What: Revels FRINGE with Sam Amidon and Maeve Gilchrist
Where: Center for the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Street, Somerville, MA
When: Sunday, June 14, 2015 at 7:00 pm
Tickets (General Admission): $35; $20 for fans 35 and under (quantity limited)
Available at http://www.revels.org

Last spring Revels presented Galician bagpiper Carlos Nunez in the first-ever Revels FRINGE program designed for audiences who’d like to see and hear what’s happening on unpredictable edge of the folk process. Revels FRINGE events introduce audiences to artists who are expanding the boundaries of “traditional” in a variety of emerging styles through programs, concerts and workshops.

We’re pleased to announce our second major FRINGE event, an evening of tradition music – some with a twist – featuring guitarist, singer and banjo player Sam Amidon and Celtic harpist and vocalist Maeve Gilchrist who, along with Stan Strickland and Hanneke Cassel, performed with Carlos last spring in FRINGE’s memorable debut.

The pairing of these two extraordinary musicians has us very excited. Revels artistic director Patrick Swanson says “I can’t wait to hear Sam Amidon and Maeve play and sing together. They are both musical shape-shifters rooted in their own cultural traditions and I am really looking forward to hearing how they will push the boundaries to the limits.” And according to Revels music director George Emlen, “This pairing of Sam and Maeve is exactly what Revels FRINGE is all about: putting talented artists together on stage who have deep traditional roots yet are always looking for ways to reinvent themselves and for kindred spirits to collaborate with.”

With half of the program dedicated to traditional roots and the other half to “The unpredictable edge of the folk process,” this will be another FRINGE concert to remember!

About the Artists

Sam Amidon was born in 1971 and raised in Vermont by folk-musician parents Peter and Mary Alice Amidon. Sam sings and plays fiddle, banjo, and guitar. As a teenager, Amidon rose to acclaim as a fiddler, releasing five albums with his band Popcorn Assembly. A musician who glides through a variety of genres from traditional folk to free jazz, Amidon has been a frequent guest on NPR and tours the globe offering his unique brand of independent musicianship. The Guardian calls him “a multi-instrumentalist, singer and arranger who can switch from a sparse, no-nonsense treatment of traditional material to bursts of unexpected experimentation.” Amidon has released six studio albums including his latest, Lily-O featuring frequent collaborator guitarist Bill Frisell, via Nonesuch Records.
“Maeve Gilchrist is a phenomenal harp player who can make her instrument ring with unparalleled purity” (Dirty Linen). Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland and daughter to an Irish mother and Scottish father Maeve grew up immersed in traditional folk music. From her early teens, Maeve was an in-demand member on the traditional music scene in Scotland where she performed at events such as the opening of the Scottish Parliament, the Celtic Connections Festival and the International Edinburgh Harp Festival. Based in Brooklyn NY, Maeve tours internationally as a soloist and with various collaborators. Maeve also plays with the legendary fiddler Darol Anger’s new All-Star Band, the furies and has a solo project called ‘THE OSTINATO PROJECT’, a constantly evolving exploration of the harp incorporating voice and electronics to various degrees.

Revels FRINGE is made possible, in part from support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Learn more about the artists and watch them perform at http://www.revels.org/shows-events/revels-fringe/cast/

Order Tickets to Revels FRINGE with Sam Amidon and Maeve Gilchrist at http://www.revels.org or call 617-972-8300 ext. 31