Friday, November 1st, we present Valley favorites, The O-Tones! Known for their swinging standards, R&B, and Motown covers, this band will rock the common house! You probably already know them, and if you don’t, even more reason to come out and have a great time.
Hey everyone, this one is going to be as wonderful as it is unusual.
Come join Libby Kirkpatrick, Dave Dersham, and Dave Haughey for an intimate evening of Indie-Soul-Folky-Jazzy-Avant-Garde collaborative composition. A distinct evening of strong, ethereal song performance, enhanced by the innovative textures and subversive harmonics of one of the world’s great cellists… Sort of a trio, sort of a song swap, sort of something you’re unlikely to hear again very soon. This will be Libby’s 3rd visit to our stage, and the first night featuring the two Daves. I’m really looking forward to this collaboration – should be one of our more interesting nights!
More about the artists:
Dave Haughey
Dave Haughey
Dave Haughey changes the way people think about the cello. His holistic approach to modern cello playing encompasses myriad genres and techniques, making him one of the most versatile young cellists in the world. He is an improviser, composer, and teacher who is always searching for new ways to expand the unique capabilities of the cello, thus trailblazing a path to a world where the instrument is known not only for is place in classical music but also as a versatile and ubiquitous tool for music making in any genre. He has performed with the Paul Winter Consort, Eugene Friesen, Zohar Fresco, Armen Ksajikian, Roman Stolyar, Andrew Bishop, Glen Velez, Loire Cotler and others across the globe from the USA, to Asia, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. Dave has taught private lessons and workshops at festivals and schools around the world, including at The Berklee School of Music, The Conservatory of Tatui, the Rio International Cello Encounter in Brazil. He works as a performer, recording artist, teacher, and composer.
Dave Dersham
In his 20s, he spent a searing Wyoming summer prepping gruel for Dornan’s chuck wagon beneath the Teton’s purple haze; taught Eco-Ed to middle schoolers among the butterscotch-laced pines of the Black Hills; trekked the sage and occasional cottonwoods with underserved youth in southern Idaho; and explored the cultures of Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. (He never saw the resplendent quetzal that reportedly, “hung around the Coca-Cola sign” near Coban, but he did manage to see a lonely motmot calling an incredibly low “WOOVE!” at the Jaguar Reserve.)
By his 30s, the muse pulled Dave to the luster of the Cambridge folk scene where he completed his first CD, “The Burn of Summer.” The album enjoyed regular airtime on folk radio’s WUMB, Emerson College’s WERS, and produced a finalist selection for the nationally syndicated Mountain Stage Emerging Artist competition.
His second album, “Gilding the Lilies” was recorded with the assistance of Lloyd Thayer’s unorthodox lap-steele, as well as the shrewd production/instrumentation of Jared Fiske. The CD was released in the fall of 2011 and was distributed internationally.
Dave is currently based in Northampton, MA and tours the subterranean folk pockets of the Northeast, Southern California and Texas. He’s currently working on his third collection of songs to be released in late 2019 / early 2020.
Libby Kirkpatrick
Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Libby Kirkpatrick began playing classical piano at age 3. At age 14, deeply moved by the musical era of singer songwriters in the 1970’s, she switched to acoustic guitar while immersing herself in the artistry of Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, Neil Young and Rickie Lee Jones. Drawn by her adventure-seeking desires as a nomadic youth, Libby left home to live minimalistically overseas in India and Thailand, and then busking in Ireland where she began writing her first original songs. She then returned to the States to live in Boulder, Colorado where she began performing professionally for the first time in 1995. Spending her next several years touring folk venues, befriending and co-mingling with the jamband circuit, and honing her musical crafts, she began developing solid regional followings along the West Coast, Southwest, and Northeast.
In 2001, Libby took root in Austin, Texas where she primarily resides between tours. With her sometimes rigorous touring schedules combined for her off-touring need to keep traveling (for fun!) Libby often jokingly claims her true residency to be “Toyota USA” (her road-dog-eared blue Tacoma truck). To this day, Bryn Mawr Pensylvania, Boulder Colorado, Orcas Island Washington, and Portland Oregon are all places she still calls home–often literally–for weeks if not months at a time.
Beyond music, Libby’s other interests include nutrition, (macrobiotic) cooking, yoga mind-body connection (she’s a certified massage therapist and a yoga instructor), dance, travel, visual and performance art (she’s a member of The Everyone Orchestra), language (she recently taught herself basic Portuguese before vacationing in Brazil). astrology and metaphysics (the illustrations on the cover of “Goodnight Venus” are by artist Julie Paschkis, illustrator of famous Philadelphia folk-art tarot card and palmistry decks). An unquenchable listener of inspired music, recently found in her CD player were: Devon Sproule, Tin Hat Trio, Townes Van Zandt, Forrest Sun, Kate Fenner, Fats Waller, Django Reinhart & Stephan Grappelli, Jeff Buclkey, Nickel Creek, Greg Brown, Gilberto Gil, Alexi Murdoch, Catie Curtis, Mindy Smith, Rob Halverson, Patty Griffin, Andrew Bird, Ray Lamontagne, and Martin Sexton.
(This is the rescheduled concert, after we had to cancel in March)
Welcome back near the end of our long, hot summer! Hope you are refreshed and ready to hear some great music!
Cindy Kallet and Grey Larsen, each well-known and loved for their decades of music making, have spent well over a decade in a joyful musical collaboration.
Cindy is a superb singer, guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.
Grey is one of America’s finest players of the Irish flute and tin whistle, as well as an accomplished singer and concertina, fiddle, piano and harmonium player. As composers each contributes to the tapestry of contemporary folk and world music as it flourishes in the US today. Together, they weave songs and tunes of vibrant color and rich texture.
Series: First Friday Concerts at Coho
Venue: Great Room at Pioneer Valley Cohousing, 120 Pulpit Hill Road in North Amherst.
Doors open: at 7 PM, Concert starts at 7:30.
Suggested Donation: $10-$20
Refreshments available.
This is a smoke and fragrance-free venue.
Facility is wheelchair accessible
Located in beautiful North Amherst, MA, the series provides a creative forum for talented and visionary musicians to share their gifts and be supported by attendee contributions in a way that values their artistry and encourages their dedication to building a brighter world. Performances take place in the Common House “Great Room”: a space intimate enough to feel like a house concert but large enough to draw in the broader community. The series is a purely volunteer effort, organized by Co-Housing members who enjoy live music and want to share their delight with other music lovers in the Valley.
We hope you’ll join us in the audience, or as a volunteer.
This is a special Sunday afternoon show (4 PM). I’m so excited to be presenting this program for the community. Barry K is one of my oldest friends, and I’m glad to have the chance to be introduced to the music of Tomas Rodriguez. Tomas has developed a unique repertoire for guitar performance that is rooted in his ancestry and guided by the diverse styles of music that have inspired him. His programs draw on the folk music of Galicia, Spain, Venezuelan harp masters, Malian kora music, Brazilian choro, Argentine milonga and contemporary flamenco as well as his own original compositions. Barry Kornhauser, his longtime collaborator will be joining on cello.
You can learn more about Tomas here: http://www.tomasrodriguez.com/
or see a video of Tomas and Barry here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvTEbzr2St4
Or just come to hang out and for the awesome refreshments.
Join us for an evening of powerful singing with two of North America’s finest activist folk singers, Charlie King and Annie Patterson. Charlie’s witty political satire and his uncanny ability to find endearing songs about struggle and the human experience are a natural fit with Annie’s own performing and sing-along work. Annie is co-creator of the beloved Rise Up Singing and Rise Again songbooks. They’ve been performing together frequently – here is the facebook event… https://www.facebook.com/events/369086840479961/
More about Charlie:
Charlie King is a musical storyteller and political satirist. He sings and writes passionately about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. Pete Seeger hailed him as “One of the finest singers and songwriters of our time.”
Charlie has been at the heart of American folk music for over half a century and has been writing songs for the past 45 years. In October of 2017 he received the annual the Phil Ochs Award, in recognition of his music and activism for social and political justice in the spirit of Phil Ochs. His songs have been recorded and sung by other performers such as Pete Seeger, Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, John McCutcheon, Arlo Guthrie, Peggy Seeger, Chad Mitchell and Judy Small.
Charlie is currently touring with his latest recording Life & Love, Tears & Laughter, released in February 2017. Past honors include: an “Indie” award for one of the top three folk recordings of 1984; the War Resisters League’s 1998 Peacemaker Award given to Charlie and Odetta; the 1999 Sacco-Vanzetti Social Justice Award for which he was nominated by Pete Seeger; the 2009 International Labor Communications Association award for Best Labor History Story. In 2014 the Labor Heritage Foundation presented Charlie the Joe Hill Award. This lifetime achievement award recognizes excellence in the field of labor culture.
More about Annie:
Annie Patterson has performed and led music retreats at folk festivals, coffee houses, schools and camps throughout North America, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the British Isles. She is best known for co-creating the popular songbook Rise Up Singing, along with her husband, Peter Blood. Their new songbook, Rise Again, published in 2016, is a similar collection to Rise Up Singing with 1200 different songs.
Annie has honed her skills as a folk performer and jazz vocalist over the last 3 decades. She loves to sing songs from the Appalachian Mountains and British Isles, accompanying herself on banjo and guitar. Annie is also a jazz and swing vocalist with the swing band Girls from Mars (for over 30 years) and is a guest vocalist with The O-Tones, a swing band based in Western MA. Annie Patterson is one of America’s premiere song leaders. She has been leading singing around the globe for over 30 years. An accomplished folk performer and jazz vocalist (Girls From Mars), Annie sings old songs and new.
She carries with her a suitcase of incredible song knowledge and a repertoire that includes over 2400 songs from many genres, including Americana, contemporary folk, ballads, gospel, country and jazz.
You can find out more about Annie and her music work at www.riseupandsing.org.
(with Amy Rose and Zach Danziger opening the show)
Hey everyone, here’s another fabulous off-series concert before our next show on June 7th…
Copper Hill, an incredibly talented group of musicians (all Eastman School of Music students or alumna), who blend their influences together to create a unique chamber folk sound. They are Katie Knudsvig & Willa Finck (violin, vocals), Caroline Samuels (bass), and Ethan Cypress (banjo & bone).
The band’s honest and relatable music creates a uniquely engaging concert experience. Aiming to connect a variety of audiences, Copper Hill combines the defining aspects of each genre: the accessibility of folk music, the technicality of classical music, the intimate singer-songwriter perspectives, and the spontaneity and active engagement of jazz. It is Copper Hill’s passion and love for these genres, for their individual elements and the way they can be combined into a more meaningful and evocative musical style, that drives and inspires them to create folk-art music. The band’s thoughtful arrangements of traditional folk tunes are harmoniously coupled with their sweet yet sometimes (heavily) sarcasm-tinged style of songwriting.
We’re pleased to present Emma’s Revolution on Friday May 10th!
Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow
Special for this concert only: $15-$25 sliding scale donations.
“Fervent and heartfelt” ~The New York Times
Emma’s Revolution is the dynamic, award-winning activist duo of Pat Humphries & Sandy O, whose songs have been sung for the Dalai Lama, praised by Pete Seeger, and covered by Holly Near. With beautiful harmonies and genre-defying eclecticism, Emma’s Revolution delivers the energy and strength of their convictions, in an uprising of truth and hope for these tumultuous times.
“The powers that be can control the media but it’s hard to stop a good song… Pat’s songs will be sung well into the 22nd century.” — Pete Seeger (All Things Considered, NPR)
Emma’s Revolution’s 2019 shows include songs and stories in celebration of the 100th birthday of Pete Seeger, a friend and mentor to the duo. Pat’s nearly 30-year friendship with Pete spanned performances at NYC’s Symphony Space to helping gather sap from the maple trees on his property to swapping stories and sharing holidays with Pete and his wife, Toshi. As Pat recounts on stage, “I was at Pete’s bedside when he died. When I heard he was in the hospital, I drove up to NY, joining a steady stream of family and friends who came to sing Pete’s songs back to him in gratitude for all the times he had left home to sing to us. As the day and evening wore on, a small circle of family and friends remained. We sang our last songs together, sending Pete off onto his next adventure with our love.”
The duo’s latest CD, Revolution Now, includes “Sing People Sing”, the tribute Pat began writing that night that captures Pete’s unique ability to empower an audience with harmony and hope. Revolution Now, garnered top acclaim from radio stations across the country: Top Artist #20 (after Joan Baez), Top Album #24 (after Bela Fleck) and Top Song #25 “Sing People Sing” (after Rhiannon Giddens). The recording covers issues from reproductive justice to refugees and Black Lives Matter to the sustaining power of love and includes Sandy’s beautiful setting of Woody Guthrie’s plaintive lyric, “Revolutionary Mind”, one of the many lyrics Woody left behind without an existing melody. With a core sound featuring their signature exquisite harmonies and acoustic guitars, the duo’s songs span styles from folk to jazz and funk to rock.
“Emma’s Revolution invokes Woody Guthrie and the revolutionary mind on ‘Revolution Now’, a rocking new album brimming with songs that inspire, enlighten and unify.” — Mary Sue Twohy (The Village, SiriusXM) Emma’s Revolution continues to write songs that are tools of inspiration and motivation to fuel today’s resistance movements. Their stunningly powerful song and video, “I Believe Her”, written in support of Dr Christine Blasey Ford, Dr Anita Hill and all survivors, was heralded by The Daily Kos in an article titled “We Have An Anthem, Folks”, called “the musical equivalent of breaking news” by KPFA Radio and shared heavily on social media.
The duo debuted their latest song, “Trumpty Dumpty (That’s An Emergency)”, at the Day of Action opposing President Trump’s national emergency declaration. The song is being shared on social media and played on radio. Emma’s Revolution are winners of the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the first Phil Ochs Award. Their music has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and Pacifica’s Democracy Now. The duo were featured performers at the Parliament of the World’s Religions, performing to an audience of 10,000, and are contributors to the Grammy-nominated CDs, Singing Through the Hard Times – A Tribute to Utah Phillips and Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger Vol 3. In the spirit of Emma Goldman’s famous attribution, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution,”
Emma’s Revolution brings their uprising of truth and hope to concerts, festivals, conferences and justice events. The duo has given thousands of performances throughout the US and around the world in Canada, Chile, Korea, Scotland, England, Israel, Palestine, Nicaragua and Cuba. Emma’s Revolution consistently delivers performances so powerful, audiences leap to their feet to demand more.
April 12th at First Second Friday Concerts at Coho:
Jay Mankita
Hey everyone, this time I’m talking about myself, because I’m the featured artist on April 12th. Because I help Rob run the series, I don’t feel right taking your money, so it’s a free concert this time, following a potluck. Doors open at 6. Potluck runs from 6:30 to 7:30, then the concert. I hope to see you there. I realize that after 16 years of living in the Valley, there are some of you who don’t know my music – possibly because I hardly ever gig anymore, so here’s a link to a youtube page with a bunch of my songs.
(the playlist for all the songs is on the upper left hand corner of this first video)
I’ll be singing some of my own songs, along with some favorite collected ones. Be prepared to be entertained, and to sing along, too. We’re the cheapest game in town that night, so bring your friends!
My jaymankita.com website is down right now, so if you really want to know more about me, where I’ve played, who I’ve played with, who sings my songs, who says what about me, and what color my dog is, you’re kind of out of luck this time, but if you come to the show, you’ll probably end up knowing more about me than you need to know anyway!
Other than that, there are a bunch of videos of me singing my songs on the youtube playlist. Please check them out!
Also, if you use facebook, please talk to the facebook event here and let it know you are coming if you are, and what food you’re bringing, if you are.
Happy Holidays everyone! Start it out right with a new concert by Claudia Schmidt at Coho!
The new album. “Concinnity” A perfect harmony of the constituent parts of any given thing.
CD Release! Claudia is back with a new CD, “Concinnity”. Claudia opened this series 6 years ago, and we’re glad to have her back again!
More than 4 decades as a touring professional have found Michigan native Claudia Schmidt traversing North America as well as Europe in venues ranging from intimate clubs to 4,000 seat theaters, and festival stages in front of 25,000 rapt listeners. She has recorded nineteen albums of mostly original songs, exploring folk, blues, and jazz idioms featuring her acclaimed 12-string guitar and mountain dulcimer playing.
Claudia Schmidt has been perfecting her craft of performing for almost four decades. It is a quirky and wonderful hodge-podge (her word!) of music, poetry, story, laughter. drama, and celebrating the moment. Work in clubs, theaters, festivals, TV, radio has added depth and dimension, and since she has always included her original work along with very personal versions of the work of others, what you get is a unique look at the world from someone who says what she sees with clarity, humor, and wonder.
The San Francisco Bay Guardian said: Schmidt’s shows are a lot like falling in love. You never know what’s going to happen next, chances are it’s going to be wonderful, every moment is burned into your memory and you know you’ll never be the same again.” More succinctly, Garrison Keillor said “when Claudia sings a song, it stays sung”
Here’s the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/318076475700593/ – let us know you’re coming!
(with opening act – our own illuminating Kit Johnson and Swing Set!)
Anyone not familiar with the music of Bill Staines is in for a special treat.
For more than forty years, Bill has traveled back and forth across North America, singing his songs and delighting audiences at festivals, folksong societies, colleges, concerts, clubs, and coffeehouses. A New England native, Bill became involved with the Boston-Cambridge folk scene in the early 1960’s and for a time, emceed the Sunday Hootenanny at the legendary Club 47 in Cambridge. Bill quickly became a popular performer in the Boston area. From the time in 1971 when a reviewer from the Boston Phoenix stated that he was “simply Boston’s best performer”, Bill has continually appeared on folk music radio listener polls as one of the top all time favorite folk artists. Now, well into his fifth decade as a folk performer, he has gained an international reputation as a gifted songwriter and performer.
Singing mostly his own songs, he has become one of the most popular and durable singers on the folk music scene today, performing nearly 200 concerts a year and driving over 65,000 miles annually. He weaves a blend of gentle wit and humor into his performances and one reviewer wrote, “He has a sense of timing to match the best standup comic.”
Bill’s music is a slice of Americana, reflecting with the same ease his feelings about the prairie people of the Midwest or the adventurers of the Yukon, the on-the-road truckers, or the everyday workers that make up this land.
Many of Bill’s songs have appeared in grade school music books, church hymnals, and scouting campfire songbooks; he is one of only a few songwriters to have eight songs published in the classic song collection, Rise up Singing. Composer David Amram recently described Bill as “a modern day Stephen Foster…his songs will be around 100 years from now.”
Over the decades, you have heard Bill singing on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, HBO’s award winning series Deadwood, and Public Radio’s Mountain Stage. Additionally, his music has been used in a number of films including Off and Running, with Cyndi Lauper, and The Return of the Secaucus Seven, John Sayles’ debut as a writer- director.
In 1975, Bill won National Yodeling Championship in Kerrville Texas. Another important recognition was given to him in 2007. Presented by the Boston Area Coffeehouse Association, The Jerry Christen Award recognized Bill’s contribution to New England folk music.
Currently, Bill has recorded 26 albums; The Happy Wanderer and One More River were winners of the prestigiousParents’ Choice Award, taking a gold medal and silver medal respectively. His songs have been recorded by many artists including Peter, Paul, and Mary, Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, The Highwaymen, Mason Williams, Grandpa Jones, Jerry Jeff Walker, Nanci Griffith, Glen Yarborough and others.
As well as recordings, over 100 of Bill’s songs have been published in three songbooks: If I Were a Word, Then I’d Be a Song, Movin’ It Down the Line, and Music to Me, the latter published by Hal Leonard Corporation. His song, All God’s Critters, has been recently released as a Simon and Schuster children’s book with illustrations by Caldecott honor-winning artist, Kadir Nelson.
“Folk music is rich in the human spirit and experience. I’ve always wanted to bring something of value to people through my songs.” With these thoughts, Bill continues to drive the highways and back roads of the country year after year, bringing his music to listeners, young and old.
In the fall of 2015 Yankee Magazine, New England’s premiere magazine, published it’s “80th Anniversary Issue.”In the issue, along with the likes of Stephen King and Katherine Hepburn, Bill was chosen as “One of the 80 gifts New England has given to America.”
A true honor.
What Other People Are Saying About Bill
“Bill Staines has been my hero since 1977. He carries on where Woody left off-carrying on the tradition of stories and characters you wish you knew.” – Nanci Griffith
“Staines is one of the best songwriters in folk music today, penning lyrics that evoke a sense of place and a generous spirit to go along with his pretty melodies. – Associated Press
“Staines is one of folk music’s best songwriters and entertainers.” – Milwaukee Journal
“There is no better writer of instantly memorable singalong choruses in this genre of music!” – The Boston Globe
“His gentle lilting voice, spacious melodies and common-chord lyrics give his songs a homespun grace that often belies his mastery of the folk form. He is such a pure pleasure too, people forget to notice how damn good at the job of singer-songwritering he really is.” – New England Folk Almanac
“Folk singer Bill Staines’ compositions recall the paintings of Grandma Moses – simple, literal and evocative of a bucolic tranquility that modern times have almost erased.” – Hartford Courant
“Bill Staines is one of our very best folk and country singer/songwriters. He’s a New Englander who dreams of open plains and vast, Western skies, and damn his soul, he writes better cowboy songs than anybody in the Southwest. – The Houston Post
“Bill Staines is a prototypical singer/songwriter, long on the anecdote, quick with the quip, not a stranger to his character’s plights and/or escapades. He’s an old hand at selling you the kind of truisms that crop back into your consciousness a few days after his tunes have floated off into the ether.” – The New Paper (Providence)
“One of the most admired and imitated writers on the contemporary folk circuit.. [He writes] pensive, probing narratives made especially memorable by their ability to translate the common details of common lives into songs of uncommon eloquence and beauty.” – The Austin American-Statesman
“He is a poet with Insight about a world that many of us let pass by. He is a storyteller with a gift for transporting the listener into the body of his songs.” – The Record Roundup
“A craftsman who has cobbled together evocative details, pithy aphorisms and singalong melodies into a trunkful of unassuming, marvelous songs.” – The Washington Post
