Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June
To RSVP for any show, click RESERVE SEATS in the the show description. For general questions, you can email me directly abbiew@froggie.com. Unless noted, concerts start at 7:30 w/ potluck at 6:30 PM. “Suggested donation” is $20-$25 depending on the show. In general ~ pay what you can. All income levels welcome. [Current Covid Policy]
JAN 2024
*CANCELLED DUE TO ICY CONDITIONS* – Jan 20, 2024 (SAT) ~ Carl Sonny Leyland (Piano) ~ (WATCH) – Carl Sonny Leyland was born & raised on the South Coast of England, growing up close to the city of Southampton. As a child he was drawn to the American music which he heard on LP records his father would play. It was here that he developed an appreciation for Dixieland jazz, the rock & roll of the 1950s & the country music of Jimmie Rodgers & Hank Williams. Whether playing solo or with his trio, or with his quintet The Boogie Woogie Boys, Leyland’s playing displays an infectious spontaneity, providing plenty of surprises for the listener. While he possesses the necessary vocabulary to pay tribute to the greats of old, he refuses to be limit himself to this & prefers to let each performance be an opportunity to say something new. His repertoire spans the Ragtime era to the 1950s & includes a number of self written material.
Jan 31, 2024 (WED) ~ The Bee Eaters – Tashina Clarridge (fiddle), Tristan Clarridge (cello), Simon Chrisman (hammer dulcimer) – RESERVE SEATS – (Suggested $25-30)
The Bee Eaters bring their unique tapestry of sound – and 18 years of shared rhythm and groove, harmony, and improvisation – to the music of J.S. Bach, arranged for cello, violin, and hammer dulcimer.
The Bee Eaters are 6-time National Fiddle Champion siblings Tristan and Tashina Clarridge with hammer dulcimer wizard Simon Chrisman. Together, they weave a tapestry of sound that is their own, drawing on roots in bluegrass, Celtic, jazz, old-time, and other world music traditions. With Tashina’s delicate fiddle and Tristan’s grounding cello wrapped around Simon’s ethereal dulcimer, they have created a never-before-heard sound in American music. Three instrumental voices, united in their musical exploration. Throughout the past 2 decades, The Bee Eaters have toured and recorded with GRAMMY winning singer-guitarist Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek), legendary fiddler/composer Darol Anger, bluegrass legend Laurie Lewis, Appalachian music master Bruce Molsky, singer Aoife O’Donovan, and dozens of others, all around the world.
“…chamber music’s finely calibrated arrangements with bluegrass’s playful virtuosity and pop music’s melodic resourcefulness.” –The Boston Globe
“The Bee Eaters are the instrumental cream of the brand new string nation.”
–Darol Anger
FEB 2024
Feb 2, 2024 (FRI) ~ Rio Con Brio – SOLD OUT – Join the Waitlist! => RESERVE SEATS (Suggested $25-30) ~ Tim Connell (Mandolin) / Mike Burdette (guitar)
Rio Con Brio captivates audiences around the country with their intimate performance of the beautiful and esoteric Brazilian repertoire known as choro, the early 20th Century street music of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Influenced by equal parts Afro-Brazilian rhythms and the contemporary cafe music of Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, choro is both exotic and familiar, evoking in turn the carnival of Rio and the cafés of Paris. Tim and Mike will also perform a few songs from their swing quartet, Stumptown Swing, as well as other favorites from around the world.
Guitarist Mike Burdette and mandolinist Tim Connell exhibit finesse and passion in their playing, while displaying a sincere love of the choro repertoire and connection to their audience. An evening with Rio Con Brio is a delightful tour of European and New World music as experienced by the mandolin and guitar and as told by two soulful, intelligent, modern musicians – a beautiful intersection of Brazilian rhythm, classical technique and jazz improvisation.
Feb 9, 2024 (FRI) ~ Kristen Grainger & TRUE NORTH *SOLD OUT/WAITLIST* – RESERVE SEATS – Kristen Grainger (vocals), Dan Wetzel (guitar, vocals), Martin Stevens – (mandolin, fiddle, octave mandolin, vocals), and Josh Adkins (bass, vocals) — “True North plays tunes so smooth they bring to mind bluegrass-pop artists like Alison Krauss and Union Station, as well as old country legends like Hank Williams, Sr.” — Kim Ruehl, music reviewer, No Depression/West Coast Performer Americana quartet True North is a powerhouse of intelligent, memorable songs, and lush instrumental and vocal performances, with the crazy-good picking and harmonies of a band deeply rooted in traditional folk and bluegrass genres. Fronted by award-winning singer-songwriters Kristen Grainger and Dan Wetzel, True North is rounded out with Pacific Northwest bluegrass superstars Martin Stevens and Josh Adkins.
Feb 10, 2024 (SAT) ~ Stephanie Schneiderman Acoustic Trio – RESERVE SEATS – Stephanie Schneiderman on guitar/keys/vocals + Jenny Conlee on accordion/keys + Keith Brush on upright bass — Stephanie Schneiderman is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most diverse and celebrated singer-songwriters, combining elements of folk, Americana, trip hop, and pop—into a beautifully dark and deeply introspective sound that is as lush as it is intimate, Her acoustic trio features Jenny Conlee (of the Decemberists) on accordion and Keith Brush (of the Blue Cranes) on upright bass who lend their melodic, indie-rock sensibilities to her songs to create a magnetic live performance that old and new fans will revere.
Feb 24, 2024 (SAT) ~ Paper Bellows *SOLD OUT/WAITLIST* – RESERVE SEATS – An accordion quartet comprised of: Courtney Von Drehle (3 Leg Torso), Jetty Swart (internationally known accordionist/singer known under the name Jet Black Pearl), Mike Danner (Trashcan Joe, Saloon Ensemble), and Jenny Conlee (The Decemberists, Black Prairie). Paper Bellows celebrates the many styles of accordion music. Their repertoire includes Argentinian, Turkish and French music, along with original compositions and covers of popular songs. The full sound of 4 accordions is also sometimes augmented by Jetty Swart and Mike Danner’s vocals.
February 28, 2024 (WED) ~ SIMON CHRISMAN & NIC GAREISS – RESERVE SEATS – Simon Chrisman (hammer dulcimer) & Nic Gareiss (percussive dance, bouzouki, vocals) ,~ Simon Chrisman & Nic Gareiss met in 2007 at a fiddle festival in the Californian redwoods, and have been exploring sound and movement together ever since. Both innovators on their instruments, Nic and Simon bring their unique approaches together for traditional song, percussive dance, instrumental tunes, improvisation and new composition, engaging interlocking rhythms and dynamic textures. Well-known for his work with the groundbreaking new acoustic string band The Bee Eaters, Simon’s music combines “chamber music’s finely calibrated arrangements with bluegrass’s playful virtuosity and pop music’s melodic resourcefulness.” (The Boston Herald) Described as “the human epitome of the unbearable lightness of being” (The Irish Times) and “the most inventive and expressive step dancer on the scene” (The Boston Herald), Nic has performed with many of the luminaries of contemporary traditional music and dance, including The Chieftains, The Gloaming, Darol Anger, Liz Carroll, Bruce Molsky, Alasdair Fraser, and Martin Hayes. Together, Nic and Simon adventure into the world of time and timbre to create a breathtaking evening of song, instrumental music, and percussive dance.
MARCH 2024
MARCH 3, 2024 (SUN) ~ Gerry O’Connor and Don Penzien ~ (Irish) SOLD OUT/WAITLIST* ~ (Suggested $25) ~ RESERVE SEATS – Gerry O’Connor (Fiddle), Don Penzien (Guitar) Gerry O’Connor – A four times winner of The Fiddler of Oriel competition, Gerry has lately adjudicated both it and the Gael Linn’s Siansa and RAAP /RTE sponsored Breakthrough competitions. He was co-founder and first Artistic Director of Ceol Chairlinn, an annual teaching festival in Carlingford , Co Louth. He is also the Traditional Arts coordinator at the newly established Creative-Connexions Irish/ Catalan Arts festival in Sitges, teaches fiddle at the Willie Clancy Summer School and at master-classes throughout Europe. He has been working and playing with Tiarnán Ó Duinnchin and Fintan Vallely in the Compánach project since 2013. While touring and teaching in North America in places such as UCLA and Boston College’s Gaelic Roots series, Gerry also participted in the Master /Apprentice program through the New Jersey Folk Arts Program
With a focus on his local music of Oriel, he is known world-wide as a soloist and as a founder band member of Lá Lugh, Skylark and Oirialla. He has recorded 14 albums with his first solo album Journeyman hailed as a landmark album of Irish fiddle music, and has performed with all of the leading performers of the Irish music world including members of the Chieftains, Boys of the Lough, Planxty, De Dannan and Bothy Band. Gerry has published a book of Cathal McConnell’s songs and is launching a tunebook this week featuring dance music of Oriel recorded at the turn of the 20th century. Gerry is also highly regarded as a violin-maker, music teacher and music producer.
Don Penzien has long been a top-flight performer of Irish traditional music. He frequently is on the road playing concerts and festivals with Gailfean, The Máirtín de Cógáin Project, and Haley Richardsonand he has served as accompanist for numerous other well-known performers (e.g., Gerry O’Connor, Randal Bays, Tim Britton, John Williams, Pat Broaders, Gabe Donohue, Ben Jaber, Tony DeMarco, Billy McComiskey, Sean Clohessy, Bridget Fitzgerald, Kevin Doyle). Widely recognized for his reserved backing style, Don’s dexterous work on DADGAD-tuned guitar provides solid, driving rhythms to traditional tunes as well as perceptive and sensitive accompaniments to songs and airs. Don is a Michigan native with strong roots in Irish culture and an affinity for Irish traditional music. He now resides in NC where he works as Professor at the Wake Forest School of Medicine.
March 21, 2024 (THURS) ~ HANNEKE CASSEL BAND – SOLD OUT/WAITLIST*– RESERVE SEATS (Suggested $25) ~ Hanneke Cassel (fiddle), Tristan Clarridge (cello/vocals), and Christopher Lewis (guitar/vocals)
Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel’s fiddle music fuses influences from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton with Americana grooves and musical innovations. She has performed and traveled across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Hanneke’s music is a blend of the contemporary and traditional, described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.”
Multi-instrumentalist, 5 -time Grand National Fiddle Champion, and pioneering cellist, Tristan Clarridge creatively synthesizes traditional folk influences with rhythmic vocabulary from jazz, rock and pop music, and is leading a revolution among adventurous young cellists throughout the USA and beyond. He has toured the world with bluegrass/nu-folk sensation Crooked Still and Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings, as well as Mike Marshall, Bruce Molsky and Cape Breton fiddle phenomenon Natalie MacMaster. Canadian native Christopher Lewis provides the driving guitar sound in the band. A Berklee College of Music alum, Christopher has been involved with album production and performance in the Boston indie rock scene.
Together, the Hanneke Cassel Band creates a cutting-edge acoustic sound that retains the integrity and spirit of the Scottish tradition.
April 2024
April 7 (SUN) ~ ROCK RIDGE – RESERVE SEATS – Josie Grant (Guitar,Vocals), Dale Adkins – (Banjo, Guitar, Vocals), Josh Adkins (Mandolin, Vocals), Suzanne Adkins
(Bass, Vocals) – Based in Sisters, Oregon, Rock Ridge specializes in bluesy vocal-based deep-groove bluegrass music with a solid traditional approach. They perform traditional & contemporary bluegrass, featuring original material as well as traditional country duets. Each of the Rock Ridge members is a veteran musician having played in some of the finest bluegrass bands on the west coast. They released their second recorded project, The Flood, in February, 2023.
April 10 (WED) ~ MARGOT MERAH AND KATHYRN CLAIRE – RESERVE SEATS – guitar, fiddle, ukulele, bodhran, harmonica and breathtaking vocal harmonies – Music can bring people together in unexpected ways. That’s certainly the case for Kathryn Claire and Margot Merah. Growing up on opposite sides of the world, you can expect them to never have met. And yet they did, in the fall of 2013, in a small Irish pub in Amsterdam. The musical connection was instant. Their love of songwriting, traditional music, folk and harmony singing not only brought them together: it took them all over the world.
After 2 and a half years apart, the two reunited in the summer of 2022 in the Pacific Northwest for a tour featuring original and traditional songs and instrumentals along with their favorite covers. They began writing together on the road and when they toured again in Europe in March 2023, they decided the time had come to create an album of music together. They released their duo album last summer and toured it through Oregon,Washington and all the way out to Montana! In their live shows and on their recent album, Come Close, Come In, these two multi-instrumentalists feature guitar, fiddle, ukulele, bodhran, harmonica and breathtaking vocal harmonies.
Kathryn Claire is based in Portland, OR. She plays violin, guitar and ukulele, has a crystal clear voice and writes songs that are honest, poetic and profound. She weaves together stories and melodies rooted in her classical and traditional musical background. Each song is imbued with an energy and electricity that you can feel, and she has the ability to move seamlessly between genres. https://kathrynclairemusic.com/
Margot Merah is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She is a real ‘storyteller’, exactly what the folk tradition is all about. Margot’s music is comforting, hopeful and melancholic. Her songs tell about life, simple and small, with an eye for detail and the bigger picture. She regularly performs as a solo artist, but prefers to collaborate with other musicians in various projects. Her musicality and sense of harmony and rhythm are perfect for this. https://margotmerah3.wixsite.com/margotmerah
April 12 (FRI) ~ THE BACKBURNERS – A new project from Rio Con Brio’s Mike Burdette and Stumptown Swing’s Ben Blechman. – SOLD OUT/WAITLIST* – RESERVE SEATS – Ben Blechman (Violin), Scott Law (Guitar), Mike Burdette (Guitar), Julio Appling (upright bass)
The Backburners are a Portland-based quartet of musical luminaries mashing up the timeless allure of Hot Club Swing and Blue Note jazz into an aesthetic of their own. Fueled by the melodic interplay of fiery violin and electrified archtop guitar gliding atop underpinnings of Django-esque rhythm and sinuous acoustic bass,The Backburners weave all-string arrangements of jazz classics with thoughtful original compositions.
Born from a collective determination to keep the flame of live music going during the tumultuous year of 2020 with concerts and tours cancelled, these guys gathered weekly for outdoor jams by the burn and glow of propane heaters, giving rise to their name. With violin, upright bass and two guitars, The Backburners playfully reimagine jazz classics and introduce form-fitting original pieces with dedication to improvisational freedom and stylistic integrity.
Ben Blechman (violin) – Ben performs with Stumptown Swing and is a veteran of many highly esteemed bands and projects, including the Santa Cruz Symphony, the Monterey Jazz Festival Orchestra, the Hot Club of San Francisco, and Taarka.
Scott Law (guitar) – is a seasoned accompanist whose passion for jazz and improvisational music fuels his endeavors. Renowned for his collaborations with Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead while in residency at the iconic “Terrapin Crossroads” venue in San Rafael, California (2014 to 2022), Law’s musical footprint extends beyond his own solo projects. As a multi-disciplined guitarist, Law effortlessly blends tradition with variation, captivating audiences with soulful melodies and irresistible grooves. (https://www.scottlawmusic.com)
Mike Burdette (guitar) – An early veteran of Abbie’s house concerts, Mike performs with Rio Con Brio and Stumptown Swing.
Julio Appling (upright bass) – Julio Appling’s performing career began as a gospel bassist in junior high, and has since weaved through classical, jazz, Americana, rock, and blues. Past projects include the genre bending, globetrotting Student Loan String Band and the exploratory jazz project Trio Flux. In fifteen years as a Portland-area sideman, his credits include The Portland Cello Project, Never Come Down, The Good Time Travelers, Strange and the Familiars, and Russell Street Jam, Will West and the Friendly Strangers, Kory Quinn, and many others.
April 22, 2024 (MON) – Kalos – RESERVE SEATS – Ryan McKasson (fiddle, viola, vocals), Eric McDonald (guitar, mandolin, lead vocals), Jeremiah McLane (accordion, piano, vocals) ~ traditional and original music.
Ryan McKasson, Eric McDonald and Jeremiah McLane are masters of tradition who purposefully explore the dark corners floating on its edges. Their individual artistry is enhanced when together. In short, the sum creates a greater whole. The result is an alluring complexity, full of spontaneous musicality. Pulling from parallel strands of influence, they set the standard for traditional repertoire with an underlying drive and pulse charged with rhythmic electricity, culminating in a swirling level of intensity. An air of mystery and adventure pervades a sound compelling enough to transcend boundaries and appeal to music lovers of all stripes. Devon Leger of Hearth Music says, “This trio really shows how masterful musicians listen and play off each other.” Kalos’ music asks to be shared live, and performance is the band’s heart and forte. Their partnership stretches beyond the music, born of fast friendships formed at the band’s origin and exhibited in their playfulness on stage, with organic banter and good humor to go along with the music. They create an environment of their own design, drawing in listeners without pretense. Despite living active musical lives thousands of miles apart these musicians have committed to working together to forge a new musical path.
April 27 (SAT) ~ CHORO DAS 3 ~ Brazilian Instrumental Music – Corina (flute/ pandeiro), Lia (7 string guitar), Elisa (mandolin/banjo/clarinet/piano) – (Read | WATCH ) – SOLD OUT/But you can get on the WAITLIST* => RESERVE SEATS – Suggested donation $25-30 at the door – Choro das 3 is a trio of three sisters from Sao Paolo, Brazil who are highly regarded as some of the best choro musicians in the world. (Choro is an enormously appealing musical style that originated in Brazil over 100 years ago and is now popular internationally.) In Brazil, Choro das 3 has been featured on national television, played for the president, and played for huge audiences at national festivals. The band toured the US annually from 2013 – 2019, playing concert venues, festivals and universities from coast to coast. They’ve also toured internationally and have released 11 CD’s. They were recently named as finalists for best Choro Group in the Brazilian national Prêmio Profissionais da Música (Music Professionals Award). Elisa, the youngest sister, was named finalist as best female composer as well.
Of the three sisters in the band, (family name Meyer), Corina plays flute and piccolo, Lia plays acoustic 7 string guitar, and Elisa, who writes many of their tunes, plays mandolin, clarinet, banjo, piano and accordion. From the time of the band’s founding, their father, Eduardo, played percussion. Tragically, he died from Covid early in the pandemic.
Choro das 3 plays, “. . . some of the most inspired and inspiring music . . . the highest level of musicianship and presentation . . . the highest quality of Brazilian Choro music that can be heard any place today.” – Mike Marshall.
May 11, 2024 (SAT) ~ Jerron Paxton and Dennis Lichtman ~ RESERVE SEATS (Suggested donation $25-30) ~ (Jerron Paxton – guitar/banjo/more, Dennis Lichtman – clarinet/mandolin/more) (Watch : Live at Cafe Lena | Louis Armstrong’s piano )
Jerron Paxton – Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton (born January 26, 1989) is an American multi-instrumentalist blues musician and vocalist from Los Angeles. He plays banjo, piano and violin and his musical influences are mainly rooted in the early blues from the 1920s and 30s. Jerron’s family, originally from Louisiana, moved to LA in the 50s where he grew up before moving to New York city in 2007, where he currently resides. With a strong interest in blues and jazz music before World War II, Paxton’s sound is influenced by the likes of Fats Waller and “Blind” Lemon Jefferson. According to Will Friedwald in the Wall Street Journal, Paxton is “virtually the only music-maker of his generation playing guitar, banjo, piano and violin, among other implements to fully assimilate the blues idiom of the 1920s and ’30s, the blues of Bessie Smith and Lonnie Johnson.”
Dennis Lichtman is a multi-instrumentalist (mainly clarinet, fiddle, and mandolin) who is deeply entrenched in early- to mid-1900’s American music, from traditional jazz and swing to bluegrass and western swing. His elegant voice carries through on all his instruments, lending a thread that weaves together the various genres he navigates. He has performed and recorded as a regular member of Ghost Train Orchestra, Pokey LaFarge Band, Nation Beat, Jim Kweskin Band, and many more.
May 13, 2024 (MON) ~ Tony McManus ~ (guitar) ~ Suggested $25-30 ~ RESERVE SEATS ~ Hailed by John Renbourn as ‘the best Celtic guitarist in the world’ Tony McManus has been listed as one of the 50 transcendental guitarists of all time by Guitar Player Magazine. Conjuring a unique but universal language from that most ubiquitous of instruments, the acoustic guitar, Tony McManus has both extended and transcended the parameters of contemporary Celtic music. Ranked by peers and predecessors alike alongside the guitar world’s all-time greats, his fiendishly dexterous, dazzlingly original playing draws on traditions from the entire Celtic diaspora – Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Galicia, Asturias, Cape Breton, Quebec – along with still further-ranging flavours, such as jazz and east European music.
May 16, 2024 (THURS) ~ Evie Ladin & Keith Terry ~ RESERVE SEATS ~ banjo • box • bass • body music • neo-trad kinetic folk ~ Innovative musicians/dancers with a quirky neo-trad soul, Oakland, California-based Evie Ladin & Keith Terry throw down original folk songs and deep interpretations of old songs, with the kinetic thrill of percussive dance.
May 23, 2024 (THURS) ~ Tony Furtado Duo Featuring Luke Price – (Suggested donation $25-30) RESERVE SEATS – (www.tonyfurtado.com) – Tony Furtado (banjo / cello-banjo / slide guitar) , Luke Price (fiddle) – Short Description/blurb and also a longer description if available : Tony is an evocative and soulful singer, a wide-ranging songwriter and a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist adept on banjo, cello-banjo, slide guitar and baritone ukulele who mixes and matches sounds and styles with the flair of a master chef (he’s also an accomplished sculptor, but that’s another story). All of the music of America is in Tony’s music. Relix hit the nail on the head when writing of Tony: “True talent doesn’t need categories.” Tony will be joined by 5 time National Fiddle Champion Luke Price. In addition Tony will be bringing some of his wonderful sculptures.
JUNE 2024
JUNE 2, 2024 (SUN) ~ Richard Smith (guitar) ~ Suggested $25-30 ~ RESERVE SEATS ~ (Watch Live1 | Fretboard Journal) – Born in Beckenham in 1971, Internationally acclaimed guitarist Richard Smith is a veteran road dog sometimes referred to as “The hardest working man in the biz.”
With a repertoire that spans from uptempo barn burners to swing standards, Chopin, Bach, Mozart, Scott Joplin, fiddle tunes, pop, 60’s classics to Sousa marches, his solo show is a showcase of guitar virtuosity and versatility.
JUNE 5, 2024 (WED) ~ Leah Wollenberg, Alex Sturbaum, Ida Hoequist ~ RESERVE SEATS ~ Leah Wollenberg (fiddle), Ida Hoequist (flute), and Alex Sturbaum (guitar) met at Oberlin College ten years ago, and the trio display a musical fluency and verve borne of long friendship coupled with disparate influences. Anchored by Bay Area native Leah Wollenberg’s driving and dancing fiddle, Virginia flutist Ida Hoequist’s smooth-as-glass woodwinds, and the northwest’s own Alex Sturbaum’s powerhouse rhythm guitar, the sound of these three musicians draws inspiration from a wide array of sources; both traditional and contemporary Celtic music, as well as the folk music of England, Sweden, and Newfoundland. With tender waltzes, mighty jigs and reels, and the odd full-throated labor song, Wollenberg, Hoequist, and Sturbaum have created a sound that is both rooted in tradition and firmly of the moment. Don’t miss a chance to hear the three of them together for a concert set! Listen to their music here: https://leahalexida.bandcamp.com/album/chance
JUNE 20, 2024 (THURS) ~ ALEX KEHLER & NICHOLAS WILLIAMS ~ RESERVE SEATS ~ Acoustic music drawing from Scandinavian, Québécois and Celtic roots.
Alex Kehler : fiddle, violin, nyckelharpa, and cittern; Nicholas Williams : wooden flutes, piano accordion, and piano
Alex Kehler and Nicholas Williams share a passion for Scandinavian musical traditions, an impulse to explore new acoustic textures and sonorities, and a tendency of accumulating excessive numbers of instruments. Equally at home playing music music for a hall of dancers, for an intimate audience, or on a large concert stage, they are always happy to share their knowledge, and to invite listeners to come with them on an engaging musical ride.
