MADISON SQUARE PARK HOSTS FREE BLUES, FOLK, AMERICANA, AND BLUEGRASS IN THE PARK
2011 Mad. Sq. Music: Studio Series Lineup Announced
Madison Square Park Conservancy announces the 2011 Mad. Sq. Music: Studio Series. Mad. Sq. Music, in collaboration with The Baisley Powell Elebash Fund, presents the Studio Series to promote and foster a legacy of American music through free, live music performances on Saturday afternoons. Set against the fall foliage of Madison Square Park, the intimate Studio Series atmosphere creates a beautiful space for artists to share the tradition of their craft.
The Lineup:
September 17, 12:30pm
Bluegrass in the Park
12:30pm Della Mae | 1:30pm Donna Hughes Band | 2:30pm Cherryholmes Brothers | 3:30 Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike | 4:45 Nashville Bluegrass Band
September 24, 3pm
3pm 3 Penny Acre | 4pm Jay Ungar & Molly Mason
October 1, 3pm
3pm Suzie Vinnick | 4pm John Hammond
October 8, 3pm
3pm Jean Rohe Trio | 4pm Nora Jane Struthers & The Bootleggers
The five Bluegrass In The Park sets on September 17 will be held on the Oval Lawn from 12:30pm to 6:30pm. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket and a picnic for enjoying the music on the grass. There will also be food available for purchase and plenty of bench seating around the lawn.
The three following sessions of Mad. Sq. Music: Studio Series take place near Shake Shack, at the southern end of the Park, from 3pm to 5pm. Some seating at café tables is available on a first-come, first-served basis. All shows are rain or shine.
More artist information below. Madison Square Park is located between Fifth and Madison Avenues, from 23rd St to 26th St. Thanks to Mad. Sq. Music Studio Series sponsors: Kew Management, Zwicker Electric Co, Inc., WFUV, NYCulture, NYSCA, SIA Acoustics, Danley Sound Labs, Time Out New York, and Ace Hotel.
September 17
Nashville Bluegrass Band
With two Grammy Award-winning albums, four-time IBMA Vocal Group of the Year the Nashville Bluegrass Band is no stranger to acclaim from critics and fans alike. The band members are sought-after musicians, known for a superior level of creativity and a commitment to traditional music styles. Collectively and singularly, the members of NBB have virtually defined the modern bluegrass sound.
Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike
Energetic singer/songwriter Valerie Smith is a three-time IBMA award winner and Grammy nominee. She knows and respects the tried and true ways of bluegrass, but holds fast to one simple rule of her own: “I sing from my heart. I do my own thing.”
“She’s bold, bright and just boiling over with energy and excitement to spare. She’s one of the genre’s few truedivas and you’ll never get her mixed up with anyone else!” – Dave Higgs, Bluegrass Breakdown
Cherryholmes Brothers
Skip and B.J., two brothers from one of bluegrass’ most energetic, entertaining bands, have joined forces and friends to form the powerhouse bluegrass band Cherryholmes Brothers. The band will play their debut performance at Madison Square Park’s Bluegrass in the Park.
Donna Hughes Band
Emerging songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalistDonna Hughes’ first bluegrass album picked up word-of-mouth buzz and won her a devoted following among both bluegrass fans and critics. Her quest to continually uncover new perspectives is what makes her so remarkable as both a writer and performer, and why she has been referred to by the renowned bluegrass/ country writer and producer Carl Jackson as “one of the best new singer-songwriters in the world of bluegrass…”
Della Mae
From songs that explore independence and urban adventure to timeless themes of love and loss, Della Mae brings acoustic grit and twang to the stage with no apologies. Della Mae’s musical style seamlessly blends years of experience with traditional mountain music and modern singer-songwriter sensibilities. With energetic live performances and award-winning instrumental abilities, the women of Della Mae are certainly turning heads.
September 24
Jay Ungar & Molly Mason
If you love American acoustic music, don’t miss Jay Ungar & Molly Mason. These extraordinary musicians won international acclaim when their performance of Jay’s haunting composition Ashokan Farewell on Ken Burns’ The Civil War was nominated for an Emmy. Jay and Molly in concert play timeless renditions of hard-driving Appalachian melodies, Cajun and Celtic fiddle tunes, stirring Civil War classics, sassy songs from the golden age of swing and country, stunning waltzes, and moving original works. Wit, warmth and consummate musicianship add up to an exciting evening that cheers the heart and feeds the soul.
3 Penny Acre
3 Penny Acre is a musical collaboration between three up and coming songwriters: Bayard Blain, Bernice Hembree, and Bryan Hembree. Fans and critics have quickly identified their unique, Ozark-inspired sound as distinct, yet universally appealing. Listeners in all corners have begun to appreciate their attention to lyrics, harmony, and carefully crafted acoustic arrangements steeped in roots music traditions but with a focus on fresh, new songs.
October 1
John Hammond
Grammy winner and Blue Hall of Fame inductee John Hammond has a career that spans more than three decades. He was on the scene at thebeginning of the first blues renaissance of the mid-’60s. “John’s sound is so compelling, complete, symmetrical and soulful with just his voice, guitar and harmonica, it is atfirst impossible to imagine improving it… He’s a great force of nature. John sounds like a big train coming. He chops them all down.” – Tom Waits
Suzie Vinnick
After winning numerous awards for playing, singing and writing the blues, Suzie Vinnick has finally put out a blues album under her own name. She has been into the blues since her teens, and has been a perennial nominee and six-time winner of the Canadian Maple Blues awards for her workwith such blues players as Rick Fines. She also has three previous critically-acclaimed folk-roots albums under her belt.
October 8
Nora Jane Struthers & The Bootleggers
Nora Jane Struthers has formulated a unique fusion of traditional styles: “It’s not really bluegrass, it’s not really old time, it’s not folk – it’s all of these things,” she describes her music. “Nora Jane infuses bright, fresh lyrics into this traditional genre with sheer intelligence. Musically, she take unconventional twists and turns, while ‘holding you to the road’ with commanding charm.” – Claire Lynch
Jean Rohe Trio
Jean Rohe is quickly becoming a gem of New York City’s jazz and Brazilian music scene. Her original compositions and fresh arrangements of songs from Latin America explore the intersections of jazz, North American folk music, Brazilian and Afro-Peruvian traditions. What sets Jean’s performance apart is that it invites the listener to engage with body, heart, and mind, through captivating storytelling, astute, socially conscious lyrics, and lively rhythms and melodies.
About Madison Square Park Conservancy
The Madison Square Park Conservancy is the not-for-profit organization dedicated to keeping historic Madison Square Park a bright, beautiful and lively public park. The Conservancy works in partnership with the City of New York/Parks & Recreation to operate Madison Square Park and is responsible for raising all funds necessary to operate the park, including horticulture, park maintenance, sanitation, security and free cultural programs for park visitors of all ages. madisonsquarepark.org
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