Call in your reservations for our March 31 show with Low Lily & The Vox Hunters to 401-725-9272.
The string and vocal trio Low Lily (formerly Annalivia) explores the roots and branches of American folk music with traditional influences and modern inspiration that weaves together a unique brand of acoustic music. Liz Simmons (vocals and guitar) Flynn Cohen (vocals, guitar, and mandolin) and Lissa Schneckenburger (vocals and fiddle) are masterful players with deep relationships to traditional music styles ranging from bluegrass, to Irish, Scottish, New England, and Old Time Appalachian sounds. When you combine this with stellar composition skills and inventive arrangements you get music that is rooted yet contemporary. This will be the Rhode Island CD release of “10,000 Days Like These.”
Armand Aromin and Benedict Gagliardi are musically bound by a shared love of traditional Irish music, which originally brought them together, as well as an eclectic and ever-growing amalgam of songs both inside and far outside the realm of folk music. Combining Armand’s multifaceted fiddle playing, Ben’s self-developed concertina style, and a pair of complementary voices, The Vox Hunters will present their exciting repertoire of driving dance tunes blended with an unorthodox collection of interesting songs in this concert’s first set.
*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge
Call in your reservations for our March 24 show with The April Verch Band to 401-725-9272.
Bow. Feet. Vox. A trifecta of talent, keeping tradition feisty. While April Verch is perhaps best known for playing traditional fiddle styles from her native Ottawa Valley, Canada, her performances extend into old-time American and Appalachian styles and beyond, for a well-rounded tour-de-force of North Americana sounds. Verch tours with world-class musicians as a trio, featuring acoustic guitar, mandolin, bass and clawhammer banjo in addition to Verch’s vocals, fiddle and foot percussion. One might suspect a performer with as many talents as Verch would pause to take a breath, or need to compartmentalize her skills during a live performance. But on stage, Verch is almost superhuman, flawlessly intertwining and overlapping her talents. She step dances while fiddling. She sings while step dancing. Sometimes she sings, steps and fiddles all at once, with apparent ease and precision. Touring the world to share songs from her 11th album (The April Verch Anthology), April returns to Blackstone River Theatre with her band featuring bassist and clawhammer banjo player Cody Walters, and guitarist Alex Rubin. Even as she plays with the tradition she inherited in her native Ottawa Valley, Verch’s breathtaking performances speak to the heart of roots music with mature and reflective songwriting, interpreting, and storytelling.
*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge
Call in your reservations for our March 11, 8 PM show with The High Kings to 401-725-9272.
BOTH THE 4 PM AND 8 PM SHOWS ARE SOLD OUT as of 2/26/18! There comes a time when the dues have been paid and when the tools of the apprenticeship are neatly stowed away. The honing of the craft continues, but the dust – so to speak – has settled. Almost ten years ago, four Irish singers, performers and songwriters decided to take a calculated risk. The constituent parts of The High Kings – Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Martin Furey and Darren Holden – each had a wealth of history in the music business behind them, but knew that in order to maintain any level of creative interest they would have to go where no other Irish ballad group had gone before. In the late ‘90s, the heyday of ballad groups such as The Clancy Brothers and The Dubliners was a distant memory for generations of music fans. To have another bunch of Irish lads taking up the baton and continuing the tradition was great news to thousands of fans worldwide. Their 2008 self-titled debut album reached number two on Billboard Magazine’s World Music chart. But it was during their 2nd tour of the US in 2011 that everyone involved realized the fanbase was growing into something no one had predicted. More was to come in 2013 with the group’s third studio album, “Friends For Life,” which featured original songs among the traditional fare. The development of original songwriting – ballad-style but with contemporary touches – from each member continues but The High Kings decided balance must be maintained so their 4th studio album, “Grace & Glory,” takes them back to the essentials that kick-started their career in the first place. To say that The High Kings are charting a new course for Irish ballad music – equal parts rousing and reflective, energetic and insightful – is an understatement. They are, essentially, marking out a new and bright era for Irish folk music, and aiming to bring a broad demographic along for the journey. The High Kings have vowed to continue for another decade following the departure of Martin Furey in late 2017, the addition of new member George Murphy, and their first ‘Best Of’ collection “DECADE” was released to critical and popular acclaim in November, 2017.
*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge
The 4 PM AND 8 PM shows with The High Kings are completely SOLD OUT as of 2/26/18.
There comes a time when the dues have been paid and when the tools of the apprenticeship are neatly stowed away. The honing of the craft continues, but the dust – so to speak – has settled. Almost ten years ago, four Irish singers, performers and songwriters decided to take a calculated risk. The constituent parts of The High Kings – Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Martin Furey and Darren Holden – each had a wealth of history in the music business behind them, but knew that in order to maintain any level of creative interest they would have to go where no other Irish ballad group had gone before. In the late ‘90s, the heyday of ballad groups such as The Clancy Brothers and The Dubliners was a distant memory for generations of music fans. To have another bunch of Irish lads taking up the baton and continuing the tradition was great news to thousands of fans worldwide. Their 2008 self-titled debut album reached number two on Billboard Magazine’s World Music chart. But it was during their 2nd tour of the US in 2011 that everyone involved realized the fanbase was growing into something no one had predicted. More was to come in 2013 with the group’s third studio album, “Friends For Life,” which featured original songs among the traditional fare. The development of original songwriting – ballad-style but with contemporary touches – from each member continues but The High Kings decided balance must be maintained so their 4th studio album, “Grace & Glory,” takes them back to the essentials that kick-started their career in the first place. To say that The High Kings are charting a new course for Irish ballad music – equal parts rousing and reflective, energetic and insightful – is an understatement. They are, essentially, marking out a new and bright era for Irish folk music, and aiming to bring a broad demographic along for the journey. The High Kings have vowed to continue for another decade following the departure of Martin Furey in late 2017, the addition of new member George Murphy, and their first ‘Best Of’ collection “DECADE” being released to critical and popular acclaim in November, 2017.
*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge
Call in your reservations for our March 4 show with O’Connell & Clancy to 401-725-9272.
Robbie O’Connell returns to Blackstone River Theatre for a duo performance with dynamic fiddler Rose Clancy. Singer-songwriter Robbie O’Connell was born in Waterford, Ireland, and grew up in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. In 1977, he joined the legendary Clancy Brothers with whom he recorded 3 albums. With the 1982 release of his first solo album Robbie emerged as an artist of major stature. Soon after, he began touring with Mick Moloney and Jimmy Keane, and also with Eileen Ivers and Seamus Egan in the Green Fields of America. Robbie has earned international acclaim as a singer-songwriter by making it quite clear that there’s more to being Irish than filling stereotypes. The Boston Globe describes him as “a writer of timeless-sounding, emotionally powerful and often hilarious songs” and places him “among the most respected guitarists, singer and songwriters in Celtic music.” Rose Clancy is a respected, high-energy musician playing fiddle, mandolin and banjo at concerts and festivals throughout the Northeast. A graduate of the violin making program at North Bennet Street School in Boston, Clancy founded and runs The Chatham Fiddle Company in Massachusetts where she also produces traditional music concerts.
*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge
Call in your reservations for our March 3 show with RUNA to 401-725-9272.
Quickly gaining recognition as one of Irish music’s new “super-groups,” RUNA has been enchanting audiences by pushing the boundaries of Irish folk music into the Americana and roots music formats since their formation in 2008. Interweaving the haunting melodies and exuberant tunes of Ireland and Scotland with the lush harmonies and intoxicating rhythms of jazz, bluegrass, flamenco and blues, they offer a thrilling and redefining take on traditional music. The group has been honored internationally, winning Top Group and Top Traditional Group in the Irish Music Awards and four Independent Music Awards including Best Live Album, Best World/Traditional Song and Best Bluegrass Song. RUNA consists of vocalist and step-dancer Shannon Lambert-Ryan of Philadelphia, Dublin-born guitarist Fionán de Barra, Cheryl Prashker of Canada on percussion, Zach White of St. Louis on guitar, vocals and mandolin, and Maggie White of Kentucky on the fiddle and mandolin. RUNA recently released their fifth album, “RUNA: LIVE” which was recorded at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Maryland on March 17, 2016 and is receiving praise on both sides of the Atlantic. Seeking to preserve and continue a traditional culture in a modern age, RUNA creates the backbone of its signature roots sound from the musical and geographical diversity of its individual band members. Their strive for excellence and creativity blazes a trail for the future of folk music, earning them the reputation as one of the most innovative Irish folk groups of this generation.
*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge
Call in your reservation for our Feb. 24 show with the New York and L’esperance Mandolin Ensembles to 401-725-9272.
L’Esperance Mandolin Ensemble and the New York Mandolin Ensemble will join forces for a spectacular program featuring New England’s and New York’s premiere mandolin ensembles. The New York Mandolin Ensemble, featuring Barry Mitterhoff, Steve Antonelli, and Wayne Fugate, is an eclectic 8-member group of experienced New York-based musicians who seek to expand the traditional boundaries of mandolin music through their original compositions and carefully chosen arrangements of works in the classical, jazz, “downtown” and traditional/ethnic genres. Barry Mitterhoff is a mandolinist who cannot be pigeonholed into one style. He performs a dazzling array of styles that include bluegrass, classical, swing and jazz, and a variety of ethnic styles such as Brazilian, Klezmer and more. He has recorded and played with Tom Chapin, Tony Trischka and others and is now an acclaimed sideman to Jorma Kaukonen and Hot Tuna. L’Esperance features almost 30 musicians of different backgrounds and ages from the Cape Cod area, Rhode Island and Connecticut who come together to enjoy the pleasure of making music with each other. Since 1994, l’Esperance has been sharing that joy with audiences around New England. Their music ranges from classical to contemporary, from Celtic to Klezmer, from rock standards to Baroque. Director of l’Esperance Mandolin Ensemble Joshua Bell was named the Concertmaster of the Providence Mandolin Orchestra in 1979. He has played with the North American Mandolin Ensemble, The American Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra, the Classical Mandolin Society of America and The Tacoma Mandoleers of Washington, D.C.
*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge
Call in your reservation for our Feb. 18 show with the Seamus Egan Project to 401-725-9272.
In 2017, Seamus Egan, founding member of the seminal band Solas, will be touring for the first time ever as The Seamus Egan Project, bringing along friends and musical guests, and introducing fans to both the entirety of his immense and influential catalog of music, as well as new music he’s never recorded or performed live. For this show we will have vocalist/accordion player Moira Smiley (from VOCO), Owen Marshall (from the Press Gang) on bouzouki, and Kyle Sanna on guitar. Beginning with tunes from his groundbreaking album, “When Juniper Sleeps,” which was the impetus for the formation of Solas, through the 20 year recording career of this iconic band, along with new tunes, Egan will continue to explore the further reaches of the Irish tradition, and beyond. It’s hard to think of an artist in traditional Irish music more influential than Seamus Egan. From his beginnings as a teen prodigy, to his founding of Irish-American powerhouse band Solas, to his current work as one of the leading composers and interpreters of the tradition, Egan has inspired multiple generations of musicians and helped define the sound of Irish music today. As a multi-instrumentalist, he’s put his mark on the sound of the Irish flute, tenor banjo, guitar, mandolin, tin whistle, and low whistle. As a composer, he was behind the soundtrack for the award-winning film The Brothers McMullen, cowrote Sarah McLachlan’s breakout hit, “Weep Not for the Memories,” and has scored numerous documentaries and indie films since. As a bandleader, Solas has been the pre-eminent Irish-American band of their generation for the past 20 years, continuously renewing Irish music with fresh ideas. As a performer, few others can make so many instruments or such wickedly complex ornaments seem so effortless. Music comes as naturally to Seamus Egan as breath, but his mastery of the tradition is only one facet of his plans to move the music forward.
*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge
Fellswater is a dynamic Celtic music ensemble based out of Boston playing a wide range of music from traditional to modern compositions, drawing from the music of Scotland, Ireland, Brittany and Canada. Fellswater has delighted audiences at New Hampshire Highland Games (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018), Maine Highland Games (2014, 2017), Colonial Williamsburg (2014 and 2015) and the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo (2015). The band has released three well-received albums, “Fellswater,” in 2010, “Thursday Night,” in 2013, and their latest album “Skipping Stones” at Blackstone River Theatre in 2018. Fellswater appeared at the prestigious Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Aug., 2018. The 8-piece band features Kyle Forsthoff on bodhran and percussion, Elizabeth Ketudat on fiddle, Jim MacConduibh on acoustic bass guitar, Sarah MacConduibh on Irish flute, whistles and fife, Andrew McIntosh on Scottish smallpipes and border pipes, Chris Myers on vocals, guitar, and octave mandolin, Diane Myers on vocals, and David Cabral on cello.
* All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.
The award-winning Swedish quintet Jaerv presents high-energy and heartfelt folk music with influences from both jazz and pop music. Together, the five members have created a vivid and distinct sound which has established Jaerv on the folk and world music scenes. Rooted in several musical traditions, Jaerv offers a captivating stage performance where five-part vocals blend in with energetic instrumentals and free improvisations. Jaerv has toured the U.S., Japan, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Finland and Norway among other countries. Their new and critically acclaimed album is “Under den linden.”
* All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge