DENVER — Grammy nominees (Best Cajun/Zydeco) The Pine Leaf Boys prove that the old fashioned dance hall standards are thriving and full of life. They are performing live at Swallow Hill and offering Cajun workshops on fiddle, accordion, songwriting and French songs on Sunday, January 17 at 1:30 p.m. (click for more info). These events are sponsored by the Colorado Friends of Cajun/Zydeco, WESTAF and the National Endowment for the Arts. Read More…

WHAT:
Swallow Hill Music is pleased to announce the rescheduled date for the Wendy Woo and Rob Drabkin performance at Four Mile Historic Park, part of our annual Shady Grove Picnic Series. The July 29 show was cancelled due to inclement weather and it has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. More information about the show and the Series is at http://tinyurl.com/shadygroveconcerts.

WHEN:
Wednesday, September 2 at 6:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Four Mile Historic Park, 715 South Forest Street, Denver, Colo. 80465

CONTACT:
Gwen Burak, Marketing Director, gwen(at)swalllowhillmusic.org
Laura McGaughey, Associate Director of Communications, laura@swallowhillmusic.org
303-765-2488

DENVER, COLO. (7/30/09) – Swallow Hill Music is thrilled to present a special Thursday night engagement with the Russ Barenberg Quartet on September 3 at 8 p.m. Acoustic guitarist Russ Barenberg is known as one of the most melodic instrumentalists in contemporary acoustic music. His compositions are among the finest the genre has to offer.

Barenberg got his start in 1970 with the groundbreaking bluegrass band, Country Cooking, and since then has been a member of a variety of highly influential groups, most notably his collaboration from 1989 to 2001 in a trio with dobro master Jerry Douglas and bassist Edgar Meyer. He has also performed and recorded with many other top acoustic and country music artists, including Randy Travis, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, Tim O’Brien, Sam Bush and Joan Osborne, to name just a few.

His 1979 debut solo album, Cowboy Calypso, showcased his sophisticated playing and immediately established him as one of the premier composers and arrangers in the emerging new acoustic scene. His work reflects an ever-deepening musicality with continuing dedication to vibrant, roots-based melodies and ensemble interplay.

When at Last, his latest release on Compass Records, garnered a 2008 GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance for the song, “Little Monk,” as well as a nomination for the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Instrumental Album of the Year. The album features special guests special guests Dennis Crouch, Ruthie Dornfeld, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Viktor Krauss, Kenny Malone and Jeremiah McLane. The Nashville Scene calls it”…a sweet, satisfying collection that pushes melody, lyricism and groove over gee-whiz licks.”

Denver’s own Sean McGowan, whose first recording, River Coffee, won the Best Independent Release of the Year Award from Acoustic Guitar magazine, will open.

Tickets are now on sale at www.swallowhillmusic.org (now with no processing fees) or by calling (303) 777-1003 x2. Discounts are available for Swallow Hill members. Buy in advance and save! This press release is also available online athttp://www.swallowhillmusic.org/newsroom/newsmain.htm and also as a RSS Feed athttp://www.swallowhillmusic.org/xml/newsroom/rss/SwallowHillNews.xml.

DENVER, COLO. (7/29/09) – Swallow Hill Music is pleased to be host to the Denver CD release party for Boulder Acoustic Society on Saturday, August 29 at 8 p.m., co-presented with Twist & Shout. Their debut release on the Boston-based indie label, Nine Mile Records, Punchline, features a bonus track and pop-up CD artwork that includes a free stereoscopic viewer.

Punchline is wide-eyed and naïve in all the right places. They’re flexing their muscles here, showing off just a bit, telling the world that they’re young and talented and here to stay. It also re-establishes that all four are very solid songwriters. Throughout this new disc and on stage, Boulder Acoustic Society is risky, yet never inaccessible, bringing American roots music into the 21st century with reckless creativity. Prior to the CD release party at Swallow Hill Music on August 29, the band will appear at Twist & Shout on August 25 to perform and sign copies of the album for fans.

Old school but never old, Boulder Acoustic Society mashes up blues, folk, gospel, indie and world music to soothe their musical curiosity. Whether it’s a festival stage, performing arts center, dive bar or a late night campground set, Boulder Acoustic Society deliver musical diversity throughout their set as if it’s normal. Their music is intense and exciting for listeners, with something new and interesting at every turn. The unique lineup of violin, accordion, bass and percussion support sharp vocal hooks and powerful grooves. The energy that Boulder Acoustic Society brings to a stage can tip a festival into overdrive or mesmerize a club audience as they dance into the wee hours. All of this comes from four guys: Scott Aller, Aaron Kiem, Scott McCormick and Kailin Yong, who wear vintage clothes, savor small batch bourbon and rock the ukulele.

Darol Anger says, “Here, for us, is the future of String Band Music on a silver platter. A multi-national, multicultural, symphonic, swingin’ band of young monsters that will bring you to the rocky mountain where they live and show you around the place… and you will like this place.”

Swallow Hill Music and Boulder Acoustic Society have a long history together, as the band has played Swallow Hill venues from their very beginnings. They were one of the showcase acts at Swallow Hill’s Third Annual RootsFest at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House this past March, headlined by Hot Rize, Rickie Lee Jones and Leo Kottke.

Opening the show is The New Familiars, a quartet that combines an amazing passion for harmony and collaborative songwriting with multi-instrumental talent.

DENVER, COLO. (7/28/09) – KBCO & Swallow Hill Music are pleased to present a very special all-star performance in the intimate setting of Swallow Hill’s Daniels Hall on Sunday, November 8 at 7 p.m. when Bill Nershi, Darol Anger, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger & Scott Law all share the stage together.

Since playing together at Pete Seeger’s Birthday Bash at Madison Square Garden in May, Nershi and Rodriguez-Seeger have been looking for additional opportunities to play together. Swallow Hill Music is thrilled to host them, along with Anger and Law, for a troubadour-style show, playing and telling stories in various combinations.

Bill Nershi is a founding member and guitarist for The String Cheese Incident, one of America’s most popular jam bands out of Boulder. Other projects include Honkytonk Homeslice (a trio that he co-founded with his wife, Jilian, and includes Scott Law), and the Emmitt Nershi Band, featuring Leftover Salmon’s Drew Emmitt. A seasoned veteran of flatpicking and a variety of acoustic styles, Nershi adds a unique, colorful perspective to virtually any musical situation he encounters, and his enthusiasm and playful spirit encourage an interactive, participatory experience for musicians and fans alike. He is leading tonight’s attempt by Swallow Hill Music and Film on the Rocks to make the Guinness World Book Record for the World’s Largest Music Lesson at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Exceptional among modern fiddlers for his versatility and depth, Darol Anger has helped drive the evolution of the contemporary string band through his involvement with numerous groundbreaking ensembles such as his Republic Of Strings, the Turtle Island String Quartet, the David Grisman Quintet, Montreux and the Duo. Today Anger can be heard on NPR’s “Car Talk” theme every week, along with Earl Scruggs, David Grisman and Tony Rice. He has recorded and produced scores of important recordings since 1977, is a MacDowell and UCross Fellow, and has received numerous composers’ residencies and grants. He is a featured soloist on dozens of recordings and motion picture soundtracks.

Filtered through time and technology, delay pedals, phase shifters and a touch of ’60s psychedelia, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger‘s music fuses the folk styles of his family heritage with modern day rock-n-roll. Whether he plays solo, duo, or with a band, on the guitar, banjo, mandolin, or harmonica, it’s all distinctively Tao Rodriguez-Seeger. His music is a blend of the times. Perhaps traditional, alt-timey, or American traditional rock would be apt descriptions. He writes tunes and loves to dig up ancient folk songs, adding a verse or slightly rewriting them to reflect a more positive outcome from the old messages of cause and effect, fear and retribution than in the old moralistic tales.

Scott Law has been working with legendary artists for nearly three decades. A multi-instrumentalist, he plays drums and guitar, and his deep interest in American roots music led him to pick up the mandolin, which he doubles on frequently in concert. With any instrument in hand, Law is a bold, imaginative improviser with who plays with exuberance in his tone and a rare rhythmic concision that always makes the music sound bigger. He just released a new solo album, Living Room, and is working on a second release, Love & Repair.