Fiddling Cricket Concerts Fiddling Cricket
December 2008

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Claudia Russell & Folk Unlimited
Saturday, December 6th, 8.00pm, $15/$17
AT MISSION CITY COFFEE ROASTING CO.

2221 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA 95050
call 831-475-4938 or email Brundle@attglobal.net

Claudia Russell is an outstanding live performer, with a versatile vocal range from soft soulful ballads to jazzy bluegrass, blues, and the big stage musical. She was voted best new artist by Boston station WUMB in 2000 and as a song-writer, has been a finalist twice at the Kerville Festival in Texas and also at the Sisters Festival in Oregon. Her latest CD, Live Band Tonight, with recordings from performances at the Freight and Salvage and on radio folk shows, fully demonstrates her live vibe, along with that of her Folk Unlimited Orchestra bandmates, who even when fully cranking never eclipse her voice. The Orchestra are Bruce Kaplan (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Mark Petrella (bass), and when at full strength also includes piano/accordion, fiddle and violin. http://www.claudiarussell.com/




Jim Hurst
Bluegrass, Newgrass, Country Roots, blues, jazz, swing, old-time, gospel….!
Sunday, December 7th, 4pm, $15/$17
AT THE CAYUGA VAULT

1100 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz
call 831-475-4938 or email Brundle@attglobal.net

Jim Hurst was the International Bluegrass Music Association 2001 and 2002 Guitar Player of The Year, and is a much sort after Nashville studio musician. In the now distant past his diverse tastes, flat-picking and fingerstyle playing, plus his considerable vocal skills, led him to play in country, bluegrass, blues, jazz and rock bands, but since 1995 he has concentrated on the bluegrass and roots areas. That year he joined the Claire Lynch and the Front Porch Band, touring and recording with them till 1999. For several years after that he played with bassist Missy Raines, recording two CDs with her. He has recorded with many other well-known artists and has won many national, state and regional instrument championships, as well as singing ones (traditional, old-time and gospel). His 3rd solo CD, Box of Chocolates, highlights his guitar and vocal skills over a wide range of genres and is representative of his solo shows, which cannot be fitted into any single "box".

"One of the most versatile and tasteful guitar players I know…accompanying this instrumental virtuosity is a rich and expressive voice with a surprising range" - Mark Schatz, musician



Po'Girl
Americana with Punk Attitude
Wednesday, December 10th, 7:30 pm, $12/$14
Presented with Snazzy Productions
<21 w/parent

FC Cosponsored Show
AT DON QUIXOTES MUSIC HALL

6275 Highway 9 in Downtown Felton, call 831-603-2294

Down-hearted blues from a jazz speakeasy collides with poetic urban grit. Po' Girl is a Canadian acoustic group whose style derives from jazz, folk, and country with a tinge of punk attitude. The style of music they perform is sometimes referred to as Alt-country but today more commonly called Americana. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the band consists of Allison Russell (vocals), Trish Klein (guitar/vocals and a founder of The Be Good Tanyas), Awna Teixeira (multi-instrumental) and Diona Davies (violin). Po' Girl's music has been compared with those of Tracy Chapman, Ani DiFranco, Natalie Merchant, and Norah Jones; and it showcases melodies from instruments as diverse as banjo, clarinet, harmonica, and mandolin. http://www.pogirl.net/

"...a lovely rustic blend of train-hobo sing-song tunesmithing and trade-off string strumming, pickin' and bowin', with a wee bit of beatboxing thrown in for the fun of it." - Exclaim!



Tony McManus
Celtic Guitar
Thursday, December 11th, 7:30pm $15 adv./$15 door
$13 at door to members of The Celtic Society by way of $2 rebate
Presented by the Celtic Society of Monterey Bay
<21 w/parent

FC Cosponsored Show
AT DON QUIXOTES MUSIC HALL

6275 Highway 9 in Downtown Felton, call 831-603-2294

In a relatively short time Tony McManus' music has come to define a new role for the guitar in Celtic music. He has come to represent Celtic music in the guitar world, making regular appearances at guitar specific events where just a few years ago jigs and reels would be unheard of. He is now invited annually to the Chet Atkins Festival in Nashville, has appeared at Guitar Festivals in Soave and Pescantina, Italy; Frankston, Australia; Issoudun, France; Kirkmichael, Scotland; Bath and Kent, England; Bochum and Osnabruck, Germany. He recently appeared at the famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in the “All Star Guitar Night” featuring Steve Morse, Bryan Sutton, Muriel Anderson, Béla Fleck and Victor Wooten and headlined by the legendary Les Paul. www.tonymcmanus.com




CANCELLED
Duck Baker
Solo Fingerstyle Guitar
Friday, December 12th, 8.00pm, $15/$17
AT MISSION CITY COFFEE ROASTING CO.

2221 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA 95050
call 831-475-4938 or email Brundle@attglobal.net

CANCELLED

Though Duck Baker grew up playing rock and roll, he has been recognized as a top fingerstyle guitarist for many years. Born in Richmond, Virginia, he is best known for playing his versions of Appalachian blues, Celtic and traditional folk, ragtime and swing. In addition he is a devoted student of jazz and its history. In the guitar world he is widely respected for his intricate compositions and his albums of guitar arrangements of other composers, such as that of jazz pianist Herbie Nichols, which Acoustic Guitar Magazine calls "one of the best guitar albums ever recorded". He has many CDs, instructional videos, and books on fingerstyle guitar to his name. For a long time Duck lived in San Francisco, after spending 9 years in Europe. Now he is back living in Europe, in London, performing in trios and duets with clarinetists, bassists, and trombonists. He still visits the Bay Area occasionally though and drops by to play for Fiddling Cricket, the last time being in 2005 at the old Espresso Garden Café. http://www.duckbaker.com/

CANCELLED



Houston Jones
High Octane Americana
Sunday, December 14th, 7.00pm $10/$10
<21 w/parent

FC Cosponsored Show
AT DON QUIXOTES MUSIC HALL

6275 Highway 9 in Downtown Felton, call 831-603-2294

Houston Jones, a quintet, feature the stunning, left handed, upside down, acoustic and electric guitar playing of Glen "Houston" Pomianek and the golden tenor of Travis Jones (guitar), plus the double bass and harmony vocals of Chris Kee, the percussion and harmony vocals of Peter Tucker, and the piano, accordion, and vocals of Henry Salvia. Though all the band members are resident in the Bay Area, they originate from all over the US and have about 150 years of collective professional music experience! Both Pomaniek and Kee were founding members of The Waybacks, and Tucker also passed through the ranks of that band. Describing their music as 'high energy Americana', they usually sizzle through a mix of blues, folk, country, bluegrass, Celtic, gospel and jazz, mixing original material with the best from others. They have 4 CDs out (three studio and one live), the latest, Calico Heart released earlier this year, and a new one in the works. http://www.houstonjones.com/



Crooked Still
Dance
Friday, December 19th, 8.00pm $13 adv./$15 door
21 And Over Only

FC Cosponsored Show
AT DON QUIXOTES MUSIC HALL

6275 Highway 9 in Downtown Felton, call 831-603-2294

Explosive alternative bluegrass and string band music to dance and listening pleasure. After five years of touring and establishing themselves as "the most important folk group to emerge from Boston since the early 60's" (Boston Globe), Crooked Still announced that fiddler Brittany Haas and cellist Tristan Clarridge have replaced cellist Rushad Eggleston. The solid foundation they built as a group earned them invitations from huge events like the historic Newport and Telluride Festivals and numerous rave reviews from publications like USA Today and Interview Magazine. Crooked Still was now on the cusp of a new musical chapter. If the first album, Still Crooked, from the new line-up is any indication, success for this young band will be explosive. Crooked Still continues to perform one of the most compelling forms of alternative bluegrass and string band music today. www.crookedstill.com and www.myspace.com/crookedstill



Fiddling Cricket Holiday Show
With Dale and Marilyn Barcellos and the Avalanche Choir
Saturday, December 20th, 7.00pm, $15/$17
AT MISSION CITY COFFEE ROASTING CO.

2221 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA 95050
call 831-475-4938 or email Brundle@attglobal.net

Hosted, as always, by Marilyn and Dale Barcellos and The Mighty Avalanche Choir (Dale, Marilyn, Paul Bridges, Jenny Stave, Larry Weissenborn and Dennis Patterson)

With special guests Connie Doolan and Chojo Jacques



Mike Marshall & Caterina Lichtenberg
A Mandolin duet world tour - sneak preview!
Saturday, December 27th, 8.00pm, $22/$25
AT THE CAYUGA VAULT

1100 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz
call 831-475-4938 or email Brundle@attglobal.net

Two of the worlds great mandolinists, Mike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg, join forces in a collaboration of musical styles to take you on a journey of the mandolin from it's lute like roots, in 16th century Europe, to the new world of the Americas, picking up melodies from each new place and many hands on the way.

Mike Marshall is well-known for building mandolin musical bridges - from his youthful days with the David Grisman Quintet, to his founding of the Modern Mandolin Quartet, and his recent collaborations with bluegrass wiz kid, Chris Thile, and with Brazilian virtuoso, Hamilton de Holanda.

This time he teams up with one of the classical mandolin virtuosos of the world. Caterina Lichtenberg is now at the peak of her recording and performance career with over 10 CDs and regular tours of the U.S., Japan, Europe and South America. She is currently the Director of the Baroque Ensemble at the Music Academy of Wuppertal, Germany.

Mike and Caterina first met when Mike asked her to teach at the Mandolin Symposium at UCSC, which was a week long gathering this year of over 150 students, plus 9 top mandolinists from around the world. The two made an instant musical connection and have been building on this relationship ever since.



Peppino D’Agostino plus The Stef Burns Group
Peppino Will Go On Solo, Then the Stef Burns Group Will Follow
Acoustic and Electric Guitar Greats in One Big Night of Music

Sunday, December 28th, 7.00pm $13 adv./$15 door
<21 w/parent

FC Cosponsored Show
AT DON QUIXOTES MUSIC HALL

6275 Highway 9 in Downtown Felton, call 831-603-2294

Peppino D'Agostino is a Renaissance man. This is not just because he was born in Italy . Everything about him -- virtuoso acoustic guitarist, composer, singer, teacher and all-around entertainer -- is rooted in his heritage. It's fitting then that his latest CD is titled Made in Italy. Peppino D'Agostino was voted "Best Acoustic Guitarist" by the readers of Guitar Player Magazine in the 2007 Guitar Player Magazine Reader's Choice Awards! www.peppinodagostino.com

"Peppino writes wonderful guitar pieces. He's one of my favorite composers for this cranky instrument. Plus, he's a tone player. I love his sound---gets the resin and the wood." Leo Kottke

D'Agostino plays steel-string guitar with virtuosity and complexity---Influences are as far-flung as the flamenco work of Paco de Lucia and the pop sensibility of the Beatles, evident in the songs he's written, which brim with memorable melodies." - Chicago Tribune

Stef Burns, one time Alice Cooper guitar great and currently with Huey Lewis, has a new solo CD, World, Universe, Infinity. When Stef Burns gets a chance to perform live with his own Stef Burns Group, the crowds still go wild for the dynamic music from his previous independent release Swamp Tea. Finding time to record his own material has always been a challenge for Stef, who launched his sideman career with Jesse Colin Young and has jumped from one superstar album and tour to the next ever since including Pablo Cruise; Sheila E. (at the height of the Prince/Purple Rain phenomenon; Y&T (four albums) and Alice Cooper including an appearance in “Wayne’s World”. www.stefburns.com



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Concert Descriptions
At-A-Glance
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Last Updated: 11/17/08