Summer 2013 Schedule

Saturday, June 29, 2013

7:30 pm

Jill Jack

Jill Jack’s magical connection to her audience is the result of her generous artistry. By combining her gifts as a conceptual visionary with a warm gathering of musical influences, Jill touches that secret heart of ours with her melodies and lyrics. In her hometown of Detroit, Jill needs no further explanation. She’s been lauded in equal measure to her talents: Since 1997 she’s won 33 Detroit Music Awards in every conceivable category that applies to a singer-songwriter. Much of this provincial success is due to her charming stage presence and emotive songwriting. It’s simply called connecting, and it’s the bounty of a true songwriter open to all of life: her own defeats, victories, hopes dashed, dreams fulfilled, her muse, her loneliness, her misplaced love and her romantic successes.


Jill has built her audience with her whimsical, genuine live performances. Genuine is the defining term here. Propelled by her musical exemplars Joni Mitchell and Emmy Lou Harris, there are few performers with less conflict between who they are on stage and off than Jill. She extends the tradition of the confessional (i.e. achingly open, unafraid of intimacy) singer-songwriter, and is proud of that style and its continuation.


You get all of Jill Jack in a performance -- her blend of folk and rock traditions, her open humor. Jill harbors little of her process from her audience -- each concert is about opening a window and shining a light into her songwriting, leading inevitably to the intense relationship with her fans. Her career is founded on folk’s best idea -- that there’s a shared knowing between artist and audience, a conversation that flows both ways during a show.

   Josh is a straight up singin', guitar slingin', songwriting, crowd-pleasing Blues man. Son of a preacher man and woman, at 35 Josh has achieved incredible success and proves to be one of the most skillful yet animated Blues performers around. An absolute entertainer, Josh manages to keep everyone happy no matter what their age, race, or music taste - Everybody loves him!


Having played all over the US and in Europe since 1989, his fan base continues to grow and grow, as do his CD sales. Josh has recorded 9 albums and sells copies through his website motorcityjosh.com and at his shows.


Josh is popular for both his award winning foot stomping down-home Blues solo acoustic act, and his electrifying 'Funky Blues You Can't Refuse' 4-piece band.  Alex Lyon on bass, Jimmy David on Keyboards and Dave Dionise on drums.


Motor City Josh & The Big 3 have a mission to bring the blues to everyone: young, old, black, white, rich or poor all over the planet. If there are 50 people or 5000 you will get a great show with loads of entertainment. No one has more fun on stage than Josh and it is very contagious to the crowd.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

7:30 pm

Motor City Josh

and the Big 3

    Billed as an “Americana Sensation”, this group of young classically trained musicians is making an immense impact wherever they play. The quartet brings an exciting and distinctive sound to the Americana genre. " With a banjo and fiddle, you might think they’re traditional bluegrass, but think again: cello and hand drums round out the group, creating a truly new sound. A little bit bluegrass, a little bit folk, a little bit classical and whole lot of original, Harpeth Rising is a band to watch.


Harpeth Rising is comprised of:  

Jordana Greenberg, native of Ontario, Canada, began her violin studies at the age of 8 at Indiana University. She has performed as a soloist in the United States, Canada, France, Japan, and throughout South and Central America. Through her classical training combined with a childhood surrounded by bluegrass musicians in rural Indiana, Jordana has developed a truly unique style of playing and songwriting.


Rebecca Reed-Lunn grew up listening to Mahler, Edith Piaf, and Bob Dylan in her hometown of Davis, CA.  She began teaching herself the banjo by watching Pete Seeger videos on YouTube while studying the viola in graduate school at Indiana University. Rebecca was Ms. February for the 2012 Women of Banjo Calendar.  She continues to develop new techniques of banjo playing at her home in Nashville, TN.


Chris Burgess was born and raised in Louisville, KY. He earned his Bachelors of Music at Indiana University where he studied with Anthony Cirone and Gerry Carlyss.  At IU Chris first developed an interest in ethnic music and percussion instruments from around the world, which he continued while completing a Masters of Music at The Boston Conservatory.  He now lives in Memphis with his wife Ruth, and, in addition to creating and performing with Harpeth Rising, maintains a teaching studio as the Artist in Residence at Memphis Drum Shop.


Maria Di Meglio hails from Brooklyn, and currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. She performs a wide variety of musical styles, including classical and folk music of Eastern Europe and the Americas, and contemporary music. Her performances have taken her throughout the United States and Europe, ranging from folk stages to Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall. She recently completed her masters degree at the Jacobs School at Indiana University, where she served as Associate Cello Instructor to Peter Stumpf.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

7:30 pm

Harpeth Rising

  James Moors and Kort McCumber are an acoustic duo that crafts beautiful story songs that walk the line between rootsy folk and melodic pop. The two songwriters met at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in 2005. Sitting around a campfire swapping songs, they each heard something in the music of the other that just fit. The two have been performing and writing together ever since. Having collectively sold more than 15,000 copies of independent releases from the stage, the duo has now released two of their own full-length albums.


Based in Superior, Wisconsin, James Moors is heralded by Steve Morse, longtime Boston Globe writer, as “Sharing some of the same melodic gifts of Neil Finn, enhanced by a warm-hearted spirit that makes you want to hear more.” Born and raised in Minneapolis, he grew up with the music of The Replacements, Soul Asylum and Prince but today

draws inspiration from troubadours like Ron Sexsmith and Eliza Gilkyson. An official recipient of the prestigious McKnight Foundation Emerging Artist Grant, his songwriting has been recognized three years in a row by the Big Top Chautauqua competition.


A talented multi-instrumentalist, Colorado artist Kort McCumber plays a variety of instruments (guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, piano) in his own brand of Americana that is one part rock and blues, two parts country bluegrass and all parts McCumber. But it is his songwriting abilities that have made him a Colorado favorite and garnered him national and international recognition. He won last year’s Flat Rock Festival Songwriting Competition in North Carolina and was a finalist in this year’s International Songwriting Competition.


Although successful solo songwriters, Moors & McCumber discovered that their music together is more than the sum of the parts. Embracing a bigger sound than most duos, they switch up instruments on almost every song (playing guitar, mandolin, piano, bouzouki, fiddle, harmonica, cello, 12-string guitar and Dobro), creating catchy melodies that are big, bright and electrifying to watch live.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

7:30 pm

Moors & McCumber

Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line are a traveling Carnival of acoustic Americana.  The high energy, Nashville-based quintet perform Struthers’ original story-songs with tight, three-part harmonies, fiddle, claw-hammer banjo, acoustic guitar, bass, and drums.  Struthers was catapulted into the spotlight when she lead her band to a blue ribbon at the prestigious 2010 Telluride Bluegrass Festival band competition (previous winners include Nickel Creek and The Dixie Chicks) and now her group is touring heavily in support of their April 16 release, Carnival.  “When you go to a carnival, you go into a sideshow tent, and on every stage you find a different person with a different story,” says Nora Jane Struthers. “That’s why I’m trying to do with this album – craft vignettes, and in some cases more developed narratives, about imaginary people’s lives.” Nora Jane Struthers steps forward with a distinctive sound and on-stage style – her personal collection of vintage dresses makes her one of the most visually striking of modern acoustic artists. But the moving, perceptive, and witty songs on Carnival represent a new quantum leap, born of hard work and deep creative reflection.“Over the past three years, as I’ve been touring and performing, I realized that primarily I’m a storyteller,” she says. “I’ve been working to hone my skills so I can do that better.” After listening to Carnival, no one will deny the keen edge of Struthers’ masterful new work. The album marks the recording debut of Struthers’ touring band, the Party Line (which takes its handle from one of the record’s songs, about the early days of rural telephone calls). The gifted group of instrumentalists includes Struthers’ longtime collaborator P. J. George (upright bass, harmony vocals, pedal steel guitar, accordion and banjo), Joe Overton (clawhammer banjo and harmony vocals), Aaron Jonah Lewis (fiddle, three-finger banjo, baritone fiddle, mandolin) and Drew Lawhorn (drums). http://www.norajanestruthers.com

Saturday, July 27, 2013

7:30 pm

Nora Jane Struthers

& The Party Line

    Hailing from western New York, Big Leg Emma is an institution for high quality, original, americana roots rock music.  Based both in traditional music like folk, bluegrass,  country, psychedelic and contemporary rock, the band is a high powered, eclectic, music making machine. Throw in some thought provoking songwriting and harmonies and you have a one of a kind equation that is unique, timeless, and infectious. 


Big Leg Emma was born in 2001 in Jamestown,NY, long time friends & musical partners Steve Johnson and Charity Nuse met up.. Kev Rowe joined the band as lead guitar bringing an eclectic -tasteful sound to Emma. Rounded out by Bill Burke (bass guitar) and Corey Kertzie (drums) as a powerful "make you want to dance" rhythm section.


Big Leg Emma in 10 years have performed in many major music festivals including, Finger Lakes Grassroots Music Festival, Great Blue Heron Music Festival, Bliss Festival, Silver Maple Music Fest and many others.


The band has shared the stage with Rusted Root, Donna the Buffalo, ,Little Feat ,Del McCoury 10,000 Maniacs,Max Creek, and Hot Tuna to name a few. BLE has performed in over 25 states from NY to ILL. And all the way down to the Florida Keys.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

7:30 pm

Big Leg Emma

         The Moxie Strings is the electrifying combination of fiddler, Diana Ladio, and cellist, Alison Lynn. With their feel-good melodies, and foot-stomping, rock-influenced rhythms, these girls have put a fresh, enticing spin on Celtic and Americana music. Though rooted in tradition, The Moxie Strings offer listeners the unique opportunity to experience two of the world’s best-known instruments and oldest genres through a young, progressive lens. Diana and Alison often join forces with dynamic drummer and world percussionist, Fritz McGirr, to create a high-energy trio proven to captivate any audience. The Moxie Strings’ ear-catching originals and dance-worthy, traditional tunes have quickly made it one of Michigan’s most promising and well-loved instrumental acts.


While the two can light up the stage, The Moxie Strings have also dedicated their careers to introducing new genres of music to string students, and preaching the importance of non-classical music in music education. They were selected as the featured artists/clinicians for MSBOA’s 1st Alternative Styles Day, and have taught clinics in over 20 schools throughout the Midwest.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

7:30 pm

Moxie Strings

   In 1987, LJ Booth came out of the central Wisconsin woodwork with his first CD, YARNS.  SING OUT! Magazine described this quiet debut as “simply great music”, and added, “I don’t know how far he has strayed form Wisconsin thus far, but LJ Booth is one hell of a yarn-spinner and singer.


In the years following, LJ was indeed traveling---playing clubs (from Boston to Austin) and festivals (including Falcon Ridge, Edmonton, Kerrville, Telluride and the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest)---building a stage presence that has become his trademark. Quickly, other performers were eager to include his songs in their sets and recordings.


Born in the Philippines, most of LJ ™s childhood was spent oversea... living in northern India from the age of five to ten. With traveling in his blood, LJ hitchhiked extensively in the States and in Europe after leaving home...working a variety of jobs; oil rigs in Wyoming, a lumber yard in Portland, planting trees in Idaho, playing street music in Germany and Switzerland, maintenance work at Crater Lake.


In 2002, LJ put together his third CD, THE OX THAT PULLS THE CART.   After two years of travel, following the release of THE OX ¦, LJ settled into a touring sabbatical, staying closer to home, regrouping and working on new songs.  He has now bypassed the studio recording environment, and ended his touring sabbatical by giving longtime fans what they have always wanted, a live recording of new songs; THE ROAD THAT LEADS ME HOME, which places emphasis on performance, over perfection.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

7:30 pm

LJ Booth

    Jennie DeVoe draws a lot of comparisons to Janis Joplin, and in one sense, it’s easy to see why.  DeVoe, like Joplin, is a white female singer who can sing soul and blues with the kind of grit and passion that usually finds its roots in the black church.   However, unlike Joplin, DeVoe can also rock and add a little country and western to the mix.


Attracting fans of all ages, the Indianapolis-based DeVoe is at her best in front of a listening audience, never failing to mesmerize and captivate with her talent, humor and personality. No matter the venue, DeVoe makes you feel like you're in your living room with old friends-until she knocks you flat with her amazing voice, and you forget where you are entirely.  Jennie DeVoe is the kind of singer who makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention. To watch her work is to fall in love with someone who is in love with what they do.  "Jennie DeVoe never fails to deliver intense, deeply personal songs that draw you into her impassioned world.  One part power with two parts raw emotion, Jennie is the perfect blend of spirit, style and originality.”   Klipsch Audio


Stuff you should also know: While she remains one of the Midwest's most highly respected and well-known singer songwriters, Jennie Devoe can be heard on radio ads around the , plus the Virgin Islands. Her songs have been added to rotation on Triple-A and college radio stations across the country, and been licensed to several well-known television shows including Dawson's Creek and Joan of Arcadia. She's performed all over the country, including  Lillith Fair, and has opened for greats like Bonnie Raitt, Joe Cocker, Lucinda Williams, Jack Johnson, Ray Charles, and many more.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

7:30 pm

Jennie DeVoe


Baffling Bill's interest in magic began at age five, when a kindergarten classmate performed a magic trick for show and tell.  The classmate made a ball disappear and reappear.


This feat of magic left an impression on Bill that would not be forgotten.  He started requesting magic sets for Christmas and birthdays as he grew up. 

He would attend Norm Clothier's Magic Camp, check out magic books at the library, and put together shows for the neighborhood kids. 


Throughout junior high and high school Bill would win talent shows with his magic act. Baffling Bill helped pay his way through five years of college performing shows and working at magic shops.


After college he fell in love with and married Diane who encouraged Bill to go into magic as a full time career.   In 1987 they established their magic company, "Absolutely Baffling Magic by William and Di."

Thursday, July 18, 2013

2:00 pm

Children’s Matinee

Baffling Bill

the Magician