GREAT After Dark Music Series concert - John Doyle at THT!

[Ben Rosenberg]

Hi Folks -

About 10 years ago Hoyt Barringer, the famous (infamous?) potter from Morrisville, by way of Cornwall, Warren, and now Charlotte, tossed a CD onto the front seat of my car, saying "Check it out - I think you might like this".

Talk about hitting the nail on the head.

The CD was "Evening Comes Early", the first solo CD from John Doyle.  Hoyt told me that John was the guitarist for Solas, the Irish/Celtic acoustic fusion group.  Didn't mean that much to me, as I wasn't a big fan of the genre, but I always liked Hoyt's musical recommendations, so I figured I would give it a listen.  The disc didn't left my car's CD player for a year and a half.   Nancy and our kids can attest to the fact that I played John Doyle's debut CD nearly to death, but I never tired of the virtuoso guitar work, the haunting melodies, the age-old storytelling traditions that imbued the recording with depth and presence matched by few other debut albums I had ever encountered.  Two subsequent releases, "In Play" and "Double Play" featured his driving acoustic rhythm guitar as accompaniment to the soaring melodies of Liz Carroll, the virtuoso Irish-American fiddle player.  In between he released "Wayward Son", which featured a variety of traditional tunes from both his native British isles, as well as sublime interpretations of American Piedmont classics such as "Little Sadie", which he adopted from his new home in Asheville, NC.  His most recent release, 2011's "Shadow and Light" was named to just about every reviewer's Best of 2011 list for acoustic music, and consists entirely of original compositions which sound as if they were written centuries ago. The songs  tell the stories of the Irish brigade's casualties in the American Civil War, Johnn's great-grandfather's near death in the shipwreck of the S. S. Arabic off the coast of Ireland when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1916, and a lullaby to his 8 year old daughter, among others.

John's live shows feature his stunning guitar playing, his self-deprecating humor, and of course his treasure trove of songs, from disparate traditions and centuries.  His father and grandfather were both musical storytellers, and he continues the tradition of the traveling musical troubadour in a time where too much music is created on a computer hard drive, and lacks the soul of a human being coaxing melody and history out of a wooden box with strings.

Carol Green, the founder of the After Dark Music Series, scored the tremendous coup of having John come to the Town Hall Theater in Middlebury, Saturday, October 20th.  John is frequent visitor to Vermont, but he has traditionally played venues in Burlington or in the southern part of the state, and we are lucky to have him come to the acoustically excellent THT, right in our hometown.  Tickets are $25 in advance, $28 at the door.  I would advise early purchase, as you will not want to be shut out at the door!  John will be accompanied by the Irish fiddler Oisin McAuley, who performs in the traditional Irish band Danu, and whose style reminds me somewhat of a cross between Liz Carroll and Daryl Anger.  Come on down to the THT for a night of superb live music.

See you there!!!

BR

PS.  For all you guitar players out there, John has agreed to do a guitar workshop on Saturday afternoon before his show.  I attended one of these workshops a couple of years ago when he played a show at Higher Ground in Burlington, and it was amazing.  He breaks down his style to the basics, and while you can only hope to glean enough info during a 90 minute session to capture a smidgen of his style, it is amazing to watch him create the freight train of acoustic rhythm from his guitar right up close.  The workshop costs $30 and is worth twice that.  Pre-registration is required, and enrollment is limited.  Please see the After Dark Music Series website for more info:

http://www.afterdarkmusicseries.com/cal.htm

other info:

http://www.johndoylemusic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/oisinmcauley 

--
Benjamin N. Rosenberg, MD
Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine
Champlain Valley Orthopedics
1436 Exchange St.
Middlebury, VT 05753
802.388.3194
brose...@champlainvalleyortho.com
www.champlainvalleyortho.com

[Ben Rosenberg]

Hi folks -

 

A last reminder about the upcoming John Doyle concert this Saturday night at Town Hall Theater in Middlebury, at 7:30PM.  Tickets available at Main Street Stationary in Middlebury or at the door the night of the show - they are NOT available online or at the THT box office before the show.

 

Also remember that there is a guitar workshop at Saturday afternoon at 2:30, also at THT.  See below for more info.  Hope to see you there!

 

BR