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A message from Ellen:
Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 9:30pm there was a knock on the door. Faintly registering the knock from the cozy nest of my bed, I left the business of answering the knock to my night owl husband Ed. Semiconscious curiosity did not prevent me from drifting back to sleep. Until Ed came to tell me I needed to get dressed, the police were here to talk to me.
Let me be clear- this is not a good moment. I grumble out of my bed in the dark scrambling to pull on the clothes I shed thirty minutes before when my world felt calm, full of predictable often noted gratitude. “Ellen, we’re sorry to let you know that we are here to notify you that your brother Patrick Mahoney appears to have taken his own life.”
Forged in the fires of too many brothers lost, there is some sort of morose comfort in knowing the immediate next steps. After talking with the authorities in the State of Washington the Peaks Island Police left and I began notifying my siblings and my family.
Since that time the real work of trying to figure out what this means to me, to our family and to the greater consciousness of addiction and the mental health crisis in the United States and in my family remains. The loss of one life touches many. The loss of one life in this way touches so many more. I will not vilify him, his choices of what this means to us all. To do so will sullen his memory and the life time of memories and experiences shared with Patrick. My mind wants to tidy this up in some reasonable perspective… part of my nature for sure. To plow forward and show the world and my family that we endure by taking in the tragedy and using this to reframe the way we experience the world. I will, but not yet. Lessons learned over time tell me with this deep level of feeling and experience exist- slow down. Way down. In the coming days, weeks and months there will be time to gracefully fold this into creating what will come next.
For now friends- I’m taking a break. There is much to do. There is so much beauty in this world. I’ll be seeking it out for a bit while also tending to the business at hand. Settling my brothers Patrick’s affairs and caring for my family- there will always be music and dance. But for a time… others will be doing the organizing and promoting.
I’ll be taking some time with my family to heal… you can be sure that music and dance will be a big part of that process.
As such, I am unable to give the time and attention so deserved to our concert and dance series for the foreseeable future. I will be back but I cannot say when. I will of course let you know when I am ready to beginning rebuilding the labor of love within for and with our community.
All the best,
Ellen
Cancelled: An Evening with Luke Bulla
An Evening with Luke Bulla
Luke Bulla has been singing and playing music most of his life. Touring with and singing in his family band from age four, Luke took up the fiddle at seven.
He won the National Fiddle Contest six times in his respective age categories, with his seventh win in the Grand Champion division at age sixteen, making him the youngest to have earned the title at the time.
Luke has played and recorded with Ricky Skaggs, Lyle Lovett, Brandi Carlile, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Bryan Sutton, Kevin Costner & Modern West, Shawn Colvin, Tony Rice, Chris Thile, and Earl Scruggs, to name a few.
Cancelled: Old Hat String Band
Old Hat String Band
Based out of Southern Maine, Old Hat fuses tight vocal harmonies with a driving acoustic rhythm section. With a sound draws from folk, old time, bluegrass, and country traditions, the band is comprised of Whitney Roy (Guitar, Vocals), Steve Roy (Mandolin, Fiddle, Vocals), and Amanda Kowalski (Bass).
Their debut album was released in 2022 and features 10 original compositions by Steve and Whitney Roy.
Whitney’s lilting vocals provide the backbone of the vocal blend, while her solid rhythm guitar anchors the band’s pulse.
Steve is a veteran of New England’s acoustic music scene, and has performed and toured with many of the acoustic world’s top acts.
Amanda is one of the more sought after bass players in the worlds of bluegrass and old time music, and her rhythmic drive and energy on stage are second to none.
Old Hat has performed on world class stages such as Prescott Park Arts Festival, Ossipee Valley Music Festival, Portsmouth Music Hall, Stone Mountain Arts Center and Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival.
Cancelled: Micah John and Lillian Chase
Micah John and Lillian Chase
Friday, February 28, 2025
7:00 PM 8:30 PM
Micah John is an award-winning fiddler, guitarist, and singer. At only 18, she has spent the last decade immersed in the roots music community of the Northeast and has performed at legendary venues such as Club Passim and The Burren Backroom. Micah placed 1st in the Open Bluegrass Fiddle Contest at the 2019 Lowell Banjo & Fiddle Contest and 2nd in Old-time fiddle at the 2022 Lowell Banjo & Fiddle Contest.
Micah and Lillian were initially connected by their shared mentor, Bruce Molsky, and met at the 2021 Ossipee Valley Music Festival. The two started performing as a duo after competing together in the Twin Fiddle category at the 2022 Lowell Banjo & Fiddle Contest, where they placed 1st. Their duo quickly became well-established in the Boston area after playing a sold-out show at Club Passim in fall of 2022.
Micah and Lillian share a love for old-time fiddle tunes and ballads, and interlace their sets with newer songs and tunes. Their shows are full of tight harmonies, twin-fiddling, and rocking guitar & fiddle duets.
Cancelled: Hildaland with Louise Bichan and Ethan Setiawan
Hildaland with Louise Bichan and Ethan Setiawan
Orkney (Scotland) born fiddler Louise Bichan and Indiana (USA) mandolinist Ethan Setiawan present a collaboration and meeting of their musical worlds in Hildaland. A path steeped in the fiddle traditions of their respective sides of the Atlantic, the journey taken wends through Scottish and American soil, celebrating their foundations while intertwining with contemporary composition. Bichan’s fiddle is a melodic foil to Setiawan’s counterpoint and harmonic depth, and the two weave in and out seamlessly.
Setiawan has won such accolades as the 2014 National Mandolin Championship, the 2017 RockyGrass Mandolin Championship and has shared the stage with the likes of Julian Lage, Darrell Scott, Bryan Sutton, Mike Marshall, Tony Trischka, Darol Anger, Casey Driessen, the Steel Wheels, Don Stiernberg, Matt Flinner, and Jacob Jolliff.
Cancelled: Jefferson Hamer and Steve Roy
Jefferson Hamer is a guitarist, songwriter, traditional musician, and producer. He is best known for his work with The Murphy Beds, a harmony-rich folk duo with Irish musician and songwriter Eamon O’Leary, as well as other collaborations with Anais Mitchell, Sarah Jarosz, Session Americana, and other artists. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Steve Roy is a multi-instrumentalist from Eliot, ME who plays and teaches upright bass, mandolin, fiddle, and ukulele. He is most often found performing with Old Hat Stringband, though he has previously toured and performed with a variety of other acts, including Laurie Lewis, Molly Tuttle, Joe K. Walsh, David Surette and many others.
For the past few years, Steve and Jefferson have been performing together as members of Dead To The Core: an acoustic celebration of the Grateful Dead. They bring their shared knowledge of the Dead’s repertoire as well as their backgrounds in traditional acoustic music to their duo performances.
Isabel Oliart & Sammy Wetstein
Isabel Oliart & Sammy Wetstein
Friday, January 3rd, 2025
7:00pm
Hailing from Boston, award-winning fiddler Isabel Oliart has been playing the violin since she was 3 years old. She began her musical journey with classical music, and then discovered Scottish and Celtic fiddling through Brian O’Donovan’s show, A Christmas Celtic Sojourn, where she was inspired by artists including Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Hass. She started learning fiddle music for the first time in 2009, taking lessons with Anne Hooper, and has since worked with other world-renowned teachers such as Winifred Horan, Hanneke Cassel and Katie McNally. Isabel studied with Lucy Chapman and Nicholas Kitchen at the New England Conservatory and with Bayla Keyes at Boston University, where she recently achieved her Masters of Music. She now pursues a career in both classical music and Celtic fiddling. Primarily a Scottish fiddler, Isabel also has a love for the fiddle music of Ireland, Cape-Breton, as well as Contra dance music.
Sammy Wetstein grew up as an adventurous string player, existing between the worlds of classical, folk and jazz music. His musical journey led him to Berklee College of Music, where he studied global styles of string playing and works to use music as a means to bridge between communities and bring people together. While playing tunes from his roots in the world of New England contra dance, Sammy explores the worlds of Scandinavian, Bluegrass, Old time, Scottish, Irish, and contemporary fiddle tunes and brings them together with improvisational creativity.
Hanneke Cassel and Keith Murphy
Friday December 20th, 2024
New Brackett Church, Peaks Island, Maine
Hanneke Cassel and Keith Murphy
A seasonally inspired music with virtuosic composers and musicians Hanneke Cassel on fiddle and Newfoundland’s Keith Murphy on guitar. Effervescent and engaging music to celebrate the stark and present beautiful of winter with the warmth and joy that will fill you with gladness.
Learn more about Hanneke and Keith and the links below:
To reserve tickets to a show, please use the contact page to send Ellen a message, she will give you all the details!
Suggested donation is $20.00 per guest. Folks over 80 or under 18 are welcomed free of charge. All proceeds from donations go directly to the musicians.
Reverie Road
Thursday, August 22nd, 2024
Reverie Road
with Winifred Horan, John Williams, Katie Grennan and Utsav Lal
Reverie Road is a fresh, eclectic Celtic supergroup, featuring fiddler Winifred Horan and accordionist John Williams (founding Solas members) alongside former Gaelic Storm fiddler Katie Grennan and Jazz and Raga pianist Utsav Lal (Young Steinway Artist). This powerful combination is made up of four of today’s leading traditional and virtuosic folk artists who have captured the hearts of international audiences from studios to stages over the last three decades. Firmly grounded in their collective Irish roots, Reverie Road embraces humor with musical insight and natural abilities. Original textural adventures weave the roots of Irish musical traditions with new departures and curated gems including distilled airs, continental waltzes, and upbeat reels and jigs. The band chemistry of two accomplished classically-trained fiddlers who share a common history as award winning Irish dancers along with two instrumentalists who have sought to redefine traditional accompaniment and rhythm sections amount to a compelling concert experience that will lift audiences’ hearts and have them on their feet.
For more information, go to:
The Murphy Beds: Eamon O'Leary & Jefferson Hamer
Friday, August 9th, 7:00pm
The Murphy Beds
Eamon O'Leary & Jefferson Hamer
5th Maine Museum, Peaks Island
Suggested donation $20, free for folks under 18 and over 80
Eamon O’Leary and Jefferson Hamer (aka The Murphy Beds) present traditional and original folk songs with close harmonies and deft instrumental arrangements on bouzouki, guitar, and mandolin. In 2021 they released their second album, titled “Easy Way Down”, which The Irish Echo called “an incredible collection of songs delivered with grace and ease.” They have toured extensively throughout Europe and North America, with performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., Alaska Folk Festival, Milwaukee Irish Festival, WGBH Boston’s Celtic Sojourn, Doolin Folk Festival (Ireland), and Unamplifire Festival (London).
Eamon and Jefferson began playing together at traditional music sessions in New York City. They shared an interest in collecting, arranging, and performing songs from Irish, American, Scottish, and English traditions. As they began to collaborate — first in larger ensembles, but most enduringly as a duo — they also recognized an affinity for other more contemporary idioms. Whatever the source — songs of the Irish travelers, Arkansas spirituals, or their own compositions — their arrangements feature the same carefully wrought interplay of voices and strings.
For more information go to: