Moira Smiley & VOCO is a visionary blend of voices - redefining harmony singing with the power & physicality of folksong, the avant-garde fearlessness of Béla Bartók and delicious, vaudevillian accompaniment of cello, banjo, ukelele, accordion and body percussion. Moira Smiley's award-winning original music and spell-binding American and East European folksongs light up the stage … Continue reading Moira Smiley & VOCO →
We are extremely pleased to welcome back Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands to our series from Berkeley, California. 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 … Continue reading Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands →
Update: We just got word that Jeni & Billy have arranged to have a full band for this show! Joining them will be Craig Eastman (fiddle, lap steel, and mandolin), Dillon O’Brian (keyboards and harmony vocals), Denny Weston Jr. (percussion), David Jackson (bass &accordion), and Dave Way (percussion & guitar), and maybe (if he can resolve schedule … Continue reading Jeni & Billy →
We were planning to take December off, and just kick back and enjoy the return of Danú to the larger stage of Beckman Auditorim (Big Beckman) in Caltech's Public Events series the next week. But late in September, we were contacted by the agent for T Sisters, an Oakland trio who would be down this … Continue reading T Sisters →
Presented by Caltech Public Events, with the Folk Music Society as marketing partner Danú performed in our own series twice, back in 1997 and then again in 2001. They were a young, newly formed Irish band, based in Waterford, just starting to make a name for themselves. Now, they are better known and command a … Continue reading Danú – A Christmas Gathering: Féile na Nollag →
Jim Malcolm has performed in our series four times and also once or twice when he was a member of Old Blind Dogs. The pattern has been to have him every other year, but because of a scheduling conflict in 2014, we're making up for missing him last January. Jim continues to be one of … Continue reading Jim Malcolm →
Many have asked when the Folk Music Society will be bringing Irish fiddler, Kevin Burke back, and we've been working on that for awhile. Sometimes things just fall into place, and we are not only getting Kevin, but we have the entire Celtic Fiddle Festival, featuring Christian Lemaître (Brittany), André Brunet (Québec), and Nicholas Quemener … Continue reading Celtic Fiddle Festival →
Socks in the Frying Pan is young band just now making a name for themselves on the international scene. We are only too happy to help introduce them to the US audience and vice versa. Having gained a fan-base from four years of gigging around the west of Ireland, this exciting group has recently started branching … Continue reading Socks in the Frying Pan →
Paddy Kennan was a founding member of the almost legendary Bothy Band, the Irish group that did so much to bring about a resurgence in traditional Irish and other Celtic music. The Bothy Band forever changed the face of Irish traditional music, merging a driving rhythm section with traditional Irish tunes in ways that had … Continue reading Paddy Keenan →
Katy Moffatt is a fine Texas-born singer who has written a most impressive body of songs over the years. Her signature sound is her heart-melting voice, which she uses to great effect on songs that range from country-tinged story ballads to Hank Williams honky-tonk country numbers, and more. She also has a knack for finding … Continue reading Katy Moffatt →
We welcome the return of the fine young band, RUNA for their second appearance at Caltech. Led by step-dancer, Shannon Lambert-Ryan, who was nominated for Best Female Vocalist (individual/traditional) in the 2012 and 2013 Irish Music Awards, RUNA was nominated for Best Song in the world/traditional category, for Amhran Mhuighinse (Somewhere Along the Road), at the 12th … Continue reading RUNA →
Though other talented folks have followed in his footsteps, Bryan Bowers continues to be the pinnacle of autoharp playing in the folk music world, and he delivers a fine mix of songs, instrumentals, and stories. Six years have slipped by since his last visit here, as we could never coordinate a date that fit with … Continue reading Bryan Bowers →