Stephanie Bettman and Luke Halpin

www.stephaniebettman.com

MIM:  Accomplished singer/songwriter and fiddle player, Stephanie Bettman has earned praise from both her audiences and critics for her captivating performances and soulful lyrics.  In her critically acclaimed 2008 debut album Get Close to Me, Bettman combined bluegrass and jazz elements with expressive ballads and upbeat melodies.

Greats such as Merle Haggard, the Steve Miller Band, and Lone Star have welcomed the gifts of the multi-instrument and powerful vocalist Luke Halpin.  His mastery of the fiddle, banjo, guitar, and mandolin, as well as his ability as a singer/sonwriter, makes Halpin an impressive young talent.

Soaring harmonies and folksy rhythms characterize this skilled duo.  Bettman and Halpin have toured together since 2008 and have enjoyed success as an ensemble.  Their 2010 album It All Comes Back to Love has received extensive radio play and critical acclaim.

This concert can be described nothing short of ‘sweet’.  The sugariness of their multiple love songs was pleasant and welcome at first, boring and nauseating at the end.  I enjoyed their style and likeability – I only wish there had been more variety in their presentation and song selection.

Overall, the musicality of the evening was superb.  Stephanie can play a great fiddle and their harmonies were impressive.  A major glitch to the evening was a faulty microphone at the beginning of the concert that caused a lot of angst on stage.  Stephanie was able to adapt and they soon worked the kinks out.

I enjoyed the show but overtime the memories of it have faded, the impressions of it lost.  I remember one big ball of love songs.  It was all pleasant but not particularly awe-inspiring.

Battlefield Band

www.battlefieldband.co.uk

MIM:  Under its banner “Forward with Scotland’s Past", Battlefield Band has been performing on the international scene for four decades, inspired by its members’ rich heritage of Celtic music and fired by the strength of the modern Scottish cultural scene.  The band, which pioneered the integration of bagpipes with the fiddle, keyboards, guitar, and voice, mixes the old songs and tunes with new self-penned material, playing them on a unique fusion of ancient and modern instruments including bagpipes, fiddles, guitars, cittern, bass, keyboards, whistles, and bouzouki.

This band has truly become a “gold standard” for measuring Celtic music.  Over the years, new members have brought with them new ideas, new music, new instruments, and new attitudes and influences, leading to continued creativity, freshness, and enthusiasm.  After forty years, Battlefield Band still leads the way for Scottish music, always involving its ever-widening audience as the band travels the world.

This concert can best be summarized as just fun.  The band was engaging and incredible and who doesn’t love a good bagpipe?

I honestly loved the show and nearly everything about it.  The musicianship of all four artists was incredible.  The Gaelic lyrics, the dueling bagpipes, the interesting melodies were all intriguing.  And their Scottish accents and combinations of multiple instruments was truly unique.  I would absolutely see this band again; in fact, I would actually pay to see this band again!  A great show!

A Hawk and a Hacksaw

www.ahawkandahacksaw.net

MIM:  Started as a solo project in 2000 by accordionist and drummer Jeremy Barnes (formerly of Neutral Milk Hotel) and named after a line in Cervantes’ Don Quixote, A Hawk and a Hacksaw became a duo in 2004 when Barnes met violinist Heather Trost.  Starting out from their home base in New Mexico, the pair began an adventure that took them to Zece Prajini, Romania, and then to Budapest, Hungary.

Joined by an ever-evolving lineup of musicians, A Hawk and a Hacksaw seeks to create and document an ecstatic sound much like the village bands of old, with the communal aspect of folk tradition and musicianship as the principal factors.

I was very interested in seeing this show – Hungarian gypsy music was absolutely something I know little to nothing about.  (1)  Hungarian musicians are slim to none and (2) there’s a definite reason that Hungarian musicians are scarce and little known.

The music could best be described as Mariachi Polka in a minor key.  I did not so much enjoy the show as survived through it; perhaps a lot like the Hungarian ancestors that developed it. 

Heather herself was a great violist.  Her talent was evident and she played an interesting fiddle/horn instrument that I had never seen before.  She also created interesting sounds by pulling or dissecting the strings.  It was the highlight of the show.

Even with this, the majority of the songs just highlighted the worst screechy tendencies of both the fiddle and the accordion.  Hungarian gypsy music gives both instruments a bad reputation.  On several occasions, I felt the instruments were playing different songs and well – not well.

But the show as successful at achieving one of my goals:  exposure to different styles and cultures of music.  I did learn a lot from this show – and I now know to stay away from Hungarian gypsy music again.

Celtic Spring

www.celticspringband.com

MIM:  A burst of energy, riveting dancing, driving music, youthful exuberance, unparalleled talent – all in one family.  Celtic Spring is composed of six siblings who play the fiddle and step dance, backed by their mom on the keyboard and their dad on percussion.  Their music hails from Ireland, Scotland, and Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Canada.  While firmly grounded in the traditions of their ancestors, Celtic Spring’s style is all its own.

The six wood family siblings have spent their lives on stage.  They each began learning the fiddle and Irish step dancing at the age of four years old, and they can hardly remember a time when they were not performing.  The siblings are also classically trained violinists, which has brought a certain beauty and clarity to their music.  A defining element of Celtic Spring is the members’ dual expertise in music and dance.  the Wood siblings are champion Irish dancers, and they have been influenced by French Canadian and Cape Breton step-dancing styles.

Celtic Spring was named Grand Champion of the World at the World Championships of Performing Arts, in Hollywood, California.  In the summer of 2007, twelve million people watched Celtic Spring on the number-one rated TV show of the season, NBC’s America’s Got Talent.  The band was one of the top five finalists. 

I was delighted to work this sold out show!  What fun!  What energy!  This really was a great family and the music and dancing was fabulous.  They were able to interweave several different sets and styles, delighted the audience with their dancing, and were engaging and fun.  It was obvious the family enjoyed each other, and – aside for the youngest – all loved performing.  We enjoyed watching the youngest boy who was a little unhappy and pulled out of the back for big-wow-factor moments. 

All-in-all, this was a fun show and exactly the moments I was hoping for when volunteering as an usher.  Well done!

Ken Waldman: Alaska’s Fiddling Poet

MIM:  Celebrate Poetry Month at MIM with Alaska’s Fiddling Poet!  Ken Waldman draws on his twenty-three years in Alaska to produce poems, stories, and fiddle tunes that combine into a family-friendly performance uniquely his own.

I had really wanted to see Ken’s evening show – how fun to watch a fiddling poet in action!  How memorable of my youth with the Robison family!  But alas, the evening shows were booked long before…

SO, I added a matinee show instead.  Matinees are more casual, less crowded, and I like to see how the artists will interact with the school children.

In the aftermath, I have mixed feelings about the show.  On one hand, he played good ol’ fiddle tunes like ‘Old Joe Clark’.  He encouraged the kids to write and shared several of his poems.  But on the other hand, everything was lazy, relaxed, distracted.  His poems were mediocre, his music was lackluster, and I didn’t get the solid connection between the two that I wanted.  While he attempted to have the kids write a poem with him, the entire exercise was half-baked and disinteresting to the kids.  While he let the kids ask him questions, they were far more interested in polar bears and his friend’s mandolin.  I left without learning much about Alaska.  Or poetry.  Or singing.  And the part of me that wanted to see the show was vastly disappointed.

More than anything, I was left yearning for post-Thanksgiving meals with my brother, uncles, and random musicians as they would play and sing and entertain.  I missed the story-telling and fiddle-playing that Tom Robison is famous for – and I sincerely think Tom might be able to pull off this kind of show.  Ken Waldman is no Tom Robison.

The Travelin’ McCourys

www.thetravelinmccourys.com

MIM:  As the sons of bluegrass legend Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury (mandolin) and Rob McCoury (banjo) continue their father’s work – a lifelong dedication to the power of bluegrass music to bring joy into people’s lives.  And with fiddler Jason Carter and bassist Alan Bartram, the ensemble is loved and respected by the bluegrass faithful. 

The Travelin’ McCourys have a confidence that only comes from having paid their dues with twenty years on the bluegrass road.  Other groups and new fans hear this immediately:  the tight rhythm, the soulful material, and the confidence in taking bluegrass from the safety of the shore into uncharted waters.

At the beginning of this show, fellow usher Chris Moreno remarked that ‘all bluegrass pretty much sounds the same’.  It was not necessarily a complement but I soon realized how perfectly fabulous this was.  Bluegrass DOES all sound the same – which is why I find it so inviting and comforting and connective and familiar.  Fifteen minutes into the concert I had magically discovered that I really liked bluegrass.

This group was great.  The four steady bandmates were obviously well in-tone with each other and loved what they did.  They joked and teased each other on stage in an easy, non-forced way.  They each rotated high-lighting songs and 3 of the four sang.  With only 2 microphones, they had to dance around each other on stage as they rotated solos – but this was all accomplished in an easy choreographed way.  It was a lovely show.

Another highlight was their guest performer – a guitar player regularly with Ricky Skaggs and the Kentucky Thunder band.  He was amazing and a perfect addition to the group.

Towards the second act I was again struck by the fact that ‘all bluegrass pretty much sounds the same.’  Yes, this is true and after 90 minutes the familiarity had worn off.  I even had a ‘didn’t they already play this song?’ moment.  But overall, this was one of my favorite shows and much loved by the sold-out crowd as well.

Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas

www.alaisdairfraser.com  or  www.nataliehaas.com

MIM:  The musical partnership between Alasdair Fraser, long regarded as Scotland’s premier fiddle ambassador and the sizzlingly talented, young Californian cellist Natalie Haas may not seem an obvious one.  Natalie Haas, a graduate of Juilliard School of Music, was not even born when Fraser was winning national fiddle competitions on the other side of the Atlantic.  But this seemingly unlikely pairing is the fulfillment of a long-standing musical dream for Fraser, whose cutting-edge musical explorations took him full circle to find a cellist who could help him return the cello to its historical role at the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music.  Haas was just eleven when she first attended Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School in California, where she responded to Fraser’s challenge to find and release the cello’s rhythmic soul.

Four years later, when Haas was fifteen, they played their first gig together.  Fraser and Haas’s debut album, Fire and Grace, displays dazzling teamwork; driving, dancing rhythms,; and the duo’s shared passion for improvising on the melody and the groove of Scottish tunes.  The record won not only critical acclaim but also the coveted Scots Trad Music “Album of the Year” award, the Scottish equivalent of a Grammy.

Perhaps I’m purposely selecting Scottish / Irish fiddle music.  Perhaps it appeals to me.  Perhaps this gives me something to discuss with Nathan.  In any case, fiddle is amazingly entertaining and this duo put on a great show!

I had never heard of Alasdair Fraser before but apparently he’s well known.  My brother Nathan, the fiddler, even knew his tour schedule was taking him through Montana.  And he was amazing – his love for Scottish music was infectious, his technique was graceful and effortless.  However, I spent most of my time watching Natalie Haas.  I was really naive to the levels and sounds achievable on the cello.  She played harmonies, melodies, base rhythms.  She mimicked the fiddle, the drum, the bass guitar.  It was beautiful.

They did play a lot of Scottish dance-hall music and Alasdair did a great job explaining the regions and time periods of origin.  They even did a baroque period piece.  However, they also wound their tour through Spain, Canada, Ireland, and Scandinavia.   He even tried to teach our poor American crowd to dance in their last number!

So yes, I do see a lot of Scottish / Irish shows.  And as long as I continue to enjoy them, I’ll continue to sign up for them.

Jeremy Kittel Band

MIM: The Jeremy Kittel Band sports more accolades than we can mention. Winners of multiple U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championships, six Detroit Music Awards, the World Music Award for percussion, the International Society of Bassists Jazz Competition, & multiple National Fiddle Championships combine in this band, and that's just for starters.

Jeremy's reputation was definitely deserved - this kid could play! His bag of tricks included a variety of styles: jazz, classical, Irish. And the rest of the band was very talented; this was their first show together and they sounded like they'd played together for years.

Tonight was a first for me on an ushering level: a disgruntled, annoyed guest! We have a strict no-camera policy and I was rudely confronted when I asked this woman to put hers away. Apparently she was a friend of Jeremy's and apparently she had Jeremy's permission -- but since I detest confrontation it was an uncomfortable situation. Perhaps I need a thicker skin.

But I also had a great compliment as well. I was an aisle usher this evening and helped several guests with their walkers. After the show, a bi-stander told me he appreciated how kind I was with these ladies. It was a very nice boost!!

Old Blind Dogs

www.oldblinddogs.co.uk

MIM: Since forming in the early 1990s, the Old Blind Dogs have stood on the cutting edge of Scotland’s root revival.  Dynamic percussion, polished vocals, soaring fiddle, and stirring pipes fuel the band’s energetic trademark style.

Unfortunately, the drummer for Old Blind Dogs was unable to fly to America due to a family emergency.  At the end of the show, we realized we had hardly missed him.  The three other members of the band were extremely solid and played so well together that the show was highly enjoyable.

The Scottish melodies were hypnotizing and soothing, fun and joyous, familiar and welcome.  I was fascinated by the Scottish bagpipe, played with an arm bellow.  Since I’ve heard so much Irish music, this was an interesting contrast with similar themes and styles.  I thoroughly enjoyed this show – one of my favorites.

Los Texmaniacs

www.Texmaniacs.com

MIM: 2010 Grammy winners Los Texmaniacs create a unique Tex-Mex groove that blends Texas rock, conjunto, well-cured blues, and R&B riffs.

With a strong blending of fiddle, accordion, and guitar, these guys were fierce! There music was toe-tapping fun and they engaged the audience through the entire performance.

I was surprised at the Cajun influences in their Texas music. In the 20’s and 30’s, German and Czech immigrants (my ancestors) settled in the East Texas area bringing the accordion with them. It was not long before the Cajun French and Mexican influences had melded into the music Los Texmaniacs play today. It really was a fascinating show.

Laurie Lewis with Tom Rozum

Inaugural Music Theater Performance

MIM: Recognized for her ability to incorporate traditional bluegrass instruments and vocals into an exciting musical style all her own, Grammy-award winning fiddler, signer, and songwriter Laurie Lewis provides a seamless mix of pure country and classic bluegrass.

Opening weekend – how exciting!! I was both nervous and excited for the first show in my new volunteer position. I worked as a Greeter at the front door and quickly overcame my butterflies by chatting with our guests. Everyone was in a great mood, needed directions or help, and were dazzled by the new building.

For this first show, I spent most of the concert in the lobby awaiting late arrivals. I was disappointed to not see the whole Laurie Lewis show, but the few songs I did sneak in for were exhilarating. Laurie and Tom were a magical duo. She told wonderful stories and their songs were catchy and sweet and pure bluegrass soul.