Americana Roots duo Richie Stearns (banjo) and Rosie Newton (fiddle) will be joined by friends, including Hank Roberts (cello) Wednesday December 17 bringing their incredible bluegrass blend to the Rochester area. This show promises a special holiday treat for the ears and the senses! These folks can really take the fiddle, banjo combination to new levels as they continue to expand the boundaries with both traditional and original songs.
Legendary banjo player Richie Stearns is one of the most influential old-time players of the last 25 years, stretching the genre in many innovative ways. He is steeped in the traditions of Appalachian folk, blues, African, rock and country music. His band The Horseflies re-defined old-time music in the 1980’s and 90’s and introduced the unique Ithaca, NY sound to a whole generation of traditional musicians and fans. A founding member of Donna the Buffalo and the Renegades, Richie has collaborated, opened for, or played in bands with Natalie Merchant, Beausoleil, Farm Report (w/Tony Trischka), 10,000 Maniacs, Kevin Burke, Johnny Clegg, and Savuka, Peter Rowan, Jim Lauderdale, and many others.
Rosie Newton is a talented fiddler and singer at the beginning of her music career. She graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in viola performance, and has become an integral part of the Ithaca old-time music community. Newton tours with The Duhks, Louisiana legend Preston Frank, Red Dog Run, the Evil City Stringband, Home Remedy and occasionally The Pearly Snaps and in an internationally touring Celtic band called Ferintosh. She is represented on countless recordings, including her own projects – The Pearly Snaps, and on her most recent CD, Tractor Beam with Stearns.
Even in a parallel universe where jazz cellists are as common as tenor madmen and trumpet-blowing boppers, Hank Roberts would be utterly unique. Over his nearly four-decade career, Roberts has forged a compelling original voice on the cello, encompassing abstract improvisation and soulful folk melodies, intricate new-music compositions and vigorous rock songs. The list of names with whom Roberts has shared stages or studios is staggering, including members of U2, Gavin Friday, Sting, Joel Grey, David Sanborn, Lydia Lunch, Mamadou Diabate, Andy Summers, Pat Metheny, Flo and Eddie, Gary Burton, Shane McGowan, and Julius Hemphil, and of course, Richie Stearns.
Opening for the group will be Milkweed the Band, an Americana string band with a focus on lyrics and group vocal harmony, Milkweed draws inspiration from folk, bluegrass, straight country, blues, world and pretty much anything else you can think of, defining sound by strings, harmony and lyrics: “With one foot in the future of world music and the other rooted in American blues and country, Milkweed is known for uplifting shows, complete with foot stomping, sing-a-longs, and words remembered long after the music stops.” –(-Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance-)
December 17, 2014 – Doors: 7:30 – Show: 8:30 – Cover: $10