DENVER, COLO. (5/1/08) -- Since 1979, Swallow Hill Music Association has brought the best acoustic, folk and roots music in the Rocky Mountain Region. Summer brings our annual Shady Grove Picnic Picnic Series, presented in memory of Carol Gossard, with a mix of old favorites plus new, up-and-coming artists, all in the serene setting of Four Mile Historic Park. In addition, we have a plethora of concerts at our facility that encompass everything from unplugged funk to Gypsy and Eastern European styles, gender-bending pop to traditional folk and American Goth folk. Tickets are now available online at www.swallowhillmusic.org or by phone at (303) 777-1003.

HIGHLIGHTS

Ben Senterfit & The Lovely and Talented
Friday, June 6 at 8 p.m.
Ben Senterfit is back to put on a show with a little help from his friends. Senterfit has been a member of several successful groups, including the Wayfarers, Chitlin, Zuba and United Dope Front. In 2000 he released a debut solo effort called Soulwave, and his second release is due out this summer. Sharing the bill with Senterfit is The Lovely and Talented, the creation of singer/guitarist JT Nolan. Joined by singer/viola player Robin Hoch, drummer/keyboardist Paul Mullikin, and electric bassist Matt Skellenger, The Lovelies fuse international influences of sambas, boleros, Gypsy swing, and tap dancing to American folk music. The end result has been described as unclassifiable, sophisticated porch music.  

Bill Staines with Nick Annis
Saturday, June 7 at 8 p.m.
For more than 35 years, Bill has traveled back and forth across North America, singing his songs and delighting audiences at festivals, folksong societies, colleges, concerts, clubs, and coffeehouses. He became involved with the Boston-Cambridge folk scene in the early 1960s, and, for a time, emceed the Sunday hootenanny at the renowned Club 47 in Cambridge, quickly becoming a popular performer in the Boston area. A number of his songs have been recorded by other artists including Peter, Paul, & Mary, Makem and Clancy, Nanci Griffith, Mason Williams, The Highwaymen, Glen Yarborough, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Grandpa Jones, and he has recorded 22 albums over the course of his career.

U.S. Pipe: Unplugged
Friday, June 13 at 8 p.m.
U.S. Pipe is Colorado's premier funk band, whose makeup hearkens back to bands like Sly and the Family Stone—a real diverse set of colorful characters whose combined energies make for a live performance unlike any other. In 2007 they were recognized by Westword as one of the top funk bands in their annual Music Showcase, and in both 2007 and 2008 they opened for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. This show will be an acoustic funk hootenanny, of sorts, with special guests from the extended Swallow Hill community to explore funk's roots. The day after the performance, June 14 at noon, there will be a special "Roots of Funk" interactive workshop presented by Sauthoff and Swallow Hill's School Director, Michael Schenkelberg, along with other members of the band.

Ernie Martinez: CD Release Concert
Saturday, June 14 at 8 p.m.
The wait is over as versatile musician and Swallow Hill community member and teacher Ernie Martinez unveils his long-awaited debut solo CD. The CD and this performance feature special guests, among them members of Dakota Blonde, John Chandler & the Wichitones, Reckless Abandon, and Loose Cannon.

Kim Simmonds
Saturday, June 14 at 8 p.m.
Long known as the mastermind behind the legendary British blues rock band Savoy Brown, Kim Simmonds is acknowledged as "one of England's finest bluesmen" by Guitar Player magazine. The British blues movement, of which Simmonds was a major part, exported blues music back to the USA, invigorating the art form as well as bringing attention to many forgotten blues musicians. Inspiring audiences with his mastery of the blues-folk form, Swallow Hill is pleased to present this special Denver appearance.

Girlyman
Friday, June 21 at 8 p.m.
This delicious acoustic, harmony-driven trio delivers spectacular three-part harmonies and a blend of bluegrass/folk/pop that has been refined for going on six years now. Since touring with the Indigo Girls, Girlyman has become a nationally touring act in its own rite, selling out major folk venues across the U.S. With a slew of instruments including acoustic guitar, banjo, baritone guitar, djembe and mandolin, they are touring in support of their latest release, Joyful Sign.

Robert Mirabal
Friday, July 11 at 8 p.m.
Of the Taos Pueblo people, Robert Mirabal is dedicated to keeping with the traditions of his ancestors. He is a flute maker, performer, composer, recording artist, and poet, and his eight albums of traditional music, rock and roll, and spoken word present a contemporary view of American Indian life that is unequaled. His many accolades include Native American Artist of the Year (twice) and Songwriter of the Year (three times), and a 2006 Grammy Award for Sacred Ground as Best Native American Album of the Year.

Dennis Stroughmatt and Creole Stomp
Saturday, July 19 at 8 p.m.
French Creole fiddler and accordionist Dennis Stroughmatt and his band, Creole Stomp, brings the excitement and "joie de vivre" of Louisiana Creole, Cajun, and zydeco music to the stage for the enjoyment of audiences of all ages. Stroughmatt learned from fiddle masters such as Canray Fontenot and Faren Serrette and and accordion under the direction of greats such as Morris and Dexter Ardoin (son and grandson of Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin). He has assembled a band whose unique sound and mix of ancient and modern Mississippi River valley musical tradition positions them as the only band to encompass French Creole and folk music from the entirety of the old Louisiana Territory.

Planina's 20th Anniversary Reunion Concert
Saturday, August 16 at 8 p.m.
Planina performs haunting and beautiful songs from Eastern Europe, including music from Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Georgia, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine, and the Sephardic and Rom (Gypsy) traditions from some of those areas. The group evolved from a series of house concerts in Denver and Boulder in the late 1980s and this performance will reunite some of the former members of the group with the current lineup.

Upcoming Concerts: