oasis

 

"Music, in performance, is a type of sculpture. The air in the performance is sculpted into something."

---Frank Zappa

 

Concerts & Showcases @ NewSong 2005

The Mountain Stage NewSong Festival, Aug. 24 to 28, features concerts, dinner and late-night showcases, open mics and campsite jams at venues across Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The Festival begins with the NewSong Academy songcraft and performance school, Wednesday to Friday. Then, showcases and concerts take place Friday, Aug. 26 through Sunday, Aug. 28. For an hour-by-hour, venue-by-venue, list of performances, see the Schedule page. Below are short bios of the many fine performers in all genres from across the countryfeatured.

TICKETS: For Festival Passes and Concert tickets, see Tickets page. Individual entry to Showcases without a Festival Pass costs $5 at the door of each venue.

NOTE: This list is still being updated as we compile biographies and adjust the schedule. Check back later if a specific artist is not yet listed here.
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1. CONCERTS

2. NEWSONG SHOWCASE Performers

3: GROUP SHOWCASES

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1----- CONCERTS

NewSong Academy Instructors Concert
8 p.m. Friday, Frank Center, Shepherd University.
Featuring:Beth Nielsen Chapman, Paul Reisler, Steve Seskin, Mark Simos and friends

NewSong Contest Finals
8 p.m. Saturday, Frank Center, Shepherd University
Featuring: Top 12 finalists in NewSong Contest

Mountain Stage NewSong Show
6 p.m., Saturday, Frank Center, Shepherd University.
Featuring: Rhonda Vincent and The Rage, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Suzzy and Maggie Roche, Fianna Fumana, Alison Brown Band with Joe Craven, 2005 NewSong Contest Winner
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2----NEWSONG SHOWCASE Performers

Erik Balkey
Eric, a winner of the prestigious New Folk award at the 2005 Kerrville Festival, is a full-time touring songwriter with over 200 appearances a year. His music is an engaging mix of honesty, intimacy and humor. His agile voice, accompanied by sparse and deliberate guitarwork, won this praise from Dirty Linen Magazine: "Balkey's confident delivery and sparse arrangements frame the songs with uncommon poise."
www.erikbalkey.com

Andrea Barlow
Andrea's original music falls somewhere between mellow ballads, world rhythms and lilting pop/folk. Heartfelt lyrics are her trademark, drawing the listener into the possibility of true love and old-world romance, mixed with a contemporary style that keeps the listener firmly in the now. Her influences include such artists as Sarah McLachlan, Loreena McKinnett, Norah Jones, and Sheryl Crowe, while her stylistic influences range from from opera to jazz. Her music is just as varied.
home.earthlink.net/~andreabarlow/index.html

Robert Blake
Singing, writing, and strumming songs of lost loves, bicycles, old hotels, politics and long hot drives, Robert Blake has rambled coast-to-coast, singing in basements, bars, backyards, and holding cells. He has carved out an audience all his own full of punks, hippies, college students, country music fans, tree sitters, high schoolers and their parents. You’re bound to hear some Dylan, some Billy Bragg, something Irish. but mostly you’re going to hear him along with his speed strumming guitar style, wry humor, and narrative sensibility as he takes the folk song to a new place and a newer, younger audience.
www.sameroomrecords.com/RobertBlake

Todd Burge
Perhaps the best summary of this West Virginia-based singer-songwriter comes from “Mountain Stage” host Larry Groce: "Around this state (WV), he's probably the 'dean' of all the singer/songwriters. The finest singer and songwriter that we have. The hardest thing for a singer/songwriter is to distinguish yourself to be original, because there are so many… His music is unmistakable. You hear both his voice and the way he constructs songs, the way he rhymes things, what he writes about, all those things are unique. There are some people who fall into traditions and you can say they sound pretty much like this person, but Todd doesn't sound like anybody. And that's what I like the most about him, is the originality."
www.toddburge.com

The Dreamiscles
One guitar and two voices weave intricate harmonies as Tom Prasada-Rao and Cary Cooper sing lovesongs for grown ups -- that’s The Dreamsicles. Both Tom and Cary are Kerrville New Folk Competition Winners and accomplished songwriters in their own right. They draw on their experience in classical violin, musical theater, raising kids and living in the Third World to create songs which navigate the territory between Everything But The Girl and Leonard Cohen, Lucy Kaplansky and Krishna Das. SingOut magazine sums it up: "The funky side of folk.”
www.thedreamsicles.com

Erik and Dhru
Distinctive features of the “Erik and Dhru” sound include Dhruva’s sultry alto voice, Erik’s blazing guitar solos and their smooth harmonies and original songwriting that runs the gamut from poignant to powerful . Erik and Dhru hail from Frostburg, Maryland, with a combined sound described as "acoustic blues and beyond." In the mix, you'll find folk with a splash of alternative, soulful robust blues, sultry jazz vocals and even an acoustic jam band flavor
www.erikandhru.com

Doug and Shelley Harper
The first time they sang together in 1980, their voices came together like two old friends. Three CD projects later, Doug and Shelley still perform throughout central Appalachia in a variety of venues, including coffeehouses, festivals, radio shows and numerous singer/songwriter venues. “Hybrid Folk” describes their writing style and playlist. The catalogue consists of well-crafted original tunes along with material carefully selected for it’s redeeming value. Audiences come away from performances warmed, amused and inspired.

Douglas Imbrogno
Doug’s debut CD, “Saint Stephen’s Dream,” showcases electronica-flavored acoustic music, powered by guitar, mandolin, hand-drum, cello and beyond. His well-crafted songs are layered with imagery and poetic references coupled with rhythmic variety and offbeat subjects, from “I Never Slept with Allen Ginsberg,” to “Godless Appalachian Haiku.” Of his debut release, a reviewer said: “What makes this album a success is Imbrogno's focus on his strength: gentle, well-sung folk-pop with an unabashed Celestial Seasonings bent.” Doug is a NewSong co-founder.
www.garagecow.com

Kristy Jackson
An accomplished songwriter, keyboard player and vocalist , Kristy has performed from Maui to Giants Stadium to Nashville’s famous Bluebird Café. She has shared the stage with such performers as Jessica Simpson, Blu Cantrell and David Wilcox to name a few. Her song, "Little Did She Know (She'd Kissed A Hero)" thrust her in the national spotlight when her work tape found its way to radio and became the No. 1 most requested song on the largest radio stations in New York and other markets in the fall of 2001. She is a member of BMI's Millionaire Club with "Take It Back" (recorded by Reba McEntire) logging over 1,750,000 performances to date.
www.kristyjackson.com

Diana Jones
Diana's family and musical roots are firmly planted in the hills of Eastern Tennessee. Her lyrics are informed by the themes that have run through her life: love, loss and redemption. Her sound is steeped in old-time rhythms and melodies. From the mournful lament of a dance hall girl to a stomping melodic rant featuring her burial instructions, her songs draws life from the rich crosscurrents of country, blues and mountain music. The result is vibrant, contemporary music with a gritty, timeless feel. "My Remembrance of You", is her newest 2005 release. She is the debut artist on the new NewSong Records label and her CD will be released at the NewSong Festival.
www.dianajones.net

David LaFleur
This solo, high-energy roots acoustic musician is a gifted dobro, guitar, dulcimer and mandolin player. His original songs range from intimate and beautiful one moment to absurdly funny the next. A former nuclear engineer turned full-time musician, LaFleur learned his “chops” performing among such acts as Danny Gatton, Nils Lofgren, and the Johnson Mountain Boys. He has opened for Emmy Lou Harris, Tom Rush, and the Seldom Scene.
www.davidlafleurmusic.com

Little Maggie
When folks listen to the vocal duo Little Maggie they often say, "Your singing really takes me back!" Mary Dailey and Cheryl Mansley capture the heart and soul of folk balladry with vocal skill and delightful harmonies. Drawing from both Appalachian and Irish traditions along with original material, their repertoire covers the spectrum of human experiences, while their fun-loving spirits enable them to move easily from dark themes to playfulness. Whether accompanying themselves on guitar, mountain dulcimer, recorders and percussion or simply singing a cappella, Little Maggie takes you back to a place often forgotten and sorely missed.

Kate Long
Rambles Magazine described Kate Long's voice as "a deep rich force." Whether she is performing in concert , for a spiritual group, or in a church basement for flood survivors, she connects. "If you're not familiar with her songs, expect to cry, laugh, think, reflect and come away with a full heart," said one reviewer. "She is a wonderful writer," said Pittsburgh folk DJ Larry Berger, "and her performance is breathtaking." Firmly rooted in Appalachian traditional music, she often sings a capella. The West Virginia native's award-winning songs include "Who Will Watch the Homeplace," "McNamara's Tear," and "Revelations Roll." More than 20 artists have recorded her songs.
www.katelong.com

Bob Malone
Bob Malone’s music is an intoxicating distillation of uptown blues, gutbucket New Orleans ragtime stomp, and classic singer/songwriter pop songcraft, delivered with the ferocious energy of a great rock-and-roll piano man. He plays over 100 shows a year across the world, and he has opened for the Neville Brothers, Rev. Al Green, Boz Scaggs, Arlo Guthrie, and many others. The Palm Beach Post says: “ Malone connects with audiences via his self-depreciatingly witty banter and songs…sung with an affable misanthropy that recalls Randy Newman and Tom Waits. He’s also a dazzlingly skilled pianist.”
www.bobmalone.com

Kate McDonnell
Kate won the very first Mountain Stage NewSong Festival Contest in 2002. Fearless and funny on stage, she has won audiences in Europe and U.S., with a heart-stopping voice and great guitar playing (a leftie, she’s known for playing her guitar left-handed and “upside-down,” strings in reverse order). No less than Tom Paxton says of her powerful acoustic folk: “Kate McDOnnell’s music has grace, intelligence, warmth and more.” Or to put it another way, she is “the musical lovechild of Joni Mitchell and Leo Kotke.”
www.katemcdonnell.com

Don Oehser
In addition to fronting his own groups such as his blues band Don Oehser and the Vibrators, Don has played and/or recorded with acts like Catfish Hodge, bluesman J.B. Hutto, D.C. rockabilly legend Billy Hancock, Nashville singer-songwriter Amy Silver, roots-rocker Evan Johns, and the jazz/swing bands Night & Day and Swingspeak. He is also a member of the talented trio, Singin' the Bones (also performing at NewSong), with his wife Laura First and Susan Spangler. Don is one of those musician’s musicians who can sit-in with anyone. (P.S. Don't miss his blues showcase Friday night at NewSong with Pops Walker and Paul Curreri.)

The Outpatients
Shake, rattle and roll with the newgrass and rhythm-and-blues of The OutPatients. Comprised of Steve Cifala, Jamie Daly, and Rob Receveur, these popular DC-club scene regulars are known for their three-part harmonies and blazing instrumentals, music that has been dubbed "toe-tapping acoustic mayhem."
www.foxfieldfarm.com

Keith and Joan Pitzer
For years, Keith and Joan Pitzer have been blending their rich vocal harmonies with skillful acoustic guitar and bass, embellished with harmonica or pennywhistle. While their own West Virginia-inspired originals are always a highlight, the couple easily traverses a wide range of traditional Celtic and American folk music. They have performed at a variety of festivals and concerts across the Mid-Atlantic region states, and have shared stages with such folk and bluegrass standouts as Norman and Nancy Blake, Tony Rice, Tom Paxton, Garnet Rogers, Robin and Linda Williams and Bill Staines.
www.fallingmountain.com/pitzers.html

Gar Ragland
Musician and producer Gar Ragland’s music represents a bridge between traditional folk storytelling and the melodic, harmonic inventions of modern jazz. After a stint as a working musician in the early '90s Charlottesville, Virginia scene —sharing bills with acts like Dave Matthews Band and Aquarium Rescue Unit—he studied composition and improvisation with MacArthur Genius Award winner and pianist Ran Blake and at the New England Conservatory Department of Contemporary Improvisation. Metronome has called his music "superbly original and refreshing." Gar is a NewSong co-founder and festival producer.
www.ripariusrecords.com

Chelsea Richardson and Freddy Bradburn
Chelsea was the grand-prize winner at last year’s NewSong Festival and co-writer of the winning song “Cartoonland,” with musical partner, Freddy Bradburn. Chelsea has been performing and working with Freddy since she was nine (she is now 14). They have a CD titled, “Shining Alone,” featuring Chelsea’s evocative, warm vocals and Freddy’s guitarplaying. Dan Keen of ASCAP called Chelsea’s 2005 NewSong finals performance “emotionally stunning,” and SingOut describes Chelsea’s performance on the CD as “stunningly engaging. Freddy has had songs covered by David Wilcox and Cosy Sheridan.
www.freddybradburn.com

Jan Smith
No Depression magazine called Jan Smith's independent debut album, “Tin Heart” a “thoroughly enjoyable mix of country, folk, and bluegrass that showcases (her) strong and considerable songwriting skills . . . (her) words force you to pay attention." Smith's powerful roots/Americana originals distill the elements of traditional and popular acoustic music and combine them with what one reviewer called "real down-to-the-bone, take-no-prisoners lyrics."
www.honeybirdmusic.com

Ron Sowell
Ron is perhaps best known for his role as musical director of the internationally acclaimed public radio show, “Mountain Stage,” where he has played with hundreds of performers, such as Sarah McLachlan, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Kathy Mattea and the legends Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Rambling Jack Elliott and Odetta. Ron is a dynamic singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer and a funny and engaging performer who plays a killer harmonic, too. Ron is a NewSong co-founder.
www.ronsowell.com

Devon Sproule
Based in Charlottesville, VA, Devon Sproule's last CD, "Upstate Songs" was included in Rolling Stone's Critics Top Picks of 2003. Newly married in 2005 and currently hard at work on her fourth CD, Devon will break from her recording to join the NewSong community for her second year at the festival. Last year, she was a favorite on NewSong's main stage and her lyrical and lovely folk-pop was featured on the festival-closing Mountain Stage NewSong show.
http://www.devonsproule.com

Terry Tucker
Terry has performed in clubs and on radio and TV in England, Germany, Italy and the U.S., and worked for BBC World Service Radio and Television, writing, arranging and recording songs. She plays piano, autoharp, guitar, recorders and percussion. She sang with the Smithsonian Madrigal Singers before moving to London, to arrange and record original songs for the LP, “The Sound of Sunforest." Her “Overture to the Sun”was recorded for Stanley Kubrick’s film, “A Clockwork Orange.” She now performs her own songs with her band, Treehouse, and folk songs with the band Celtic Parliament.
www.treehouseband.net

Mary Sue Twohy
“Songs to Hang on Stars,” the new CD from Mary Sue Twohy (pronounced too’-ee) will be released January 1, 2006 from Azalea City Recordings. This third album from the acclaimed singer-songwriter is an eclectic mix of acoustic folk-pop (the graceful title track “Songs to Hang on Stars”) and traditional (the haunting civil war song, “Missionary Ridge.”) Twohy’s soaring, intimate vocals and warm, expressive guitar won her the 2004 Washington Area Music Award (WAMMIE) for Contemporary Folk Vocalist and the 1999 WAMMIE for Best New Artist.
www.marysuetwohy.com

Pops Walker
Listening to Pops sing and play guitar, you’ll hear accomplished acoustic blues, often up-tempo, yet with dashes of folk, jazz, country, and a little genre called ‘Southern Fried Zen Mojo,’ a phrase coined just for him. He has performed in venues around the world and has been part of several duos and trios, but now performs solo as a performing songwriter. He’s a true independent artist, and releases his recordings independently via his own publishing company, Icknob Publishing, while targeting acoustic listening rooms, the performing songwriter circuit and house concerts.
www.popswalker.com

Jon Wikstrom
As a hopeful “Nashville songwriter” at one point in his life, Jon spent eight years there “so I could polish my songwriting skills full time and get my brains beaten in by the music industry.” While he spent much of that time pitching his songs to other people, he was prevailed upon to put forth his songs in his own smooth, lovely voice. The result is his 2005 debut album, "Journey of Two Hearts," a showcase for what happens when fine, heartfelt romantic songwriting is sung with passion and style. Jon is a regular at NewSong Festivals, having performed for several years as well as judging the NewSong Contest.
jonwikstrom.com

The Woodshedders
 The Woodshedders describe their hot sound as 'Acoustic Gypsy-Style Swing and Olde Tyme Jazz.' The quintet, made up of Dwayne Brooke ( guitar, vocals ), Ryan Mayo (upright bass ), Chance McCoy ( mandolin ), Stuart Orser ( guitar ), and "Fiddly" Dave VanDeventer ( fiddle )is deeply inspired by Django Reinhardt and the quintet of the Hot Club of France, and is alive with post-swing era influences such as bebop, rhythm and blues, bluegrass, and more. The repertoire becomes complete with a number of unique original songs and compositions. www.thewoodshedders.com

Anna Wolfe
Impressed and moved by her music, Wendy Waldman offered to produce Anna’s most now current CD, "My Treasure," (2005). Recorded at Waldman's own California studio, Wendy's production brings out every nuance of Anna's writing, with a supporting cast of musicians and backing vocals, contributed by both Wendy and Beth Nielsen Chapman. Recently relocated to Nashville, Anna is poised to bring her music to an even wider audience, living up to Waldman’s high praise: "Anna Wolfe is one of the most courageous writers I've ever met, and certainly of her generation.”
www.annawolfe.com


3-----GROUP SHOWCASES

BSA Showcase
The Baltimore Songwriters Association was formed for charitable and educational purposes, including but not limited to: developing and promoting songwriting in all genres, providing educational opportunities and serving as a center for the exchange of information between songwriters, publishers and persons involved in music throughout the greater community. They staged an excellent showcase at NewSong '04, and this year's should be no different.
www.baltimoresongwriters.org

Performers:
Karyn Oliver (President)
www.karynoliver.com
Joe Spatarella (Vice President)
www.someothersoul.com
Ken Gutberlet (Go-to-man extraordinaire)
www.casualtunes.com
Eric Agner (A man with designs)
www.ericagner.com
Richard Broadbent (Our traveling wilbury)
www.browoowho.com

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KING of MY LIVING ROOM Showcase
This is group of musicians from Charlottesville, Va., first passed the guitar around at a party in 2000 and discovered a deep respect for each other's songwriting. They have periodically reconvened to create an informal living-room atmosphere for live audiences across central Virginia. Four of the seven performers will be on hand at NewSong.
cdbaby.com/cd/komlr

Performers:
Lance Brenner
nakedpuritans.com
Jan Smith
jansmithband.com
Brady Earnhart
bradyearnhart.com
Stratton Salidis

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SAW (Songwriters Association of Washington)
SAW is one of the mid-Atlantic's largest and most active performing songwriter organizations. SAW is a non-profit organization established in 1979 to develop and showcase the talents of songwriters in Washington D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. The four performers provide just a taste of the musical diversity within the SAW membership.

Performers:
David A. Alberding
davidaalberding.com
Zoe Mulford
www.zoemulford.com
Iain Campbell Smith
www.iaincampbellsmith.com
Greg Vickers
 www.gregvickersmusic.com

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KERRVILLE Showcase: TBA
The Kerrville Festival, since 1972 one of the most esteemed stops on the singer-songwriter circuit, brings some typically great past Kerrville acts to NewSong. It's part of an exchange that began with a NewSong Song Circle at this year's Kerrville, courtesy of Kerrville directress Dalis Allen.

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RIVERHOUSE CONCERTS Showcases
RiverHouse Concerts, a Shepherdstown-area based concert series founded and produced by Cheryl Mansley, a key NewSong organizer, put on a fine showcase at last year's NewSong. This year, RiverHouse presents: Andrea Barlow and Band, The Woodshedders, Singin' the Bones and Don Oehser. (See their bios for their individual shows above.)

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TRIBES HILL Showcase
Tribes Hill is a songwriters group from New York State who made a real impression at last year's NewSong with a lively song circle in the NewSong campground. They return this year with a featured showcase.

Performers:
Steve Chizmadia
www.stevechizmadia.com
Fred Gillen Jr.
www.fredgillenjr.com
Matt Turk
www.turktunes.com
Steve Kirkman
www.stevekirkman.com

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WAMA/Stathmore Showcase
One of this year’s NewSong Contest Regional Rounds was held at Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, Maryland, co-sponsored with the song group WAMA. The round was open only to performing songwriters in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The winner was Daniel Lee, who'll perform in the Contest Finals Saturday, Aug. 27. We wanted to showcase the remarkable talent that surfaced in that round, hence in this showcase you will hear three of the 2005 Strathmore Regional Round finalists.

Performers:
Leah Morgan
Robin Wynn
Nelson Emokpae (with Cindy Reilly)

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