Spook Handy
Saturday May 18 2024
Spook Handy performed alongside Pete Seeger at festivals and concerts more than 50 times between 2003 and 2013, learning firsthand many of Pete’s songs and the stories behind them. Even more, he learned who Pete Seeger was and what he stood for. Spook is now traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada with his “Remembering Pete Seeger” World Tour, keeping alive Pete’s tradition by sharing songs by Woody Guthrie (Pete’s most notable mentor), Pete Seeger, and a healthy handful of new songs Spook wrote under Pete’s tutelage. “I’ve always felt that an individual can leave a positive mark on the world,” says Spook Handy. “I eventually came to realize that the way I could make a difference was through music.” His albums have been featured on the International Folk Radio Charts, and Spook was named Best Folk Artist by Upstage Magazine, Gannett New Jersey, The Courier News, The Home News and About.com. Spook has performed over 3000 concerts in 47 U.S states and 4 Canadian provinces, and we are delighted to bring him to the Cranberry Coffeehouse for his first performance here!
Performer web page: spookhandy.com
Anne Hills
Saturday September 21 2024
Anne Hills is one of the most beloved voices of the contemporary folk music scene, receiving awards and recognition for her live performances, her unique solo and collaborative recording projects, and her overall artistry and benefit work. Whether she is singing her own songs, the words of six-year-old Opal Whiteley, or her song settings of the Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley; accompanied with her guitar, banjo, or simply a Tibetan bell, she puts her whole heart and soul into the moment. The AllMusic Guide says, “A stunning soprano tone has made Anne Hills one of contemporary music’s premiere vocalists … Her knack for writing heartfelt songs [has] brought her to the upper echelon of her craft.” and Tom Paxton says, “Anne Hills is such an exquisite singer that it’s understandable that people might be swept up in the pure beauty of her voice and thereby overlook her writing. That would be a mistake. For me, Anne’s writing, in songs like ‘Follow That Road’ and many others, is as direct, melodic and deep as any work being done today. She is quite simply one of my absolute favorite songwriters.”
Performer web page: www.annehills.com
Andrew Van Norstrand
Saturday October 19 2024
Andrew VanNorstrand is a musician, singer and songwriter based in Vermont. He has performed on festival stages, concert halls, dance floors and living rooms all over North America and beyond. For eighteen years he toured and recorded with the popular dance band Great Bear and is now often on the road with the folk / roots / Americana quartet The Faux Paws. Andrew’s debut solo album That We Could Find A Way To Be highlights the complicated intersections of love, faith, loss and uncertainty. From the rust belt to the Blue Ridge, cold spring in New England to a summer night in Charlottesville; his original songs seek out beauty in the search and struggle for understanding. Andrew blends traditional folk, bluegrass, old-time, country and western swing with a deep appreciation of artists like Jeff Tweedy, Richard Thompson, Gillian Welch, Sufjan Stevens and Townes Van Zandt.
Performer web page: www.facebook.com/andrewvannorstrandmusic
Steve Strauss
Saturday November 16 2024
Steve Strauss is a local singer/songwriter whose body of work spans the past thirty years. His songs are both poetic and pointed, a collection of thoughts and stories that have a timeless relevance with a wry sense of hope. Strauss is a recording artist with German audiophile label Stockfisch Records, who released A Very Thin Wire, his fourth album, in April of 2020. His music can be found on most streaming services.
Bells & Motley
Saturday December 21 2024
Multi-instrumentalists Bells & Motley (Sondra and John Bromka) will be bringing us a special holiday-themed concert. They are historical musical story tellers (as well as instrument makers, authors, and dance callers) who perform on hurdy gurdy, nyckelharpa, French bagpipes, harp, hammered dulcimer, squeezeboxes, assorted historic wind and percussion instruments (and voices). Their numerous topics include the Erie Canal, early music (they’re a founding ensemble at the Sterling Renaissance Festival near Oswego, NY), and world music (including the folk traditions of Netherlands, England, Celtic lands, Spain, Italy and perhaps more!). They have a wonderful gift for connecting to audiences of all ages with a musical mix of history, literature, fine arts, and artistry.
Performer web page: bellsandmotley.com