiet intimacy the next. A warm, friendly presence onstage, Robin effortlessly creates a magical world for the audience with his multi-instrumental wizardry, taking them on an unforgettable journey into the deep heart’s core and through the music of the spheres. His 15 solo and collaborative recordings range from loving yet innovative interpretations of Celtic tradition, to the beloved carols and hymns of the Christmas season, to deep explorations of J.S. Bach’s incomparable masterpieces, he has taught 22 consecutive years at the Swannanoa Gathering in North Carolina, where he was honored in 2016 with a Master Music Maker Award for lifetime achievement in musicianship and teaching. (Of the thousand-plus faculty members in the Gathering’s 27-year history, only 23 have received this award to date.)

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

 

Call in your reservations for our November 2 show with Mile Twelve to 401-725-9272.

Although their sound is rooted in traditional bluegrass, Mile Twelve surveys a broader landscape on their newest album, City on a Hill. All five band members bring their own influences and observations into the music, resulting in a project that feels contemporary, thoughtfully crafted, and relevant. The album title alludes to the idealized imagery of a shining city on a hill – a historical phrase that has often been applied to Boston, where the band got its start. The Mile Twelve lineup offers five of the most promising young musicians in bluegrass: David Benedict (mandolin), Catherine “BB” Bowness (banjo), Bronwyn Keith-Hynes (fiddle), Evan Murphy (guitar, lead vocals), and Nate Sabat (bass, lead vocals). All are credited as songwriters because everyone in the band helped shape the material throughout the writing and arranging process.  City on a Hill follows multiple IBMA Momentum Awards, presented by the International Bluegrass Music Association to emerging bluegrass artists. Mile Twelve won the band category in 2017. The following year, Keith-Hynes and Benedict secured IBMA Momentum Awards in instrumental categories, while the band earned two major IBMA Award nominations for Emerging Artist and Instrumental Performance of the Year in 2018.

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

 

Call in your reservations for our October 26 show with Genticorum to 401-725-9272.

Over the past 19 years the traditional Quebec group Genticorum has become a fixture on the international world, folk and Celtic music circuit. The band’s six albums met with critical acclaim in Canada, the U.S, and Europe and their newest album was just nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards for “Best Ensemble” and “Best Traditional Record.” Firmly rooted in the soil of their native land, the energetic and original traditional ‘power trio’ weaves precise and intricate fiddle, flute, and accordion work along with gorgeous vocal harmonies, energetic foot percussion, and guitar accompaniment into a big and jubilant musical feast. Their distinctive sound, sense of humor, and stage presence always makes for an amazing show. Pascal Gemme (fiddle, feet, voice) is widely recognized as a cultural ambassador for Québécois music. Yann Falquet is one of the most active and creative acoustic guitar players in the Québécois and New England music scenes. Since completing a bachelor’s degree in jazz, he has developed his own personal guitar style for Québec folk music. Nicholas Williams has developed a reputation as a versatile and sought-after musician in the traditional music scenes of Québec and New England. His rhythmic yet nuanced style of flute playing draws from Irish and Scottish traditions, as well as from his studies of classical North Indian music. 

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge