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Selwyn Birchwood in Concert
Friday October 15, 2021
Doors 700pm/Show 730pm
$20 in advance /$25 at the door
All Shows Rain or Shine
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
Groundbreaking young blues visionary Selwyn Birchwood will release his highly anticipated third Alligator album,
Living In A Burning House, on Friday, January 29, 2021. The rising guitar and lap steel player calls his original music “electric swamp funkin’ blues,” defined by raw and soulful musicianship played with fire-and-brimstone fervor. His gritty, unvarnished vocals draw his audience deep inside his unforgettable tales of love, passion, pain and pleasure. No other band on the current blues scene is built quite like Birchwood’s. In addition to Selwyn’s electrifying guitar and lap steel playing, the other featured instrument is Regi Oliver’s driving baritone sax. The group is rounded out by bass, drums and, for the first time, keyboards.
Wanting to capture the power of the now larger band, Birchwood wrote and arranged 13 new songs, and brought in famed Grammy Award-winning musician Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Susan Tedeschi) to produce. From the rocking opener I’d Climb Mountains to the sweet soul of She’s A Dime and One More Time to the hair-raising Revelation, Living In A Burning House features some of the most vividly striking writing on today’s blues scene. Birchwood’s voice and vision are clear, his sound is edgy and compelling, and his stories are memorable and lasting.
According to Birchwood, “I tell my stories in my own way, with my own voice. You won’t ever hear me on stage telling someone else's story. Muddy Waters, B.B. King and John Lee Hooker all told their own stories. That’s what I’m doing.”
Since the 2014 release of his Alligator Records debut, Don’t Call No Ambulance, Birchwood’s meteoric rise from playing small Florida clubs to headlining international festival stages is nothing short of phenomenal. The album received the Blues Music Award and Living Blues Critics’ Award for Best Debut Album Of 2014, and he won the 2015 Blues Blast Rising Star Award. Rave reviews ran in publications from Rolling Stone to The Wall Street Journal, from The Chicago Tribune to The San Francisco Chronicle. He followed in 2016 with Pick Your Poison. DownBeat said, “There’s a deep-seated power about Birchwood’s singing and six string/lap steel guitar work...and there’s an unmistakab le emotion and honesty linking him to forebears like Muddy Waters. Thoughtful, persuasive and rugged.”
Birchwood and his band have crisscrossed the U.S. and Europe repeatedly, delivering unforgettable live performances. They have appeared domestically at festivals including The Chicago Blues Festival, Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival as well as on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise and Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea. Internationally, they have performed at The Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival, Jazz a Vienne in France, the Rawa Blues Festival in Poland, the Moulin Blues Festival in the Netherlands, the Ottawa Blues Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, as well as playing concerts in Spain, Norway, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Belgium and Mexico.
“I write and sing what I know,” says Birchwood, whose musical innovations are as expansive as his influences are deep. With Living In A Burning House, Selwyn Birchwood is looking forward to winning over thousands of new fans. “They say everything is better when it’s made with love,” says Birchwood. “That’s how we play our music and that’s how we made the new album. I want my audience to say, ‘I know exactly what that feels like,’ when a song hits them. Because that’s when it stops just being music and starts being medicine. After all, we are all stricken with the condition of being human.”
Friday October 15, 2021
Doors 700pm/Show 730pm
$20 in advance /$25 at the door
All Shows Rain or Shine
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
Groundbreaking young blues visionary Selwyn Birchwood will release his highly anticipated third Alligator album,
Living In A Burning House, on Friday, January 29, 2021. The rising guitar and lap steel player calls his original music “electric swamp funkin’ blues,” defined by raw and soulful musicianship played with fire-and-brimstone fervor. His gritty, unvarnished vocals draw his audience deep inside his unforgettable tales of love, passion, pain and pleasure. No other band on the current blues scene is built quite like Birchwood’s. In addition to Selwyn’s electrifying guitar and lap steel playing, the other featured instrument is Regi Oliver’s driving baritone sax. The group is rounded out by bass, drums and, for the first time, keyboards.
Wanting to capture the power of the now larger band, Birchwood wrote and arranged 13 new songs, and brought in famed Grammy Award-winning musician Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Susan Tedeschi) to produce. From the rocking opener I’d Climb Mountains to the sweet soul of She’s A Dime and One More Time to the hair-raising Revelation, Living In A Burning House features some of the most vividly striking writing on today’s blues scene. Birchwood’s voice and vision are clear, his sound is edgy and compelling, and his stories are memorable and lasting.
According to Birchwood, “I tell my stories in my own way, with my own voice. You won’t ever hear me on stage telling someone else's story. Muddy Waters, B.B. King and John Lee Hooker all told their own stories. That’s what I’m doing.”
Since the 2014 release of his Alligator Records debut, Don’t Call No Ambulance, Birchwood’s meteoric rise from playing small Florida clubs to headlining international festival stages is nothing short of phenomenal. The album received the Blues Music Award and Living Blues Critics’ Award for Best Debut Album Of 2014, and he won the 2015 Blues Blast Rising Star Award. Rave reviews ran in publications from Rolling Stone to The Wall Street Journal, from The Chicago Tribune to The San Francisco Chronicle. He followed in 2016 with Pick Your Poison. DownBeat said, “There’s a deep-seated power about Birchwood’s singing and six string/lap steel guitar work...and there’s an unmistakab le emotion and honesty linking him to forebears like Muddy Waters. Thoughtful, persuasive and rugged.”
Birchwood and his band have crisscrossed the U.S. and Europe repeatedly, delivering unforgettable live performances. They have appeared domestically at festivals including The Chicago Blues Festival, Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival as well as on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise and Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea. Internationally, they have performed at The Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival, Jazz a Vienne in France, the Rawa Blues Festival in Poland, the Moulin Blues Festival in the Netherlands, the Ottawa Blues Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, as well as playing concerts in Spain, Norway, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Belgium and Mexico.
“I write and sing what I know,” says Birchwood, whose musical innovations are as expansive as his influences are deep. With Living In A Burning House, Selwyn Birchwood is looking forward to winning over thousands of new fans. “They say everything is better when it’s made with love,” says Birchwood. “That’s how we play our music and that’s how we made the new album. I want my audience to say, ‘I know exactly what that feels like,’ when a song hits them. Because that’s when it stops just being music and starts being medicine. After all, we are all stricken with the condition of being human.”
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Meaghan Farrell in Concert
Friday November 5, 2021
Doors 7pm /Show 730pm
$20 in Advance /$25 at the door
All Shows Rain or Shine
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
As an emerging singer-songwriter in New York City and Nashville, Meaghan Farrell didn't know her own power. Or, maybe it would be more accurate to say that she simply didn't know how to harness it. She had always loved to sing, turning heads with her strong voice at a young age in her hometown of Harrisburg, PA. Meaghan knew early that she was meant to write songs, perform, and connect with people. For several years she did just that – writing and producing a number of independent recordings, gathering experience and confidence as she toured around the country in support of her music. Like so many new artists, Meaghan was proud of her early songs, but the material wasn't completely "her", she hadn't yet found her voice.
Driving around the country as a touring singer-songwriter can be a lonely proposition, with lots of time to think behind the wheel, to get to know one's self. It was on this journey of self-discovery that Meaghan realized that her artist voice was actually the voice inside her own head. "Conversations with Myself came out of an extraordinary time in my life," Meaghan says. "I was no longer willing to accept feeling certain kinds of familiar pain anymore. It all started with checking in with myself every single day, over a cup of coffee in the morning. It was through this sort of meditation that I began the journey of healing a very broken heart. I am still on that journey. I am still talking to myself, trying to more deeply understand who I am... and I am learning how truly grateful I am for all that I have and all I can give."
After two years of writing and touring, Meaghan recently teamed up with production duo Nate and Dan Monea at their Little C Studios in Canton, Ohio. The Moneas helped her express the full range of her emotions: from heartbreak to healing, from injustice to empowerment, from anxiety to confidence, Meaghan shares it all. Her philosophy is simple - the best version of yourself has always been there, it is often too noisy to hear that voice. The trick is to quiet the world, quiet yourself until you can truly hear it. The clarity. The calm. The love.
With her powerful new music, Meaghan Farrell aspires to be heard for many years to come. One conversation at a time. One song at a time. Meaghan says, "Look into the deepest, darkest parts of yourself. Get uncomfortable. Accept it all with love, compassion and gratitude for where you've been. I believe from that place, your dreams start to become your reality."
Friday November 5, 2021
Doors 7pm /Show 730pm
$20 in Advance /$25 at the door
All Shows Rain or Shine
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
As an emerging singer-songwriter in New York City and Nashville, Meaghan Farrell didn't know her own power. Or, maybe it would be more accurate to say that she simply didn't know how to harness it. She had always loved to sing, turning heads with her strong voice at a young age in her hometown of Harrisburg, PA. Meaghan knew early that she was meant to write songs, perform, and connect with people. For several years she did just that – writing and producing a number of independent recordings, gathering experience and confidence as she toured around the country in support of her music. Like so many new artists, Meaghan was proud of her early songs, but the material wasn't completely "her", she hadn't yet found her voice.
Driving around the country as a touring singer-songwriter can be a lonely proposition, with lots of time to think behind the wheel, to get to know one's self. It was on this journey of self-discovery that Meaghan realized that her artist voice was actually the voice inside her own head. "Conversations with Myself came out of an extraordinary time in my life," Meaghan says. "I was no longer willing to accept feeling certain kinds of familiar pain anymore. It all started with checking in with myself every single day, over a cup of coffee in the morning. It was through this sort of meditation that I began the journey of healing a very broken heart. I am still on that journey. I am still talking to myself, trying to more deeply understand who I am... and I am learning how truly grateful I am for all that I have and all I can give."
After two years of writing and touring, Meaghan recently teamed up with production duo Nate and Dan Monea at their Little C Studios in Canton, Ohio. The Moneas helped her express the full range of her emotions: from heartbreak to healing, from injustice to empowerment, from anxiety to confidence, Meaghan shares it all. Her philosophy is simple - the best version of yourself has always been there, it is often too noisy to hear that voice. The trick is to quiet the world, quiet yourself until you can truly hear it. The clarity. The calm. The love.
With her powerful new music, Meaghan Farrell aspires to be heard for many years to come. One conversation at a time. One song at a time. Meaghan says, "Look into the deepest, darkest parts of yourself. Get uncomfortable. Accept it all with love, compassion and gratitude for where you've been. I believe from that place, your dreams start to become your reality."
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Sam Robbins in Concert
Saturday November 13,2021
door 7pm/Show 730pm
$20 in Advance /$25 at the door
All Shows Rain or Shine
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
Sam Robbins describes himself as an "old soul singer songwriter." A Nashville based musician whose music evokes classic 70's singer songwriters like James Taylor and Neil Young, Sam adds a modern, upbeat edge to the storyteller troubadour persona. An avid performer, he has gained recognition from extensive touring and as the first artist to perform a Jim Croce song on NBC's The Voice. He is currently one of 24 finalists chosen in the 2021 Kerville New Folk Festival songwriting competition, one of the most prestigious songwriting competitions in the country.
Sam released his debut album, Finally Feeling Young, on May 14th, 2021. The album is reminiscent of his 70's singer-songwriter heroes, with a modern perspective. On the heels of the award winning opening single, 'Remind Me", Finally Feeling Young has already garnered radio airplay and has produced several other award winning tracks, including the social commentary single "Saying Amen." Of the album, Robbins says: “This is my first album, and I think it’s special in that way. There’s a feeling of discovery in it. You can hear my voice, and my perspective, change throughout the recording. My artistry is something that I think listeners want but are missing today.”
Over his career, Sam has performed countless shows across the country, in theaters, house concerts, biker bars, weddings, proposals, frat parties, and everything in between. Sam is able to tour full time, and feels at home in both intimate listening rooms and larger venues. Wherever he is performing, Sam builds an intimate, easy connection with the listener, naturally creating a feeling of closeness throughout the performance.
Since moving to Nashville in September 2019 following his graduation from Berklee College of Music, Sam has made a splash in music city - performing at the Bluebird Cafe within a month of moving, and sitting in again at the legendary venue with Liz Longley in February. Sam was the audience winner of the "Nashville Rising Song" qualifier event in September, and won the Eddie's Attic Songwriter's shootout competition in Atlanta in early March 2020.
In 2018, Sam was able to audition on NBC's The Voice for Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and Jennifer Hudson. He was the season's "Young James Taylor" and he was the first artist to ever perform a Jim Croce song on the show.
Sam considers himself a student of songwriting, constantly searching and learning about why songs have the impact they do. A 2019 graduate of Berklee College of Music's songwriting department, he has hosted many songwriting workshops and masterclasses, including at the Harvard Music Department and the Boys & Girls Club of Boston. In his performances and workshops, Sam explores the magic behind the craft of songwriting, and tries to help others express themselves through the unique and powerful medium of songwriting.
Saturday November 13,2021
door 7pm/Show 730pm
$20 in Advance /$25 at the door
All Shows Rain or Shine
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
Sam Robbins describes himself as an "old soul singer songwriter." A Nashville based musician whose music evokes classic 70's singer songwriters like James Taylor and Neil Young, Sam adds a modern, upbeat edge to the storyteller troubadour persona. An avid performer, he has gained recognition from extensive touring and as the first artist to perform a Jim Croce song on NBC's The Voice. He is currently one of 24 finalists chosen in the 2021 Kerville New Folk Festival songwriting competition, one of the most prestigious songwriting competitions in the country.
Sam released his debut album, Finally Feeling Young, on May 14th, 2021. The album is reminiscent of his 70's singer-songwriter heroes, with a modern perspective. On the heels of the award winning opening single, 'Remind Me", Finally Feeling Young has already garnered radio airplay and has produced several other award winning tracks, including the social commentary single "Saying Amen." Of the album, Robbins says: “This is my first album, and I think it’s special in that way. There’s a feeling of discovery in it. You can hear my voice, and my perspective, change throughout the recording. My artistry is something that I think listeners want but are missing today.”
Over his career, Sam has performed countless shows across the country, in theaters, house concerts, biker bars, weddings, proposals, frat parties, and everything in between. Sam is able to tour full time, and feels at home in both intimate listening rooms and larger venues. Wherever he is performing, Sam builds an intimate, easy connection with the listener, naturally creating a feeling of closeness throughout the performance.
Since moving to Nashville in September 2019 following his graduation from Berklee College of Music, Sam has made a splash in music city - performing at the Bluebird Cafe within a month of moving, and sitting in again at the legendary venue with Liz Longley in February. Sam was the audience winner of the "Nashville Rising Song" qualifier event in September, and won the Eddie's Attic Songwriter's shootout competition in Atlanta in early March 2020.
In 2018, Sam was able to audition on NBC's The Voice for Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and Jennifer Hudson. He was the season's "Young James Taylor" and he was the first artist to ever perform a Jim Croce song on the show.
Sam considers himself a student of songwriting, constantly searching and learning about why songs have the impact they do. A 2019 graduate of Berklee College of Music's songwriting department, he has hosted many songwriting workshops and masterclasses, including at the Harvard Music Department and the Boys & Girls Club of Boston. In his performances and workshops, Sam explores the magic behind the craft of songwriting, and tries to help others express themselves through the unique and powerful medium of songwriting.
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RIVVRS in Concert
Sunday November 14, 2021
5pm doors/5:30 show
$20 advance/$25 door
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
Through compelling songs and charismatic performances, singer-songwriter RIVVRS radiates an endearing and optimistic vision; his music connects the authenticity of Americana with the accessibility of pop. Since 2014, RIVVRS has secured over 60 song placements across some of the most-watched television shows and advertisements on network, cable and streaming; including Reebok, Shameless, The Fosters, Riverdale, Bates Motel, NFL, UFC & more, earning over 22 million streams on Spotify and 350k Shazams. RIVVRS has released two albums, ‘Cosmic Dream’ in 2018 & ‘Unfamiliar Skin’ in 2016 as well as a variety of singles and an EP ‘Hold On’ in 2014. He is currently recording his third album (produced by Justin Glasco: Anderson East, Lone Bellow, ) due for release in 2020
Sunday November 14, 2021
5pm doors/5:30 show
$20 advance/$25 door
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
Through compelling songs and charismatic performances, singer-songwriter RIVVRS radiates an endearing and optimistic vision; his music connects the authenticity of Americana with the accessibility of pop. Since 2014, RIVVRS has secured over 60 song placements across some of the most-watched television shows and advertisements on network, cable and streaming; including Reebok, Shameless, The Fosters, Riverdale, Bates Motel, NFL, UFC & more, earning over 22 million streams on Spotify and 350k Shazams. RIVVRS has released two albums, ‘Cosmic Dream’ in 2018 & ‘Unfamiliar Skin’ in 2016 as well as a variety of singles and an EP ‘Hold On’ in 2014. He is currently recording his third album (produced by Justin Glasco: Anderson East, Lone Bellow, ) due for release in 2020
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Connor Christian and The Southern Gothic in Concert(730-930pm)
with opening act Guava Train
Friday November 19, 2021
Doors630/Show 7:00-opening act Guava train
$20 advance/$25 door
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
For Connor Christian, frontman & principal songwriter of The Southern Gothic, life has always been about the journey. The son of an American serviceman & diplomat, that journey started at 6 months old, when his family moved from Los Angeles to Jakarta, Indonesia and from there on to places such as Singapore, South Korea, and Belgium, as well as stints all over the US. “I never lived anywhere long enough to think of it as a hometown, to make those lifelong memories and associations, so I learned to take little pieces from every stop and make them part of my story”
That story led Connor to Atlanta GA as a young adult. Stints in several other bands led to the formation of The Southern Gothic with former Truckadelic drummer Shawn Thacker. What started as a high energy, house cover band at venerated Atlanta dive bar, Dixie Tavern, grew along with Connor’s writing to become the band that Billboard Magazine called it’s ‘Band on the Verge’. Ten months later, the band’s second album, ‘New Hometown’ debuted #1 on Billboard’s Heatseeker chart and #17 on it’s country albums chart. The same month, the first single from the record, “Sheets Down” reached #1 on CMT’s Pure Country 12-Pack Countdown, a spot it held for 4 weeks. The album, a 20-song semi-autobiographical opus, equal parts Tennessee Williams & Homer, “Tumbleweed Connection” era Elton John, Guns n Roses and Chris Stapleton - tells the story of a man looking for a home, and artist searching for his muse, and a band finding its own way.
People surprised by the band’s ‘overnight’ chart success hadn’t been paying attention to the way the band built that excitement. Averaging almost 200 shows per year for the previous 4 years, the band built a chemistry with each other and a reputation for an electric live show – even the acoustic ones. Sharing stages with bands as diverse as Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, Uncle Kracker, Styx, Zac Brown Band, and Heart, SoGo’s honest lyrics, heartfelt melodies, and stellar musicianship cut through to appeal to fans across the world without regard to genre, age, or locale.
With the 2020 release of the Southern Gothic’s New EP, Burnin’ Moonlight, Connor, Thacker and the band prove again that they will continue to evolve, unbound and unafraid to explore new territory every time out. Working with Grammy-winning producer Jonathan Roye (Kelsey Ballerini) and Grammy-nominated producer Keith Hetrick (Charlie Wilson) SoGo explores the intersection of Americana, Pop, and Rock n’ Roll to create something uniquely now and undeniably, The Southern Gothic.
with opening act Guava Train
Friday November 19, 2021
Doors630/Show 7:00-opening act Guava train
$20 advance/$25 door
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
For Connor Christian, frontman & principal songwriter of The Southern Gothic, life has always been about the journey. The son of an American serviceman & diplomat, that journey started at 6 months old, when his family moved from Los Angeles to Jakarta, Indonesia and from there on to places such as Singapore, South Korea, and Belgium, as well as stints all over the US. “I never lived anywhere long enough to think of it as a hometown, to make those lifelong memories and associations, so I learned to take little pieces from every stop and make them part of my story”
That story led Connor to Atlanta GA as a young adult. Stints in several other bands led to the formation of The Southern Gothic with former Truckadelic drummer Shawn Thacker. What started as a high energy, house cover band at venerated Atlanta dive bar, Dixie Tavern, grew along with Connor’s writing to become the band that Billboard Magazine called it’s ‘Band on the Verge’. Ten months later, the band’s second album, ‘New Hometown’ debuted #1 on Billboard’s Heatseeker chart and #17 on it’s country albums chart. The same month, the first single from the record, “Sheets Down” reached #1 on CMT’s Pure Country 12-Pack Countdown, a spot it held for 4 weeks. The album, a 20-song semi-autobiographical opus, equal parts Tennessee Williams & Homer, “Tumbleweed Connection” era Elton John, Guns n Roses and Chris Stapleton - tells the story of a man looking for a home, and artist searching for his muse, and a band finding its own way.
People surprised by the band’s ‘overnight’ chart success hadn’t been paying attention to the way the band built that excitement. Averaging almost 200 shows per year for the previous 4 years, the band built a chemistry with each other and a reputation for an electric live show – even the acoustic ones. Sharing stages with bands as diverse as Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, Uncle Kracker, Styx, Zac Brown Band, and Heart, SoGo’s honest lyrics, heartfelt melodies, and stellar musicianship cut through to appeal to fans across the world without regard to genre, age, or locale.
With the 2020 release of the Southern Gothic’s New EP, Burnin’ Moonlight, Connor, Thacker and the band prove again that they will continue to evolve, unbound and unafraid to explore new territory every time out. Working with Grammy-winning producer Jonathan Roye (Kelsey Ballerini) and Grammy-nominated producer Keith Hetrick (Charlie Wilson) SoGo explores the intersection of Americana, Pop, and Rock n’ Roll to create something uniquely now and undeniably, The Southern Gothic.
Guava Train combines soul, funk, reggae, jazz, rock, bossa nova, samba, and more to create a one of a kind blend of both cover and original songs and "jams."
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SHAMc PRESENTS
RISING APPALACHIA IN CONCERT
2 SHOWS
SATURDAY-DECEMBER 11, 2021
DOORS 7PM/SHOW 730PM
**************
SUNDAY DECEMBER 12, 2021
DOORS 5PM/SHOW 530PM
**************
All Shows Rain or Shine
$40 IN ADVANCE/$50 AT DOOR IF AVAILABLE
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
As world travelers for nearly two decades, Rising Appalachia have merged multiple global music influences with their own southern roots to create the inviting new folk album, Leylines. Remarkably the band has built its legion of listeners independently -- a self-made success story that has led to major festival appearances and sold-out shows at venues across the country.
Founded by sisters Leah and Chloe Smith, the band established an international fan base due to relentless touring, tireless activism, and no small degree of stubborn independence. However, for the first time, they opted to bring in a producer for the new album, teaming up with the legendary Joe Henry on the sessions. These were also their first recording sessions outside of the South. For 10 days, all six band members lived and recorded in a castle-like studio in Marin County, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As a result, a sense of unity and immediacy can be heard throughout their seventh album, Leylines.
“As far as recording goes, we’re open creatively, but we’ve often preferred elements of live recording. I mean, we’re folk musicians at our core,” Leah explains. “The experience of playing music together in one room, looking at each other, is the bedrock of what we do and how we’ve grown up with music. I think Joe very much felt that way as well. He was very clear at the beginning that he was going to encourage us to have as many element of a live recording as possible.”
Although Leah and Chloe Smith consider their voices as their primary instrument, Leah also plays banjo and bodhran on the album, while Chloe plays guitar, fiddle, and banjo. They are joined on Leylines by longtime members David Brown (stand-up bass, baritone guitar) and Biko Casini (world percussion, n’goni), as well as two new members: West African musician Arouna Diarra (n’goni, talking drum) and Irish musician Duncan Wickel (fiddle, cello). The sonic textures of these two cultures are woven into Leylines, enhancing the stunning blend of folk, world, and urban music that has become Rising Appalachia’s calling card.
“Our songwriting ties into those traditions as well,” Chloe says. “With some of our original songs, it’s a reflection of the times. We’re folk singers and we consider this a folk album, so there’s a lot in there. There’s word of politics, of being women in the music industry, as well as a lot about our lives on the road.”
Indeed, Rising Appalachia has toured British Columbia by sailboat, traversed the U.S. and Europe by train, and engaged in immersive cultural exchange programs in Bulgaria, Ireland, Southern Italy, Central and South America – not to mention the countless miles in a van. Tour highlights include: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco; Music Hall Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York; Boulder Theatre in Boulder, Colorado; and the Showbox in Seattle, Washington. The band consistently sells between 400 and 1500 tickets wherever they play, a testament to their loyal fan base.
Leah and Chloe grew up in urban Atlanta as the city’s hip hop scene began to flourish. They absorbed those rhythms through the music they heard at school, then traveled with their family to fiddle camps all across the Southeast on the weekends. The young girls weren’t all that interested in the old-time playing, but their parents were incredibly devout in their study and practice of Appalachian music.
After high school, Leah decided to postpone college and travel internationally. Feeling homesick while living in Southern Mexico, she looked for a connection to her past and taught herself how to play banjo. “I realized that I wanted something from home that I could share, something that would tell people a bit more of the story of where I came from, other than the news,” she recalls.
A few years later, when Chloe came to visit her abroad, Leah offered some clawhammer banjo lessons. They didn’t necessarily realize it at the time but a musical partnership had been established. Upon their return to the United States, they recorded an album, which they considered an art project, to sell whenever they sang at farmer’s markets. They printed 500 copies, figuring that would last them a lifetime. However, when a local college professor heard them singing at a Christmas party, he booked them as part of a Celtic holiday concert in Atlanta. After two performances, every CD had been sold.
Surprised and overwhelmed, they mulled over a career as full-time musicians, then realized that performing could be just one component of a greater overall vision – one that includes advocating for social justice, racial justice, environmental justice, and Indigenous rights.
“We’re able to filter in so many of our passions into this project,” Chloe says. “We do a lot of activism work. We do a lot of outreach. Leah is a visual artist and she can funnel her visual eye into the project. I love to write, so that comes in. There’s a big container and canvas for our life’s work here. Music is part of it, but there are a lot of other creative vehicles that are driving Rising Appalachia.”As world travelers for nearly two decades, Rising Appalachia have merged multiple global music influences with their own southern roots to create the inviting new folk album, Leylines. Remarkably the band has built its legion of listeners independently -- a self-made success story that has led to major festival appearances and sold-out shows at venues across the country.
Founded by sisters Leah and Chloe Smith, the band established an international fan base due to relentless touring, tireless activism, and no small degree of stubborn independence. However, for the first time, they opted to bring in a producer for the new album, teaming up with the legendary Joe Henry on the sessions. These were also their first recording sessions outside of the South. For 10 days, all six band members lived and recorded in a castle-like studio in Marin County, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As a result, a sense of unity and immediacy can be heard throughout their seventh album, Leylines.
“As far as recording goes, we’re open creatively, but we’ve often preferred elements of live recording. I mean, we’re folk musicians at our core,” Leah explains. “The experience of playing music together in one room, looking at each other, is the bedrock of what we do and how we’ve grown up with music. I think Joe very much felt that way as well. He was very clear at the beginning that he was going to encourage us to have as many element of a live recording as possible.”
Although Leah and Chloe Smith consider their voices as their primary instrument, Leah also plays banjo and bodhran on the album, while Chloe plays guitar, fiddle, and banjo. They are joined on Leylines by longtime members David Brown (stand-up bass, baritone guitar) and Biko Casini (world percussion, n’goni), as well as two new members: West African musician Arouna Diarra (n’goni, talking drum) and Irish musician Duncan Wickel (fiddle, cello). The sonic textures of these two cultures are woven into Leylines, enhancing the stunning blend of folk, world, and urban music that has become Rising Appalachia’s calling card.
“Our songwriting ties into those traditions as well,” Chloe says. “With some of our original songs, it’s a reflection of the times. We’re folk singers and we consider this a folk album, so there’s a lot in there. There’s word of politics, of being women in the music industry, as well as a lot about our lives on the road.”
Indeed, Rising Appalachia has toured British Columbia by sailboat, traversed the U.S. and Europe by train, and engaged in immersive cultural exchange programs in Bulgaria, Ireland, Southern Italy, Central and South America – not to mention the countless miles in a van. Tour highlights include: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco; Music Hall Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York; Boulder Theatre in Boulder, Colorado; and the Showbox in Seattle, Washington. The band consistently sells between 400 and 1500 tickets wherever they play, a testament to their loyal fan base.
Leah and Chloe grew up in urban Atlanta as the city’s hip hop scene began to flourish. They absorbed those rhythms through the music they heard at school, then traveled with their family to fiddle camps all across the Southeast on the weekends. The young girls weren’t all that interested in the old-time playing, but their parents were incredibly devout in their study and practice of Appalachian music.
After high school, Leah decided to postpone college and travel internationally. Feeling homesick while living in Southern Mexico, she looked for a connection to her past and taught herself how to play banjo. “I realized that I wanted something from home that I could share, something that would tell people a bit more of the story of where I came from, other than the news,” she recalls.
A few years later, when Chloe came to visit her abroad, Leah offered some clawhammer banjo lessons. They didn’t necessarily realize it at the time but a musical partnership had been established. Upon their return to the United States, they recorded an album, which they considered an art project, to sell whenever they sang at farmer’s markets. They printed 500 copies, figuring that would last them a lifetime. However, when a local college professor heard them singing at a Christmas party, he booked them as part of a Celtic holiday concert in Atlanta. After two performances, every CD had been sold.
Surprised and overwhelmed, they mulled over a career as full-time musicians, then realized that performing could be just one component of a greater overall vision – one that includes advocating for social justice, racial justice, environmental justice, and Indigenous rights.
“We’re able to filter in so many of our passions into this project,” Chloe says. “We do a lot of activism work. We do a lot of outreach. Leah is a visual artist and she can funnel her visual eye into the project. I love to write, so that comes in. There’s a big container and canvas for our life’s work here. Music is part of it, but there are a lot of other creative vehicles that are driving Rising Appalachia.”
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Seth Walker in Concert
Saturday January 22, 2022
Doors 7 pm/Show 730
$20 advance/$25 door
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
Seth Walker is often cited as one of the most prolific contemporary Americana artists on the scene today. He’s a multi-dimensional talent who combines a gift for melody and lyric alongside a rich, Gospel-drenched, Southern-inflected voice with a true-blue knack for getting around on the guitar. His most recent studio album, Are You Open, produced by Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers, and a string of singles, including “We Got This,” “Spirits Moving” and a cover of Van Morrison’s classic “Warm Love” further build upon this reputation.
Most recently, Walker added published author to his oeuvre with his first memoir, ‘Your Van Is On Fire.’ A riotous and charming mélange of a touring musician’s life, the book is comprised of many short essays, poems and paintings he'd accumulated over a near 30-year career. Written during the 2020 lockdown, Walker offers a firsthand account of an artist in perpetual motion who’s dedicated his life to chasing the muse wherever it may lead.
Saturday January 22, 2022
Doors 7 pm/Show 730
$20 advance/$25 door
Masks may be required to enter Art Center snd to access Bar and Restrooms
Seth Walker is often cited as one of the most prolific contemporary Americana artists on the scene today. He’s a multi-dimensional talent who combines a gift for melody and lyric alongside a rich, Gospel-drenched, Southern-inflected voice with a true-blue knack for getting around on the guitar. His most recent studio album, Are You Open, produced by Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers, and a string of singles, including “We Got This,” “Spirits Moving” and a cover of Van Morrison’s classic “Warm Love” further build upon this reputation.
Most recently, Walker added published author to his oeuvre with his first memoir, ‘Your Van Is On Fire.’ A riotous and charming mélange of a touring musician’s life, the book is comprised of many short essays, poems and paintings he'd accumulated over a near 30-year career. Written during the 2020 lockdown, Walker offers a firsthand account of an artist in perpetual motion who’s dedicated his life to chasing the muse wherever it may lead.
Thank you to all our volunteers and music lovers
that made this seasons concert series sessions so great!!
October 2020-May 2021
29 Concerts and countless other events!!
Watch the calender for upcoming shows beginning again in October 2021
that made this seasons concert series sessions so great!!
October 2020-May 2021
29 Concerts and countless other events!!
Watch the calender for upcoming shows beginning again in October 2021
A concert featuring Pokey Lafarge Solo at The Baker House in Lake Geneva Wisconsin as #SHAMcARTreach...it rained the whole concert but these diehard northern music fans wouldn't let that deter them from coming and enjoying Pokey in support of seeing live music during Covid
#SHAMcMobileMusic
#SHAMcARTreach took the shape of our mobile concert series on our flatbed stage- when times are tough the tough get creative!
All Donations are appreciated -donate button on our homepage if you support what we are doing for the community or look under each youtube box for the musicians donate links :)
We had some of our regular patrons invite small groups of our supporters and new supporter and we visited their private parties and a few local businesses that are all Socially Distancing until we can get back to hosting music at SHAMc......Shawn Hopper and Chris Barbosa was the first one, Ari and the Alibis DUO known at Ariella was the second one and Betty Fox Duo was the third one.
#SHAMcARTreach took the shape of our mobile concert series on our flatbed stage- when times are tough the tough get creative!
All Donations are appreciated -donate button on our homepage if you support what we are doing for the community or look under each youtube box for the musicians donate links :)
We had some of our regular patrons invite small groups of our supporters and new supporter and we visited their private parties and a few local businesses that are all Socially Distancing until we can get back to hosting music at SHAMc......Shawn Hopper and Chris Barbosa was the first one, Ari and the Alibis DUO known at Ariella was the second one and Betty Fox Duo was the third one.
Donations to ShaunHopper/ChrisBarbosa paypal.me/shaunhopper
https://venmo.com/ShaunHopper Cash app-$Shaunhopper Zelle-229-251-1045
AND Paypal.me/shamc706 OR the homepage of this website thru the little yellow donation button
https://venmo.com/ShaunHopper Cash app-$Shaunhopper Zelle-229-251-1045
AND Paypal.me/shamc706 OR the homepage of this website thru the little yellow donation button
Donations Appreciated and they really do help these bands eat during Covid19
Ari and the Alibis DUO Paypal.me/ariandthealibis
venmo.com/ARIELLAMUSIC Cash app: $Alibis Zelle: (941)879-6606
And SHAMc Paypal.me/shamc706 or on the homepage of this website thru the little yellow donation button
Ari and the Alibis DUO Paypal.me/ariandthealibis
venmo.com/ARIELLAMUSIC Cash app: $Alibis Zelle: (941)879-6606
And SHAMc Paypal.me/shamc706 or on the homepage of this website thru the little yellow donation button
Donations To Betty Fox Duo help these musicians eat during this Covid19 time
paypal.me/BettyFox210 Venmo: @Betty-Fox Cash app: $bettyfoxband
SHAMc at Paypal.me/shamc706 or on the homepage of this website thru the lil yellow donate button
paypal.me/BettyFox210 Venmo: @Betty-Fox Cash app: $bettyfoxband
SHAMc at Paypal.me/shamc706 or on the homepage of this website thru the lil yellow donate button
Donations to The Hummingbirds help feed these musicians during these Covid times.....thank you for any kind donations you give.
🎶Thanks for watching the concert-For contributions & merch:
❤️www.thehummingbirds.com/support
❤️www.paypal.me/thehummingbirds
❤️Venmo : @thehbirds
🎶Thanks for watching the concert-For contributions & merch:
❤️www.thehummingbirds.com/support
❤️www.paypal.me/thehummingbirds
❤️Venmo : @thehbirds
STAY SAFE!! STAY HEALTHY!! STAY HAPPY!!
WE LOVE YOU ALL!!!
WHEN YOU COME TO A CONCERT AND WANT A SWEET PLACE TO STAY PLEASE CHECK OUT THESE VILLAS WALKING DISTANCE TO SHAMc
https://www.villasbychristine.com/
https://www.villasbychristine.com/
