Showing posts with label PittsburghFolkMusicSociety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PittsburghFolkMusicSociety. Show all posts

Friday, August 29, 2014

Calliope Presents Paul Ellis

For Immediate Release                  
Contact:  Lisa Alexander, PR Marketing Manager
Calliope
(412) 361-1915, lalexander@calliopehouse.org        

CALLIOPE PRESENTS
ELLIS PAUL



(Pittsburgh, PA)- Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society welcomes Ellis Paul to THE ROOTS CELLAR, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Shadyside, on Thursday, September 25, 2014, 7:30 PM.
More information is available online at www.calliopehouse.org or by contacting the Calliope office at (412) 361-1915. Tickets are $28 / $12 (w/ student ID) *handling fees included.

“Despite his success and sense of history, Mr. Paul remains an artist with his eye on the future and an interest in discovering the transformative potential in his music.”
– The New York Times

Ellis Paul’s songwriting credentials are unassailable. They are as genuine as the 14 Boston music Awards he has earned, as indelible as the tattoo of Woody Guthrie that adorns his arm, and as authentic as the musical roots he draws upon with every note he plays.

Since emerging from the Boston music scene, Ellis Paul’s music has been consistently recognized and celebrated worldwide, his 16 releases and loyal, enthusiastic audiences reinforce this acclaim and have since cemented his place as one of America’s most talented songwriters.

Happily, his music has been shared with a wider audience as well, through commercials,
documentaries, TV shows and in the soundtracks of several blockbuster films, among them three by the Farrelly Brothers -- “Hall Pass” (starring Owen Wilson and Alyssa Milano), “Me, Myself, & Irene” (starring Jim Carrey) and “Shallow Hal” (starring Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow). Peter Farrelly summed up the sentiments of all those who have come to know and appreciate Paul’s music by referring to him as “a national treasure.”

Ellis Paul

Not surprisingly, Paul’s consistently been heralded by others as well. One writer noted “that it reminds you how much we need storytellers back in pop music -- storytellers with empathy, fine eyes and an understanding that even though we live in a soulless, indifferent would, out music doesn’t have to reflect our culture." Another reviewer was even more pointed. “Ellis Paul is one of the best singer/songwriters of his generation,” she commented. “And for many of us he is the face of contemporary folk music. Few are as smart, as literate, as poetic as Paul. I cannot think of another artist on the acoustic music scene is better loved by fans, or more respected by his contemporaries.”
Indeed, he is all that, and in a very real sense, even more. He’s an observer, a philosopher, and an astute storyteller who shares with his listeners the life lessons he’s learned, and in turn, life lessons they ought to heed as well. By affirming and defining who he is, Ellis Paul affirms and uncovers the essence of us all.

With 16 CD’s, a concert DVD, and a book of poems and short stories to his credit, Ellis’ songs have been featured on the soundtracks to documentaries, TV shows and big Hollywood films such as The Farrelly Brother’s ‘Hall Pass’, ‘Me, Myself & Irene’, and ‘Shallow Hal’. Ellis is a true American troubadour, performing over 150 tour dates a year, for over 20 years all around the world. He has shared the stage with some of the top names in the music world including: Pete Seeger, John Mayer, Arlo Gutherie, Richie Havens, Dar Williams, Shawn Colvin and multi-platinum band Sugerland, among others.

“Ellis has a voice that’s so powerful that you know who it is the second he comes through your radio. His music and songs are a new birth in American sound that makes me want to go see concerts again.” -Kristian Bush / Sugerland

Here’s his website: http://www.ellispaul.com/
_________________________________________________________________________
Founded in 1976, Calliope is a non-profit music organization that organizes and administers a variety of concert series, a folk music school, and educational outreach programs.  As the premier promoter of roots music in southwestern Pennsylvania, Calliope’s mission is to promote and preserve traditional and contemporary heritage-based music and its allied arts.  Calliope programs are supported in part by the A.W. Mellon Education and Charitable Trust Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, The Allegheny County sales tax revenues awarded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The Heinz endowments, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, University of Pittsburgh Library System, and an anonymous donor. Calliope also thanks the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Chatham University.
--
Lisa Alexander, MFA
PR Marketing Manager
Calliope
6300 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
412-361-1915
www.calliopehouse.org
Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Roots Cellar Concert Series Announced

Calliope Roots Cellar Series 2014-15

For Immediate Release                  
Contact:  Lisa Alexander, PR Coordinator
Calliope House Inc.
(412) 361-1915, lalexander@calliopehouse.org    
 

(Pittsburgh, PA)- Calliope is proud to announce its 2014-15 Roots Cellar Concerts Series, featuring the best in acoustic music, from legends of American music to up-and-coming artists who are making a mark on the genre.

Held in the acoustically-sound subterranean room at The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, The Roots Cellar presents a unique and intimate atmosphere for an up-close experience with the best folk musicians the world has to offer.

The club-like environment allows for high-top or low-top tables situated around the room, or take a seat in one of the couches placed throughout. Wine, beer and soda are available for purchase from the bar (proceeds benefit the PCA).

Tickets can be purchased on our website at www.calliopehouse.org, or by calling the Calliope office at (412) 361-1915.

All concerts are held at The Roots Cellar, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts (Shadyside)

THE ROOTS CELLAR CONCERTS SERIES 2014-15

Ellis Paul

September 25, 2014—Ellis Paul
Award-winning singer songwriter and inspiring folk musician. 

October 9, 2014—Spuyten Duyvil
This group’s brand of original and traditional American Roots music blends Olde Time, Blues, 2nd Line, Bluegrass, and Folk Rock with a pinch of Punk Rock energy to create a uniquely modern mix.

October 23, 2014—Long Time Courting
All-women super group offering an extraordinary blend of neo-traditional Irish, Scottish and American music.

 November 14, 2014—Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle CD Release
This event marks the tenth anniversary of the Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle album series with performances by dozens of participating Pittsburgh songwriters.

 March 19, 2015—Harpeth Rising
Hallmarks of their music include expansive three-part harmonies, consummate musicianship and a deft yet soulful lyrical perspective.

 April 2, 2015—Duo Eamon
Fiddler Cassandra Cleghorn and guitarist Jeffrey Eamon Levine are Duo Eamon, playing the lilting and rhythmic tunes of Quebec, Ireland and New England.

 May 3, 2015---Tom Russell
Acclaimed singer songwriter and master storyteller known for chronicling the life of blue collar America.

 September 25, 2014—Ellis Paul                   http://www.ellispaul.com/       
“Despite his success and sense of history, Mr. Paul remains an artist with his eye on the future and an interest in discovering the transformative potential in his music.” – The New York Times
Ellis Paul’s songwriting credentials are unassailable. They are as genuine as the 14 Boston music Awards he has earned, as indelible as the tattoo of Woody Guthrie that adorns his arm, and as authentic as the musical roots he draws upon with every note he plays.

 October 9, 2014—Spuyten Duyvil                    http://www.spuytenduyvilmusic.com/
“They’re a mighty powerhouse….All the playing is hot.”   – Stephen D. Winick, The Huffington Post
Seeing a Spuyten Duyvil (pronounced “SPITE+en DIE+vil”) show for the first time is like “throwing a cherry bomb into a lake” (Rich Warren, WFMT).  It wakes you up. Their brand of original and traditional American Roots music blends Olde Time, Blues, 2nd Line, Bluegrass, and Folk Rock with a pinch of Punk Rock energy to create a uniquely modern mix. Lead by song-writing couple, Mark Miller and Beth Kaufman, this seven piece powerhouse brings barn burning energy to venues throughout the Northeast.
  
October 23, 2014—Long Time Courting                  http://www.longtimecourting.com/
“Enchanting vocals, top-rank musicianship, and well-conceived, intelligent arrangements.”      -Boston Irish Reporter
Boston-based band Long Time Courting is an all-women supergroup featuring Shannon Heaton (flute, accordion, vocals) of Matt & Shannon Heaton and Childsplay, Liz Simmons (guitar, vocals) of Annalivia and the John Whelan Band, Valerie Thompson (cello, vocals) of Laura Cortese and the Dance Cards and Fluttr Effect, and newest member Katie McNally (fiddle, vocals), also of Childsplay. Together as Long Time Courting, these four talented women offer an extraordinary blend of neo-traditional Irish, Scottish and American music that showcases each musician’s versatility, creativity, and mastery. 

 November 14, 2014—Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle CD Release                                                            http://calliopehouse.org/event/pittsburgh-songwriters-circle-cd-release-pt-2-2/
 This event marks the tenth anniversary of the Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle album series, marking the release of the group’s 2015 CD and a commemorative retrospective CD including one song from each of the series’ 10 albums. Performances by dozens of participating Pittsburgh songwriters.
  
March 19, 2015—Harpeth Rising                        http://www.harpethrising.com/home
“The vanguard of a new species of progressive folk music.” Jason D. Hamad, The No Surf Review
Harpeth Rising chose to name themselves after a river because water is both dynamic and powerful. These words also describe the music created by the three women – Jordana Greenberg (violin, vocals), Rebecca Reed-Lunn (banjo, vocals) and Maria Di Meglio (cello, vocals). Unapologetic genre-benders, they fuse Folk, Newgrass, Rock and Classical into a sound that is organically unique.

 April 2, 2015—Duo Eamon                                https://www.facebook.com/DuoEamon/info
Fiddler Cassandra Cleghorn and guitarist Jeffrey Eamon Levine are Duo Eamon, playing the lilting and rhythmic tunes of Quebec, Ireland and New England.


May 3, 2015—Tom Russell                                http://www.tomrussell.com/
Tom Russell songs have been recorded by such icons as Johnny Cash, Dave Van Ronk, Jerry Jeff Walker, Doug Sahm, Joe Ely, Nanci Griffith, Iris Dement, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, among others. No less than Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the legendary poet, has said that he shares “a great affinity with Tom Russell’s songs, for he is writing out of the wounded heart of America.”
______________________________________________________________________________
Founded in 1976, Calliope is a non-profit music organization that organizes and administers a variety of concert series, a folk music school, and educational outreach programs. As the premier promoter of roots music in southwestern Pennsylvania, Calliope’s mission is to promote and preserve traditional and contemporary heritage-based music and its allied arts. Calliope programs are supported in part by the A.W. Mellon Education and Charitable Trust Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, J. Robert Izod Memorial Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, The Allegheny County sales tax revenues awarded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The Heinz endowments, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, University of  Pittsburgh  Library System, and an anonymous donor. Calliope also thanks the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Chatham University.
--
Lisa Alexander, MFA
PR Marketing Manager
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
6300 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
412-361-1915
www.calliopehouse.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Friday, June 20, 2014

Calliope Announces 2014-2015 Line-Up

For Immediate Release                  
Contact:  Lisa Alexander, PR Marketing Manager
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
(412) 361-1915, lalexander@calliopehouse.org      



(Pittsburgh, PA)- Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society is proud to announce its 2014-15 Calliope Concerts Series, featuring the best in acoustic music, from legends of American music to up-and-coming artists who are making a mark on the genre.

Subscriptions will go on sale June 18 for $245.00 plus a $6.00 handling fee and can be purchased by calling the Calliope office at (412) 361-1915

Flex-plans and single tickets will go on sale in July.

For additional information on the series, please visit our website: www.calliopehouse.org.

All concerts are held at Carnegie Lecture Hall (Oakland)
on Saturday evenings at 7:30 PM.

CALLIOPE CONCERTS SERIES 2014-15
October 18- The Duhks
GRAMMY and Juno Award-winning dynamic blend of old-timey, French Canadian and Celtic music punched up with shades of blues, soul and driving Afro Cuban rhythms that leaves crowds on their feet.

November 1- Danny Schmidt and Darlingside
Danny Schmidt, who is moving quickly from underground cult hero to a widely recognized singer songwriter of generational significance, and indie folk band Darlingside will each perform this night.

November 22—Janis Ian
Legendary singer songwriter whose music and lyrics are all about life experiences, and as her life has been full and colorful, so have her songs as evidenced by her multiple GRAMMY and Dove awards, nominations and commendations.

December 6—John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band
The John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band features four legendary musicians- John Jorgenson on guitar and mandolin, Herb Pedersen on banjo, Jon Randall on guitar, and Mark Fain on bass.
January 31—Josh White Jr., Rev. Robert B. Jones & Radoslav Lorkovic in tribute to Lead Belly
Three talented artists in their own right come together to pay tribute to legendary Lead Belly.

February 28---The Holmes Brothers
Over the course of their 30-plus year career, The Holmes Brothers have been feeding the souls of their devoted and ever-growing fan base with a joyous and moving blend of blues, gospel, soul, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and country.

March 28—Cathie Ryan Band
For over twenty-five years, including five solo albums, countless musical collaborations and multiple awards, Cathie Ryan has been in the vanguard of Irish music.



April 11—Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
GRAMMY winner Béla Fleck is considered by many to be the premiere banjo player in the world. Abigail Washburn pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, and the results feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody’s ever heard before.



October 18, 2014—The Duhks                                                            
http://www.duhks.com/
Since forming in Winnipeg in 2001, The Duhks have created a dynamic blend of old-timey, French Canadian and Celtic music punched up with shades of blues, soul and driving Afro Cuban rhythms that leaves festival crowds on their feet. Over the course of 4 critically-acclaimed albums, the band has earned Juno and Grammy awards and nominations, and has played a significant role in the neo-folk revival.

November 1, 2014—Danny Schmidt and Darlingside    
http://www.dannyschmidt.com/     Named to the Chicago Tribune’s 50 Most Significant Songwriters in the Last 50 Years, Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter Danny Schmidt has been rapidly ascending from underground cult hero to being widely recognized as an artist of generational significance. With lyrical depth drawing comparisons to Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, and Dave Carter, Danny is considered a preeminent writer, an artist whose earthy poetry manages to somehow conjure magic from the mundane, leading Sing Out Magazine to tag him “Perhaps the best new songwriter we’ve heard in the last 15 years.”
http://www.darlingside.com/With a quartet of distinct voices clustered around a single microphone, Darlingside effortlessly draw audiences into their lush, dynamic musical world. The band’s sound, characterized by classical strings, tight vocal arrangements, bluegrass and rock instrumentation, and smart lyricism, is the product of complete collaboration among the four close friends. The group has no frontman; instead, lead vocals are traded from moment to moment, and each song features a new combination of instruments and textures, pulling heavily from folk, retro-pop, barbershop, and chamber music.

November 22, 2014—Janis Ian                                                          
http://www.janisian.com/
In her fifth decade of writing songs and performing, Janis Ian won her second Grammy Award of nine total
nominations over the years in eight categories! Her 2013 Grammy, presented at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, is for Best Spoken Word Album for her audio book “Society’s Child” (Audible.com).
Music and lyrics are about life experiences and, as Janis’ life has been full and colorful, so have her songs as evidenced by her multiple awards, Grammy and Dove Award nominations and commendations. Her songs have been recorded by singers as diverse as Cher, John Mellencamp, Celine Dion, Hugh Masakela, Nana Mouskouri, Charlie Daniels and Roberta Flack.

December 6,  2014—John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band              
http://www.johnjorgenson.com/
The John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band features four legendary musicians- John Jorgenson on guitar and mandolin, Herb Pedersen on banjo, Jon Randall on guitar, and Mark Fain on bass. Jorgenson and Pederson are founders (with Chris hillman) of the formative country rock band: Desert Rose Band.

January 31, 2015                                                                
Josh White Jr., Rev. Robert B. Jones and Radoslav Lorkovic in tribute to Lead Belly
http://www.joshwhitejr.com/Josh White Jr. is a secular, folk/blues, pop, jazz, vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, actor, adult and children’s concert performer and recording artist, teacher and social activist who became a ‘hit’ literally over night at the age of four, by performing with his legendary father JOSH WHITE one night at New York’s famed “Café Society” night club (America’s first integrated nightclub).

http://revrobertjones.com/Reverend Robert Jones, Sr. is an inspirational singer, songwriter, storyteller and self-taught award-winning multi-instrumentalist. He plays guitar, harmonica, mandolin, banjo and fiddle using folk, blues, spirituals and other American Roots music to champion the history, beauty and power of our shared culture.

http://www.radoslavlorkovic.com/ Drawing from a multitude of influences ranging from elegant classical and jazz styles to the rawest, most basic blues, country and soul, Radoslav Lorkovićhas taken on an unusually broad musical spectrum and refined it into his distinctive piano style.

February 28, 2015—The Holmes Brothers          
http://www.theholmesbrothers.com/
Over the course of their 30-plus year career, The Holmes Brothers (bassist/vocalist Sherman Holmes, guitarist/pianist/vocalist Wendell Holmes, drummer/vocalist and brother-in-spirit Popsy Dixon) have been feeding the souls of their devoted and ever-growing fanbase with a joyous and moving blend of blues, gospel, soul, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and country.

March 28, 2015—Cathie Ryan Band              
http://www.cathieryan.com/tour/cathie-ryan-band/
For over twenty-five years, including five solo albums, countless musical collaborations, and multiple awards, Cathie Ryan has been in the vanguard of Irish music. She is blessed with a voice of luminous clarity and a gift for unearthing gems from Irish and American song traditions, creating her own heart-stirring originals, and for showcasing writers whose work deserves wider recognition. Wrap this musical integrity into a consummate entertainer and it is no wonder the Wall Street Journal calls her music, “a revelation.”

April 11, 2015—Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn        
http://belafleck.com/home-page/  Just in case you aren’t familiar with Béla Fleck, there are some who say he’s the premiere banjo player in the world. The recipient of Multiple Grammy Awards going back to 1998, Béla Flecks’ total Grammy count is 15 Grammys won, and 30 nominations. He has been nominated in more different musical categories than anyone in Grammy history.

http://www.abigailwashburn.com/website/ If American old-time music is about taking earlier, simpler ways of life and music-making as one’s model, Abigail Washburn has proven herself to be a bracing revelation to that tradition. She—a singing, songwriting, Illinois-born, Nashville-based clawhammer banjo player—is every bit as interested in the present and the future as she is in the past, and every bit as attuned to the global as she is to the local.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Founded in 1976, Calliope is a non-profit music organization that organizes and administers a variety of concert series, a folk music school, and educational outreach programs  As the premier promoter of roots music in southwestern Pennsylvania, Calliope’s mission is to promote and preserve traditional and contemporary heritage-based music and its allied arts.  Calliope programs are supported in part by the A.W. Mellon Education and Charitable Trust Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, J. Robert Izod Memorial Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, The Allegheny County sales tax revenues awarded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The Heinz endowments, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, University of  Pittsburgh  Library System, and an anonymous donor. Calliope also thanks the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Chatham University.
--
Lisa Alexander, MFA
PR Marketing Manager
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
6300 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
412-361-1915
www.calliopehouse.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

The Steel Wheels

For Immediate Release                                  
Contact:  Lisa Alexander, PR Marketing Manager
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
(412) 361-1915, lalexander@calliopehouse.org

CALLIOPE PRESENTS
THE STEEL WHEELS
 
(Pittsburgh, PA)- Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society welcome The Steel Wheels to the Carnegie Lecture Hall (Oakland) on Saturday, April 5, 2014, 7:30 PM.

Tickets are available by contacting the Calliope office at (412) 361-1915, or by visiting our website: www.calliopehouse.org. $39 / $23 student rush w/ ID, (prices include handling fee).

For additional information, contact Calliope at (412) 361-1915.

"If one must compare The Steel Wheels to another act in order to get an idea of their music imagine a blend of the passion of the Avett Brothers, the instrumentals of Old Crow Medicine Show and then sprinkle in the backwoods feel of The Legendary Shack Shakers. In truth attempting to compare them with anyone is an injustice, since after one listen you can hear that they stand very well on their own perch." — John Walker, Americana Roots

The Steel Wheels are renowned for their raw energy and chemistry on stage, where they cluster tightly around a single microphone to adorn Trent Wagler's unmistakable tenor with bell-clear four part harmonies complimented by Eric Brubaker's fiddle, Brian Dickel's upright bass and Jay Lapp on the mandolin and guitars. The band’s own brand of acoustic Americana roots music reflects stylings of the past yet boldly embodies the strength of powerful original song writing.

Their breakout album, Red Wing (2010), garnered critical praise and enjoyed tremendous success on the radio. It spent 13 weeks on the Americana Music Association’s Top 40 Chart, where it reached the number 15 slot, and cracked the Euro Americana Chart top 10.  The Steel Wheels were nominated for five Independent Music Awards in 2010, with “Nothing You Can’t Lose” taking top honors as Best Country Song.  Following 2011's release, Live at Goose Creek, The Steel Wheels continued to take the Americana scene by storm with their album, Lay Down, Lay Low (2012), which lingered for 10 weeks on the AMA’s Top 40 Chart and was the 2012 Americana Album of the Year from the Independent Music Awards.   Additionally NPR Music named “Rain in the Valley” their Song of the Day, marveling that the “heavy hymn […] is sparse and dense all at once.”  2013 brought yet another Americana charting release entitled, No More Rain.

The Steel Wheels are selling out venues from coast to coast and appearing at many of the top festivals in the US & Canada.  These include Merlefest, Grey Fox, Bristol Rhythm & Roots, Ann Arbor Folk Festival, Stagecoach, Fayetteville Roots Festival, Moab Folk Festival, Musikfest, Walnut Valley Festival, Canmore Folk Festival, Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, and many others. 2014 shows no signs of slowing down with a full schedule of prestigious festivals and venues.  In July the band hosts their own annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival (www.redwingroots.com) bringing over 40 bands to 4 stages for 3 days of music & community near their home in the Shenandoah Valley.  In addition as the schedule allows, the band organizes and perform the SpokeSongs bicycle music tour, during which the band members tow their instruments, equipment, and merchandise from one show to another via bicycle.  Past tours have spanned up to 11 days, 600 miles, and 10 shows.  The attention from these special SpokeSongs tours allow the band to raise extra money and awareness for charities and causes along the way.

 As the band thrives, so do their partnerships with local businesses, artisans, and charitable organizations. The values portrayed in their music—devotion to roots, community, and family—are a way of life for The Steel Wheels, and this is reflected in everything from production process and booking agency to merchandise and touring.  The band’s merchandise represents a host of grassroots connections to people and businesses. Lucas Roasting Company, located just outside of Harrisonburg, created “Halfway to Heaven” dark roast coffee in honor of their friends The Steel Wheels. Blue Mountain Brewery, located on Afton Mountain in Virginia, hosted the band when they were just getting started and now cans and bottles a multi-state distributed “Steel Wheels ESB.”  T-shirts and printing needs are locally sourced and their one of a kind ceramic mugs are made by a potter friend, Justin Rothshank.  Each product is intimately woven into the bands' narrative. The Steel Wheels are proof that music remains a viable and sustaining force for connection in our world.

See their website here: http://www.thesteelwheels.com/home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Founded in 1976, Calliope is a non-profit music organization that organizes and administers a variety of concert series, a folk music school, and educational outreach programs.  As the premier promoter of roots music in southwestern Pennsylvania, Calliope’s mission is to promote and preserve traditional and contemporary heritage-based music and its allied arts.  Calliope programs are supported in part by the A.W. Mellon Education and Charitable Trust Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, The Allegheny County sales tax revenues awarded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The Heinz endowments, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, University of Pittsburgh Library System, and an anonymous donor. Calliope also thanks the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Chatham University.

--
Lisa Alexander, MFA
PR Marketing Manager
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
6300 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
412-361-1915
www.calliopehouse.org


Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Calliope Welcomes Del Rey

For Immediate Release                  
Contact:  Lisa Alexander, PR Marketing Manager    
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society                                                          
(412) 361-1915, lalexander@calliopehouse.org      

CALLIOPE PRESENTS
DEL REY
 
(Pittsburgh, PA)- Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society welcomes Del Rey to THE ROOTS CELLAR, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Shadyside, on Thursday, April 3, 2014, 7:30 PM.

More information is available online at www.calliopehouse.org or by contacting the Calliope office at (412) 361-1915. Tickets are $28 / $12 (w/ student ID) *handling fees included.

“If you like your blues warm, wise, witty and well-played, give Del Rey a listen.”-Dirty Linen, USA
“Del Rey… channels the spirit of Memphis Minnie while maintaining a thoroughly hip, Left Coast sense of cool.” -Santa Cruz Sentinel, USA

Del Rey started playing guitar when she was four. At the age of fourteen she was introduced to the world of traditional acoustic music. Lou Curtiss, proprietor of Folk Arts Rare Records and artistic director of the San Diego Folk Festival introduced her to living artists like Sam Chatmon, Lydia Mendoza and Howard Armstrong, and to recordings, especially those of the great blues guitarist Memphis Minnie. Her guitar playing is influenced by country blues, stride piano, classic jazz and hillbilly boogie-all filtered through the sensibility of an autodidact trailor-park aesthete.

Thirty years later, when Del Rey became fascinated with the ukulele, she tried to play the same kind of complicated rhythmic blues and ragtime on four strings as she does on six. She expects a lot out of the little instrument, and usually gets it. She takes the ukulele “ to a new level of musicianship.” (John Book)
Her live show is full of complex grooves and sly humor. “Virtuosic in just the right way, which is to say, in order to realize a musical idea. A very nice unlikely blend of things, accessible, slightly nostalgic, but fresh and thoughtful. ” (CD Baby review, “At The Ukeshack #1)

Del Rey plays solo concerts worldwide and also presents a concert/lecture on women musicians called Women in American Music. She collaborates and tours frequently with Austin guitarist Steve James and with fiddler Suzy Thompson. She has contributed to projects in honor of The Mississippi Sheiks, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Johnny Cash. Del Rey has written about music for various publications, including Acoustic Guitar.

Her latest solo album, Four and Six came out in April 2012. She has recorded five solo albums, Blue Uke (Hobemian 2008), When The Levee Breaks (Hobemian 2006), X-Rey Guitar (Hobemian 2000), Hot Sauce (Hobemian 1995) and Boogie Mysterioso (Hobemian 1993). In 2003 she released a collection of performances Del Rey:Live.

Del Rey recorded Hen Party with Suzy Thompson (Hobemian 2010) and the first project of 2011 was a 45rpm record, the proceeds of which benefit Transportation Choices Coalition.She recorded an album of uke ‘n’ bass instrumental duets with Matt Weiner At The Ukeshack #1(Hobemian 2007) and also on uke with The Yes Yes Boys she recorded Why Say No? (Hobemian 2002) With Steve James, Tonight (Hobemian 2004) andTwins (Hobemian 2002). With Del Rey and the Blues Gators she recorded Chartruese (Hobemian 1991) and Cafe Society (Kicking Mule 1985).

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Del-Rey/463608083686920
_________________________________________________________________________
Founded in 1976, Calliope is a non-profit music organization that organizes and administers a variety of concert series, a folk music school, and educational outreach programs.  As the premier promoter of roots music in southwestern Pennsylvania, Calliope’s mission is to promote and preserve traditional and contemporary heritage-based music and its allied arts.  Calliope programs are supported in part by the A.W. Mellon Education and Charitable Trust Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, The Allegheny County sales tax revenues awarded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The Heinz endowments, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, University of Pittsburgh Library System, and an anonymous donor. Calliope also thanks the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Chatham University.

--
Lisa Alexander, MFA
PR Marketing Manager
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
6300 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
412-361-1915
www.calliopehouse.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Calliope Presents Kruger Brothers

For Immediate Release                  
Contact:  Lisa Alexander, PR Coordinator
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
(412) 361-1915, lalexander@calliopehouse.org      

CALLIOPE PRESENTS
KRUGER BROTHERS

(Pittsburgh, PA)- Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society welcomes the Kruger Brothers to THE ROOTS CELLAR, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Shadyside, on Thursday, March 27, 2014, 7:30 PM.
More information is available online at www.calliopehouse.org or by contacting the Calliope office at (412) 361-1915. Tickets are $28 / $12 (w/ student ID) *handling fees included.

“The Kruger Brothers are just about as fine a band as I’ve ever played with...
I love to play music with them.” –Doc Watson

In an ever-expanding body of work, Jens Kruger (banjo, vocals), Uwe Kruger (guitar, lead vocals), and Joel Landsberg (bass, vocals) personify the spirit of exploration and innovation that forms the core of the American musical tradition.      

Although initially staying fairly close to a traditional repertoire, the Kruger Brothers later turned to song writing and composition in order to draw more closely from their personal experiences. The result is a catalog of songs and music distinguished by its rich detail and an insight into the delicacy and complexity of everyday life.      

The honesty of their writing has become a hallmark of the trio’s work. Another is the banjo playing and composition of Jens Kruger. Happy Traum has described Kruger as “one of the world’s most musically sophisticated and technically accomplished five-string banjo players.” Kruger plays in a melodic style that, while it may stem from the three-finger bluegrass style popularized by Snuffy Jenkins and Earl Scruggs, is also differentiated by long melodic passages and a more complex compositional foundation, often building on jazz or classical themes and techniques.    

The recording that cemented the Kruger Brothers’ sound and song writing, Up 18 North, was released in 2002 on the Double Time label. Included were a number of tracks that signaled the direction that the band was to take in future projects. The title track “Up 18 North” is an instrumental piece, with banjo clearly in the foreground, that remains a prime example of the type of close ensemble playing that characterizes the trio’s work. The vocal track “Carolina in the Fall” is an early example of the very personal, resonant, and mature song writing that they continue to this day.      

Most recently their music has ventured further into the themes and forms of classical music, most obviously in their 2011 release, Appalachian Concerto. Through their numerous CD releases, radio and television performances, workshops, and collaborative efforts, the Kruger Brothers continue to provide a unique voice in the world of folk, Americana, and classical music.
Here’s their website: http://www.krugerbrothers.com/
________________________________________________________________________
Founded in 1976, Calliope is a non-profit music organization that organizes and administers a variety of concert series, a folk music school, and educational outreach programs.  As the premier promoter of roots music in southwestern Pennsylvania, Calliope’s mission is to promote and preserve traditional and contemporary heritage-based music and its allied arts.  Calliope programs are supported in part by the A.W. Mellon Education and Charitable Trust Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, The Allegheny County sales tax revenues awarded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The Heinz endowments, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, University of Pittsburgh Library System, and an anonymous donor. Calliope also thanks the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Chatham University.

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Hey Mavis Performs at THE ROOTS CELLAR

For Immediate Release                  
Contact:  Lisa Alexander, PR Marketing Manager
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
(412) 361-1915, lalexander@calliopehouse.org        


CALLIOPE PRESENTS
HEY MAVIS
 
(Pittsburgh, PA)- Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society welcomes HEY MAVIS to THE ROOTS CELLAR, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Shadyside, on Thursday, March 20, 2014 7:30 PM.
More information is available online at www.calliopehouse.org or by contacting the Calliope office at (412) 361-1915.

Tickets are $23 / $12 (w/ student ID) *handling fees included.

“…this crew could single handedly ignite a whole new folk music scare. Killer stuff"
~Midwest Record

“…an Appalachian Americana Roots group who take this genre to new heights."
~House of Mercy, London

With quotes like this, the buzz surrounding Hey Mavis' recent release, Honey Man, is getting louder. It is not just local music fans paying attention anymore. Hey Mavis released Honey Man (their second CD) to a sold-out crowd at Happy Days Lodge in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in February 2013. In the short amount of time since the release, tracks off of the new CD are getting airplay in London, the Netherlands, and all across the US.


If you are unfamiliar with the music of Hey Mavis, it is time you entered their world of “Appalachian Americana.” With banjo, fiddle, upright bass, guitar, kick drum and harmonica, they easily move from a softly orchestrated lullaby to a raw and raucous love song.

Hey Mavis is Laurie Michelle Caner (banjo/vocals/songwriting), Eddie Caner (fiddle/viola), Brent Kirby (guitar/vocals/kick drum/harmonica) and Bryan Thomas (upright bass/Chank-o-matic 6000).

Laurie Michelle Caner lives her songs, every time she sings them. Her banjo playing is of curious origin, but beautifully serves as a strong foundation for her lyrics, lifting the audience out of their world and into hers.

Eddie Caner always amazes the audience with what he can make his fiddle and viola do. He can soar beautifully over Brent and Laurie's vocals or play a dirgey riff that perfectly sets the mood for a somber tune. He has traveled the globe and shared the stage with an endless list of successful and talented musicians (including Jimmy Page and Luciano Pavarotti).
Brent Kirby is a one-man-band on stage. He plays guitar, kick-drum, harmonica and sings, all with the enthusiasm and conviction of a man who knows he is exactly where he should be. Brent’s vocals are smooth and soulful and convey his endless dedication to his music.
Bryan Thomas steals the show every time.  The groove he lays down is the heartbeat of the band. His playing is like this wonderful body-rhythm-bass conversation, accented by his homemade “Chank-o-matic 6000”, a vintage, weathered tambourine affixed to a stand and pedal.

REM/Smithereens/Red Clay Ramblers producer Don Dixon “discovered” Hey Mavis when they were featured on a 2009 Christmas compilation. Four months later, Dixon produced their debut CD, Red Wine. The CD immediately climbed the national Folk DJ-L radio charts, peaking at #5 for overall artist while the songs Red Light and Red Wine peaked at #5 and #9. The CD finished the year at #13 in Folk Alley’s "Top CD's of 2010" alongside new releases by Tim O’Brien, Peter Rowan, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Chieftains, and Bob Dylan.

Laurie was a founding member of the regionally-acclaimed female vocal group "The Rhondas" and has facilitated songwriting workshops at venues such as the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Lakeside, and First Night Akron.

Eddie has performed worldwide with so many amazing artists...there is not enough room here to list them all, but, here are a few:
Guster, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Pete Wernick, Yonder Mountain String Band, Al Jarreau, Carly Simon, Leftover Salmon, Peter Rowan, Vassar Clemens, John Hartford, Tony Rice, Luciano Pavarotti, Mannheim Steamroller, Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, Mel Torme, The Moody Blues, Yes, The 3 Irish Tenors, Ray Price, Harry Connick, Jr., Maynard Ferguson, Trey Anastasio, Ekoostik Hookah, Chris Eldridge, Clyde Brooks, Benny Galloway

Visit their website: http://heymavis.com/home
_________________________________________________________________________
Founded in 1976, Calliope is a non-profit music organization that organizes and administers a variety of concert series, a folk music school, and educational outreach programs.  As the premier promoter of roots music in southwestern Pennsylvania, Calliope’s mission is to promote and preserve traditional and contemporary heritage-based music and its allied arts.  Calliope programs are supported in part by the A.W. Mellon Education and Charitable Trust Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, The Allegheny County sales tax revenues awarded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The Heinz endowments, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, University of Pittsburgh Library System, and an anonymous donor. Calliope also thanks the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Chatham University.

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Monday, February 10, 2014

Calliope Presents Karan Casey Band

For Immediate Release                                  
Contact:  Lisa Alexander, PR Coordinator                                                              
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society                          
(412) 361-1915, lalexander@calliopehouse.org


CALLIOPE PRESENTS
KARAN CASEY BAND

(Pittsburgh, PA)- Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society welcomes Karan Casey Band to the Carnegie Lecture Hall (Oakland) on Saturday, March 8, 2014, 7:30 PM.

Tickets are available by contacting the Calliope office at (412) 361-1915, or by visiting our website: www.calliopehouse.org. $39 / $23 student rush w/ ID, (prices include handling fee).
For additional information, contact Calliope at (412) 361-1915.
 
”Casey’s voice is among the loveliest in folk music and she’s a wonderful interpreter of both contemporary and traditional material.” -BOSTON GLOBE

“Setting her clear voice in arrangements that mix traditional and modern instruments, she maintains the taut, quivering ornamentation of old ballad style, singing tales of love, war and murder with a gentle gravity.”-NEW YORK TIMES


Karan Casey has long been one of the most innovative, provocative and imitated voices in Irish traditional and folk music. Her career has spanned twenty years from the early days as a jazz performer in George’s Bistro in Dublin to her heady days in New York with the band Solas to her now established solo career and she has sold over half a million albums. Karan released her first album with the group Solas, which quickly became the most celebrated Irish band in the U.S., and her four years with the group were pivotal. Following their groundbreaking early releases Casey struck out on her own.

Since embarking on her solo career Karan has released 5 solo albums, a duo album (with John Doyle), an album for children and numerous contributions to other artists’ projects – appearing on more than 50 albums in total. She has toured constantly throughout North America, Europe and Japan, performing solo, with her own band and with many other diverse artists. Recent years have seen Karan appearing with Folk legends James Taylor, Liam Clancy, Peggy Seeger, Mick Moloney and the Dubliners and Imelda May as well as performances with Solas, Lunasa, Tim O’Brien and Capercaillie’s Karen Matheson, and collaborations with pianist/composer Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Jazz great Ornette Coleman, and Breton guitarist Gilles le Bigot. Other ventures have included The Vallely Brother’s Big Band and Niall Vallely’s “Turas na dTaoiseach/Flight of the Earls” event, which was premiered in Belfast’s Grand Opera House and later performed in Louvain, Belgium. She was also involved in Tommy Hayes’s “Apples in Winter” multimedia project. She presented a program on Irish National Television exploring the songs associated with the Irish Labour Movement.

Karan has won awards for “Best Folk Album” and “Best Folk Female” from Irish Music Magazine and been nominated for the BBC Folk Awards and the Danish Grammys and was a key member of Paul Winter’s Grammy-award winning “Celtic Solstice”. She has appeared at festivals in Europe and the US such as WOMAD USA, the Cambridge Folk Festival, Celtic Connections, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Festival Cornouaille, Festival Interceltique Lorient, Milwaukee Irishfest and Merlefest as well as appearing at many prestigious venues including the Kennedy Centre (Washington DC), New York’s Symphony Space, Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, the Hollywood Bowl, Dublin’s National Concert Hall, the Cathedral of St John the Divine, the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and many others. She has made many TV and radio appearances on both sides of the Atlantic and has been a frequent guest on nationally syndicated radio and TV shows such as Garrison Keillor’s ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ and “Mountain Stage”.
See her website here: http://www.karancasey.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Founded in 1976, Calliope is a non-profit music organization that organizes and administers a variety of concert series, a folk music school, and educational outreach programs.  As the premier promoter of roots music in southwestern Pennsylvania, Calliope’s mission is to promote and preserve traditional and contemporary heritage-based music and its allied arts.  Calliope programs are supported in part by the A.W. Mellon Education and Charitable Trust Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, The Allegheny County sales tax revenues awarded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The Heinz endowments, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, University of Pittsburgh Library System, and an anonymous donor. Calliope also thanks the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Chatham University.
--
Lisa Alexander, MFA
PR Marketing Manager
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
6300 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
412-361-1915
www.calliopehouse.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

True Blues at Carnegie Lecture Hall

For Immediate Release                                  
Contact:  Lisa Alexander, PR Coordinator
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
(412) 361-1915, lalexander@calliopehouse.org

CALLIOPE PRESENTS
True Blues:
Corey Harris, Guy Davis &
Alvin Youngblood Hart


(Pittsburgh, PA)- Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society welcomes True Blues to the Carnegie Lecture Hall (Oakland) on Saturday, January 25, 2014, 7:30 PM.

Tickets are available by contacting the Calliope office at (412) 361-1915, or by visiting our website: www.calliopehouse.org. $39 / $23 student rush w/ ID, (prices include handling fee).

For additional information, contact Calliope at (412) 361-1915.


Hosted by Corey Harris, a MacArthur Grant recipient, and featuring renowned roots musician Guy Davis and Alvin Youngblood Hart, True Blues chronicles the extraordinary living culture of the blues in an evening of music and conversation. The True Blues concert vividly brings to life this crucial wellspring of American music. Harris is just one of a team of premier blues artists who appear on True Blues, a 13-song live CD released in 2013, on Telarc, a division of Concord Music Group. Recorded at various venues throughout the United States including Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, True Blues explores and celebrates the genre and follows its rich history from the Mississippi delta of the early 1900s to the present day.

Both Corey Harris and Alvin Youngblood Hart were featured in Martin Scorcese’s “The Blues: A Musical Journey,” which followed Corey on a roots journey to West Africa. Alvin contributed, as well, to Wim Wenders’ ” The Soul Of a Man” and Denzel Washington’s “The Great Debaters.” Guy has often followed in the Thespian footsteps of his parents, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, most recently in the Broadway revival of “Finian’s Rainbow,” and earlier in “Mulebone” and “Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil.”

True Blues – like the music and the tradition that it celebrates – runs the gamut of human emotion and worldly experience. When the voices and the songs and the stories are true, the blues offers something for every listener at every possible step on his or her journey.

This tour engagement of True Blues is funded through the American Masterpieces program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Visit their webpages here:
http://www.corey-harris.com/
http://www.guydavis.com/
http://www.mojomusic.com/alvin/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Founded in 1976, Calliope is a non-profit music organization that organizes and administers a variety of concert series, a folk music school, and educational outreach programs.  As the premier promoter of roots music in southwestern Pennsylvania, Calliope’s mission is to promote and preserve traditional and contemporary heritage-based music and its allied arts.  Calliope programs are supported in part by the A.W. Mellon Education and Charitable Trust Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, The Allegheny County sales tax revenues awarded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The Heinz endowments, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, University of Pittsburgh Library System, and an anonymous donor. Calliope also thanks the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Chatham University.
--
Lisa Alexander, MFA
PR Coordinator
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
6300 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
412-361-1915
www.calliopehouse.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Thursday, December 12, 2013

John Gorka at The Roots Cellar

For Immediate Release                  
Contact:  Lisa Alexander, PR Coordinator
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
(412) 361-1915, lalexander@calliopehouse.org      

CALLIOPE PRESENTS
JOHN GORKA
 

(Pittsburgh, PA)- Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society welcomes John Gorka to THE ROOTS CELLAR, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Shadyside, on Thursday, January 30, 2014, 7:30 PM.

More information is available online at www.calliopehouse.org or by contacting the Calliope office at (412) 361-1915. Tickets are $28 / $12 (w/ student ID) *handling fees included.


From New Jersey, John Gorka is a world-renowned singer-songwriter who got his start at a neighborhood coffeehouse in eastern Pennsylvania. Though small, Godfrey Daniels was and is one of the oldest and most venerable music institutions and has long been a hangout for music lovers and aspiring musicians. In the late 1970’s, John was one of these aspiring musicians. Although his academic coursework at Moravian College lay in Philosophy and History, music began to offer paramount enticements. Soon he found himself living in the club’s basement and acting as resident MC and sound man, encountering legendary folk troubadours like Canadian singer-songwriter Stan Rogers, Eric Andersen, Tom Paxton and Claudia Schmidt. Their brand of folk-inspired acoustic music inspired him, and before long he was performing his own songs – mostly as an opener for visiting acts. Soon he started traveling to New York City, where Jack Hardy’s legendary Fast Folk circle (a breeding ground for many a major singer-songwriter) became a powerful source of education and encouragement. Folk meccas like Texas’ Kerrville Folk Festival (where he won the New Folk Award in 1984) and Boston followed, and his stunningly soulful baritone voice and original songwriting began turning heads. Those who had at one time inspired him – Suzanne Vega, Bill Morrissey, Nanci Griffith, Christine Lavin, Shawn Colvin – had become his peers.


In 1987, the young Minnesota-based Red House Records caught wind of John’s talents and released his first album, I Know, to popular and critical acclaim. With unusual drive and focus, John hit the ground running and, when an offer came from Windham Hill’s Will Ackerman in 1989, he signed with that label’s imprint, High Street Records. He proceeded to record five albums with High Street over the next seven years: Land of the Bottom Line, Jack’s Crows, Temporary Road, Out of the Valley and Between Five and Seven. His albums and his touring (over 150 nights a year at times) brought new accolades for his craft. His rich multifaceted songs full of depth, beauty and emotion gained increasing attention from critics and audiences across the country, as well as in Europe where his tours led him through Italy, Belgium, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Switzerland and Germany. He also started sharing tours with many notable friends—Nanci Griffith and Mary Chapin Carpenter among them. All this brought his music to an ever-widening audience. His video for the single “When She Kisses Me” found a long-term rotation on VH-1’s “Current Country,” as well as on CMT and the Nashville Network.

In 1998, after five successful recordings and seven years at Windham Hill/High Street, John felt the need for a change and decided to return to his musical roots at Red House Records. The choice was driven, in part, by the artistic integrity that the label represents in an industry where the business of music too often takes precedence. The 1998 release After Yesterday marked a decidedly different attitude towards making music for John, and his next release The Company You Keep held fast to his tradition of fine songwriting, yet moved forward down new avenues. Its fourteen songs displays John’s creative use of lyrics and attention to detail. Andy Stochansky played drums and shared production credits with John and Rob Genadek. Ani DiFranco, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lucy Kaplansky and Patty Larkin contributed stellar guitar work and vocals to this fan favorite. Old Futures Gone was informed by his life as husband and father of two young children and also contained the colorful experience of many hard years on the road. Writing in the Margins followed in 2006 and was an engaging collection of sweet and serious songs that spanned many musical genres—folk, pop, country and soul—and featured guest vocalists Nanci Griffith, Lucy Kaplansky and Alice Peacock. Now with this, his 11th studio album, he returns to his roots with So Dark You See, his most compelling and traditional album to date.

In addition to his 11 critically acclaimed albums, John released a collector’s edition box featuring a hi-definition DVD and companion CD called The Gypsy Life. Windham Hill also released a collection of John’s greatest hits from the label called Pure John Gorka. In 2010, he also released an album with his friends and Red House label-mates Lucy Kaplansky and Eliza Gilkyson under the name Red Horse. Getting high praise from critics and fans alike, it landed on the Billboard Folk Charts and was one of the most played albums on folk radio.

Many well-known artists have recorded and/or performed John Gorka songs, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, Mary Black and Maura O’Connell. John has graced the stage of Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage, etown and has appeared on CNN. His new song “Where No Monuments Stand” is featured in the upcoming documentary Every War Has Two Losers, about activist and Oregon Poet Laureate William Stafford (1914-1993).
Check out his website: http://johngorka.com/
_________________________________________________________________________
Founded in 1976, Calliope is a non-profit music organization that organizes and administers a variety of concert series, a folk music school, and educational outreach programs.  As the premier promoter of roots music in southwestern Pennsylvania, Calliope’s mission is to promote and preserve traditional and contemporary heritage-based music and its allied arts.  Calliope programs are supported in part by the A.W. Mellon Education and Charitable Trust Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, The Allegheny County sales tax revenues awarded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The Heinz endowments, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, University of Pittsburgh Library System, and an anonymous donor. Calliope also thanks the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Chatham University.
--
Lisa Alexander, MFA
PR Coordinator
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
6300 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
412-361-1915
www.calliopehouse.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Friday, November 15, 2013

Christine Lavin & Uncle Bonsai at The Roots Cellar

For Immediate Release                  
Contact:  Lisa Alexander, PR Coordinator
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
(412) 361-1915, lalexander@calliopehouse.org      


CALLIOPE PRESENTS
CHRISTINE LAVIN & UNCLE BONSAI
JUST ONE ANGEL

(Pittsburgh, PA)- Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society welcomes Christine Lavin & Uncle Bonsai in Just One Angel to THE ROOTS CELLAR, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Shadyside, on Thursday, December 12, 2013, 7:30 PM.

More information is available online at www.calliopehouse.org or by contacting the Calliope office at (412) 361-1915. Tickets are $28 / $12 (w/ student ID) *handling fee included.

“Christine Lavin is wildly entertaining.” -The New Yorker

“Uncle Bonsai’s exquisite musical detail and subtle needling wit attain a level of craft not often seen in pop”   -The New York Times

Celebrate the holidays at one of the funniest and most musically satisfying concerts you’ll ever experience. Singer-Songwriter Christine Lavin and the Seattle trio Uncle Bonsai share an equally angelic and wicked sense of reality when it comes to the holidays, particularly on behalf of those among us skating on thin ice for most of the season!  Together in concert, they deliver some of the most clever and unflinching lyrics in folk-pop music. So expect fans' favorites and new holiday songs in a concert that coincides with the release of their new recording, Just One Angel, v.2. It’s a sublime and sublimely humorous compilation of original holiday songs by Lavin, Uncle Bonsai and fellow singer-songwriters across the country.


Christine Lavin is the best guest anyone could invite to a holiday party. Her ability to rouse the audience to their feet, to the stage, and to the problem-solving areas of their brains is unmatched. A multi award winning performer, she’s written some of the funniest, sweetest and most lethal songs on relationships, social truths, faux pas, and those devilish thoughts that orbit our minds even about those we love most. While her silver-light voice moves easily to songs of poignant realism, it is clear her audiences come wanting to laugh. She never disappoints. http://www.christinelavin.com/


Seattle super-harmonizers and humorists Uncle Bonsai are the Tim Burtons of folk music – dark and hilarious, but with moments of great insight and beauty.  With three strong voices and a guitar, Bonsai delivers an often dizzying vocal relay in exquisite harmonies, with rapid-fire lyrics on the topic of first-world problems, jobs for America, the creation of the universe, the afterlife, keeping your pets alive, and getting your kids to stay in bed. Like Stephen Sondheim crossed with the Beatles, or Zappa in therapy with Peter, Paul and Mary.  http://www.unclebonsai.com/
________________________________________________________________________
Founded in 1976, Calliope is a non-profit music organization that organizes and administers a variety of concert series, a folk music school, and educational outreach programs.  As the premier promoter of roots music in southwestern Pennsylvania, Calliope’s mission is to promote and preserve traditional and contemporary heritage-based music and its allied arts.  Calliope programs are supported in part by the A.W. Mellon Education and Charitable Trust Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, The Allegheny County sales tax revenues awarded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The Heinz endowments, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, University of Pittsburgh Library System, and an anonymous donor. Calliope also thanks the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Chatham University.
--
Lisa Alexander, MFA
PR Coordinator
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
6300 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
412-361-1915
www.calliopehouse.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh