Brocelïande (Margaret Davis, Kristoph Klover, and Kris Yenney) will return to Caltech with music from the British Isles, Medieval and Renaissance music, and original settings of the songs of J.R.R. Tolkien. Featuring stellar vocal and instrumental harmonies, their enchanting sound is built on the interweaving of 3-part vocals with Celtic harp, guitar, cello, octave mandolin, recorders, Swedish nyckelharpa, flute, and more. Kris plays the only “Hardanger cello d’Amore” in existence.
Brocelïande has performed throughout the West Coast since 1999, at festivals, concert series, and a cameo in the movie “Bedtime Stories”. Their delight is, through evocative and sometimes obscure historical means, to uplift the audience and provide a sonic sanctuary for all. They specialize in seasonal fare and the music of J.R.R. Tolkien, honoring the elements of Nature and celebrating the human experience. They have recorded 7 CDs, most recently “Make We Merry,” their second Winter album. Rambles Cultural Arts Magazine says of them “These people are good. Each is a master of the various instruments they play, and their arrangements are intricate, exciting, exceptional music … their vocal harmonies are exquisite.” You won’t want to miss this all-too-rare Southern California appearance by Brocelïande.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Caltech Ticket Office at (626) 395-4652 and also online at the link below. There is a service charge for phone and online sales, but you can also purchase them without a fee in person at the Ticket Office’s new location, on the first floor of the Spalding building at California Boulevard and Wilson Avenue (southeast corner) or at the door on the night of the show, starting at 7:30PM.
On Saturday, June 17, we will present Jim Kweskin , leader of the legendary Jim Kweskin Jug Band. As Wikipedia indicates, Jim and his band popularized and modernized pre- World War II rural music, working blues and jazz stylings into his music. He adapted the ragtime-blues fingerpicking of artists like Mississippi John Hurt and incorporated more sophisticated jazz and blues stylings into the mix. Jim’s vocals and acoustic guitar, along with his easy manner, make this music such a treat! Jim will be joined by Benny Brydern on fiddle and Marquis Howell on upright bass. You might have heard these two perform with Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys. Listen to Jim from a show at McCabe’s a few years ago, and hear some great guitar and his trademark vocals on Diamond Joe . We’ve been itching to get Jim on our stage for years and we hope you will join us! Tickets for this one are $20 for adults, $5 for Caltech students and children too. We’re in the process of setting up online tickets and hope to have it all together next week.
There will be a memorial for Duane Thorin , performer, songwriter, organizer, cohort of the Coffee Gallery’s Bob Stane, and all-around good guy next Saturday, May 27 at the Ice House in Pasadena, 1-5PM. Duane worked at the Ice House years ago, long before he got involved with the Coffee Gallery, so this is a fitting location. It is located at 38 N. Mentor Avenue, one block east of Lake Ave. and Colorado Blvd. in the heart of Pasadena. Mentor is a one way street (going south) and the Ice House entrance is inside the alley, parallel to Colorado, so if you aren’t familiar with it, be patient. This will be a fitting farewell for Duane, featuring musical performances, remembrances, some video and pictures, too. No charge for admission, of course. There will be light snacks, and the bar will be open for business. If you knew Duane and and are a performer, call Donna Barnes-Warner at (626) 344-3488 or email her at [email protected]. She has written a bit about the event on Duane’s web site, www.thorinmusic.com and you can read Larry Wines’ tribute at the Folkworks web site, Folkworks.org.
Some other festivals you might want to make note of:
Strawberry Music Festival Spring Festival in Grass Valley, May 25-29, Fall Festival in Tuolumne, August 31-September 4
Culver City’s Boulevard Music Summer Festival No information at this time. Free Thursday night shows outside Culver City’s City Hall. Web site in flux at this time.
The Claremont Folk Festival will not be held this year, but it will return next year.
Simi Valley Cajun and Blues Music Festival May 27-28
Grand Performances (Downtown Los Angeles, California Plaza) June 2- Sept. 22. Very eclectic line-up, including diverse music, films, children’s shows, and theater. All shows are free
Route 66 Bluegrass Festival in Victorville June 15-18 Vintage Martins (Eric Uglum & Bud Bierhaus) who performed for us in Arlington Gardens last year are among the performers!
The Huck Finn Jubilee has, sadly, been discontinued.
Live Oak Music Festival (northwest of Santa Barbara) June 16-18
Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles in MacArthur Park– June 17- September 10 all shows free, schedule not yet set. All shows are free
Levitt Pavillion Pasadena in Pasadena’s Memorial Park June 29- Sept 23. All shows are free
Kate Wolf Festival Laytonville (Northern California) June 22-25
Twilight Concert Series Santa Monica Pier July 7- September 8 Free Thursday evening concerts- schedule not yet set
Summergrass San Diego (in Vista, CA) August 18-19
The Santa Barbara Acoustic Instrument Celebration August 25-27
Millpond Festival Bishop CA September 15-17
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (San Francisco Golden Gate Park) October 6-8 Multiple stages, all venues are free. Extravaganza festival with a lot of big names and a lot of people. No 2017 schedule as yet
Stow House Old Time Fiddler’s Convention and Festival Goleta CA October 8