Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 PM.
 
Flat Top Trio
 
    With a sound deeply rooted in the spirit of real country, mountain, and bluegrass music based around the heartbeat of a Flat Top Guitar, the Trio projects a sound that is unique and timeless. The Flat Top Trio has been delighting audiences around Northern Vermont performing their original songs and a range of covers from Traditional to John Prine. The band is currently working on releasing a follow up of there self titled EP with a full length album Weekend Musician while consistently maintaining a presence in the Vermont music scene. 

Sat. Jan. 28 at 7:30 PM:  LOVES IT!  All the way from Austin, Texas!

    Loves It! is Vaughn Walters and Jenny Parrott. They met in their adopted hometown of Austin, Texas five years ago. Walters is originally from West Virginia and grew up listening to folk, punk and honky tonk country music. Parrott comes from New Haven, Connecticut where she fell in love with soul, swing and gospel music. “We were best friends and then we fell into the big hole of love,” Parrott explains. “We’re both touring musicians and we were doing 150 or 200 shows a year on opposite schedules, and we decided to see where we could go doing our own thing.

    Walters sings and plays banjo and guitar, Parrott sings and plays guitar, mandolin and fiddle. As talented multi-instrumentalists, they were in-demand players in Austin’s wide-open music scene, but their personal and musical bond slowly drew them closer. They started writing together about a year ago, and the songs they composed became the foundation of their self-produced album YAY!

     They bridge the worlds of Folk, Country, Indie and Pop with their wide ranging sound and appealing stage presence. Listen to some of their tunes at http://glgpub.com/2339

Sat. Feb 11 at 7:30 PM: THE SKY BLUE BOYS – Banjo Dan and his Bro’ Willy

    In Vermont, Dan and Willy Lindner, The Sky Blue Boys, have revived the tradition of two fellows with a mandolin and guitar, a musical teamwork built of habit, their voices fused in the special blend produced by kinship. They were called "brothers duets," and during the 1930s and ’40s it was the predominant format in country music, practiced by now-legendary teams of brothers on radio stations and stage shows throughout the countryside.

     The Lindner brothers have been singing and playing music together for such a long time that  their music blends together seamlessly. A brother duet show is a natural for them. They are well-known from their years of accomplished bluegrass music with the band Banjo Dan and the Mid-Nite Plowboys.  In their latest e-newsletter Dan writes:

    “First of all, I’d like to call your attention to The Sky Blue Boys’ website, www.skyblueboys. Willy and his wife Nancy have created a multi-media version of Willy’s wonderful song “Blue Ball (Path of Peace)” from his new CD Life, Still, With Mandolin and put it up on YouTube. Go to the web site and just click on the link where you see the “Stop Global Warming” image. You’re in for a musical and visual treat, but more than that I believe you’ll find the message of the song delivered with even greater impact.”

    They also bring storytelling, history and humor with them. Find out more about them at www.skyblueboys.com and listen to some of their tunes.

Sat. March 10 at 7:30 PM:  O’hAnleigh – Tom Hanley and Cindy Hill

    This Middlebury duo, O’hAnleigh, draws on their ancestral roots and diverse musical talent to entertain audiences with the lively and haunting rhythms of Irish America. Since 200, their dynamic multi-instrumental performances feature rich, fluid harmonies and an enormous playlist of classic ballads, rousing pub tunes, and original songs and tunes that have garnered noteworthy praise from fans and music critics the world over. O’hAnleigh’s performances pack in an impressive number of songs interspersed with bits of story and poetry that make our audiences laugh, cry, dance, and can’t stop clapping their hands and tapping their feet.

     Tom Hanley, is second-generation Irishman descended of immigrants from Counties Laois and Roscommon, performed with bar rock bands since the early 1970's. Cindy Hill’s ancestors hail from Counties Tyrone and Limerick. Her musical credentials range from school orchestra and chorus to a succession of party rock bands, and her interest in traditional Celtic music sprang from her long political activism in the Irish independence movement. Cindy brings a knowledge of Celtic mythology and legends to the band along with her multi-instrumental talents.

    Their vocal diversity is supported with a dazzling array of instruments including 6 and 12 string guitars, bouzouki, mandolin, bass, fiddle, tenor banjo, penny whistles, harmonica, bowed psaltery, dulcimer, autoharp, bodhrans, bones, spoons, and a whole assortment of other small percussion, much of it hand-made out of odd bits of things found in the garage to get just the right sound for a particular song.

    Listen to some of their music at www.ohanleigh.com, or better yet, come hear them live!

Sat. April 7 at 8 PM: ATLANTIC CROSSING: Celtic and maritime music

    For over 15 years, the Vermont band Atlantic Crossing has been thrilling concert audiences and contra-dancers with traditional songs and acoustic instrumental music from New England - music which has deep Celtic roots in the British Isles and in French & Maritime Canada - together with original compositions inspired by these traditions. A favorite group at the Music Box, they bring ballads as well as music to make you kick up your heels and dance.

     They have performed at concert venues and festivals all over the northeast as well as contra dances from Asheville, N.C. to San Fransisco, CA. Their four members include Viveka Fox on fiddle, bodhran, and djembe;

Tristan Henderson on mandolins, tenor banjo, feet and vocals; Rick Klein on guitar; and Peter MacFarlane on fiddle and low whistles. They all join in on vocals with wonderful harmonies.

    Since 2000 they have been listed on Vermont Arts Council's juried register of the state's best artists, and in 2007 their program exploring the history of the Champlain Valley through music earned them a designation of American Masterpiece Artists by the VAC and Vermont Folklife Center. They have 5 recordings to their name, and a further compilation of dance tunes is available on CD and as digital download. You can get a listen on their website: www.atlanticcrossingvt.com

     Come out and see them!

Sat. May 12 at 8 PM: MiCHELE CHOINIERE with her band

     Michele blends traditional Franco-American and Quebec folk songs, original compositions, jazz standards, and covers of well-known artists (e.g. Edith Piaf) backed up by her band, a group of some of Vermont’s best musicians including Will Patton on mandolin, David Gusakov on fiddle and Dono Schabner on guitar.

    Michele Choiniere was born into a musical Franco-American family in northern Vermont, and from an early age performed traditional Franco-American music with her father. In 1995, she began writing and composing her own songs and has performed to audiences throughout New England, Quebec and France. Her lyrics and music focus on nature, romance and social issues connected to being Franco-American.

    She has been featured on TV5 International's "Visions d'Amerique," which was broadcast to francophone nations worldwide, as well as on Vermont Public Television's "Rural Delivery" and has recorded an archival family collection of Franco-American music with her father. She is featured on the Smithsonian Folkways CD "Mademoiselle Voulez-Vous Danser: Franco-American music from the New England Borderlands."

    Among other accolades, Michele has appeared in concert at the American Folk Festival (Bangor), and will appear at this summer's Lowell Folk Festival, in Lowell, Massachusetts (July 23-25, 2010). She is a recognized 'master artist', having been awarded the prestigious and competitive Governor's Heritage Award in 2007. She is also a member of the Vermont Arts Council's American Masterpieces program, as well as a juried Arts Council performer and teaching artist.

    Will Patton, mandolinist and all around string wizard, is also well known for his fine bass playing. He draws a strong influence from jazz, Gypsy, and Brazilian music. David Gusakov's lifetime career as a violinist has ranged from classical, as a member of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra since 1973, to hard driving Bluegrass with Pine Island and Banjo Dan & The Midnight Plowboys. Dono Schabner was born in Germany, but grew up in Pennsylvania and Long Island, NY. He started playing professional guitar at age 12 with Italian wedding bands. At 17, he hit the road to play R&B around the US, Caribbean, and elsewhere.

    Find out more at www.michelechoiniere.com

Sat. June 30 at 8 PM:  POSSUMHAW- great bluegrass and folk

     PossumHaw is a dynamic, original, authentic bluegrass and folk quintet from Burlington, Vermont. Originally formed in 2004, the band has evolved to combine award-winning, evocative songwriting and singing with top-notch bluegrass instrumentation. On the stage, PossumHaw offers a genuine, energetic, and highly entertaining performance without gimmickry.

     The band is: Colby Crehan: lead vocals, guitar, piano; Stephen Waud: mandolin, vocals; Ryan Crehan: banjo, vocals, harmonica; Charley Eiseman: lead guitar, vocals; and Pat Melvin: upright bass, vocals.

    PossumHaw has produced three full-length albums: Fortune’s Name (2010), Madtom (2007) and Split-rail (2005). The band has appeared at the Champlain Valley Folk Festival, First Night Burlington, Higher Ground, the Long Trail Festival, and at venues throughout Vermont and Massachusetts.

    “Colby’s voice is front-porch real and otherwordly sweet...The voices of the men in the band blend well with each other and Colby, giving PossumHaw depth and variety to the sonic palette. Sweet New England bluegrass!” –Michael Devlin, Music Matters (on-line review).

     Check them out at www.possumhaw.net