An Afternoon (and Evening) of Traditional Music in Woods Hole. All free.
Location: Various Woods Hole Village businesses and Woods Hole Community Hall. RAIN or SHINE
The Stroll begins at the Woods Hole Public Library then moves along the streets of Woods Hole to hear nine traditional music groups play. End the day listening to an open session and then take to the floor of the Community Hall to twirl to the music of John Alden and the Woods Hole Folk Orchestra. All music is free.
2:00 – 3:00 The Harper & The Minstrel, Woods Hole Public Library
Jay and Abby Michaels are talented and versatile singers and multi-instrumentalists whose sound is influenced by Celtic, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, folk, and rock music. Abby’s angelic alto and Jay’s smoky baritone voices are accompanied by a wide variety of instruments, including the Cláirseach (a Medieval Irish wire-strung harp),the Renaissance Gothic harp, the Celtic folk harp, silver flute, divergent flute, Irish wooden flute, alto, soprano, and tenor recorders, penny whistles, bowed psaltery, bowed, plucked, and hammered dulcimers, classical guitar and folk guitar.
The Harper and the Minstrel specializes in beautiful airs and ballads, as well as unique arrangements of traditional and early music from 13th century Spanish to the music of English lutenist John Dowland to Ireland’s Turlough O’Carolan.
www.theharperandtheminstrel.com/?
2:30 – 3:30 Morgan Rattler, Bank of Woods Hole
Morgan Rattler offers music and song from the Golden Age of Piracy–traditional American, Irish, English and French music from 17th through 20th century, songs relating to seafaring. The group includes Jacek Sulanowski on vocals and bodhran, Barbara Blair on fiddle and whistles, and Ron Geering on hurdy gurdy, concertina and melodeon. The group has performed at the Tall Ships event in Newport, RI, and at the Hyannis Maritime Festival, as well as at the Falmouth Art Market and other local events.
3:00 – 4:00 Cat’s Melodeon, Coffee O Porch
Cat’s Melodeon, led by Bill Black, specializes in Irish traditional music, played on fiddle, flute, recorder, accordion, banjo, guitar, uilleann pipes, and bodhrán, a goat-skin frame drum. Most of the members live on-Cape or nearby, and gather regularly for sessions as well as concerts and performances in season. Cat’s Melodeon sessions are open to any musicians who are familiar with the Irish traditional repertoire. The group’s name comes from a local expression in Ireland’s County Mayo and refers (among other things) to an informal get-together for enjoyable purposes.
3:30 – 4:30 Tim Radford, Quick’s Hole Tavern
Tim Radford is an English-born traditional singer who has been living on Cape Cod since 1996. He has been singing traditional unaccompanied songs for over 40 years and specializes in songs of the South of England, particularly from Hampshire where he was born. He was squire and foreman of the Adderbury Morris Men in North Oxfordshire from 1974 to 1996.
4:00 – 5:00 Amy Larkin & the Hatchville Houndogs, Landfall Restaurant
Jonathan and Amy Larkin and Doug “Jr. Croc” Sheprow perform a variety of spicy Cajun, Celtic and Appalachian music on fiddle, banjo, Cajun accordion and guitar. Amy has been playing driving dance music at New England Contradances all over the country for more than 25 years. Multi-instrumentalist Jonathan has been performing since the early seventies. He has toured as a guitarist with Flamenco dancers as well as playing Flamenco guitar solo, busked in Harvard square playing Appalacian fiddle tunes, and fronted the Cajun-Zydeco band, Buzzards Bayou. Jr. Croc is an experienced bass player with a background performing local jazz, zydeco, fusion, rock, and reggae. He has found a new interest in playing traditional music on acoustic guitar. This diverse group of seasoned musicians have banded together on a new musical adventure.
4:30 – 5:30 The Familiars, Phusion Grill
Manny and Linda Dias are The Familiars of Cape Cod. They sing and play folk, fiddle, country, Irish and popular music from the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, and more. Manny, who has been active in the Upper Cape folk music scene for more than 20 years, plays guitar, and Linda plays fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, and Irish whistles in a variety of musical styles.
5:00 – 6:00 Passacagalia, Old Fire Station – upstairs
Passacaglia plays a variety of music from the medieval and renaissance eras to the present, mainly from Europe but also from the Middle East and the Americas. Their repertoire includes lute songs, madrigals, canzonas, processionals, and a variety of dance pieces from pavanes and galliards to Turkish melodies and Latin-inspired tangos and waltzes. Passacaglia aims to transport listeners to another time and place, but also to bring ancient music forward, with fresh interpretations and an emphasis on cross-cultural connections. Members are Jan Elliott on recorder and crumhorn; Lisa Esperson on percussion; Tom Hanna on lute, guitar, and mandolin; and Molly Johnston on viola da gamba and vielle.
solsticesingers.org/passacaglia.htm
5:30 – 6:30 The Falmouth Fiddlers, The MBL Club
The Falmouth Fiddlers, led by Jim Boyce, plays and sings old-time, bluegrass, and Celtic fiddle tunes on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo, dobro, tin whistle, bodhran, cello, and string bass.
6:00 – 7:00 The Sonnay Fiddlers, The Waterfront – Captain Kidd
The Sonnay Fiddlers play traditional and international fiddle tunes. The group is made up of accomplished students of Nikki Engstrom, an award-winning fiddler and a member of the Celtic duo Stanley and Grimm. The fiddlers range in age from young children to older adults and have a large repertoire of Celtic tunes.
Nikki Engstrom is an accomplished fiddler and teaches many workshops at festivals throughout the year while maintaining more than 30 full-time private students on Cape Cod. She has performed, competed, and taught throughout New England and Canada.
7:00 – 8:00 Jam Session – All are Invited, Woods Hole Community Hall
All are invited to gather for a traditional music jam session. Bring your instruments, or just pull up a chair and listen to the tunes.
8:00 – 11:00 Contra and Square Dancing, Woods Hole Folk Orchestra, Woods Hole Community Hall
2 – 11pm Rain or Shine
Street Entertainers, Jugglers and Longsword Dancers – Random Times, Random Places
Bus service from Falmouth to Woods Hole capecodrta.org/sealine-route.htm
Free parking at Challenger House, in the School Street and the Shivericks Lots and in the MBL. Please look for the signs.