Scott Alarik, folk music writer for the Boston Globe, author and musician, has written a novel set in the Boston music community of open mics, house concerts and folk clubs. He's coming to IMT to do a combined performance and book reading, and we're excited to have him!

For the past 25 years, Scott has been arguably the most prolific and influential folk music writer in the country. He covered folk for the Boston Globe, contributed regularly to public radio, including seven years as correspondent for the national news show Here and Now, and wrote for many national magazines, including Sing Out, Billboard, and Performing Songwriter.

Now, Scott has written Revival, the first novel set entirely in the folk world of the 21st century. Even before publication, the love story was earning raves from Booklist (“A joyous celebration of folk musicians and their world”), and from folk stars like Tom Paxton, Ellis Paul, Catie Curtis, John Gorka, Alison Brown, Mary Gauthier, and Gordon Bok, who called it “just about the warmest, most nourishing book I’ve read.” “Music lifts us up,” wrote songwriter, organizer, activist, and author Si Kahn. “So does Revival.”

Scott is also a popular presenter of talks on folk music topics at colleges, museums, folk societies, and other venues. He was invited to deliver the inaugural Botkin Folklife Lecture at the Library of Congress, and teaches an annual course called “Understanding Folk Music” at McDaniel College’s Common Ground music camp.

Scott has maintained his performing career, appearing at coffeehouses near his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and releasing two CDs, -30- and All That Is True. In singing the praises of Revival, Si Kahn wrote, “Scott Alarik has long been one of the wisest and most literate voices on the folk scene, from his articles and books to his own passionate songwriting, storytelling and performances.”

Becky Warren and the Great Unknowns will open for Scott. Becky recently won the top prize in the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest, and has been nominated as Roots Rock Female Vocalist in the 2012 Washington Area Music Awards.

Visit Scott's website at scottalarik.com

Visit the Great Unknowns' website at www.greatunknowns.com.

Becky Warren sings Lexington.

A two-time Grammy award-winning artist, recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the RI Council for the Humanities, Bill uses song and story to paint a vibrant and hilarious picture of growing up, schooling and family life.

His work spans the generation gap, reminds us of our common humanity and challenges us to be our very best selves. A prolific author and recording artist, Bill is also a regular commentator for NPR's "All Things Considered" and featured on PBS. He joined the National Storytelling Network's Circle of Excellence in 2001 and tours nationwide as an author, performing artist and keynote speaker.

Bill began singing and storytelling in 1975 while still in college. His work has influenced a generation of children, parents, performing artists and educators. Bill's songs are joyous, direct and honest, his stories are filled with the details of daily life--all told and sung from his slightly off-center point of view.

"Humor is my weapon," says Harley of his award-winning recordings. A two-time Grammy winner, Bill's recordings have also garnered numerous other national awards including Parents' Choice, NAPPA (National Association of Parenting Publication Awards), ALA (American Library Association) and the highest honor from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio for his concert DVD, "Yes to Running!" filmed in conjunction with Montana PBS.

Bill's trademark wit and wisdom can also be found in his picture books and novels for children. His first novel, The Amazing Flight of Darius Frobisher was chosen by Bank Street School of Education as one of the best children's books of the year and his second novel, Night of the Spadefoot Toads was awarded the Green Earth Book Award as best environmental book of the year in the children's fiction category. His picture books, based on his songs, stories and poems also stand out as 'pick of the list' from ABA and a Storytelling Award Winner. An advocate for children and educators, Bill is currently at work on a book about the culture of schools.

Visit Bill's website at www.billharley.com

Born to each other, a band raised from the beginning, the Parkington Sisters create an aural experience that is both magnetic in its delivery and genuine in its emotional impact. Seeded from a generation of musicians, Rose, Nora, Sarah and Ariel Parkington were raised in a wildly musical household where every room sounded with a spark of song, naturally inspiring their individual hearts and hands to find their own instrumental avenues.

These roads led them through every direction including stints in eclectic rock bands, to performing on stages in far away lands, with symphonies and string quartets, and to conservatory and university.

Despite their extensive musical background, it wasn’t until 2005 that their roads harmonized and they began performing instrumentals together for the first time on the salty streets of Provincetown. Eventually their passion for songwriting won out as their sound evolved into each sister writing and singing individually. Combining their diverse tastes, filtered through their acquired classical training, the sisters soon realized the potential for combining four dynamic voices with four confident instruments.

Rose plays guitar, piano and accordion, Ariel and Sarah play violin and viola, and Nora plays violin and percussion. Nonetheless, all are multi-instrumentalists and their music is embodied by vibrant string arrangements combined with tight, interwoven four-part vocal harmonies, and gorgeous, blending voices. Ambitious and intricate, the Parkington Sisters produce an undeniable expression of sisterhood able to slip from their hearts into a sound all their own.

Visit the Parkington's website at www.parkingtonsisters.com

The Parkingtons at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, July 27, 2011.

The Hot Seats play stringband music with simple intentions: to keep the role of traditional musician as entertainer and commentator alive and kicking. Homer and Jethro, The Skillet Likkers, George Formby, Woodie Guthrie, Phil Ochs, Tommy Jarrell, Uncle Dave Macon, Frank Zappa – these are pools from which The Hot Seats draw. Their original music is simultaneously hard to classify and instantly identifiable, combining the virtuosic soloing and tightness of bluegrass, the band-driven rhythm of old time, the jerky bounce of ragtime, and the swagger of good old rock and roll. Add some eastern melodies, a few modernist ideals, and an uncanny feel for comic timing, and you begin to approach this sound.

While striving to push tradition forward, the band takes great pride in their ability to play within a tradition style as well as without. When it’s bluegrass, they bring you back to the 1960's era of Flatt and Scruggs or Jimmy Martin; when it’s old-time, they try and channel the Camp Creek Boys; when it’s time for a bit of satire, it’s the images of Frank Zappa or the Fugs towards which they gravitate. Ultimately, the Hot Seats are most concerned with making the music that they want to hear and playing in the manner that is most entertaining to themselves; the fact that audiences and critics alike have embraced it is almost a wonderful coincidence.

The band’s most recent full length release, Retreat To Camp Candy Temptation Island highlights the band’s flexibility, moving between bluegrass, ragtime, oldtime, jugband, and Klezmer with ease, injecting humor and sharp witted commentary along the way. Their 2010 EP release features seven songs pulled from the depths of the public domain of old time and ragtime music. These albums together are evidence of the band’s dedication to treat stringband music as a modern form, open to current themes and sensibilities, as well as a tradition that is deserving of preservation, and to the Hot Seats’ ability to play both on the outskirts and in the center of the Appalachian tradition.

Visit the Hot Seat's website at thehotseats.net

Stories abound where the prairie meets the hills--modern/retro harmonies and groove in original and traditional Americana and Bluegrass music.

Life-long musicians Steve Smith (vocals, mandolin, mandola and guitar) and Chris Sanders (vocals and guitar) have captured audiences across the country with the depth of their songwriting and the power of their distinctive voices. They have welcomed the exciting groove of Anne Luna on bass and vocals. Anne has appeared with April Verch, Spring Creek Bluegrass and recorded with Kenny Maines and Alan Munde. The Trio is set to release their new recording of original material in February 2012.

Their music grows from Steve’s love of bluegrass rooted in his native Virginia and the beauty of choral singing ever-present in Chris’ Minnesota childhood. Together, their north/south blend of Bluegrass and Americana provides a unique heartbeat and lilt underscored by Anne’s driving bass.

Their latest CD, Signs Along the Road, received national and international airplay and has found its way onto folk, roots and bluegrass charts, climbing to #30 on the Billboard Cashbox charts.

“Signs Along the Road refuses any one label, except perhaps that of good, evocative music.” --Bluegrass Unlimited, June 2010

Visit Steve's's website at www.desertnight.com

The Hard Road Trio at the Black Box Theater, Las Cruces, New Mexico, Dec. 9, 2010.

Téada is returning to IMT

One of Irish traditional music's leading exponents, Téada is driven by a fascination for the timeless, expressive force of music inherited from previous generations of musicians.

Founded by Sligo fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada, Téada first came together in 2001 to make an appearance on the innovative Irish television series ‘Flosc’. With engaging textural arrangements, Téada, (which means "strings" in the Irish language) revels in the vibrant traditional music of Ireland. Deftly playing up its structural intricacies while preserving the contagious energy inherent in the repertoire, the group strives to capture a sense of the rawness and individuality of the solo artist, within a modern group context.

An Irish band with a truly worldwide reach, Téada has appeared as a frequent headliner at major music festivals throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Africa, Israel and Australia. Highlights include a 30,000-capacity stadium concert in Brittany, along with performances at Penang World Music Festival in Malaysia, Edmonton Folk Festival in Canada, Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe, and Campeche International Festival in Mexico. The group also received an invitation from the Irish Embassy in Rome during 2008 to perform at a commemorative event marking the 400th anniversary of the landmark event in Irish history known as “The Flight of the Earls.”

Winner of ‘Best Young Irish Traditional Act’ at Ireland’s Music Awards, Téada released a longawaited fourth album, Ceol & Cuimhne / Music & Memory in 2010, described by The Irish Echo’s Earle Hitchner as “the best album of Irish instrumental music I’ve heard so far this year “. 2011 sees Téada mark its’ 10th anniversary with a busy season of touring and other special projects.

Visit Téada's website at http://www.teada.com

Téada performing at the 2006 Tg4 Gradam Ceoil award ceremony.

Born in 1964 in Washington DC, a major focal point for both bluegrass and Irish music, Robin began playing guitar at age seven, initially inspired by Doc and Merle Watson, Norman Blake and John Fahey. Robin's apprenticeship years were spent at fiddlers' conventions, bluegrass festivals and Irish seisuns, mastering the subtleties of a half-dozen instruments in both American and Celtic styles. Today, Robin is recognized as one of the few musicians who can so successfully blend the ancient airs and dance tunes of the Celtic lands with the roots music traditions of the "New World."

Visit Robin's website at www.robinbullock.com

Robin Bullock has been entertaining audiences in IMT's annual Christmas show for years. Now he's coming back for a solo concert to release his new CD Majesty and Magic, and he'll be doing a workshop on Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar the Sunday before the show.

Hailed as a "Celtic guitar god" by Baltimore City Paper, Robin Bullock is a prolific composer and virtuoso multi-instrumentalist interpreting the ancient melodies of the Celtic lands and their vigorous Appalachian descendants on acoustic guitar, cittern and mandolin. The 17th-century harp tunes of legendary Irish bard Turlough O'Carolan, the spirited jigs and reels of rural Ireland, the haunting ballads of southern Appalachia and evocative original compositions all find a common ground in Robin's music, where lightning-fast fingerwork one moment is perfectly balanced with tender, quiet intimacy the next. A warm, friendly presence onstage, Robin effortlessly creates a magical world for the audience with his instrumental wizardry, taking them on a journey to the heart and soul of Celtic and American traditions.

Originally rising to prominence as a founding member of the innovative acoustic world-music trio Helicon (winners of the Association for Independent Music's prestigious INDIE Award for Best Seasonal Recording), Robin's solo career has won him multiple Washington Area Music Association WAMMIE Awards, a Governor's Award from the Maryland State Arts Council, and a feature broadcast on National Public Radio's hugely popular Celtic music program "The Thistle and Shamrock." His recorded work includes eight critically acclaimed solo CDs and numerous collaborations, including Celtic Guitar Summit with California fingerstylist Steve Baughman, which was honored by Acoustic Guitar Magazine with an "Editor's Pick" as one of the top CDs of 2003.

Born in 1964 in Washington DC, a major focal point for both bluegrass and Irish music, Robin began playing guitar at age seven, initially inspired by Doc and Merle Watson, Norman Blake and John Fahey. Robin's apprenticeship years were spent at fiddlers' conventions, bluegrass festivals and Irish seisuns, mastering the subtleties of a half-dozen instruments in both American and Celtic styles. Today, Robin is recognized as one of the few musicians who can so successfully blend the ancient airs and dance tunes of the Celtic lands with the roots music traditions of the "New World," winning praise from publications as diverse as Classical Guitar ("A musician whose technical skill and stylistic expertise are second to none"), Folk Roots ("Celtic flatpicking hero...a spectacular display of virtuosity and musicianship") and Bluegrass Unlimited ("Brilliant...inventive interpretations filled with grace and charm and warmth and insight").

In 2000, Robin relocated to France, and now lives in the tiny village of Tripleval, on the River Seine northwest of Paris. He continues to tour and record on both sides of the Atlantic, solo, in duos with guitarist Steve Baughman and flute player Michel Sikiotakis, and as touring sideman with American folk legend Tom Paxton. In solo concert, he shares his remarkable gifts on guitar, cittern, mandolin and piano, combining Celtic and American ballads, airs and dance tunes into one magnificent vision.

Visit Robin's website at www.robinbullock.com

Robin performing in Harpers Ferry, WV, in November 17, 2007.

Ale Möller

Ale Möller creates his own musical landscape, drawing from different musical traditions. He ranges freely, motivated by his own curiosity. His inquiring ambitions have been transferred to a wide audience, fascinated by the complexity of his music and intoxicated by his movement through the entire landscape.

The Möller signature is recognized by its significant drive, where there’s always a tone that wants to move on by its own free will. Ale Möller can create a “craze-joy” like no other, both on and off stage, which is his explicit goal. As a musical storyteller he is very determined in his ambitions, as he started out at an early age playing the trumpet.

Later on he fell in love with Greek music and the Swedish folklore tradition, especially music from the Swedish province of Dalecarlia. Being a multi-instrumentalist, he can handle instruments like mandola, accordion, flute, shawm and cowhorn – but foremost Ale is a musician that works his way into the very core of the traditional music that he encounters, no matter if the style is Greek rembetika or sulky triple tone.

Bruce Molsky

There's no one better suited to join Ale on his musical explorations than American old-time master Bruce Molsky. Alone or with fellow musicians, guitar, fiddle or banjo in hand, Bruce Molsky has been exploring traditional music from an astonishingly broad range of cultures over the past two decades – synthesizing them and refracting them through his own evolving sensibilities to the point where the sources of his inspiration transform themselves into a sound that is uniquely his. While most identified with traditional American old-time music, Molsky’s influences range from the Appalachian soul of Tommy Jarrell to Delta blues; from the haunting modal strains of Irish music to the rhythmically nimble music of Eastern Europe.

Visit Ale's website at www.alemoller.com

Visit Bruce's website at www.brucemolsky.com

Ale and Bruce at IMT.

Edinburgh born harpist and singer Maeve Gilchrist has been credited as an innovator on her native Celtic Harp at the young age of 25. With her distinct vocal sound and exquisite harp playing, Gilchrist has bought audiences to their feet all over Europe and North America.

Gilchrist put together her alternative string trio after being inspired by the rich and innovative string sounds that the northeast new-acoustic scene had to offer.

Along with her regular collaborator, bassist Aidan O’ Donnell (Scottish Jazz Awards recipient), Maeve is joined by fiddler Duncan Wickel (who has performed with John Doyle, Lily Henley and the Duhks) to form a unique and colorful string sound drawing deeply on Maeve’s traditional music background while also including elements of improvisation.

Duncan’s reputation has been growing quickly on a national level as a wildly diverse and highly accomplished improviser, composer and technician on the violin. He is sought after for his stylistic mastery of jazz, Irish, old time and bluegrass music, captivating audiences and fellow musicians with his creativity as well as the subtle authenticity and chameleon-like ease in which he blends and changes styles. Duncan was music musical director for James Devine's acclaimed dance show Tapeire and has performed with the Cathie Ryan Band, Wyclef Jean and Mark Simos among others. He is currently based and active in the heart of Boston's thriving acoustic music scene.

Aidan O’Donnell started his musical life in Glasgow playing bass guitar in rock bands, but stepped up to the double bass at the age of 16. A year later he was accepted into the inaugural year of the Birmingham Conservatoire jazz course. During his time in Birmingham he played around the city in various jazz and latin bands, as well as regularly traveling back to his hometown to play with jazz musicians in Scotland. During his last year at university he became a regular member of the Tommy Smith quartet, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, and the Colin Steele quintet. Aidan is also much in demand for recording work too, having featured on 16 albums since leaving university. Since October 2007 he has been resident in New York.

IMT's harp concerts are sponsored by the Washington Area Folk Harp Society. WAFHS members receive a discount on advance ticket purchases for the shows in the harp series.

Visit Maeve's website at maevegilchristmusic.com

Maeve Gilchrist sings Mirk, Mick at Club Passim, Oct. 15, 2010, with Darol Anger, Tashina Clarridge,Tristan Clarridge and Aidan O'Donnell.

Maeve Gilchrist sings Bee's Wing at the Wellfleet Preservation Hall

Take four individually accomplished traditional musicians and singers with fresh attitudes. Combine them, and you have the rich, soaring four-part vocal arrangements and high energy dance tunes that are Long Time Courting. Bringing together the talents of Sarah Blair on fiddle/vocals, Liz Simmons on guitar/vocals, Shannon Heaton on flute/vocals, and Ariel Friedman on cello/vocals, this Boston-based band shares a love of traditional Irish, Scottish and American folk music as well as contemporary material. They bring elements of these various genres to their repertoire in a way that is seamlessly innovative, inventively arranged, and skillfully rendered.

Shannon Heaton is a veteran performer, having toured nationally with her husband, guitarist Matt Heaton, for over ten years. She developed her love of folk and traditional music early on, having lived in music-rich Nigeria and Thailand. It was in Chicago, IL that she discovered the local Irish music community and began learning tunes at Comhaltas and pub sessions. Since then, her keen melodic and arranging sensibilities, discerning ear, and exquisite Irish flute style has been featured with numerous Boston area ensembles.

Liz Simmons grew up listening to her mother sing traditional songs from Ireland, Scotland, England and Appalachia, as well as the New Orleans brass music her father plays. Since then, she has developed a unique vocal and guitar style that incorporates the sounds of traditional and contemporary music. She is the lead singer of Annalivia, a string-band that fuses Celtic and Americana musical styles. Among her other performing credits are North Cregg, The Sevens, and The John Whelan Band. Her singing will be featured in the soon-to-be-released film "Time and Charges", written and directed by Grammy and Emmy award winner Ernest Thompson.

Sarah Blair began playing Irish fiddle in Providence, Rhode Island's thriving traditional Irish music scene. She honed her playing as a sought-after session leader in Boston and in the world of American contra dancing. With her band The Sevens and with other ensembles, Sarah has played at festivals, concerts, and dance weeks from Alaska to Quebec to Florida. Her most unusual gig was filling in for fiddler Liz Carroll for a portion of The Eagles' singer Don Henley's 2000 tour.

Ariel Friedman, a classically trained cellist from the Boston area, is one of few musicians to be challenging the boundaries of cello-playing. She graduated from Northwestern University in 2008 where she studied cello performance with Hans Jorgen Jensen, and received a masters of music in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory in 2011. She plays in an accompanied duo with her sister Mia, tours internationally with Scottish National Fiddle champion Hanneke Cassel, and plays with New England's highly acclaimed fiddle band Childsplay.

Visit Long Time Courting's website at www.longtimecourting.com

Long Time Courting plays Pony Boy in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Seven master artists, seven traditions, one extraordinary collaboration.

The musicians and dancers of the Old Doors/New Worlds Project have been raising the bar and sailing over it, reveling in musical conversations that honor the depth of each tradition and the joy of new discoveries. Their concert premiere in Takoma Park last September left the audience amazed and begging for more. Now they’re here again, with three new reasons to celebrate:

• they’ve been finding out-of-the-box ways to show collaboration in action, bringing the audience in on the confoundments, the open-eared curiosity, and the aha! moments of communicating across traditions;
• they have a brand-new 2-disc CD/DVD full of sparkling studio recordings, film of their premiere concert, and documentary features;
• they’re delighted to welcome blues harmonica virtuoso Phil Wiggins to the group.

Join in on an evening where anything can happen...and just might.

Jodi Beder plays modern and Baroque cello in many ensembles and collaborations. She is principal cellist of Princeton (NJ) Symphony Orchestra and plays her famous painted cello Zizi in the Low End String Quartet and the cabaret-rock band Zen for Primates. She has been the solo cellist for a synagogue in NYC for over 20 years, and brings Jewish traditions and early music to Old Doors/New Worlds.

Fiddler Daron Douglas brings to the meeting years of living in the mountains, playing Renaissance music, leading contra and English country dance bands, the spell of New Orleans, and much old-time music making. This year she’s working on a recording of the Appalachian ballad tradition of her great-grandmother Jane Hicks Gentry.

Described by the Irish Times as “The human epitome of the unbearable lightness of being,” Michigan-born dancer Nic Gareiss has performed as featured soloist with such luminaries as The Chieftains, Solas, Darol Anger, Dervish and Martin Hayes. His work re-imagines movement as a musical activity, morphing dance into a medium that appeals to both the eyes and the ears.

Andrea Hoag, originator of Old Doors/New Worlds, has earned a Grammy nomination for her Swedish fiddling and was the first American to graduate from the Folk Violin program at Malungs Folkhögskola (Sweden). Her music has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and Performance Today, and on stages across the nation.

Guitarist Owen Morrison was steeped in traditional fiddle music from an early age. His fluid flat-picking allows him to move seamlessly between lead and supporting roles. He has performed with artists as diverse as Fred Wesley, Rodney Miller, Russ Barenberg and John Doyle. Also an avid composer, Owen has recorded much of his original music with his bands Elixir and Night Watch.

Saxophonist and bass clarinetist Leigh Pilzer has toured internationally with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra and Sherrie Maricle & The DIVA Jazz Orchestra. She has arranged numerous compositions for a variety of big bands and co-leads the Jen Krupa-Leigh Pilzer Quintet.

Phil Wiggins is arguably America’s foremost blues harmonica virtuoso. While rooted in the melodic Piedmont or “Tidewater” blues of the Chesapeake region, his mastery of the instrument now transcends stylistic boundaries. Born in Washington D.C. in 1954, Phil Wiggins achieved worldwide acclaim over three decades as one half of the premier Piedmont blues duo of Cephas & Wiggins.

Visit the Old Doors/New Worlds website at www.OldDoors.org

The Old Doors/New Worlds project performs My Mule Has the Richest Blood/Give the Fiddler a Dram/Allons Boire un Coup.

Multi-instrumentalist Matt Flinner has made a career out of playing acoustic music in new ways. Starting out as a banjo prodigy who was playing bluegrass festivals before he entered his teens, Flinner later took up the mandolin, won the National Banjo Contest at Winfield Kansas in 1990, and took the mandolin award there the following year. Since then, he has become recognized as one of the premiere mandolinists as well as one of the finest new acoustic/roots music composers today.

Matt has toured and recorded with a wide variety of bluegrass, new acoustic, classical and jazz artists, including Tim O’Brien, Frank Vignola, Steve Martin, Darrell Scott, Leftover Salmon, Alison Brown, Tony Trischka and Darol Anger. He has also recorded two Compass Records CDs and toured as part of Phillips, Grier and Flinner with bassist Todd Phillips and guitarist David Grier.

His two solo CDs, The View from Here and Latitude, are now widely considered classics in the new acoustic/modern bluegrass style. His current group, the Matt Flinner Trio (with guitarist Ross Martin and bassist Eric Thorin), has forged new pathways in acoustic string band music with their two ground-breaking CDs, “Music du Jour” and “Winter Harvest” (coming soon!).

Visit Matt's website at www.mattflinner.com

The Matt Flinner Trio plays "Lee Highway Blues" at the Ogden Nature Center, June 2011

A stunning synthesis of virtuosity and energy, The Outside Track's marriage of Canadian, Scottish and Irish music and song has been rapturously received around the world. Hailing from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver, its five members are united by a love of traditional music and a commitment to creating new music on its foundation. Using fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, step-dance and vocals these five virtuosos blend boundless energy with unmistakable joie de vivre.

Each player within The Outside Track is a master of their chosen instrument with the band stacking up an impressive amount of international awards. This amount of talent alone would be enough to recommend the band but in this case the end result is so much greater than the sum of the parts.

The line up comprises Norah Rendell (Canadian Traditional Singer of the Year nominee), Ivonne Hernandez, Ailie Robertson (Live Ireland Winner, BBC Young Trad Finalist), Fiona Black (BBC Fame Academy Winner), and Cillian O'Dalaigh.

Visit The Outside Track's website at www.theoutsidetrack.com

The Outside Track performing in Germany in 2009.

John Jorgenson is known as one of the pioneers of the American gypsy jazz movement. He has performed as a solo artist as well as collaborated with other musicians all over the world. His articles and lessons on gypsy jazz have appeared in prominent guitar magazines and he has given master classes around the country, and he has performed with some of the most respected European proponents of this style, Bireli Lagrene and Romane.

Audiences are amazed by John's dazzling guitar work as well as his mastery as a clarinet player and vocalist. Whether playing his own accessible compositions or classic standards, John and his band make music that is equally romantic and ecstatic, played with virtuosity and soul.

Growing up in Southern California, John was playing both the piano and the clarinet by age 8. At 12 he got his first guitar and practiced voraciously while continuing to study classical music on woodwinds. By age 14, John was playing professionally. Learning first to play rock guitar, John absorbed other guitar styles as quickly as he discovered them. This broad musical palette has enabled him to play with artists as diverse as Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti, Bonnie Raitt, and Benny Goodman.

John Jorgenson first came to national prominence in the mid 1980's with The Desert Rose Band, which he co-founded with Chris Hillman. The band earned five number one singles and garnered several awards. During this time, John won the ACM's "Guitarist of the Year" award three consecutive times. Following the Desert Rose Band, John formed another award-winning group, the virtuosic guitar trio The Hellecasters. Originally conceived as a "one off" gig for fun, the group went on to produce three acclaimed CDs and a live video. They won both "Album of the Year" and "Country Album of the Year" from the readers of Guitar Player Magazine for the stunning debut effort Return of the Hellecasters, released in 1993.

In 1994, Elton John invited John on an 18-month world tour. The 18 months stretched into a six-year period that included not only sold out world tours, but also recordings, television appearances, and collaborations with many other artists including Sting and Billy Joel. In addition to acoustic and electric guitars, John was also featured on saxophone, pedal steel, mandolin and vocals.

Although John Jorgenson is well-renowned in the pop, country and rock world, gypsy jazz is the style of music closest to his heart. Because of his international reputation as a gypsy jazz player, John was twice asked to recreate Django Reinhardt's music for feature films: Gattica and Head in The Clouds. The latter, released in early 2005 and starring Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz, features John on camera as Django Reinhardt, complete with burned hand and gypsy moustache.

Visit John's website at johnjorgenson.com

The John Jorgenson Quintet plays Red on Red at IMT in March 2010.

Karen Collins is bringing the Backroads Band back to IMT to release their new CD, No Yodeling on the Radio.

The Backroads Band is Karen (vocals, rhythm guitar), Ira Gitlin (lead guitar, harmony vocals), Geff King (bass, vocals) and David Lopez (drums).

Karen is a coal miner's daughter from Southwest Virginia. She grew up listening to country music, and the influence of Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams and other country greats is evident in the early country sound of her original songs. Karen is also fiddler and vocalist with the award winning Cajun band, Squeeze Bayou, and she plays and sings in the popular acoustic country quartet, The Blue Moon Cowgirls.

Ira's guitar playing gets its down-to-earth drive from his long involvement in bluegrass, and its sophisticated rhythms and harmonies from his interest in western swing and jazz. A award winning multi-instrumentalist and former National Bluegrass Banjo Champion, Ira is in demand as a sideman and music instructor. In addition to the Backroads Band, you may find Ira playing with the Oklahoma Twisters and The Blue Moon Cowgirls.

Geff is a Maryland native now living in Greenbelt. A former standup bassist who went "electrified" in 1980, Geff has played with such bands as Windy Ridge, Mike Hays, New Early Sunrise Band, The Slim Jims, and Honky Tonk Confidential (with whom he recorded three albums, including one WAMA Album of the Year.) Geff is also an accomplished songwriter in his own right, and he brings several new original songs to the Backroads Band that he says "can't be done quite as well anywhere else."

Rounding out the band is David Lopez on drums.

Visit Karen's website at users.rcn.com/fredfeinstein/karen/backroadsband.html

Karen and the Backroads Band at the "Mostly Hank" Hank Williams Tribute at the Surf Club, August 26, 2011.

Lily Neill began her career at a very young age here in Washington. At age fifteen she performed alongside The Chieftains and the late Derek Bell at the Concert Hall at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, returning the next year for another show with the super-group. Lily has since gone on to perform at such venues as the Wolftrap Center for the Performing Arts, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the University of Limerick Concert Hall and London's Royal National Theatre and Glór Irish Music Centre.

Lily performs and teaches around the world, performing a mixture of her original compositions and music from various folk traditions. Irish Music Magazine has praised her work as "part of the new Harp revolution extolling aspects of harp music never previously heard". Lily's foundation in Irish music, coupled with her eclectic tastes and classical piano training, has enabled her to expand the voice of the harp through her arrangements of music and in her original compositions. Her appearances, from performances in concert halls and arts centers to shows in clubs and festivals, have allowed her to bring the harp to new audiences.

Irish Music Magazine writes, "Lily Neill's musical compass remains eclectic. While she courts the old manuscripts and composers, her Sat Nav is placed firmly leftfield. That sphere includes plentiful original compositions which form the backbone of her live and recorded programme so far. One of the most challenging and provocative musicians of her time--Lily Neill's daredevil approach works wonders."

Lily has performed in cities as diverse as Dublin, Helsinki, Kazan, London, Moscow, New York City, Paris, Saint Petersburg, Vilnius and Washington, D.C. She has had the honour of performing for former U.S. President Bill Clinton and for Ireland's President Mary McAleese. Lily's repertoire is a combination of original compositions and music from folk traditions.

IMT's harp concerts are sponsored by the Washington Area Folk Harp Society. WAFHS members receive a discount on advance ticket purchases for the shows in the harp series.

Visit Lily's website at www.lilyneill.com

Lily Neill at the A Boxful of Treasures Folk Festival in Forlì, Italy in August 2009.

The Tannahill Weavers' diverse repertoire reflects the duality of Scotland's musical heritage. It embraces both the mystical quality of the Highlander's Celtic music, and the rollicking, sometimes even brawling qualities of the Lowlander's Anglo-Scots tunes. The Tannahill Weavers' arrangements blend the beauty of the traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. The penetrating sound of the Highland bagpipes is a thread of ancient memory running through it all.

Visit the Weaver's website at tannahillweavers.com

The Tannahill Weavers performing at IMT, February 2009.

Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen have had an exciting year since their concert at IMT on Frank's birthday last year. And just this past weekend, they won the Bluegrass Duo/Group award at the 2012 Washington Area Music Association awards. We're lucky to get them back at IMT this spring.

At the highest levels of acoustic musicianship exists a mystery — the mystery of tone, taste and timing… It can best be illustrated by giving a good musician a good instrument and asking him to briefly strum, pick, bow, — whatever is required to produce the best sound. Then, by way of comparison, hand that very same instrument to a GREAT musician and ask for the same.

It is a phenomenon that manifests itself every time that Frank Solivan picks up a mandolin, guitar or violin. What you see may be the same pick or bow, on the same strings, on the same fretboard that the good player demonstrated, but the sound… Ah… there’s the difference!

Joining Frank in Dirty Kitchen are Mike Munford, Lincoln Meyers and Danny Booth.

Visit the Frank's website at dirtykitchenband.com.

Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen with guests Jimmy Gaudreau, Bill Emerson, Wayne Taylor and Avril Smith at IMT in March, 2011.