Old Songs Festival - Press Releases and Photos

Press Resources PRESS RELEASE - PDF \| PHOTOS \| PERFORMER BIOS \| PERFORMER LIST
• Press Release
ANNOUNCING THE 30th ANNUAL OLD SONGS FESTIVAL, JUNE 25, 26, 27, 2010 The 30th annual 3-day Old Songs Festival of Music and Dance will be held on June 25, 26, 27, 2010 at the Altamont Fairgrounds, Rt. 146, Altamont, NY. A festival of acoustic and eclectic folk and world music with performances and participation. appropriate for adults, extended families, children, seniors, and students. From every corner you hear fiddles, banjos, guitars, dulcimers, pennywhistles, mandolins and concertinas. Over 60 professional performers appear in 3 concerts: Friday and Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday afternoon at 3 pm. The daytime on Saturday and Sunday presents the same performers in more than 110 performances, sessions, classes, and participatory dance. Known as a festival much loved by families, the festival includes a special family stage and craft activity area. This year there will be a “Musical Petting Zoo” where 30 assorted string instruments can be tried out and played. Children can participate in the Great Groove Band if they bring their own stringed instrument. Participants will learn fiddle tunes in 3 sessions during the weekend culminating in a Sunday performance. Children & parents can also participate in a festival Jug Band. Children 12 and under are free. Students and youth over 13 have discounted tickets. Food vendors, instrument makers and a juried craft show provide a festive village atmosphere. Camping is available for all 3 days if ordered in advance. See our web site: www.oldsongs.org This year's festival performers represent various regions in the US and several countries including Scotland, Russia, Ireland, Africa, England and Canada—in particular, Prince Edward Island. American musical traditions represented include old-time country, Gospel, blues, jug band, balladry, Native American, swing jazz and string band dance music. For those who enjoy community singing, Old Songs offers 3 sessions of choral harmony, 3 sessions of shape-note (aka: “sacred harp”) singing and 2 sessions of rounds singing. Dancers can choose from contra dance, English dance, Acadian step dance, squares, a special dance for families and more. Novices can jam with the pros at open jam sessions including those specifically for banjo, fiddle, hammered dulcimer or squeezeboxes and more general, genre specific jams such as those for blues or Celtic music. The 2010 performers include: The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, Paul McKenna Ensemble, James Keelaghan Trio, Madcat and Kane, Elizabeth LaPrelle & the Fruit Dodgers, Sally Rogers & Howie Bursen, Brian Peters, Gadelle, Moscow Nights Trio, Babik, Debra Cowan, Cathy Barton & Dave Para, Joe Hickerson, Susan Trump, Alan Kaufman & the A-Kays, Tony Barrand, Peter & Mary Alice Amidon, Ron Gordon, Kim & Reggie Harris, Tim Eriksen, Keith Murphy & Becky Tracy, Matt & Shannon Heaton, Groovemama, George Wilson, Fode Sissosko, Grand Picnic, Billy Jonas, Roger the Jester, The Puppet People, Joe & Jesse Bruchac, Illegal Contra Band, Children’s Peace Project, Fern Bradley, Ted Crane and a group of new artists from NYC which includes Dan Costello and Rachel Devlin, Annie Crane, Debe Dalton, Elizabeth Devlin, Isaac Gillespie, John Houx, Joe Crow Ryan, Eric Wolfson and Alexa Woodward. Complete information about the Old Songs Festival, including the full list of performers, can be found at www.oldsongs.org/festival/performers.html. Tickets can be purchased by mail, via the web site as well as at the gate on each of the festival days. This program is made possible, in part, by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency. Download pdf press release at left This event is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency.
• Photos High-Res for press use
Paul McKenna Band 300 dpi - 1.9 MB BIO Moscow Nights 300 dpi - 2.4 MB BIO Tim Eriksen 300 dpi - 4.6 MB BIO Gadelle 300 dpi - 2.5 MB BIO	James Keelaghan 300 dpi - 3.1 MB BIO Tennessee Mafia Jug Band 300 dpi - 2.2 MB BIO Billy Jonas 300 dpi - 495 KB BIO Kim & Reggie Harris 300 dpi - 1 MB BIO

• Bios (background info on performers pictured here)
Tim Eriksen • Northern Roots Music Tim Eriksen is "widely regarded as the best ballad singer of his generation" (BBC Radio). He combines hair-raising vocals with savvy arrangements for fiddle, banjo, guitar and bajo sexto, transforming American tradition with a "northern roots" Americana sound that embraces old New England murder ballads, “shape-note” gospel and haunted originals alongside Southern Appalachian and Irish songs. Tim's latest solo album Northern Roots Live in Namest (Indies Scope 2009) celebrates the power of this music in concert. Considered "among the world's finest folk practitioners" (Toronto Star) for his expertise in traditional song, Tim is also known for his own compositions - “strange and original works” (NetRhythmsUK) with a “rare sense of purpose” (Q Magazine) that have been included in films like the Billy Bob Thornton vehicle Chrystal and the upcoming feature documentary Behold the Earth. Eriksen's other notable work has included extensive contributions to Anthony Minghella’s 2004 Oscar-winning film Cold Mountain as well as collaborations ranging from hardcore punk and Bosnian pop to symphony orchestra and the 2009 Grammy-nominated album Across the Divide with Afro-Cuban world-jazz phenomenon Omar Sosa. The erstwhile frontman of the prophetic groups Cordelia's Dad ("folk-noise"), Northampton Harmony (shape-note quartet) and Zabe i Babe (Bosnian folk and pop), Tim Eriksen is the only musician to have shared the stage with both Kurt Cobain and Doc Watson (not to mention Jack White and Ralph Stanley), and his media appearances have ranged from Prairie Home Companion to the Academy Awards. Having graduated from early shows at punk mecca CBGB, Tim’s more recent performances have included his Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist in Evan Chambers' symphonic work "The Old Burying Ground" and two week-long stints at the Blue Note Jazz Club with Omar Sosa. In the studio, he has worked with producers including Joe Boyd, T-Bone Burnett and Steve Albini. www.timeriksenmusic.com Gadelle • Music and Dance of Prince Edward Island Gadelle is a four member, all woman, traditional French-Acadian band that includes former internationally acclaimed Barachois members, Helene Bergeron and Louise Arsenault. Gadelle is an old Acadian word which translates as “wild berries” and also has a connotation of a feisty female. This new group's performance is delivered with a stylistic essence and the stagecraft that Barachois was well known for. All hailing from Prince Edward Island on Canada's east coast, the four members of the group are: Helene Bergeron - vocals, piano, pump organ, fiddle, foot percussion and step dancing; Louise Arsenault - fiddle, harmonica, foot percussion, step-dancing; Caroline Bernard- primary vocalist, piano, pump organ, accordion and guitar; Anastasia DesRoches - fiddle, bass, octave mandolin and step-dancing. Gadelle members play and dance with ferocity and conviction while putting on one heck of a show. www.gadelle.com Kim & Reggie Harris • Empowering Songs Kim and Reggie Harris are two vibrant, superbly talented and engaging performers whose captivating stage presence has inspired audiences around the world for over 25 years. As singers, songwriters, storytellers, educators, historical interpreters and cultural advocates, they have used their remarkable voices and their unique talents to bring new insights to the entertainment and educational spectrum. Born in Philadelphia, PA. a city rich in musical and cultural heritage, Kim and Reggie were both exposed to a wide range of composers and musical genres. Their training, nurtured in their individual homes and enhanced in their churches and schools, enriched their musical vocabulary. It was the start of what has evolved into the " Bach to Rock" musical approach (with the strongest elements being Folk, Gospel and Jazz) that is so prevalent in their music. They met, by chance, at a summer camp in 1974. While attending Temple University they honed their performance skills in the clubs and coffeehouses around Philadelphia. In 1980, Kim and Reggie "hit the road" touring universities, art centers, schools and other concert venues. Their strong material (both original and otherwise) and complex harmonies, combined with their stunning voices and informed stage patter, has won them accolades and fans that has them in constant demand. They average over 275 performances each year. They have been featured in performance at the Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Institute, The International Children's Festival in Canada, The Wang Center, The Pike's Peak Center, various festivals in the U.S, Canada and Italy and a host of universities, schools, churches and performing venues. They have proven themselves to be exceptional people who can entertain audiences of all ages and backgrounds. They continue to distinguish themselves as artists of integrity who show respect for their craft and their audiences by working to expand their skills and build on their knowledge base. www.kimandreggie.com Billy Jonas • Percussionist, Singer/Songwriter A Billy Jonas performance is an explosion of energy. In singalongs, bangalongs, whisperalongs, as well as improvised songs, his primary instrument is the audience. Everyone becomes part of a performance that reaches out and ". . . touches even the most hardened of hearts." (Fayetteville Morning News) Concerts begin with a simple "tuning" of the audience; from there a whimsical trajectory carries listeners through stories of life, love, and triumph over 'Murphy's Law.' Jonas' original pieces are played on fanciful "industrial re-percussion" instruments made from found objects. He sings in a clear tenor voice; his guitar work is adventurous, alternately percussive and lyrical. Jonas' heartwarming work has been enjoyed across North America since 1987. Previously a member of the highly acclaimed duo, "The Billys," he has been featured at prestigious festivals and venues nationwide (see selected venues). Jonas has shared stages with some of the world's favorite acoustic artists, including Patti Larkin, Ani DiFranco, David Wilcox, Richard Thompson, and Pete Seeger. Jonas' latest CD, "Get Real," for adult/general audiences, is his studio follow-up to "Life So Far". From matters of the heart, to geo-political intrigue, "Get Real" invites the listener to climb into a "percussion-rich" universe full of sonic exploration and emotional adventurousness. "Get Real" is filled with homemade and recycled object instruments, as well as a host of more traditional sounding instruments (guitar, bass, Middle Eastern & African percussion), and LOTS of voices! Jonas' CD "Life So Far," sparkles with unique perspectives and found sounds. Songs filled with hope, yearning, wonder, and wisdom include special guests David Wilcox, Glen Velez, Robert Moog (on Theramin), and Zimbabwe's Black Umfolosi voice and percussion choir. In addition to his work with adult/general audiences, Jonas has generated an enthusiastic following for his family show. His CD "What Kind of Cat are You?!" caters to this audience, and received multiple awards including a First Place/Gold from AFIM (American Federation of Independent Musicians), and a Parent's Choice Gold. www.billyjonas.com James Keelaghan • Singer/Songwriter Called Canada’s finest singer-songwriter by one of the most respected music journalists of the last 50 years, James Keelaghan is an artist who has proven to be a man for all seasons. As the calendar pages have turned, for almost a quarter of a century now, this poet laureate of the folk and roots music world has gone about his work with a combination of passion, curiosity intent and intensity. His masterful story telling has, over the course of nine recordings, been part of the bedrock of his success, earning Keelaghan nominations and awards - including a Juno (Canada's Grammy) - and acclaim from Australia to Scandinavia. Possessed of an insatiable appetite for finding the next unique story line, Keelaghan forges his pieces with brilliant craftsmanship and monogrammed artistic vision, making him one of the most distinctive and readily identifiable voices on both the Canadian and international singer-songwriter scenes. His journey has attracted fans of literate and layered songwriting to join him on his artistic expeditions, some of which weave their way through marvelously etched historical stories with underlying universal themes, others of which mine the depths of the soul and the emotional trails of human relations. His songbook has enlightened, enthralled, and been embraced, by audiences around the world. " I’ve always had the urge to write," says the Calgary native who has been calling Winnipeg home for the past few years. "Some things weren’t being said in the way I wanted to say them, some thing were not being written about at all. That's why i started to write the historical material. That led me to writing my own personal narratives as well.” . Keelaghan is a disciplined visionary with several aces up his sleeve. He loves language and history, a subject in which he earned a degree; he is a skilled thespian, which explains his ability to make an immediate connection with a live audience; and he has an ear for memorable melodies and harmonies that make those melodies glisten. http://web.me.com/jameskeelo/Keeloweb/KEELOWEB.html Paul McKenna Band • trad. music of Scotland & Ireland “A band with the potential to dominate the Scottish/Irish traditional scene for the next twenty years and be spoken about in the same breath as Boys Of The Lough.” -Fatea Magazine Combining their love for traditional and folk music as well as original songs and tunes the Paul McKenna Band have been playing to audiences throughout the UK since 2006. With a contemporary approach to songs, although not straying too far from their roots, their arrangements are both fresh and innovative. Their exciting sound is created through outstanding vocals, driving Guitar and Bouzouki, intense Fiddle playing, a warm pairing of Flute and Whistles and dynamic Bodhrán and percussion. PAUL MCKENNA Paul is an outstanding singer and multi-instrumentalist from Glasgow. His own music draws from the rich traditions of Scottish and Irish music and blends it with modern rock and contemporary songwriting. DAVID MCNEE David is an exciting talent from Glasgow, Scotland. A multi-instrumentalist, he favours a contemporary approach but uses traditional instruments such as mandolin and bouzouki to achieve a modern robust sound. RUAIRIDH MACMILLAN Originally from Nairn in the Scottish Highlands, fiddler Ruairidh Macmillan is quickly making a name for himself in the world of Scottish Traditional music. He was taught by the legendary Aonghas Grant Sr., and just graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2008. SEÁN GRAY Throughout his early teens Seán with his Sister Robyn played at various clubs and festivals throughout Scotland. Hhe studied flute with Dougie Pincock and Guitar with Jack Evans. Over the years Seán has played along side many major acts such as Dick Gaughan, Back of the Moon, Jim Malcolm, Andy Irvine and many more. EWAN BAIRD Ewan comes from a family long involved in the folk scene. Ewan took up the bodhrán only three years ago and in that time has developed a unique style of playing to a standard which is both impressive and the envy of many players. Moscow Nights • traditional music of Russia Moscow Nights is an exciting, versatile ensemble of world-recognized, prize-winning musicians from Russia. They have already established themselves as one of the fastest rising folk groups in the United States. These classically trained artists first took Western Europe by storm and now have brought their dazzling, toe-tapping music to North America. Led by Vitaliy Bezrodnov on Bayan Accordion, the group was initially formed under his direction in Kaluga, Russia in the late 1980’s where Mr. Bezrodnov attended Kaluga Music Conservatory. After completing his conservatory studies, he successfully reorganized the group in the United States in 1996. The music of Moscow Nights is predominantly authentic, traditional Russian folk music. During his conservatory years, Mr. Bezrodnov spent considerable time traveling deep into the Russian countryside, interviewing the eldest members of each village in an effort to preserve and resurrect pre-revolution Russian culture. Their current program incorporates obscure folk instruments such as percussion “Treshotki” and birch-bark whistles. Thus, Moscow Nights is able to bring to audiences a unique program of a culture that had almost lost its original identity. Moscow Nights’ concerts offer audiences an entertaining glimpse into Old Russia through music, song, and dance. This helps bridge a three-quarter century of isolation between our countries. The dazzling, toe-tapping program is broad and varied with something to appeal to everyone – from youngest to oldest and everyone in between. www.russianfolk.com Tennessee Mafia Jug Band • rib-tickling old-time tunes From the pastoral hills, hollers, shopping malls and interstate highways of Goodlettsville Tennessee, home of Bill Monroe, Bashful Brother Oswald, Stringbean, Grandpa Jones, Keith Whitley and some living country music performers, comes the most entertaining "blast from the past" since Lester Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys. They’re the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band -- five guys and a scrubboard, with roots like wisdom teeth. The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band have shamelessly stolen a feature of the old Roy Acuff Show -- a bit known as "Pap & the Jug Band". There’s only so many graveyard numbers or raunchy love songs that even the most rabid country audience can sit through without some kind of relief. This frolicking fivesome brightens up the stage with rib-tickling old time tunes. Even better, they have an utter lack of self-consciousness (and some might say any sense of decorum). The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band not only know the music, they wear the costumes, tell corny jokes and even do slapstick gags that throw a cable-tv-numbed audience into hysterics. "Lonesome" Lester Armistead is a shy and retiring retired printer now raising grandchildren on his farm in the Luton‘s District of middle Tennessee. He rarely speaks above a whisper until he uncorks his jug, gets a whiff of greasepaint and footlights, and releases his Force Five tenor voice in song. Lester also picks a mean banjo. As Roy Rogers was to the Sons of the Pioneers, so Leroy Troy - "The Tennessee Slicker" is to the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band. Leroy has the "star power", having performed his astounding old time banjo act since the 1980’s at the Knoxville World’s Fair, in the cast of "Hee Haw", on many recordings, on the high seas, at concerts and festivals all over this country and lately even in Ireland. David "Ferg" Ferguson plays a mean bass fiddle and sings powerful country songs in his deep baritone. He’s spent much of his life as an engineer in Nashville recording studio helping to capture some of the greatest country music ever cut. The tall, handsome young man providing most of the actual music with his fiddle is the sophisticated (he was born in Pennsylvania) Dan Kelly. Dan won hundreds of fiddle contests and was a six-state champion. In 1983 Dan took home the big prize when he won the coveted Grand Masters Fiddle championship in Nashville against REAL competition. Guitarist Mike Armistead (Lester's son) shares lead singing duties with Leroy. Like his dad, Mike has a taste for strong tenor singing and loves the repertoire of Bashful Brother Oswald and Ira Louvin. The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band have been on the Grand Ole Opry stage over a dozen times, and in spite of their wild antics, they get invited back! www.tennesseemafiajugband.com
• Performers 2010
• Peter & Mary Alice Amidon - shape-note singing, folk songs http://www.amidonmusic.com/ • Babik - fiery gypsy jazz http://www.babikjazz.com/home.html • Tony Barrand - songs from England & Vermont http://homepages.sover.net/~barrand/ • Cathy Barton & Dave Para - songs from Missouri http://www.bartonpara.com/ • Fern Bradley - dance caller • Joe & Jesse Bruchac - Abenaki tales, songs & lore http://www.josephbruchac.com/ • Debra Cowan - traditional & contemporary songs http://www.debracowan.com/ • Ted Crane - dance caller http://tedcrane.com/Default.html • Jeff Davis - traditional music of North America http://www.jeffdavisoldmusic.com/sfy.htm • Eleanor Ellis - delta blues http://www.eleanorellis.com/ • Tim Eriksen - northern roots music & shape-note singing http://www.timeriksenmusic.com/ • Festival Jug Band - Ron Gordon, leader http://www.oldsongs.org/festival/jugband.html • Gadelle - music & dance of Prince Edward Island http://www.gadelle.com/ • Grand Picnic - contra dance band http://jodykruskal.com/bands/grand_picnic.html • Groovemama - Franco-American stringband http://www.dhebert.com/groovemama.html • Kim & Reggie Harris - empowering songs from the African-American tradition http://www.kimandreggie.com/ • Matt & Shannon Heaton - Irish duo from Boston http://www.mattandshannonheaton.com/ • Joe Hickerson - folk song encyclopedia, folklorist http://www.joehickerson.com/ • Illegal Contraband - multi-faceted dance band http://www.vanepig.net/IllegalContraband.html • Billy Jonas - percussionist, singer/songwriter http://www.billyjonas.com/ • Alan Kaufman & the A-Ks - old-time band • James Keelaghan - Canadian singer/songwriter http://web.me.com/jameskeelo/Keeloweb/KEELOWEB.html • Elizabeth LaPrelle - young American ballad singer http://www.old97wrecords.com/elizabeth-laprelle/index.htm • Madcat & Kane - blues harminica & guitar http://www.madcatmusic.net/catkane.html • Paul McKenna Band - traditional Celtic music from Scotland http://paulmckennaband.com/ • Moscow Nights - traditional music of Russia http://www.russianfolk.com/moscow_nights/moscow_nights_trio.html • Brian Peters - traditional songs and music from England http://www.harbourtownrecords.com/peters.html • The Puppet People - puppet troupe http://www.thepuppetpeople.org/ • John Roberts - songs of the British Isles http://www.goldenhindmusic.com/ • Roger the Jester - Juggling, mime and tomfoolery http://www.ijest.com/ • Sally Rogers & Howie Bursen - American folk on guitar, banjo, maountain dulcimer http://www.sallyrogers.com/ • Fode Sissoko - West African kora and drum master http://www.oldsongs.org/festival/sissoko.html • Bill Spence & Fennig's All-Stars - contra dance band http://www.oldsongs.org/billspencemusic/ • Tennessee Mafia Jug Band - rib-tickling old-time tunes http://www.tennesseemafiajugband.com/ • Jake Thomas - sign language interpreter http://www.oldsongs.org/festival/jakethomas.html • Becky Tracy & Keith Murphy - New England folk http://blackislemusic.com/beckyandkeith.htm • Susan Trump - folk songs, mountain dulcimer pro http://www.susantrump.com/ • George Ward - songs, ballads and stories http://www.mulesong.com/ • New Artist Program - up-and-coming folk acts from New York City http://www.oldsongs.org/festival/newartists.html

OLD SONGS, INC. • PO BOX 466 • VOORHEESVILLE, NY 12186-0466 • PHONE: 518-765-2815 •