Grand River Folk
Arts Society
Acoustic Saturday Nights
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The Grand River Folk
Arts Society presents
Acoustic Saturday Nights
held in the
Wealthy Theater Annex or the Theater itself.
The
address is 1130 Wealthy SE just west of Fuller Avenue. Concerts start
at 8:00 pm unless otherwise marked.
Ticket Prices: $12 General,
$10 Seniors & Students, $9 Members, $3 2-12 year olds.
For
other information, please call (616) 246-6468 or (616) 361-9219.
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2008 - 09 Acoustic Saturday Nights October 11, 2008 Robin and Linda Williams from A Prairie Home Companion
October 18, 2008 Conklin Ceili Band Home grown Celtic
"How would you like to do that, except with music?" sez he. "I'm in", sez I. That's how it
all started. We got together in an old cabin in the woods on the
weekend after New Year's in 1996 to make music. We have been
together ever since.
October 25, 2008 Lee Murdock Great Lakes Lore
Lee's music is grounded in the work song tradition, from the rugged days of lumberjacks and wooden sailing schooners. Murdock comes alongside with ballads of contemporary commerce and revelry in the grand folk style. His fans have discovered a sweetwater treasure in his songs about the Great Lakes, finding drama and inspiration in the lives of sailors and fishermen, lighthouse keepers, ghosts, shipwrecks, outlaws and everyday heroes. On the web: http://www.leemurdock.com/
On the web: http://www.michaelsmithmusic.com
November 15, 2008 Mustard's Retreat Music to Cure What Ails You
So as David Tamulevich and Michael Hough celebrate their 31st Anniversary as Mustard's Retreat, the same question seemed to burn among aspiring young performers and road-weary old folkies - why you guys? In searching for the answer, one word comes up again and again, the simple word "audience." We have sung and laughed along with Michael and David most of that time. Come on down for wailing good time! On the web: http://www.mustardsretreat.com/index.html
November 22, 2008 Nobody's Darlin' Five Woman String Band
On the web: http://www.myspace.com/nobodysdarlin
December 13, 2008 Carol Johnson
Accompanying herself on guitar, piano and banjo, and with a hearty dose of audience participation, Carol has warmed hearts and lifted spirits of countless thousands through her delightful recordings and personable presentations. On the web: http://www.caroljohnsonmusic.com/
December 20, 2008 Blue Water Ramblers Christmas Concert
On the web: http://www.bluewaterramblers.com
January 10, 2009 Open Mic Night GRFAS Members Share Their Music Dust off that old guitar, tune up your banjo and get those pipes in full voice. Bill G. will MC an evening of our folk society’s best kept secrets! Bring your best two songs and give it a shot. There are only so many slots so call in soon. You'll be surprised who you'll see, and what you'll hear. Admission $5. Call ahead: 616 723-7189 or email: mailto:wmgroot@chartermi.net.
January 17, 2009 The Kastles Songs from Sailing
On the web: http://www.kastles.net/
January 24, 2009 David Mosher Guitar, Fiddle and Mandolin Virtuoso
On the web: http://www.mp3.com/artist/david-mosher/summary/
January 31, 2009 Grand Rapids Songwriters Alliance Our own Songwrights. The Grand Rapids SongwritersAlliance is support and resource forum for West Michigan's talented songwriters. We'll enjoy a depth and range of talent. In the meantime, though, if you have a couple compositions needing to be heard, meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month at Schuler’s Books & Music, 3165 Alpine Avenue, Walker, MI. 6:30 to 10:00 pm. Participants are welcome to play 2 original songs for fun or critique. On the web: http://www.worldcrossing.com/WebX?expand@@.1de21b80
February 14, 2009 Lou and Peter Berryman Love with Humor
On the web: http://members.aol.com/berrymanp/
On the web: http://www.myspace.com/sonasfiddlers
On the web: http://www.hawksandowls.com/HOcover_page.htm
March 14, 2009 Bill Bynum Traditional Country, Up to Date
On the web: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=169279109
March 21, 2009 Jill Jack and Billy Brandt
>On the web: http://www.jilljack.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/billybrandtmusic March 28, 2009 Bill Staines Our Favorite, the Singer's Singer
Welcome back to your West Michigan home, Bill. We're looking forward to your visit! On the web: http://www.acousticmusic.com/staines/
It's musical alchemy. Read the next two paragraphs, mix gently and vigorously, simmer, stew, bake and cook up a powerhouse entertainment experience!
On the web: http://www.josh-rose.com
On the web: http://www.karisawilson.com/
April 18, 2009 Josh White, Jr. National Expositor of American Music
On the web: http://www.joshwhitejr.com/bio.html
April 25, 2009 Annual Fund Raising Concert with the Blue Water Ramblers
On the web: http://www.bluewaterramblers.com
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Subject to change
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Last update:
June 2008 |
Virginia
based Robin and Linda Williams are known for their rich harmonies
and original songwriting rooted in the country/bluegrass/gospel
tradition. They have gained widespread national prominence on
Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion," as one
half of The Hopeful Gospel Quartet as well as performing in their
own right. And they will be right here in Grand Rapids at the
Wealthy Theater October 11! 
Tom
Verlin came up to me and said, "Mick, you know how guys go to
the woods during deer season, and spend five days together
hunting, talking and playing cards?"
Lee
Murdock has uncovered a boundless body of music and stories in the
Great Lakes. There is an amazing timelessness in this music. Great
Lakes songs are made of hard word, hard living, ships that go down
and ships that come in.
Michael
P. Smith wowed the Kerryville Folk Festival again this past summer
with his gorgeous songs. Many of us are familiar with “The
Dutchman” and his work with Bob Gibson, Anne Hills,
Weavermania and a host of others. Michael says, “I feel I
was born to write songs.” Hear just what he means for
yourself!
Thirty-one
years may not seem like such a long time in the life of a human
being, a tree, or a folk song. But
in the fickle world of modern music, where pop stars shy of their
21st birthdays often see their careers dumped into oldies bins,
thirty-one years is a very long time.
For
celestial women's harmonies, inventive arrangements, humor, hot
picking and a deep, abiding love of traditional string band music,
no body matches Grand Rapid's own Nobody's Darlin'. Those of us
who heard them at the May fund raising concert want to hear them
again and the rest of you are in for a wonderful treat!
For more than twenty years, Carol Johnson has delighted and uplifted audiences
with her wit, her warmth, her compelling insights and her wonderfully crafted
compositions. Her songs sparkle with energy; they encourage us to be good to each other, to ourselves, and to
the earth. They celebrate life, and with a healthy bit of humor they also challenge the way we sometimes live it.
The
Blue Water Ramblers are excited to sing the songs of the season at
the 24th annual GRFAS Christmas concert. From Frosty to
the blues, from Silent Night to Rudolf, they invite to you
harmonize on all our favorite holiday melodies. Merry Christmas!
Tom
and Chris Kastle are merchant-adventurers, who regularly sail out,
by ship as well as by van, on voyages of trade and
discovery. Their eyes and their ears are keen and discerning,
and it must be a short and routine voyage that does not yield a
new and glittering treasure. As singer-songwriters and
storytellers, they aren't content just to acquire jewels of beauty
and insight, they're driven to shape and polish, to create an
ingenious setting that displays their discoveries to best
advantage. They have been internationally acclaimed for their
lush harmonies, varied instrumentation (primarily guitar, octave
mandolin, concertina and whistles) and captivating stories in live
performance as well as on their recorded works.
And
he sings like an angel! David writes very singable songs on any
topic he chooses and supports his musical musings and stories with
flawless playing on his instruments. This is a performer who does
everything right!
Lou
and Peter Berryman's off-kilter harmonies backed by accordian and
guitar deliver some of the best lyric zingers you never expected
about love. If you love to laugh or laugh at love or love someone
who does, you'll get the sweetest Valentine treat imaginable.
Tina,
Amy and Margie play Cape Breton-style Irish/Scottish tunes
on fiddles,
keyboard and foot percussion to give the music a modern sound and
drive that respects the deep roots of the tradition. “Sonas
still holds true to the Cape Breton style, playing traditional
Irish/Scottish tunes, but is still growing, expanding and
exploring all Celtic music. Their tunes are upbeat, foot-stomping
reels and jigs, yet they add a gentle, delicate tone to the airs
they play.”
Long
time friend and mentor Bruce Ling describes his tight combo this
way: Hawks and Owls present “the acoustic evolution of rural
American music. Founded in 1997, we perform
for music festivals, dances, private parties, and corporate
functions in styles from country blues, bluegrass, early swing,
Appalachian fiddle, and ballads.” We'll be tapping our toes
to the beat, marveling at the intricate, tasteful arrangements of
traditional favorites and enjoying original compositions that
extend the genre.
Although
a Detroit native, Bill Bynum's musical roots are deep in the
South. His parents migrated from the West Memphis, Arkansas area
to Michigan's steel industry in the 1940's, bringing, like many,
their love for bluegrass and country music. Bill and his four
siblings grew up listening to artists like Johnny Cash and Buck
Owens on Detroit's country radio station, "The Big D",
through an old AM radio. Bill's songs both traditional and
original have a sound that's at once as comfortable as your
favorite pair of old jeans and as fresh as a blade of new grass,
Jill Jack has dominated Detroit’s folk/rock scene for the past
decade. A woman with a strong drive and ambition, Jill has a voice
with a distinct timbre that sets her apart – each year and
each album, her voice becomes more clearly defined as uniquely her
own. Her
genre-jumping sound doesn't slide easily into any one format and
keeps her free to write and sing what she wants, the way she
wants, to create her own sound. "I am a folk artist and I'm
proud of that. The luxury I have with writing my music is that it
can't be boxed into one genre ... it has the freedom to blur the
lines from folk, country, rock, a little blues, etc., to form a
great melting pot of pure Americana music."
Billy Brandt is a guitar virtuoso, great singer and writer in his
own right and performs frequently with Jill.
We
clamor to Bill's annual spring visit to Grand Rapids and no
wonder. His songs are timeless, his style as personable as your
best friend and his shows leave us better people. Add to that the
fact that he has his own entry in Wikipedia! ()
Pushing
the boundaries between folk, pop, and roots music, Josh Rose
has never been big on labels. Growing up in the sparsely populated
and culturally deprived Upper Peninsula of Michigan almost forced
him to forge a musical identity all his own. Since moving to Grand
Rapids, Josh decided to strike a new path in the local singer
songwriter scene, but also celebrate the exceptional tradition
that is already here. Josh has blazed ahead on this path with
songs that stick with you and seep into your subconscious like the
lingering April snows of his youth. Yet with all the questions and
all of the labels, what his music boils down to is a thought:
sometimes edgy, sometimes collective, and sometimes romantic.
Forged
in the disciplined fires of her classical violin training, Karisa
Wilson's musicianship has blossomed into a rich and beautiful
flower of sound. After releasing her debut album 'Little Girl' to
a sold out Wealthy Theater in August 2007, she went on to bring
home the 2008 WYCE '
Josh
White, Jr. performs secular, folk/blues, pop and jazz as a
vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. He is an actor, adult and
children's concert performer and recording artist, teacher and
social activist. His music is beautiful, his performance style is
irresistable and his message is strong. Josh is is real deal!
Our
friends, the Blue Water Ramblers, jumped at the chance to host our
7th fund raiser. They will share the stage with a guest
to be announced. Watch this space for details.