Meetinghouse Café Concerts
A series of Folk Music Nights offered at the Meetinghouse starting. Dates and performers are listed below. All concerts are at 8 p.m. For more information, call the Fellowship at (802) 440-9816.
The Meetinghouse Café is an intimate setting with a maximum of 100 seats. Advance purchase tickets are available by calling 802-440-9816 and leaving a reservation request, name and phone number or by emailing info@uubennington.org. Doors open 1 hour before each concert.
2010-2011 Season
September 17, 8 p.m., $18
Jay Ungar and Molly Mason: Jay Ungar and Molly Mason are extraordinary musicians. If you didn't know it before, you sure did after Ken Burns' The Civil War hit the airwaves. Their performance of Jay's haunting composition Ashokan Farewell - the musical hallmark of the PBS series - earned the couple international acclaim. The soundtrack won a Grammy and Ashokan Farewell - originally inspired by Jay & Molly's annual fiddle and dance camps - was nominated for an Emmy.
Since joining forces in the late 1970s, Jay and Molly have become one of the most celebrated duos on the American acoustic music scene. With their comfortable sense of fun and their love of music, they make each concert a musical journey, sometimes spanning two continents and two centuries. Their incomparable warmth and wit - coupled with consummate musicianship - have delighted audiences worldwide.
Listen to the timeless renditions of hard-driving Appalachian, Cajun and Celtic fiddle tunes, stirring Civil War classics, sassy songs from the golden age of swing and country, stunning waltzes, and deeply moving original compositions. It's immediately apparent why Jay and Molly concerts warm the heart, feed the soul, and appeal to all ages. No wonder they continue to receive widespread critical praise.
October 22, 8 p.m., $15
Anne Hills: As a singer, actress, writer, and musician Anne Hills has collaborated with local favorites Cindy Mangsen and Steve Gillette (including a trio with Cindy and Priscilla Herdman). She has also performed with jazz-artist Peter Erskine, long-time friend Tom Paxton, and Michael Smith.
Though collaborative work is the keystone in Anne's career, it is her singing and interpretive gifts that have received the most attention. 1998 saw the release of Anne's performances on two of the most talked about compilations of the year, placing her voice alongside Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, The Roches, Ani DiFranco and The Indigo Girls on Where Have All the Flowers Gone? (The Songs of Pete Seeger) and What's That I Hear? (The Songs of Phil Ochs).
Born in India, Anne was educated in Michigan and moved to Chicago's fertile folk scene in 1976.
November 14, 8 p.m., $15
David Mallett: David Mallett is one of America's true original troubadours. In a career spanning four decades, he has recorded 14 albums, had several hundred covers of his songs, including the American folk classic "Garden Song" [Inch by Inch] and performed in clubs, concert halls and festivals across the US, Canada and Europe.
He has appeared on numerous broadcasts, including National Public Radio's A Prairie Home Companion. Known for his carefully written, poetic offerings, his body of work has provided material for an eclectic list of artists that includes Alison Krauss, Pete Seeger, Hal Ketchum, Emmylou Harris, John Denver and the Muppets.
December 3, 8 p.m., $15
Woods Tea Company: Woods Tea Company is an acoustic trio that performs fiery Celtic tunes, bluegrass, sea shanties, and American folk songs with ease and skill. All three members are fine vocalists and audiences often leave in awe of their wonderful harmonies.
Members are Howard Wooden: bass, guitar, bodhran; Tom MacKenzie: hammered dulcimer, banjo, guitar, ukulele, keyboard; and Patti Casey: guitar, flute, penny-whistle, and clogboard.
January 14, 8 p.m., $15
Pete and Karen Sutherland: 25 year veterans of the New England and national folk scenes, Pete and Karen are known for their wide knowledge of traditional music and music-making styles, their songwriting talents and their joy of performing for and with listening and dancing audiences of every description.
February, Date to be announced, $15
Kerry Ryer-Parke, Family and Friends: Kerry has promised to bring together her California family (sister and father) and local friends for a night of eclective folk and contemporary music. Kerry Ryer-Parke began her musical life at age 6, performing at folk festivals all around New England with her twin sister and father. Attending Bennington College, she immersed herself in classical vocal technique and repertoire. Teaching voice at the Sonatina School of Music in 1994, voice students Peter King, Dave Brown and Brad Sumner quickly dragged her from the ivory tower of classical music into the moat of rock and roll, asking her to join their band Midlife Crisis. When that group reformulated into The Prescription, Kerry began playing bass and also formed the Catbird Trio with drummer Dave Mellinger and Peter King on guitar.
Kerry teaches classical voice at Williams College, is the conductor of the Bennington Children's Chorus and has a private voice studio. She is known throughout the tri-state area for her ability to communicate the heart of the music in almost any style, from early music and opera to jazz and rock. Kerry says, "Living in Vermont means you have to do it all - but the band is really special. There's nothing I love more than playing for people when they are dancing and having a good time and you see their cares just drop away."
This is going to be a special, one-of-a-kind event and is likely to sell out fast.
March 11, 8 p.m., $15
Scott Ainslie: Coming of age during the Civil Rights era and with his abiding affection for cross-cultural exchange, Scott Ainslie speaks about the Blues the way he plays them; with authority and passion. His interactive teaching concerts are praised by students and teachers alike.
A community-based artist, Ainslie comes to the stage part storyteller, part historian, and all musician. Armed with three or four instruments - guitar, National slide guitar, a fretless gourd banjo and a diddley bow (one-string slide instrument) - with carefully chosen historical anecdotes and personal experiences with senior musicians across the South, Ainslie brings the African roots of American music out into the open.
Ainslie literally 'wrote the book' on Mississippi Delta Blues legend Robert Johnson and has an instructional DVD on Johnson's guitar techniques and songs, as well as five compact disc recordings available. His most recent, "Thunder's Mouth," has spent over five weeks on the XM Radio Bluesville "B.B. King's Picks To Click" and six weeks in the Americana Top 40 chart.
April 8, 8 p.m., $18
Mad Agnes: This may be your last chance to see Mad Agnes. They're calling it a day after years on the road and this concert is part of their "farewell tour". They were a hit last year and we're pleased to have them back.
Agnes's harmony-driven performance offers an eclectic mix of contemporary singer-songwriter material with influences of classical, Celtic, folk/rock, PDQ Bach, and a touch of street theatre. Their lyrics, vocal intricacies and instrument prowess make their music "music for thinking people".
May 6, 8 p.m., $15
Dana and Susan Robinson: The genius of a Dana and Susan Robinson performance lies in their ability to capture the imagination of their audience, evoking a transformative experience that touches on the deepest humanity. They can make the audience howl with laughter or hush with poignant reflection as they take them on a journey across America and convey the mystery and wonder of the places they visit.
Underpinning the songs is the undeniable rhythm of their trademark guitar/banjo sound. Whether it is quiet or driving, there is a steady and unrelenting groove to the music that supports the lyric and delivers the story in an effortless and magical way.
A native of the Pacific Northwest, Dana relocated to New England where he discovered both a thriving songwriters scene and the deep well of traditional mountain music. In the early 1980's, Dana settled in northern Vermont and built a house "off the grid" (no electricity and phone) on 30 acres near the Canadian border. There he founded a popular bakery, café and folk music venue. Dana launched into full-time touring after the release of his 1994 debut CD, Elemental Lullabye, and after receiving a request to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City for Putumayo's Shelter benefit project.
Sue grew up in a musical family in New England. She studied piano, oboe, and Scottish fiddle before meeting Dana in 2002. Sue was working in the environmental field in California when she met Dana at a house concert. Upon moving to North Carolina a short time thereafter, Sue launched into studying with many of the great oldtime musicians in the Asheville area, and naturally adapted to the on-the-road lifestyle.