Denver Folklore Center celebrates its 50th Anniversary with a weekend jam-packed with concerts

March 13th, 2012

After being inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in February, Harry Tuft and the Denver Folklore Center celebrate 50 years of bringing folk music to the Mile High city. A full weekend of concerts presented at The Newman Center, The L2 Arts & Culture Center and Four Mile Historic Park will commemorate the golden anniversary.

WHAT: Denver Folklore Center’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
WHEN: May 25-27, 2012
WHERE: The Newman Center, 2344 East Iliff Ave., Denver 80208; L2 Arts & Culture Center, 1477 Columbine St. Denver, 80206; Four Mile Historic Park, 715 South Forest St., Denver, 80246
TICKETS: Prices vary by show; see show details below
INFO & BOX OFFICE: http://swallowhillmusic.org/, (303) 777-1003 x2
MEDIA & PHOTO CONTACT: Lindsay Taylor, (303) 643-5818, lindsay@swallowhillmusic.org; Gwen Burak, (303) 643-5816, gwen@swallowhillmusic.org
RSS: http://swallowhillmusic.org/news

DENVER – The Denver Folklore Center has been supporting folk music in Denver since 1962. This May, the Folklore Center will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary with a weekend full of concerts. Some of folk music’s best artists including Otis Taylor, Hot Rize and Tim O’Brien, Dakota Blonde, Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore, and Michael Cooney, will join founder Harry Tuft and the Denver Folklore Center to say, “Happy Birthday.”

In the early 1960′s, Harry Tuft ventured to Colorado in hopes of finding fresh powder. Instead, he found (and founded) a community rich with music and a need for a venue. The Denver Folklore Center was established in 1962 and provided space for folk music lessons, supplies, a place to jam or form a pick-up band. Now, it is the center of the folk community in Denver, and some say, Colorado. Harry, who was just inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in February, is thrilled that the Center has thrived for 50 years. He says, “When I came to Denver many years ago, I realized that Denver was a city made up of lots of different communities. I found here among those communities, a group of folks who really liked the kind of music that I like. We came together, magically, to build this influential organization. I’ve very proud.”

The weekend-long celebration will begin on Friday, May 25, at the Newman Center, with Hot Rize, Otis Taylor and the man who started it all, Harry Tuft, playing with Dick Lamm. Saturday’s events will be held at the L2 Arts & Culture Center and feature Tim O’Brien and Dakota Blonde. On Sunday afternoon, the festivities will move outside to Four Mile Historic Park. The party will close at Swallow Hill Music Sunday evening, for a semi-private VIP party.

Full show details are below. Thank you for supporting live music at Swallow Hill Music!

Event Details – On-Sale 3/9 @ 10am

Denver Folklore Center – 50th Anniversary Celebration
Friday, May 25 at the Newman Center – 8pm
Hot Rize, Otis Taylor, and Harry Tuft and former Colorado Governor Dick Lamm

Saturday, May 26 at L2 Arts and Culture – 8pm
Tim O’Brien, Dakota Blonde, Nick & Helen Forster and Dick Weissman

Sunday, May 27 at Four Mile Historic Park – 1-4pm
Jim Kweskin & Geoff Muldaur; Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore; Pete & Joan Wernick; Michael Cooney; Harry Tuft, Jack Stanesco, & Steve Abbot; with Martin Gilmore

Ticket Prices
VIP Weekend Pass – $175 includes a semi-private party Sunday evening at Swallow Hill Music!
Standard Weekend Pass – $98
Friday Concert at the Newman Center – $28-$103 day of show, reserved seating
Saturday Concert at L2 Arts and Culture Center – $25 advance, $30 day of show
Sunday Concert at Four Mile Historic Park – $25 advance, $30 day of show

About the Denver Folklore Center
Well, the address has changed and the lighting’s better now, but that’s about all that’s different … because, after all, it’s not about a store; it’s about a community. Utah Phillips describes it well:

“…I had stumbled into a family that was in fact transcontinental. I found great numbers of people who, as part of their pattern of social responsibility, were committed to the task of making sure that folk music existed in their communities. I found singer-circles, camp-outs, picnics, concert programs, festivals great and small, celebrating a common heritage of song. And I found my community, singers and makers of songs, … from San Diego Folk Heritage to the Denver Folklore Center to the Ark in Ann Arbor to Lena’s and beyond, eking out a bare living sharing what we had together, but, most of all, in each other’s company … a community of sentiment in which people substantially cared for each other.”

With encouragement from Hal Neustaedter – owner of “The Exodus,” a folk club in Denver – and Izzy Young, owner of the first and (then) only Folklore Center, in New York’s Greenwich Village, Harry Tuft opened the Denver Folklore Center on March 13, 1962. Harry’s first employee was Bart Clark, now a librarian in the mid-west. The second – and youngest – employee of the Denver Folklore Center was Julie Davis. At age 14, she agreed to teach a beginner guitar class at the store in exchange for Harry teaching her intermediate guitar. Since that time, Julie has taken a leadership role in the Swallow Hill Music and continues her work as a teacher, leader, musician and storyteller today.

In 1965, Harry, working with Phyllis Wagner (now Phyllis Jane Rose), produced “The Denver Folklore Center Catalogue and Almanac of Folk Music,” a mail-order catalogue with information about the developing folk music movement. 1000 copies of the catalogue were printed. The catalogue served as an inspiration and a reference for Stan Werbin (owner of Elderly Instruments) in starting up his catalog business, which is a flourishing operation today.

The store has become a center for the growing folk music community in Denver and celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2012.

About Swallow Hill Music
Swallow Hill Music has been helping people make and enjoy music since 1979. As it celebrates its 33rd year, it is proud to be known as one of the largest non-profit organizations in the United States to serve as a source for roots, folk and acoustic music.

Swallow Hill Music serves more than 100,000 people through its concert, school and outreach programming.

Three concert venues at our facility on 71 E. Yale Ave. offer more than 200 performances a year, featuring local, national and international talent. In addition, Swallow Hill Music presents and produces its annual Rootsfest celebration, concerts at the L2 Arts & Culture Center in Capitol Hill, at Four Mile Historic Park, at the Old South Pearl St. summer street fairs, and at the Denver Botanic Gardens for its long-running and esteemed Summer Concert Series.

A faculty of 60+ instructors provides music education to over 5,000 students who participated in hundreds of classes, workshops and private lessons for instruments and interests of all kinds. In addition, the Swallow Hill Music School reaches over 15,000 students through educational K-12 outreach programs in schools across the Front Range.

Swallow Hill Music is proud to be one of the 26 local nonprofits that are recognized as an SCFD Tier II Arts and Cultural organization. In addition to funding from SCFD and program revenue from concerts and classes, Swallow Hill Music relies on foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and the generosity of individual donors and the 2,300 dedicated members of our unique musical community. This support allows Swallow Hill Music to continue connecting people to the power of music by providing a place to celebrate and enjoy music in both the classroom and on stage.

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New Shows at Swallow Hill Music On-Sale 1/11 @ 10am

January 11th, 2012

Irish-American band Solas on tour for their upcoming album, The Boxcars and Chatham County Line tear through bluegrass tunes with contemporary swagger, and 4 jazz guitarists take the stage  for an evening of collaboration.

WHAT: Additions to Swallow Hill Music’s 2012 concert line-up
WHEN: Dates vary; see detailed show info below
WHERE: Swallow Hill Music, 71 E. Yale Ave., Denver, or L2 Arts & Culture Center, 1477 Columbine St., Denver 80206 – location specified in show info below
TICKETS: Prices vary by show; see detailed show info below
INFO & BOX OFFICE: http://swallowhillmusic.org/, (303) 777-1003 x2
MEDIA & PHOTO CONTACT: Lindsay Taylor, (303) 643-5818,lindsay@swallowhillmusic.org; Gwen Burak, (303) 643-5816, gwen@swallowhillmusic.org
RSS: http://swallowhillmusic.org/news

DENVER - Fantastic new shows for 2012 at Swallow Hill Music are going on sale Wednesday, January 11.

Solas fans have never been to a show like this one. With ten albums under their belt, band leader Seamus Egan was inspired by his family history to create Shamrock City - their most ambitious project to date. Shamrock City tells the story of Butte, Mont., a mining town at the turn of the 20th century, as seen through the eyes of an Irish immigrant. With an EP of five songs, as well as visuals and stories incorporated into the live show, fans will get a taste of the full album during Solas’ March performance at L2 Arts & Culture Center. Shamrock City is scheduled to release in 2013.

The Boxcars and Chatham County Line are no strangers to the bluegrass scene. Recently named Emerging Artist of the Year and Instrumental Group of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association, The Boxcars bring their contemporary bluegrass sound to Denver, teaming up with the four string players and pickers of Chatham County Line for a night of spectacular music.

Laurie Dameron, Jane Lemmers, Robert Eldridge, and Eric Roberts bring together their many years of guitar prowess for an evening of jazz guitar in the round – at any time 1, 2, or all 4 of them will take the stage for a wonderful evening of jazz guitar sounds and improv.

Full show details are below, and thank you for supporting live music at Swallow Hill Music!

  

Show Details – On-Sale 1/11 @ 10am

 
Solas
Saturday, Mar 24 at 8pm – L2 Arts & Culture Center – $26 Advance
Solas is the quintessential Irish-American band recording and touring in the US today. Fifteen years ago, in a manner befitting their name (Gaelic for “light”), Solas burst onto the Irish music scene and instantly became a beacon – an incandescent ensemble that found contemporary relevance in timeless traditions without ever stooping to clichés. Anchored by founding members Seamus Egan (flute, tenor banjo, mandolin, whistles, guitars, bodhran) and Winifred Horan (violins, vocals), Solas is rounded out by Mick McAuley (accordians, low whistle, concertina, vocals), Eamon McElholm (guitars, keyboards, vocals), and newest member and lead singer, Niamh Varian-Barry. Through fresh and unexpected arrangements of age-old tunes, compelling and topical originals and covers, and unparalleled musicianship, Solas continues to define the path for the Celtic music world and drive the genre forward.

The Boxcars & Chatham County Line
Friday, Apr 27 at 8pm – $22 Advance
The Boxcars capture the excitement of the seminal bluegrass bands that preceeded them and combine it with cutting edge sounds of today. Made up of Adam Steffey, Ron Stewart, John R. Bowman, Keith Garrett and Harold Nixon, the Boxcars will surely soon be one of the top headliners in bluegrass and beyond.  With collective stints with Alison Krauss & Union Station, J.D. Crowe & The New South, and Blue Moon Rising (to name a few), this quintet starts out with an impressive rap sheet.  Expect The Boxcars to cover songs and branch out into their own unique style of contemporary bluegrass.

Ten years in, the four gentlemen of Chatham County Line (CCL) have a lot to reflect on: sold out shows in the US and abroad, appearances on national radio & TV, four solid selling records, and four really dirty suits. The newest addition to their catalog,Wildwood, is no departure from the path CCL has been carving during its decade of existence.  Another strong batch of songs, with solid melodies and lyrics, telling the tales of what all those years on the road have brought to them.

 

Jazz Guitarists in the Round – Laurie Dameron, Jane Lemmers, Robert Eldridge and Eric Roberts  
Friday, January 27 at 8pm – $10 Advance
Four accomplished guitarists come together for a fluid evening of on stage collaboration, improvisation and solo features.  The quartet includes Billboard Magazine award recipient Laurie Dameron,an extremely versatile musician who will join forces for a few duets with Jane Lemmers, a solo artist who had done guest appearances withChuck Pyle, Duncan Tuck, and Bob Turner.  Also taking the stage will be Robert Eldridge with his “eclectic and mental guitar music” and Eric Roberts whose original music encompasses a variety of musical influences from Paul Winter and David Darlingto Ralph Towner, Eberhard Weber and Pat Metheny.

 

Other Shows Newly Announced & On-Sale

Sat Jan 14         Birds of a Feather – 8pm

Thu Feb 9          Sarah Louise Pieplow – Discovery Series – 7:30pm

Thu Mar 8          Benyaro and You Me & Apollo – Discovery Series – 7:30pm

Fri Mar 9          Ginga – World Music Night – 8pm

Sat Mar 10        The JT Nolan Trio & The Matt Skellenger Group – 8pm

Thu Mar 15        Pete Kartsounes – Discovery Series – 7:30pm

Sat Mar 17        Shane Provost – “Top of the Hill” Faculty Concert – 8pm

Sat Mar 31        Caravan of Thieves – 8pm

Sat Apr 21        Citrus & Friends feat. Chris “Citrus” Sauthoff – “Top of the Hill” Faculty Concert- 8pm

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Next broadcast of Live@Swallow Hill Saturday, 11/5, 7:00pm

November 2nd, 2011

Second broadcast of this new radio program will feature The Wood Brothers’ recent appearance in Denver

WHAT: Next edition of Live@Swallow Hill on KUNC FM features The Wood Brothers, recorded at the L2 Arts & Culture Center on September 23, 2011
WHEN: Saturday, November 5, 7:00pm
WHERE: On your radio dial at KUNC FM (91.5FM in the Front Range, check kunc.org for frequencies serving non-metro communities across Northern Colorado) or streaming live at kunc.org
MEDIA CONTACTS: Lindsay Taylor, (303) 643-5818, lindsay@swallowhillmusic.org or Robert Leja, (970) 350-0822, robert.leja@kunc.org
RSS: http://swallowhillmusic.org/news

 

DENVER – Swallow Hill Music and KUNC – Community Radio for Northern Coloradoare pleased to announce the second edition of Live@Swallow Hill broadcasting this Saturday, November 5, 7:00pm.

This edition will feature The Wood Brothers in a broadcast of their September 2011 performance in Denver presented by Swallow Hill Music at the L2 Arts & Culture Center.

Live@Swallow Hill will be a monthly broadcast on KUNC.  Upcoming dates and artists will be announced in the near future.  In the meantime, tune in this Saturday to listen to Chris & Oliver Wood’s talented performances.  A stream and set list of the show will be made available at kunc.org on Monday, 11/7, and more information on The Wood Brothers is below.

 

About the Artists:
The Wood Brothers, who both grew up in Boulder, pursued separate projects for some 15 years before deciding to join forces in 2004. Chris, best known as part of the influential jazz-funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood, and brother Oliver decided to adapt the blues, folk and other roots-music sounds they loved as kids into their own evocative sound. The sibling singers are renowned for twining their voices in a sort of high-lonesome harmony blend.

You wouldn’t necessarily gather this fact from listening to Smoke Ring Halo in which Oliver and Chris refine their rich, spacious sound – the brothers simmer, swing and soar, shifting moods and time signatures with aplomb.

Paste Magazine lauds; “Smoke Ring Halo only further cements the pair’s reputation as masters of soulful folk.”   Nate Chien of the New York Times exclaims, “This band has been working at something and it shows.”

About Swallow Hill Music:
Helping people make and enjoy music since 1979, Swallow Hill Music will celebrate its 32nd anniversary in 2011 as one of the largest non-profit institutions of its kind in the United States as a source for roots, folk and acoustic music.

In 2010, Swallow Hill Music served more than 100,000 people through its concert, school and outreach programming.

Three concert venues house more than 200 performances a year, featuring some of the world’s great artists as well as up-and-coming new talent.  Additionally in 2010 Swallow Hill Music began producing the long-running and esteemed Denver Botanic Gardens Summer Concert Series.

Swallow Hill Music offers hundreds of classes, workshops, and private lessons for instruments and interests of all kinds. A faculty of 70 instructors provides training to more than 4,000 students annually, including school outreach programming that takes music and music assemblies into Colorado public schools.

A Tier II member of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Swallow Hill Music receives public funding and grants, and has over 2,000 members that help cover one-third of all of the organization’s operating costs.  This generosity has helped Swallow Hill Music provide a place to celebrate music that is rarely heard elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain Region, in both the classroom and on stage.

About KUNC 91.5 FM – Community Radio for Northern Colorado
KUNC-Community Radio For Northern Colorado was the first Colorado public radio station to join NPR, and has long been recognized as an innovative leader in public broadcasting, introducing programs like All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Car Talk to listeners in Colorado, along with KUNC’s own eclectic mix of music that blends singer-songwriters with contemporary and classic folk and rock artists. KUNC reaches a weekly audience of nearly 150,000 listeners through a network of 18 stations and translators across Colorado.

 

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2010 Swallow Hill Board of Directors Concert

November 2nd, 2010

Tom and I want to extend to you a personal invitation to come to one of our favorite nights at Swallow Hill.

For the past several years on a night in November, the Swallow Hill Board has proudly produced its own concert. It’s one way that the Board supports Swallow Hill’s fundraising efforts since 100% of the proceeds go to Swallow Hill programming. More importantly, it’s a great way for the Board to show the community how deeply involved the Board is in music production and presentation.

Some of our board members are professional musicians; some of us are skilled amateurs; and some of us just have a lot of heart and soul! Many of us are, or have been, students in our own school. And this evening is a great opportunity for us to share our passion with the community. So come and enjoy some light refreshments, some great music and a wonderful community-based energy. Meet your Board members, and share our love and belief in the transformative power of music.

The show is November 21,  6:00 p.m. , and all we request is a $10 donation. Tickets are available online, at the Swallow Hill box office or from one of your Board members. We look forward to sharing the evening with you.

Donald M. Davidoff, Chair, Board of Directors
Tom Scharf, Executive Director

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Swallow Hill Music Makes More Music in 2011

November 1st, 2010

Dakota Blonde & Cadillac Sky on sale now, Väsen performing with Mike Marshall & Darol Anger, Janis Ian, Bruce Molsky, & more on sale Wednesday, Nov. 10th, 10 a.m. MST.

WHAT: New shows on-sale now & Wednesday, November 10th for added concerts in January through April, 2011.
WHERE: Unless otherwise announced, all concerts are at 71 East Yale Ave., Denver, CO 80210 at 8 p.m.
INFO & BOX OFFICE: www.swallowhillmusic.org, (303) 777-1003 x2
PHOTOS: For high-resolution photos, please contact Gwen Burak (gwen@swallowhillmusic.org)
MEDIA CONTACT: Gwen Burak, (303) 643-5816 , gwen@swallowhillmusic.org

DENVER — Swallow Hill Music announces new concerts extending well into 2011 highlighted by long-time favorites Dakota Blonde and Janis Ian, new collaborations between Väsen performing with Mike Marshall & Darol Anger, as well as newcomers Cadillac Sky.

Dakota Blond and Cadillac Sky tickets are immediately available, and the remaining concerts will go on sale Wednesday, November 10th at 10:00a.m. MST at www.swallowhillmusic.org, in person at 71 E. Yale Ave, Denver, CO, 80210, or by phone at (303) 777-1003. Swallow Hill Music is pleased to offer NO service fees for tickets purchased to concerts. All concerts start at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Parking for concerts at 71 E. Yale Ave. is FREE as a courtesy to our patrons.

Thank you for supporting live music in Denver!



HIGHLIGHTS – NOW ON SALE

Dakota Blonde Valentine’s Day Celebration
Sat, Feb 12
Dakota Blonde offers original songs and covers that are a unique combination of folk, bluegrass, and country with a little Celtic tinge. Comprised of three friends who met by way of their mutual occupation as music therapists, the group possesses a special capacity for empathy that could explain the titanium bond they form with their audience.

Cadillac Sky
Sat, Apr 19
Coming off their sold out 2010 support dates with Mumford & Sons, 2011 marks the metamorphosis of Cadillac Sky from a critically acclaimed bluegrass band to a band without boundaries. Their chosen instrumentation which imitates that of Bill Monroe’s classic bands belies the depth of sound that these five young men create and becomes simply the canvass that they paint from.


HIGHLIGHTS – ON SALE NOV. 10TH

Väsen performing with Mike Marshall & Darol Anger

Sat, Mar 12 – L2 Arts & Culture Center
Two architects of new acoustic music in America, Darol Anger and Mike Marshall, join forces with Sweden’s most influential instrumental ensemble, Väsen. Together, these five musicians create a new landscape of traditional sounds that forges the gap between the fiddle and dance tunes of Appalachia and the nyckelharpa and polskas of Sweden. You will discover just how small our Atlantic Ocean really is!

An Evening with Janis Ian
Fri, Mar 18
At the early age of 14, Janis Ian wrote a song that would charted her life’s course. The Associated Press described  “Society’s Child” as “a white teenager indicting America for its racism and hypocrisy.” At a time when the Supreme Court had yet to repeal laws against interracial marriage, the tune was banned by radio stations across the country labeled as “subversive.” Despite adversity, the song reached #1 status on the charts, and suddenly the teenager found herself in the company of legends like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

John Jorgenson Quintet
Sat, Mar 5
The John Jorgenson Quintet features guitarist John Jorgenson, a founding member of the Desert Rose Band, the Hellecasters, and six-year member of Elton John’s band. John has contributed to recordings from Barbra Streisand, Bonnie Raitt, Earl Scruggs and more. Audiences are typically amazed by John’s dazzling guitar work and mastery as a clarinet player and vocalist.

Bruce Molsky
Sat, Mar 19
Alone or with fellow musicians; guitar, fiddle, or banjo in hand, Bruce Molsky has been exploring traditional music from an astonishingly broad range of cultures over the past two decades. While most identified with traditional American old-time music, Molsky’s influences range from Appalachian soul to Delta blues and from Irish music to the rhythmic sounds of Eastern Europe.

OTHER NEWLY ANNOUNCED CONCERTS ON SALE

Sat Dec 18 Naughty Pierre’s Clockette’s Holiday Show w/ Ukulele Loki’s Gadabout Orchestra
Sat Jan 22 Big Jim Adam & John Stilwagen (on sale 11/10)
Fri Mar 11 Small Potatoes (on sale 11/10)

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Food, fun, and local bands headline the 2nd annual Buy Local Week event on Friday, December 3rd

October 18th, 2010

WHAT: 2nd Annual Buy Local Week Event featuring music by local bands Paper Bird and Bela Karoli, Friday, December 3rd, 7:00pm
WHERE: Swallow Hill Music at 71 East Yale Ave., Denver, CO 80210.
INFO & BOX OFFICE: www.swallowhillmusic.org, (303) 777-1003 x2

DENVER — The Mile High Business Alliance and Swallow Hill Music announce the second annual Buy Local Week Event on Friday, December 3, taking place at Swallow Hill Music. The event is a holiday celebration and fundraiser for the Mile High Business Alliance.

Swallow Hill Music and the Mile High Business Alliance have partnered to present an evening of live music, food, drink and fun for the benefit of Denver’s local economy. Local business owners, community leaders and lovers of all things local will gather to celebrate Buy Local Week (November 26 – December 4) and the holiday season. The event will begin with an invitation-only reception for local notables, and will then provide catered food and drink to ticketed attendees, including a silent auction with amazing deals on local products. The evening will conclude with live performances by Paper Bird and Bela Karoli.

Local band Paper Bird has a unique folk-Americana sound that is as much an homage to 1950′s American Bandstand as it is a testament to the growth of youthful, folk-inspired music in today’s indie-rock scene. Paper Bird is charged by their signature vocal harmonies and knack for capturing a Roaring 20′s flare in a contemporary way that is pleasing to the ears.

Also taking the stage is Denver band Bela Karoli, acclaimed in the local music scene with music that has been described by Ricardo Baca from the Denver Post as “haunting, jazz-inflected electro acoustic tunes that ooze with grace.”

“Swallow Hill Music is thrilled to again be a part of supporting Buy Local Week,” says Gwen Burak, Swallow Hill Music’s Director of Marketing, “Through our concert presentations and school education efforts we are committed to supporting local musicians and creating a vibrant community that local businesses are so much a part of establishing.”

“The holiday season is a great time to think about directing spending towards locally owned businesses,” says Mickki Langston, Executive Director of the Mile High Business Alliance. “This event celebrates the connection between locally owned businesses and the community.”

Dozens of local businesses and organizations are participating in the 4th Annual Buy Local Week campaign with special promotions and neighborhood-oriented events throughout the holiday season. For a detailed schedule of this event, or to read more about “Buy Local Week” please visit www.ColoradoLocalFirst.com/blw

The Mile High Business Alliance is a membership organization committed to building better community through better business.  For more information, visit www.milehighbiz.org

Swallow Hill Music is a unique arts and cultural institution that promotes the joy of learning and listening to the many genres of roots music.  For more information on classes and concerts, please go to www.swallowhillmusic.org.

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Swallow Hill Music adds new faces & old favorites to warm up the winter concert schedule

October 18th, 2010

Tickets on sale now for: Kathy Mattea, the Wailin’ Jennys, Reed Foehl Trio & SHEL, Travelin’ McCourys, Tom Rush & more!

WHAT: Tickets on-sale Thursday October 14 for added concerts in December, and January and February, 2011.
WHERE: Unless otherwise announced, all concerts are at 71 East Yale Ave., Denver, CO 80210 at 8 p.m.
INFO & BOX OFFICE: www.swallowhillmusic.org, (303) 777-1003 x2
MEDIA CONTACT: Gwen Burak, (303) 643-5816 , gwen@swallowhillmusic.org

DENVER — Swallow Hill Music announces a big on-sale with concerts extending through February that include artists that have been pleasing their fans for years such as Kathy Mattea and Tom Rush, and those that are just getting started, including The Wailin’ Jennys and Reed Foehl Trio & SHEL.

The following concerts will go on sale Thursday, October 14th at 10:00a.m. MST at www.swallowhillmusic.org, in person at 71 E. Yale Ave, Denver, CO, 80210, or by phone at (303) 777-1003. Swallow Hill Music is pleased to offer NO service fees for tickets purchased to concerts. All concerts start at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Parking for concerts at 71 E. Yale Ave. is FREE as a courtesy to our patrons.

Thank you for supporting live music in Denver!

HIGHLIGHTS

Reed Foehl Trio & SHEL
Fri, Dec 17
Boulder singer-songwriter Reed Foehl pulls together a touch of country folk and edgy roots rock with the bold honesty intrinsic to modern songwriting.  “He sings like he feels every note… Each song tells a story, all of which he relates astonishingly well.” – The Boston Globe.  The youthful women of SHEL bring their bright vocals, tight harmonies, and whimsy from Fort Collins to the delight of all.

Maura O’Connell
Sat, Jan 22
Maura O’Connell, captivating stylist …introspective chanteuse … musical explorer… songwriter’s singer. Whatever label one attaches to Maura O’Connell, there are precious few singers with the natural ability to delve so deeply into a vast array of musical material, inhabiting each note and every space between each note with such conviction that both performer and listener are left unquestionably moved and unexpectedly exposed.

Wailin’ Jennys
Fri, Feb 11 – L2 Arts & Culture Center
Three extraordinary voices, two founding singer-songwriters, one singular vision: The Wailin’ Jennys continue to evolve into far more than the melodious sum of their individual talents almost eight years after blowing in on a fresh acoustic breeze from Canada’s mid-western heartland.  “a timeless quality…the songs could have been written last week, or at any point in the last two centuries.” – PopMatters

Kathy Mattea
Sat, Feb 19 – L2 Arts & Culture Center
Kathy Mattea, the beloved, Grammy-winning singer of such classics as “18 Wheels and A Dozen Roses,” “Where’ve You Been,” and many other hits says that her new album offered her a “re-education” in singing. That album, COAL, is a re-education for the listener as well, a record that reshapes the way we think about music, reminding us of why we love it so much in the first place.

Travelin’ McCourys
Sun, Feb 20 – L2 Arts & Culture Center
No other band today has the same credentials for playing traditional and progressive music as the Travelin’ McCourys. As the sons of bluegrass legend Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin and Rob McCoury on banjo continue their father’s work—a lifelong dedication to the power of bluegrass music to bring joy into people’s lives.

Tom Rush
Fri, Feb 25 – L2 Arts & Culture Center
Tom Rush’s impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the ’60s and the renaissance of the ’80s and ’90s, his music having left its stamp on generations of artists. In a Rolling Stone interview, folk legend James Taylor quoted, “Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences.” Additionally, Rush has long championed emerging artists, introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor. More recently, concerts with Rush have introduced Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin to wider audiences.

NEW CONCERTS ON SALE 10/14

Thu Dec 2 The Leslie Brown Quartet – 7:30pm
Thu Dec 9 Annie Brooks- 7:30pm
Sun Dec 12 Peace Concert w/ Julie Davis – 7:00pm
Thu Dec 16 Ugly Sweater Party/Christmas Sing-a-long – 7:30pm
Fri Dec 17 Reed Foehl Trio & SHEL
Fri Dec 17 Christy Wessler’s Christmas Sing-a-long – 7:00pm
Sat Dec 18 Christy Wessler’s “Top of the Hill” Sing A Long – 7:00pm
Thu Jan 6 Blackberry Bushes String Band – 7:30pm
Fri Jan 7 Runaway Express
Sat Jan 8 Sons & Brothers
Fri Jan 14 Mack Bailey and Rachel Levy
Sat Jan 15 Wendy Woo and Nina Storey
Sat Jan 15 Bonnie and the Clydes
Fri Jan 21 Matt Flinner Trio & Grant Gordy Quartet
Sat Jan 22 Maura O’Connell
Fri Jan 28 Catie Curtis
Fri Feb 11 Wailin’ Jennys – L2 Arts & Culture Center
Sat Feb 12 Beat the Reaper
Sat Feb 19 Kathy Mattea – L2 Arts & Culture Center
Sat Feb 19 Hillbilly Inferno
Sun Feb 20 Travelin’ McCourys – L2 Arts & Culture Center – 7:00pm
Fri Feb 25 Tom Rush – L2 Arts & Culture Center
Sat Feb 26 Pierre Bensusan – Album Release Tour


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Swallow Hill Music helps celebrate Denver Urban Gardens 25th anniversary with free concert at Ruby Hill Park

September 22nd, 2010

Featuring Justin Roberts, Lucy Kaplansky, Patty Larkin & more; Saturday, September 25, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

WHAT: Free concert w/ Lucy Kaplansky, Patty Larkin, Justin Roberts and Mono Verde at Flourish!, celebrating Denver Urban Gardens 25th anniversary and 100th community garden groundbreaking.
WHERE: Ruby Hill Park | 1505 West Jewell Ave., Denver, 80223
INFO & BOX OFFICE: www.swallowhillmusic.org, (303) 777-1003 x2
MEDIA CONTACT: Please contact Chip Herter: 303.765.2488; chip@swallowhillmusic.org

DENVER — West Denver’s Ruby Hill park will be a bustle of free food and music on Saturday, September 25th, as Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) and Denver Parks & Recreation present Flourish!, a community-wide event to celebrate DUG’s 25th anniversary and 100th community garden at Ruby Hill Park. Swallow Hill Music will host a concert featuring an all-star lineup of musical acts, including national singer/songwriters Patty Larkin and Lucy Kaplansky, national children’s musician Justin Roberts and local Latin reggae band, Mono Verde. Members of the community are encouraged to pack picnics and bring the kids for this free event which begins at 11 a.m. with the historic groundbreaking of DUG’s 100th community garden.

Following the groundbreaking, there will be a local chef competition with live cooking from local restaurants including Root Down, Bistro One, Black Pearl, WaterCourse and more. At 1 p.m. Swallow Hill Music will host the World’s Largest Ukulele Lesson, led by Denver ukulele virtuoso Ukulele Loki. There will be a number of ukuleles on loan from Swallow Hill Music as they invite people of all ages and experience levels to come and participate as they attempt to break the world record for largest ukulele lesson (the previous record being 851 ukulele players, set at the London Ukulele Festival in 2009). Anyone can participate in the lesson, regardless of their experience on the ukulele. If you have your own ukulele you are encouraged to bring it and show it off!

The free concert will begin immediately following the ukulele lesson and the event is scheduled to go until 6 p.m.

As always, thank you for supporting live music in Denver!

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Swallow Hill Music invites public to help break world record for largest ukulele lesson

September 22nd, 2010

WHAT: World’s largest ukulele lesson, presented by Swallow Hill Music
WHERE: Ruby Hill Park | 1505 W. Jewell Ave, Denver, 80223
INFO & BOX OFFICE: www.swallowhillmusic.org, (303) 777-1003 x2
PHOTO: http://swallowhillmusic.org/?attachment_id=2113
MEDIA CONTACT: Chip Herter | 303.765.2488 | chip@swallowhillmusic.org

DENVER — The hills are alive with the sound of…ukulele? Denver’s Swallow Hill Music sure hopes so as they attempt to break the record for the world’s largest ukulele lesson this Saturday, September 25, 1 p.m. at Ruby Hill Park in west Denver. 852 ukuleles (ukes) is the magic number Swallow Hill Music needs to take the title, the previous record being set at the London Ukulele Festival on June 20, 2009. Swallow Hill Music is encouraging people of all ages and experience levels to come participate. No previous ukulele experience required! Thanks in part to private donors and contributions from the Scientific Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), Swallow Hill Music will provide 400 ukuleles to help reach this goal, but encourages anyone who already owns a uke to bring it with them. Denver’s own ukulele virtuoso Ukulele Loki will lead the lesson.
In recent years the ukulele has become a mainstay in pop music culture, with musicians like Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz and Paul McCartney bringing it to the forefront of their songs. Not only is the ukulele simple in design, it is also simple in theory and easy to play, making it an ideal instrument to learn at any age. By captivating a world-record breaking audience on Saturday with the quaintness of this instrument, Swallow Hill Music hopes to garner excitement in people of all ages and show them that it is never too late to pick up an instrument and play.

This event is part of the Denver Urban Gardens 25th anniversary celebration, where on Saturday they will break ground on their 100th garden. Following the ukulele lesson, Swallow Hill Music presents Lucy Kaplansky, Patty Larkin, Justin Roberts and Mono Verde in a concert that is free and open to the public.

For more information on the world’s largest ukulele lesson, please visit http://swallowhillmusic.org or contact Chip Herter: 303.765.2488, chip@swallowhillmusic.org; for more information on the Denver Urban Gardens 25th Anniversary event please visit http://dug.org.

As always, thank you for supporting live music in Denver!

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Swallow Hill Sounds

Preview songs from many of the artists coming soon to Swallow Hill Music. Just click, and enjoy!

Azra – Fijolica
Caravan of Thieves – Candy
Claire Lynch Band – Highway
William Fitzsimmons – If You Would Come Back Home

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We teach all types of music classes for kids including guitar, ukulele, piano, violin and fiddle, percussion and more!

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