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2009 Schedule
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Spotlight Open Stage
Every Tuesday - 8:00
NO COVER!
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Monday Showcase With
STEVE & PETE ADAMS
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Monday, June 29th - 7:00
LIVE, LOCAL AND FREE OF CHARGE - EVERY MONDAY
Steve's Americana sound is a nice little joy ride that has the melodic ability to get into your head and stay awhile. Some songs are guitar driven mixture of roots rock and alternative while others take a back porch mandolin approach, all with real authentic storytelling. A wide range of influences from rock to country to folk, are evident and the song topics run the gamut from love and frustration to politics and frustration.
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Thursday Bandstand With
DEAFENED BY LOVE
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Thursday, July 2nd - 8:00 - No Cover
LOCAL & UNDISCOVERED BANDS!
West Stockbridge rock band Deafened By Love plays original music in a style all their own. Deafened By Love has been compared to artists as diverse as Cowboy Junkies, Leonard Cohen, Dick Dale, and The Pretenders; in other words, not easily categorizable, they must be heard to be appreciated! The sound of Deafened By Love is defined by the sultry vocals of lead singer/guitarist Judy Eddy along with the lush, rich sounds of lead guitarist John Prusinski, held together by the creative bass playing of Scott Marks and the brilliant, inventive drumming of Ira Grable. The band performs with obvious passion, and it's clear they're having fun at the same time. The level of appreciation the audience has for this musical emotion is always infectious, and engenders intense loyalty amongst their fans.
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Friday, July 3rd - 9:00 - $12
CLASSIC JAZZ & WESTERN SWING
What began as a bluegrass band, containing members of Jim & Jennie & TheP inetops and The Hunger Mountain Boys, eventually morphed into something entirely different. A few line-up changes, a few years, and a few too many influences of everything from 20's and 30's swing jazz to 80's underground pop have led this band down an eclectic road. Enter the voice of Julia Gottlieb in 2006 and the Boys self-penned songs, particularly that of bassist Sauerkraut S. Travins, and you have the beginnings of the real Blue Ribbon Boys. With frequent guest horn players this 5 to 8 piece band falls somewhere on the country-jazz-noir side of western swing and Billie Holliday. And to make matters even worse for you music labelers and critics alike, Julia has been known to sing in Spanish, the Boys frequently belt out unison singing in Yiddish and German, and the cover songs stretch as far as Daniel Johnston to the classic catalog of Dorothy Fields & Jimmy Mchugh. Shows tend to swing from loud, raucous and rowdy to sweet smooth and sultry, sometimes within a song. Julia, a superb jazz vocalist by herself, continues to live and gig solo in L.A, so her appearances are truly special events.
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Saturday, July 4th - 8:00 & 10:30 - $15
CELEBRATE YOUR INDEPENDENCE!
Sometimes it's just good to be an American. Nothing will make your patriotism swell like a bawdy and hilarious 4th of July show from the girls at Sugar Shack Burlesque. They have been bringing their retro striptease/comedy show to Helsinki for over a year. Celebrate the birth of our nation with a little bit of the naughtyness that only a free country can provide.
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Sunday, July 5th - 8:00 - $15
JEWISH WORLD MUSIC!
SARAH AROESTE: The Judeo-Spanish Ladino chanteuse with a contemporary world-beat flair returns to Helsinki for a night of Mediterranean Sephardic and Cuban sounds. With song-writing partner and acclaimed Cuban composer & percussionist, Roberto Rodriguez, Aroeste will feature new music that is Cuban-infused, and Sephardic-inspired. Fresh from their tour in Cuba, Aroeste & Rodriguez will be joined by Cuban pianist Aviva Cambara to lead the audience through an exotic blend of rhythms and sounds from East and West, and will present an original, soulful new style combining the best of Cuban and Sephardic music.
CHANA ROTHMAN: Tinges of reggae, worldbeat, folk, and hip-hop infuse Chana Rothman?s Hebrew-English tunes with rhythm and positive vibes. After trekking the Himalayas with a guitar strapped to her back, Chana settled in Brooklyn and began writing songs that reflected her mountain-turned-urban polyethnic lifestyle. The New York Times called a recent show "Worth Checking Out" and her debut album, "We can Rise", (Oyhoo Records) was voted "Best Album of 2007" by jewschool.com.
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Thursday Bandstand With
THE JUSTIN ALLEN TRIO
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Thursday, July 9th - 8:00 - No Cover
LOCAL, EMERGING & UNDISCOVERED BANDS
Justin Allen, a singer/songwriter from Pittsfield, MA, is best known for his smooth sultry voice, thoughtful lyrics, and sexy guitar work. His musical approach is complexly simple and flows through genres such as pop, reggae, R&B, hip-hop, dance, and contemporary folk. His music expresses lessons learned in his life thus far and radiates positivity.
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Friday, July 10th - 9:00 - $20
BACK PORCH MOUNTAIN MUSIC!
The Felice Brothers and their long time friends and band mates Greg Farley and Christmas Clapton, come to us from the nearby Catskill Mountains, where a homegrown sound has been working its way through the bloodlines for generations. Their rambling journey so far has brought them from busking in New York City subway stations, to tours across the world that have included enthusiastically received performances at major music festivals including Bonnaroo, All Points West, Outside Lands, and Langerado. Titled with a phrase drawn from the pages of Mark Twain, their new album, "Yonder Is The Clock" is a nod to all of the American ghosts that lend their narrative and characters to the Felice Brothers? April 7th release. Their studio was built from the remains of an abandoned chicken coop and it was there over the summer and fall of 2008 that they wrote and recorded this new collection of songs. Presented by Team Love Records, "Yonder Is The Clock" is teaming with tales of love, death, betrayal, baseball, train stations, phantoms, pandemics, jail cells, rolling rivers and frozen winter nights. This is music that hasn?t lost sight of the history of the land from which it came, and that quality alone makes The Felice Brothers the next great American band.
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Video!
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Saturday, July 11th - 9:00 - $12
UNIQUE COBILL OF DUO BASED PERFORMERS
HuDost is a commanding, experimental Indie World Rock group whose core musicians are singer/songwriters Moksha Sommer from Montreal and Jemal Wade Hines from New York. What commenced as an acoustic duo project quickly developed into a fully produced ensemble with Dan Walters on bass, George Tortorelli on flutes, Julian Douglas, Michael Rutherford and John de Kadt on percussion and other occasional guests. The material is best described as experimental Indie world rock. Their original work ranges in style from 'Alternative World Music' to their own 'Country and Eastern' fusion, merged with an atmospheric, rich, experimental sound. This is mixed with the rich, eclectic blending of traditional Sufi music, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian and Balkan folk music, Farsi, Turkish, Arabic, Folk, Pop and Rock. Their sound crosses all borders and barriers, taking the listener on a journey they will not soon forget.
The BowmansThe heavily DIY Indie-Americana songwriter duo, twin sisters Sarah and Claire Bowman, has been touring virtually nonstop for the past two years, having been on the road for four years since relocating to Brooklyn. The new, self-titled release intimately captures The Bowmans in moving, live-like performances of Sarah Bowman's original songs with delicate instrumental enforcements. Sweeping across a full range of passions includes shattering acoustic harmony-rich ballads to heartening rock songs infused with early classical to blues influences. The duo's sound has been compared to Simon and Garfunkle, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Joni Mitchell, to name a few, but they are impossible to pigeonhole.
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Sunday, July 12th - 8:00 - $15
Stunning Singer Songwriter
"Amy Correia doesn't pretty up her voice. It's shaky and scratchy; it misses notes and sometimes catches or cracks. At first her songwriting can sound just as unpolished, with melodies that are reveries on old blues, folk or gospel. But like Michelle Shocked and Tom Waits, Ms. Correia turns imperfections into intimacies."
-New York Times, Critic's Pick (Jon Pareles)
"Her melodies stick in your gourd, while her fanciful word play keeps you guessing."
-Paste Magazine
The first thing you notice is the voice. It has an otherworldly quality that is hard to describe other than to call it remarkable. Once the voice sets in, you notice a unique and interesting songwriting style that ranges from eerie blues to timeless folk and has many stops in between. Her songs inspired Ken Micaleff of Harp Magazine to say that "every song is a jewel, and you know instantly that here is a fresh perspective, free of clich?, bold enough to trust her considerable instincts." And that voice... Micaleff called it "a weird thing, full of old blues, '20s jazz and hipster dawdling. Snaking through her knowing tunes like some ancient perfume, it slowly draws you into her world."
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Video!
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Thursday Bandstand With
MICAH STONE
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Thursday, July 16th - 8:00 - No Cover
LOCAL, EMERGING & UNDISCOVERED BANDS
Times were great in my small home town in the Berkshires. Everyone did just what they knew they should. I had friends that went to work for papermills and landscaping companies. I had friends that became construction workers and painters. All of them, regardless of what they thought they should do, latched on to a trade. I did my best to picture a future for myself, but every day the picture changed. From painter to EMT to bartender. Now along with my desire to write music and perform I am the chef at a berkshire county inn and restaurant. Small Town Living is the name of the new 10 song CD that will be released in May 09. It is a collection of original folk rock songs influenced by everything from Pink Floyd to Bruce Springsteen.
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A SCATTERED COLLECTION OF ENDS
FEATURING JOHN CLARKE
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Friday, July 17th - 9:00 - $10
SHOWCASING A LOCAL FAVORITE
John Clarke has played Club Helsinki in wearing many different hats. He has starred in some of our tribute concerts, doing stunning renditions of songs by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and others. He has also appeared as a featured performer in our Monday Showcase, bringing a night of original songs and personal stories with John's Train and a great night of John Lennon Duets. This time, we are giving John a Friday night to showcase his talents. He will performs some solo and some with a small band and will include original songs and carefully selected cover tunes.
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SATURDAY - July 18th - 9:00 - $12
BANJO & SLIDE GUITAR VIRTUOSO
ALTERNATIVE GYSPY SWING
Tony Furtado grew up in Pleasanton, CA and took up the banjo at age 12. At age 19, he entered himself in the banjo playing competition at the venerable bluegrass festival in Winfield, Kansas (Walnut Valley Festival) and won the Grand National Championship. Hailed as a banjo prodigy, he got his first record deal in 1992 and has been making music and releasing records ever since. As he was cementing his reputation as banjoist extraordinaire, Furtado was also developing himself into an equally virtuosic slide guitarist. And now this restless artist has made an exponential leap into the wide-open spaces of mythopoetic America, a terrain inhabited by such personal heroes as Cooder, the Band, Creedence, Petty and Waits. No two ways about it - this heartfelt, multileveled music completes Tony Furtado's ascent from the folk circuit to the big leagues.
Caravan of Thieves stretches the parameters of acoustic swing and has been winning immediate praise for their new and unique brand of gypsy flavored song writing and their high intensity show. The vocal harmonizing, acoustic guitar spanking husband and wife duo Fuzz (Deep Banana Blackout) and Carrie have extended their family to include fiery violinist Ben Dean and double bass madman Brian Anderson to complete their colorful vision. Seeking inspiration from beyond the great divide, the quartet produces layers of Beatlesque vocals, driving rhythms, satirical, dramatic song writing and an overall circus of sound.
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Sunday, July 19th - 8:00 - $55
ACCLAIMED COUNTRY FOLK SONGWRITER!
RARE SMALL CLUB PERFORMANCE
Iris Dement was born on January 5, 1961, in rural Paragould, AR, the youngest of 14 children. At the age of three, her devoutly religious family moved to California, where she grew up singing gospel music; during her teenaged years, however, she was first exposed to country, folk, and R&B, drawing influence from Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell. Upon graduating high school, she relocated to Kansas City to attend college. After a series of jobs waitressing and typing, Dement first began composing songs and Honing her skills at open-mic nights. Eventually she moved to Nashvillemade her recording debut with her independent label offering, Infamous Angel. She won almost universal acclaim thanks to her pure, evocative vocal style and spare, heartfelt songcraft. Three albums later and more than 15 years of touring, Iris Dement is one of the most celebrated country-folk performers of her day. It is a rare chance to see her play an intimate small club like Helsinki, get your tickets before they're gone.
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Thursday Bandstand With
KIKI DUFAULT
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Thursday, July 23rd - 8:00 - No Cover
LOCAL, EMERGING & UNDISCOVERED BANDS
Kiki Dufault returns with her honky tonk style and crooner's vocals. She has played a few of these nights now and, each time, it is astounding how her voice suits country and roots music. As always, Kiki will be the host of a night of special guest musicians and vocalists.
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Friday, July 24th - 9:00 - $10
ROOTS & COUNTRY - THE RETURN OF A LOCAL FAVORITE!
"On his new CD, Mill River, his third, Sky Smeed really hits his stride. He's always been a good songwriter and an effective vocalist, but this time out, Smeed attacks the baker's dozen tracks, eleven which are self-penned, with the sort of ferocity and aggression that, frankly, we didn't even know he had inside. His majestic melodies, and the arrangements are both rootsy and dynamic." -Seth Rogovoy , Berkshire Living Magazine, WAMC Northeast Public Radio Network
"Mill River is a rollicking bunch of songs, with Smeed stretching emotionally, compositionally, and hitting every mark full stride." Paul Rapp, Metroland
Born and raised in an old schoolhouse outside of Chanute Kansas, Sky Smeed began taking piano lessons at age five. Some years later after becoming tired of the piano, he picked up a guitar his sister gave him and taught himself how to play. He then began to write songs influenced by the old country music and the gravel roads he grew up with. Chanute Kansas is a small town and there's not much musical opportunity. In 2001, one week after graduating high school, Sky moved to Western Massachusetts. Settling outside of Great Barrington, he worked a variety of odd jobs, from running chainsaws to waiting tables. In December 2000, Sky recorded his first album, Flying High, at Guilty Dog Studios in Plymouth, MA. It was recorded in six days. His next CD, The Front Steps, was recorded at Pilot Recording Studios in New York City and took 5 days to record. The most Recent one, Mill River, was recorded at the studios of Signature Sounds Record Label, is his best work to date. Sky Smeed, is an artist approaching his prime and is a real treat to see and hear.
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Saturday, July 25th - 9:00 - $15
DUB REGGAE ROCK
"I have seen the future of reggae, and it is trumystic" ~ reggae-reviews.com
For years critics have been hailing Trumystic as "single-handedly transforming the future of reggae" (~Stowe Reporter, Mike Schaefer) They are 8 piece live dub alliance, on the cutting edge of modern music. With vocalist Kirsty Rock at the helm (as heard on Dub Side of the Moon & just released Radio Dread) partnered with bassist and cofounder Reggie Hodges (High Fidelity Dub Sessions #3), drummer Craig Santiago (One Groovey Coconut), resident sound scientist, Dept. of Dub (student of Mad Prof.), and accompanied by Duane Och on organ, Dan Rosow & Dylan Richardson as the herbal horn section & Devin Conner, the one and only dub fiddle, they deliver a ridiculously skilled and exciting musical experience. What Trumystic brings to the stage is an uplifting new sound to the reggae world. Incorporating dub essentials, dancehall, hip-hop, soul music and even some genre-bending, skank-infused riddim rock. With honesty they convey politically charged lyrics, which deal with social issues among different walks of life, accented by beautiful vocals, solid as a rock rhythm section and a truly herbalized horn section.
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Sunday, July 26th - 8:00 - $18
CROSS CULTURAL MUSICAL EXPERIENCE!
Sam Lardner & Barcelona is everything that a cross-cultural musical experience should be: artists from different traditions meeting in a place where everyone shines brighter, the kind of eclectic collaboration the world needs now more than ever. Sam, at 44, is a seasoned veteran of the American folk and acoustic tradition. He has performed throughout the U.S. as a solo act, and he has led a smoking hot country band around Europe for the past 7 years. A full-time resident of Barcelona, he is often categorized by fans and critics as a member of the "Why aren't you famous?" club. His voice and writing are reminiscent of James Taylor in the most intimate moments, although he is often compared to John Denver when he allows his voice to soar. Sam's guitar playing is rock-solid, powerful, pure rhythm and provides the energy and pulse around which his band, Barcelona, revolves. Spanish fans wonder at Sam's ability to slide in and out of traditional flamenco structures in the same way that American audiences are wowed by Barcelona's ability to jump back and forth between Latin rhythms and pure funk.
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Thursday Bandstand With
JOHN CLARKE
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Thursday, July 30th - 8:00 - No Cover
LOCAL, EMERGING & UNDISCOVERED BANDS
John Clarke has played Club Helsinki in wearing many different hats. He has starred in some of our tribute concerts, doing stunning renditions of songs by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and others. He has also appeared as a featured performer in our Monday Showcase, bringing a night of original songs and personal stories with John's Train and a great night of John Lennon Duets.
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Friday July 31st - 9:00 - $15
TWO GREAT GROUPS - ONE NIGHT
"[Milton] has the pitch and rhythm to carry the day, and his sophisticated lyrics keep listeners coming back for more." -The New York Times
"As members of the Mammals, Michael Merenda and Ruth Ungar helped break down the barriers between strict traditionalist folk music and anarchic acoustic rock. Then they got married (aw). Their duo project is still stylistically diverse. Gentle melodies and romantic couplets still charm and the songs call to mind another group of wedded indie folkies: Ida. Cuddle up and share the love." - Philadelphia City Paper
Milton, the modern-day troubadour with the distinctive voice and one-name moniker, is the leader of a lively, rootsy collective known for their soul-stirring live shows. Meet Milton and you will meet a tall, bookish optimist who will tell you about the "heavy" new group that he heard in a club last night and the old folk recording he listened to this morning with equal enthusiasm. The folksinger has developed a grassroots following for the warmth and spontaneity of his live shows, with a playlist that includes traditional folk, blues and country songs with old time harmonies. Earning comparisons to many of his heroes - Van Morrison, Nick Lowe, The Band - singer-songwriter Milton has distinguished himself with his unique voice and lyrics, a compelling mix of grit and grammar.
Mike & Ruthy are a song-writing, harmony-singing, banjo and fiddle-slinging duo from the Hudson Valley who have been described as literate, political, organic, and inspired. They recently played JazzFest and Madison Square Garden with Pete Seeger, and are now touring in support of their new CD. It's true that Mike was originally recruited by his college to play hockey and Ruth had gone to school for acting, but now they began a new path together, crafting songs and recordings and touring the world. Ten years later, Mike and Ruthy are married and living upstate with their new son, William Puck. With 7 years of touring under their belts with folk band The Mammals, they have begun a new chapter, one that still incorporates the best sounds and textures that old-timey and rock music can offer.
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Saturday, August 1st - 8:00 & 10:30 - $15
RETRO STRIP TEASE & COMEDY SHOW
If you don't know about Sugar Shack Burlesque yet, you just haven't been paying attention. For over a year now, Legs Malone and Runaround Sue have been bringing their cutting edge, retro based, neo-burlesque show to a growing base of fans in Great Barrington and beyond. Those audiences have been treated to one of the finest strip tease, side show comedy acts to ever come out of New York City. They have seen beautiful ladies, hilarious comedians, sword swallowers, Miss Coney Island, contortionists, a human carasoul, a man hammer a nail into his own face, New York's premier wonder woman impersonator, and amazing things done with props from water balloons to jelly donuts. We never know what they are going to do next.
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Saturday, August 8th - 9:00
CONSCIOUS FUNK IN AN AFROBEAT STYLE
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was will and form. The Word was: Manifest! The Word was: Shokazoba! Yeah, those who have ears let them hear the polyrhythmic blend of strings and skins, the soulful wail of brass and keys, the oratory evocation of a world breaking down and breaking through. Witness Shokazoba, a magical explosion of energy and ideas, awakening the unconscious urge to transcend, triggering that stir of recognition, that genetic identification with our primordial past and the serpent spirit?s whisper: "Ye shall be as gods." Shokazoba?s live performances are a cosmic conduit to an extra-dimensional spacetime in which ancient and future collide to create a double-helix vibration of rhythm and wisdom, where fellow groovers and seekers weave and twirl through infinity, from our roots in antiquity to our flowering into novelty.
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Sunday, August 9th - 8:00 - $15
OLD TIME VAUDEVILLIAN DUO
"Creating a buzz... the vaudevillian, comic, banjo, and kazoo playing duo [is] not as innocent as it might seem." - The Boston Globe
"Think of them as a mix between Squirrel Nut Zippers and They Might be Giants. I played their new CD while cleaning the house last weekend, and it was spotless in record time."- USA Today
What better musical prescription for troubled times than an impeccably-dressed, throwback, neo-vaudevillian duo whose live performances are a festival of expert musicianship; clever, off-center original tunes; hilarious banter, rowdy audience interactions, and free kazoos for the crowd? Hailing from New York City, The Two Man Gentlemen Band combines hot jazz, vintage rhythm & blues, old-time country, and tin pan alley to create a joyous two-man sound that is all their own. Performing with plectrum banjo, guitar, string bass, dueling kazoos, novelty percussion, and a cornet, The Gentlemen whip themselves into a frenzy that is unlike any acoustic duo on the road today. And they belt out original songs that manage to be at once familiar, bizarre, fun, and entirely new.
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Video!
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Monday Showcase With
THE YELLOW HOUSE JAZZ BAND
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Monday, August 10th - 7:00
LIVE, LOCAL AND FREE OF CHARGE - EVERY MONDAY
The Yellow House Jazz Band started last with Bob Kip & Matt playing old time swing jazz on porch of Bob's business, Yellow House Books on Main Street in Great Barrington. Once the weather grew cold, we invited them inside to keep strutting their stuff in a warmer environment. Now they are a fixture on the Helsinki stage.
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FOLK SONGWRITING HERO!
An expatriate New Yorker now living in Argentina, Richard Shindell is a meticulous craftsman of song whose four studio albums and recent live recording have been revered by critics and fans alike. Innovative, original and occasionally spiritual, Shindell's songs weave tales that interchangeably champion the downtrodden, exalt the disaffected or wax empathetic to those lost to society's fringes. He has a unique ability to morph into the soul of the many and varied personalities he casts as narrators in certain songs--songs that are veritable novellas framed in haunting acoustic melodies. As The Boston Globe raved: "Shindell is a master builder of songs, yet always leading listeners toward the emotional essence of the moment or character he is evoking. As with all master craftsmen, knowing what to leave out is as important to him as what he puts in. Shindell has uncanny sense of the theater of a song, building his ballads sparely and subtly, set to sweeping graceful melodies."
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