Spring 2015 News: concerts, camps, and more!

Spring greetings: May is bursting into bloom with back-to-back concerts Friday May 8th and 9th: Friday is a Hayloft concert in Salem with the wonderful Betsy Branch (fiddle, vocals, guitar) Leela Grace (banjo, vocals, clogging), and Elizabeth Nicholson (harp, guitar, vocals).  Driving tunes played on fiddles, banjo, guitar, and harp, powerful songs (both original and traditional) sung in lush three- and four-part harmony, and a bit of percussive dance!  Hope to see you there. Saturday May 9th is a house concert in SE Portland with Johnny Connolly and Dan Compton. There is an amazing synergy at work in this trio–it feels like flying on thermals playing with these guys! We’ll do a mixed grill of Irish, Quebecois, and Appalachian music, with some great songs on the side. And! And! And! Check it out—we’ll be announcing our spankin’ new band name at the concert! Read on for details:

 

FRIDAY MAY 8 AND SUNDAY MAY 17 CONCERTS WITH LEELA, BETSY, AND ELIZABETH

Lisa Ornstein, Leela Grace, Elizabeth Nicholson, and Betsy Branch!
Lisa Ornstein, Leela Grace, Elizabeth Nicholson, and Betsy Branch
FRIDAY, MAY 8
Hayloft Concert in Salem, Oregon!
8:00pm (or whenever the hayloft fills up) 
Note: Portland folks usually come early to reserve their seats, bring a picnic, and beat some of the traffic!
Location: 5304 Center St. NE; Salem, OR. Info: Email Sharon Moore
 
SUNDAY, MAY 17
Special House Concert in SE Portland! (Facebook event page)

5:30-8:00pm

Tickets at the door

Sliding scale $15-20 for ages 13 and up

$10 for 12 and under

Info/Reservations: Email Betsy Branch to reserve your seat and you will receive the location of the concert. Reserve now! Seating is limited.

About the Shows: It is a treat to join forces for these special shows! The four of us will be pulling out some of our favorite songs and tunes to make a diverse, exciting, and beautiful concert. I get to trot out my tonsils for some four-part harmonies and do some twin fiddling with Betsy, the diva of soulful harmonies. Don’t miss this sweet evening filled with tasty tunes, beautiful harmonies, traditional, original, Old Time and Irish songs and tunes, percussive dance, banjo, guitar, fiddles, harp, and much more!

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House Concert :: Lisa Ornstein, Dan Compton, Johnny Connolly
When :: Sat May 9, 2015 (7:30 PM Performance / 6:30 Potluck)
Where :: Inner SE Portland.  RSVP to abbiew@froggie.com for directions and to RESERVE!
Cost :: Suggested donation $15-20, $10 students … or what you can. All proceeds go to the artists!
Contact :: Abbie Weisenbloom, (503) : 233-4945 / abbiew@froggie.com  / www.froggie.com  (CALENDAR listing all shows!)

Johnny, Dan, and I have been playing together whenever we get the chance (trust me, finding a time when we are all in Portland at the same time is a challenge!). But when we get together, the click is so instantaneous and the synergy is so powerful that we’re instantly on the same page. It’s an amazing conversation, filled with humor and ease, combining seamlessly blended unison and innovative harmonies, with great classics and off-the-beaten-track tunes from Appalachia, Quebec, and Ireland, served up with a side of song. We will have a buncha new material to share and will be officially unveiling our band name (at last! at last!).

Also, Abbie will be live streaming the show on Concert Window – Here is her channel –> https://www.concertwindow.com/abbiewpresents.  Tell your friends, wherever they may live. This is a great way to help support the artists & the venue while enjoying the show remotely!) 

This summer, I’ll be on staff at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes (with Le Bruit), Northern Roots Weekend, the Swannanoa Gathering, and Souches a l’Oreille in Quebec (also with Le Bruit). See calendar for details about these camps.