Moira Smiley & VOCO at Caltech Tomorrow…And More

Just a quick last reminder that the Pasadena Folk Music Society will present Moira Smiley & VOCO tomorrow, Saturday, September 27 at 8PM in Beckman Institute Auditorium (Little Beckman).  Bliss Bowen wrote an article in the Pasadena Weekly about the show- http://pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/laughter_out_of_tears/13619 – and Michele Mills wrote one in the Pasadena Star News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune- http://www.sgvtribune.com/arts-and-entertainment/20140925/moira-smiley-voco-to-give-roots-to-harmony-in-pasadena – so you can find out more about this show in those places.  We are reasonably sure that you will be able to buy tickets at the door, but if you are coming from a long way off and want to be  very sure, try calling (626) 616-4559 on Saturday to confirm.  Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for Caltech students and children.  Call the Caltech Ticket Office at (626) 395-4652 today till 4PM to purchase them in advance or for more information.  See their web site at http://moirasmiley.com/VOCO_main.html.

Our next show will feature Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands on Saturday, October 18.   Laurie is certainly one of the most prominent women of bluegrass today, with her voice, guitar, and fiddle, but her songwriting and song interpreting sets her apart from the bluegrass world. She can do a great job on Bill Monroe and Carter family songs, but her originals, from early ones, like Texas Bluebonnets to recent compositions, like Here Today, prove her to be a substantial songwriter. The Right Hands consist of longtime sidekick, Tom Rozum, a spectacular manodlinist, singer, and guitarist, Southern California’s own Patrick Sauber on banjo and vocals, Chad Manning on fiddle, and Andrew Conklin on upright bass. Get a taste of them singing Laurie’s song, We’re Here Today at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whTb20aLJRs and doing Bill Monroe’s Blue Moon of Kentucky at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv4rUol3c5k.  Laurie has a couple of CDs out this year, the brand new, Laurie & Kathy Sing The Songs Of Vern & Ray, (with Kathy Kallick) and One Evening In May (with Tom Rozum and Nina Gerber).  Laurie was the “covergirl” of a recent issue of Bluegrass Unlimited issue and you can read the story at http://bluegrassmusic.com/content/2014/feature/laurie-lewis.  Their web site is http://www.laurielewis.com.  Make your plans now for this show!

A couple of other quick notes.  Art Night in Pasadena is coming October 10!  See http://www.artnightpasadena.org for details.  And if you’re going to San Francisco you’re going to find some talented musicians there….the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival takes place next weekend, Friday, October 3- Sunday, October 5.  The performers are too numerous to mention here, but they include John Prine, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Emmylou Harris, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, just to name a few.  Admission is free!  Even if you aren’t going there, they seem to be archiving more and more of the fine acts at this annual free extravaganza in Golden Gate Park. You can currently see many of the acts from last year.  For this year, See http://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/2014/info.  Be forewarned, there will be crowds.