Folks Like Us Blog

This weekend the Great Lakes Folk Festival returns to the streets of East Lansing, centered approximately along Grand River Avenue and Abbot Road.  This free festival is organized by Michigan State University Museum’s Michigan Traditional Arts Program and features nearly 100 musicians and dancers, traditional and other food vendors, individual artists/demonstrators, and children’s hands-on activities.  The festival had its start in 1987 as a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution and has been held every year since to celebrate Michigan’s traditional cultural contributions.  It has expanded over the years to include a sampling of the best of traditional artists from around the world.

Some of this year’s performers include Alberta Adams (Blues), Chulrua (Irish Celtic), De Temps Antan (Quebecois), D.W. Groethe (Cowboy Poetry), Klancnik and Friends Band (Slovenian Polka), Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver (Bluegrass), Sana Ndiaye (Ekonting Master), Mariachi Perla de Mexico (Mariachi), Rumen “Sali” Shopov (Romani/Bulgarian), Siempre Flamenco (Andalucian Flamenco), and Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole (Creole/Zydeco).

Festival hours are 6:00-10:30 p.m. on Friday, August 13; noon-10:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 14; and noon-6:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 15.

For more information, visit the festival’s Website at http://www.greatlakesfolkfest.net/.

Here’s a great chance to catch a stellar Irish band in an intimate setting.  Chulrua will perform at the White Crow Conservatory in Saginaw on Thursday, August 12, starting at 7:00 p.m. 

Band members Paddy O’Brien, Pat Egan, and Patrick Ourceau describe their music as “the old instrumental dance melodies of Ireland: jigs, reels, hornpipies, polkas, and the occasional song.  We also play walking marches, slow airs, set dances, and the harp music of Turlough O’Carolan and others.”

Local favorites Finvarra’s Wren (Jim Perkins and family) will also be on hand to perform an opening set that evening.

The White Crow is located at 3736 Mackinaw, in Saginaw, Michigan.  For more information, call 989-790-2118 or visit http://whitecrowconservatory.blogspot.com.

Don’t miss this special reunion concert with members of Artisan, the trio of a cappella singers from West Yorkshire, England.  Husband and wife Brian & Jacey Bedford and their friend Hilary Spencer started Artisan in 1985 and “retired” in 2005 after numerous CDs and international tours.  Along with this short reunion tour, a new CD (”Random Play”) is also in the works.

Joining Artisan in this special concert are ex-Tanglefoot veterans Al Parrish and Steve Ritchie.

The concert will be held Saturday, August 14, 8:00 p.m., at historic Aeolian Hall, 795 Dundas St., London, Ontario.  For more information, call 519-672-7950 or visit http://www.aeolianhall.ca.  The concert is sponsored by Acoustic Muse Concerts and The Aeolian.

CD recommendation from Matt Watroba:

“I just wanted to give you a hends up on a CD recently released by my friend and singing partner Katie Geddes.  The new CD is called We Are Each Other’s Angels, named after the Chuck Brodsky song that opens the recording.  Katie is not a writer, but she is quite a singer.  She picks really interesting songs on this effort, from roots classics like ‘Hello Stranger’ (with the wonderful Mary McCaslin, by the way) to unlikely acoustified pop tunes like ‘Something Stupid’ (with Michael Johnson NOT Frank S.) and ‘When I Need You.’” 

The CD is available from Katie’s Website:  http://www.katiegeddes.com.

Multi-instrumentalist Peter Ostroushko has released a gorgeous new recording entitled “When the Last Morning Glory Blooms” (Red House Records, May 2010). This 10-track CD explores the waltz in all of its many forms and moods.  Peter is joined by Norman and Nancy Blake as well as fiddler Johnny Gimble (of Bob Wills’ legendary Texas Playboys).  Most of the tunes are Peter’s own compositions which show “a quiet elegrance and an undeniable timelessness” (All Music Guide).

The CD may be ordered directly from Red House Records (http://www.redhouserecords.com) or Amazon.com.

Time to pack the sunscreen and bug spray and head out to the outdoor folk festivals for some great music!   Michigan is home to many wonderful festivals, such as Spirit of the Woods, Blissfest, Flint Folk Music Festival, Saline Celtic Festival, Riverfolk, Great Lake Folk Festival, Wheatland, and many more.  See the updated listing at http://www.folkslikeus.org/festival.htm for dates and more information.

For a comprehensive list of festivals across the United States, consult the directory compiled by Sing Out Magazine at http://www.singout.org/fests10q3.html.  A list of Canadian folk festivals has been compiled by Northern Journey Online (http://www.northernjourney.com/cdnfolk/canfest.html).

Here’s a great chance to hear traditional Irish music at its finest.  Bua, a quintet of some of America’s most talented young Irish musicians, will perform at the Gaelic League and Irish-American Club of Detroit (2068 Michigan Avenue, Detroit) on Saturday, April 17, beginning at 9:00 p.m.

The band members include Jackie Moran (Bodhran, banjo, vocals), Chris Bain (fiddle), Sean Gavin (uilleann pipes, flute), Brian O hAirt (vocals, concertina, tin whistle), and Brian Miller (guitar, flute, vocals).

To learn more about Bua, check out http://www.buamusic.com; for more information on the Gaelic League, visit http://www.gaelicleagueofdetroit.org.

Join the celebrations TODAY (April 10) to christen Concourse Hall (4531 Concourse Drive, Ann Arbor) as a new location for dances sponsored by the Ann Arbor Council for Traditional Music and Dance. 

There is an English Country Dance this afternoon from 2:00-5:00 pm with Alisa Dodson (from Hatfield, MA) calling to live music by Childgrove (Debbie Jackson, Martha Stokely, and Anne Ogren).  Then this evening there will be a celebration with a wide variety of different dance styles, music, and entertainment from 6:30-11:00 p.m.  A potluck dinner will take place from 5:00-6:30 p.m. 

Come join the fun!  More information may be found at http://www.aactmad.org/events.html.

Treat yourself to a celebration of the state of Michigan with some of Michigan’s finest singers, songwriters, and poets:  Jan Krist, Joel Mabus, Matt Watroba, Robert Jones, M.L. Liebler, and Jim Bizer.  The in-the-round show will feature “songs, stories, and poetry about the state we love.”  The fun begins at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 28, at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-761-1451; http://www.theark.org.   

Ann Mayo Muir, best known for her performances with the trio Bok, Muir & Trickett, has released a gorgeous new CD of original instrumental music entitled Notes from Across the Sea.  Ann brings her broad musical interests and influences to her compositions, resulting in what Gordon Bok terms “a feast for the musical gourmet!”

Ann is joined on this CD by Ensemble Galilei, a Grammy-nominated group that blends Early Music with Celtic and Classical influences.  Musicians include Carolyn Anderson Surrick (viola da gamba), Sue Richards (harp), Kathryn Montoya (recorders, oboes, whistles), Hanneke Cassel (fiddle), Danny Mallon (percussion), and Tom Mitchell (guitar, mandolin).  These musicians provide stunning arrangements of the thirteen tunes that range in mood and influence.

Notes From Across the Sea is available from CD Baby (http://www.cdbaby.com).