Atwater-Donnelly Trio

The Tannahill Weavers are one of Scotland’s premier traditional bands. Their diverse repertoire spans the centuries with fire-driven instrumentals, topical songs, and original ballads and lullabies demonstrating to old and young alike the rich and varied musical heritage of the Celtic people. These versatile musicians have received worldwide accolades consistently over the years for their exuberant performances and outstanding recording efforts that seemingly can’t get better… yet continue to do just that. The Tannies have turned their acoustic excitement loose on audiences with an electrifying effect. Says The Boston Globe, “Scotland’s Tannahill Weavers play acoustic instruments, but the atmosphere at their shows is electric. The quartet is as tight and as versatile as any band in the Celtic music revival. They can summon rock ‘n’ roll intensity or haunting introspection.” Born of a session in Paisley, Scotland, and named for the town’s historic weaving industry and local poet laureate Robert Tannahill, the group has made an international name for its special brand of Scottish music, blending the beauty of traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. Members are Roy Gullane on vocals and guitar, John Martin on fiddle and vocals, Phil Smille on flute, whistles and bodhran, and newest member Lorne McDougall, three times BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the year finalist.

BRT will present American roots artist Grant Maloy Smith releasing his new CD, “Dust Bowl – American Stories,” during a special Earth Day concert featuring an opening set by Eastern Medicine Singers who perform Algonquin and Native American drumming and song. Grant Maloy Smith is a singer/songwriter of American Roots music – a blend of old country, bluegrass, folk and Celtic influences into a uniquely American genre. “Earth Day is especially significant, because the Dust Bowl of the 1930s was the biggest environmental disaster in centuries. It’s a cautionary tale about the environment,” says Smith. Songs from the album will be performed by Smith accompanied by Cathy Clasper-Torch on fiddle, Richard Ribb on bass, and Rick Couto on drums. There will be a video introduction on a large projection screen that sets up the stories of the Dust Bowl, and brings the audience back in time to the Great Plains of the 1930s, when it didn’t rain for most of the decade, and millions of Americans became essentially refugees in their own country. “The Dust Bowl caused American Roots music to be spread far and wide, and troubadours like Woody Guthrie sang about it, making it well known to the rest of the nation and the world,” says Smith. The CD was recorded over a three-year period of research, writing, and recording, from New York to Nashville, and from Rhode Island to Oklahoma and even Australia. Basic tracks were recorded in New York, and feature several members of Cyndi Lauper’s band, including bassist and musical director Bill Wittman, and drummer Skoota Warner. Then production moved to Nashville, where a who’s who of A-list players played on the album, including dobro player Rob Ickes, and steel players Mike Johnson and Troy Klontz. Additional performances were added by Native American flutist Gareth Laffely, who played a heartfelt solo on “Ihst a Lhampko” (Have Strength), a song told from the point of view of the Choctaw Nation, the first of the 5 tribes marched out of their homeland during the Trail of Tears. “That’s not even the whole list of musicians that I am fortunate to have on the album,” said the songwriter. “We recorded additional parts in Rhode Island and New Bedford. Parts were recorded in eight studios on two continents. It was the biggest project I’ve ever done.” The album is already getting great reviews from publications. Smith was recently interviewed in the Huffington Post in a piece about his music and advocacy in the world of independent musicians. “The environment has never been more important – we can learn a lot from the Dust Bowl. Reliving it through these songs and images is a powerful elixir,” says Smith.

Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel is a performer, teacher and composer whose career spans over two decades. Her style fuses influences from Scotland and Cape Breton Island with Americana grooves and musical innovations, creating a cutting-edge acoustic sound that retains the integrity and spirit of the Scottish tradition. Cassel’s music is a blend of the contemporary and traditional, described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.” Cassel’s latest release, “Trip to Walden Pond,” features traditional Scottish and Cape Breton tunes and seventeen new pieces composed in the Scottish idiom. While her lively style is very much evident, this new album carries a deep, soulful sound with songs of celebration and farewell. “Trip to Walden Pond,” similar to Cassel’s five previous albums, offers arrangements of traditional fiddle music and original tunes that evoke humor and heart. This latest album also includes several compositions penned by Hanneke as commissions to benefit Many Hopes, a children’ s education nonprofit based in Kenya that she avidly supports. A native of Oregon, Hanneke started out as a Texas-style fiddler and went on to win the 1997 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championship, which awarded her the opportunity to study with Alasdair Fraser and introduced her to fiddle camps and the folk community – both of which continue to play an integral role in her life. The Hanneke Cassel Band features Mike Block on cello and guitarist/vocalist Keith Murphy. In addition to performing with her own band, Cassel has been featured on PBS with Boston-based fiddle band Childsplay and has performed with Baroque/Celtic group Ensemble Galilei at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the National Geographic in Washington, D.C. Hanneke and her husband Mike live in Boston and are active within many circles of musicians. Besides their involvement in the Scottish fiddle scene and at Berklee College of Music, they are frequent performers at Club Passim and are rooted in the thriving local music community. 

Age-old entertainments – sitting around the fire, telling tales – can take on ever-new faces. Young acoustic power trio Ten Strings and a Goat Skin from Canada’s Prince Edward Isle know this, transforming tradition with vigor, curiosity, and sparks of goofy humor. Hailed on two continents as “infectious” and “the best of contemporary/trad Celtic music” Ten Strings And A Goat Skin are a bilingual trad/folk/fusion trio, playing Irish, Acadian, French and original creations infused with modern and world rhythms. Percussionist Caleb Gallant, fiddler Rowen Gallant, and guitarist Jesse Périard are pushing boundaries and reinvigorating timeless traditional music for the 21st century. Ten Strings and a Goat Skin have received more Canadian Folk Music Award 2016 nominations than any other band in the country. The group is nominated in three categories and member Rowen Gallant is up for best traditional singer of 2016. The band is inviting a new circle of listeners with their newest CD, “Auprès du Poêle” (“around the woodstove”) for sometimes moody, sometimes high-energy sets of original and traditional songs. Expanding on the Scottish and Acadian roots of PEI’s traditional music, Ten Strings and a Goatskin weave old-school Franco-Canadian, Breton, Irish, and Scottish tunes with wickedly current grooves and clever quirks, flirting with indie’s best moments. Don’t miss their Blackstone River Theatre debut!

Tonight’s special show features Duke Robillard on guitar and vocals joined by his band – Bruce Bears on piano, Brad Hallen on bass, Mark Teixeira on drums, plus two additional members – the wonderful Sunny Crownover singing and swinging plus the incredible Billy Novick on alto sax, clarinet and an occasional jazz penny whistle. The material is basically ’20s and ’30s tunes both well known and obscure, blues, and a few cool vintage Latin tunes thrown in for good measure. The blues tunes are of real vintage variety from the 20s to the 40s as well as swinging instrumentals that feature the brilliant virtuosity of the boys in the band. This show coincides with last weekend to view Duke’s art exhibition at Blackstone River Theatre.

Seeing a Spuyten Duyvil (pronounced SPITEen DIEvul) show for the first time has been described as “like throwing a cherry bomb into a lake … It wakes you up.” Dating back to the 17th century, the name Spuyten Duyvil originates from the Dutch settlers who gave the name to a creek that flowed around what is today the Marble Hill neighborhood in the Bronx. The New York band’s brand of original and traditional American roots music blends old time, blues, bluegrass, and folk rock with a pinch of punk energy to create a uniquely modern mix. Led by songwriting couple Mark Miller and Beth Kaufman, this six-piece powerhouse has been bringing barn-burning energy to venues throughout the Northeast and Midwest. It’s an exciting time for the Hudson Valley-based band. Their 3rd CD, “The Social Music Hour Vol 1,” features essential traditional songs popularized by Mississippi John Hurt, Elizabeth Cotten, Big Bill Broonzy, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and more, ‘arranged by the band for today’s listener.’ The CD received a 2016 International Folk Music Awards “Album Of The Year” Nomination. Familiar, forgotten words find new meaning in this historically informed but thoroughly contemporary treatment of re-imagined American roots music. The group features Beth Kaufman on vocals, Jim Miegs on harmonica, Lou Geser on drums, John Neidhart on bass, Jeremy Aaron on guitar, and Mark Miller on tenor guitar and vocals.

As traditional Irish music continues to enjoy phenomenal success both here and in Ireland, Áine Minogue (pronounced On-ya) is an artist who has long explored its themes and who captures its very essence. Her ethereal singing reflects the lyricism and richness to be found in Irish music, mythology and poetry with a voice undeniably her own. Born in County Tipperary, Áine’s family encouraged her to pursue a number of instruments but it was at age 12 that Áine discovered her true love – the harp – which she decided to pursue in lieu of the others. Áine takes this ancient art form, exploring its underpinnings but adding her own creativity to each piece. With a combination of harping, singing and storytelling with a touch of poetry, her concerts have an intimate “getting away from it all” feel. In this special concert, Minogue celebrates the symbolism of Spring in Ireland and the Celtic lands – Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Brittany. This Pan-Celtic odyssey is an enchanting evening of music, storytelling, and tradition that is appropriate for all ages and designed to “Welcome in the Spring.” Minogue, an expert in the area of Irish traditions, has done extensive research into the Celtic wheel of the year traditions, including the Spring Equinox, and has unearthed some unusual and haunting selections from Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Ireland. Aine’s recordings include “The Twilight Realm,” “The Mysts of Time,” “Between the Worlds,” “Celtic Meditation Music,” “Celtic Pilgrimage” and her latest, “Close Your Eyes, Love. Numerous tracks of her music appear on compilations for such labels as BMG, Virgin, Rounder, and Putumayo in varying styles including Celtic, world, folk and new age. Her music videos have been aired on PBS’s “Out of Ireland” and she has provided solo instrumental harp music for a number of soundtracks.

New England has long had a rich tradition of Celtic-inspired music. For 33 years, Pendragon has embraced that tradition and created a timeless sound of its own, performing roots music with an unmistakable contemporary edge. Pendragon is award-winning step dancer and percussionist Kevin Doyle, Bob Drouin on fiddle, bouzouki and tenor banjo, Russell Gusetti on guitar and concertina, Josh Kane on flute and whistles, and vocalist Mary Lee Partington. They will be joined tonight by guest step dancer Erika Damiani and All-Ireland uileann piper Torrin Ryan. Pendragon’s music celebrates the lives and lore of generations of New Englanders who brought traditions from Ireland, Scotland, French Canada and other distant shores to the banks of the Blackstone River. The band performs their original songs and dance tunes on an exciting combination of fiddle, flute, bouzouki, concertina, banjo, guitar, whistle, and percussion. In performance, Pendragon elaborates on the cultural and historical context of their music while projecting a relaxed and humorous stage presence. Pendragon has been voted Rhode Island’s Best Celtic Act nine times in the Motif Magazine’s Best Music Awards. The band released a 30th Anniversary CD, “Live at Blackstone River Theatre” in 2014.

Téada (pronounced Tay-da, meaning “strings” in Irish) return to the States after a nearly 5-year absence with Méabh Begley, a gifted singer from a famous musical family in West Kerry, and champion step-dancer Samantha Harvey. What sets Téada apart from many Irish bands is their passion for a deeply traditional approach. The young group has been heralded for their “fierce familiarity with the old ways” by Irish Music Magazine. Following an initial gig opening for the Sharon Shannon band at Dublin’s Celtic Flame festival in 2001, Téada was off and running. They were quickly tipped as “one of the most exciting traditional groups in recent years” by The Irish World and voted “Best Traditional Newcomers” by readers of Irish Music Magazine in 2003. Fiddler Oisin Mac Diarmada is joined by fellow Sligoman Damien Stenson on flute, Seán McElwain on banjo and bouzouki, and Tristan Rosenstock on bodhrán. Despite her youth, Méabh (pronounced Mayve) Begley is fast becoming one of the most respected singers in Ireland. With her crystal clear voice, she commands an audience tackling themes of love, emigration, and loss in both the English and Irish languages. In addition, she continues the family accordion tradition.