Thu Apr 30: House Concert: Jackson, Cotter, Clarridge & Colliton
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Santa Cruz House Concerts
Apr 16, 2026, 4:57:45 PMApr 16
to santa-cruz-h...@googlegroups.com
The next show in the Downtown Soundz house concert series features a quartet of innovative players:
There’s a certain feeling musicians get when they decide to collectively leap into the unknown,
Thursday, Apr 30 7:30 PM
Jackson, Cotter, Clarridge & Colliton: Celtic roots tunes & songs
Details below.
The concert will be held indoors in downtown Santa Cruz.
Please stay at home if you have cold/flu symptoms, or mask if you're not sure.
Suggested donation: $25/person sliding scale.
To reserve your spot, email <Conc...@InstantHarmony.com>.
Be sure to include the total in your party.
---
Upcoming shows in our series:
Thu, May 7: Kalos: Celtic Roots Trio
Tue, Jul 14: Miss Tess & Thomas Bryan Eaton: Crossover Country
Sat, Jul 18: Sophie Wellington & Evie Ladin: old-time fiddle/banjo duet
Other musical events of interest:
Fri, Apr 17: 7:00pm Cacciatore di Tesori
Italian Mandolin & Concertina quartet
Westside Santa Cruz House Concert
Info/Reservations: email <herrman...@gmail.com>
Sun, May 3: 4:00-7:00pm Mr. Bidu's Circus: Brazilian forró
Shanty Shack Brewing, 138 Fern St, Santa Cruz
Come out and dance!!
_________________________________________________________________________
Jackson, Cotter, Clarridge & Colliton: Celtic roots tunes & songs
Thursday, Apr 30 7:30 PM
a feeling born of the thrill of endless possibilities, the intimacy of creating something unique to
the moment together, the mighty release in embracing chaos, and the resolute peace that takes
hold when you find order within it all…there’s nothing like it to breathe a little fire into a
performance. This collaboration, a pickup band of sorts, features four such thrill seekers - four
artful musicians at the top of their game, eager to make some magic together as they embark on
some of their first performances together following their debut shows in 2024. The band isn’t
completely without a foundation, as Colin Cotter (vox / guitar) and Sumaia Jackson (5-string fiddle)
gig together as a duo, performing Sumaia’s original tunes, Colin’s original songs, and music from
the Celtic & American folk traditions. Joining them are Tristan Clarridge (cello) and Anna Colliton
(bodhrán), two of the finest musicians around whose creative instincts create endless marvelous
possibilities. This band will take you on quite a journey as they shift from blazing fiddle tunes to
beautiful slow songs, sing silky vocal harmony, pull off tightly arranged pieces, and let loose with
improvised solos and spontaneously crafted arrangements, all the while sharing the joy of
organic interplay between musicians openly expressing in the moment.
Sumaia Jackson: fiddle, vocals
With driving groove and a smooth, open sound, fiddler and tunestress Sumaia Jackson is a
With driving groove and a smooth, open sound, fiddler and tunestress Sumaia Jackson is a
quintessential modern West Coast fiddler. Jackson weaves together Old-Time, Bluegrass, Swing,
and Celtic traditions with an easy virtuosity and melodic elegance. Based out of Santa Cruz,
Jackson has toured throughout the US, Canada, Sweden, and the UK with Jayme Stone’s
Folklife and Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards, performing and teaching at music festivals
and music camps along the way. She has also been a member of the Real Vocal String
Quartet based out of Berkeley CA, involved in writing and recording music with artists from
all around the world. Studying with Darol Anger, Matt Glaser, Greg Liszt and Rob Thomas,
Jackson holds a Bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music in the American Roots
Music department.
Tristan Clarridge: cello, vocals
Tristan is a 5-time Grand National fiddle champion and 3-time Grand Master fiddle champion
who began music studies before the age of two. As a cellist, he has toured the world for 2+
decades and recorded critically acclaimed albums with his chambergrass trio The Bee Eaters,
pop-grass group Crooked Still, and Darol Anger's Republic of Strings, as well as with Sean
Watkins (of Nickel Creek), Laurie Lewis, Hanneke Cassel, Jeremy Kittel, Seamus Egan,
Mike Marshall, Abigail Washburn, Natalie MacMaster, and others. At the nudging of Darol
Anger, Tristan found himself amidst a cello revolution, synthesizing traditional folk and fiddle
influences along with rhythmic vocabulary from jazz, rock, and pop music.
Colin Cotter: guitar, vocals
Colin is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, recording artist, and creative-at-large from
the San Francisco Bay Area. The principal musical endeavors in Colin’s life at the moment include
an edgy, electro-acoustic adventure with fiddler / violist Ryan McKasson that the two are calling
Old Growth Graveyard; an intergenerational acoustic groove trio called Joe Craven & Frisky!
with Joe Craven and Sumaia Jackson; and duos with fiddlers Sumaia Jackson and Adrianna
Ciccone. In addition to being a fine fiddler and singer, Colin is an accomplished self-taught
guitarist, having taken to the instrument both for the practical purpose of accompanying himself
singing and out of a deep affinity for sitting in the rhythmic belly of the beast when playing with
fiddlers.
Anna Colliton: bodhrán
Anna's distinctive and imaginative playing has made her one of the leading exponents of the
bodhrán, the traditional Irish frame drum. Anna has appeared with Eileen Ivers, Cherish the
Ladies, Comas and the Paul McKenna Band among others, worked as a sub with the original
company of the Broadway hit “Come From Away,” and completed a three-year residency at
Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. She has performed and taught at dozens of festivals
across the country, including Catskills Irish Arts Week, The Swannanoa Gathering Celtic Week,
Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, The O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat, The St. Louis Tionól, and
the North American Comhaltas Convention.
Santa Cruz House Concerts
Apr 28, 2026, 3:58:37 PMApr 28
to santa-cruz-h...@googlegroups.com
This Sunday, May 3, Mr. Bidu's Circus will perform Brazilian forró at the Shanty Shack from 4-7pm, for listening and dancing. Forró dancing is basically a simple two-step, and the music is compelling and fun! Come on out and enjoy the great beer and food truck!
-----------------------------
Also, there are still seats available for this Thursday's house concert:
Details below.
The concert will be held indoors in downtown Santa Cruz.
Please stay at home if you have cold/flu symptoms, or mask if you're not sure.
Suggested donation: $25/person sliding scale, pay at the door.
To reserve your spot, email <Conc...@InstantHarmony.com>.
Be sure to include the total in your party.
---
Upcoming shows in our series:
Thu, May 7: Kalos: Celtic Roots Trio
Tue, Jul 14: Miss Tess & Thomas Bryan Eaton: Crossover Country
Sat, Jul 18: Sophie Wellington & Evie Ladin: old-time fiddle/banjo duet
Other musical events of interest:
Wed, May 6: 7:30pm Caleb & Reeb
Old-Time and Country Songs
Santa Cruz House Concerts
Apr 30, 2026, 12:28:18 AMApr 30
to santa-cruz-h...@googlegroups.com
Details below.
The concert will be held indoors in downtown Santa Cruz.
Please stay at home if you have cold/flu symptoms, or mask if you're not sure.
Suggested donation: $25/person sliding scale.
To reserve your spot, email <Conc...@InstantHarmony.com>.
Be sure to include the total in your party.
---
Upcoming shows in our series:
Thu, May 14: Yair Dalal & Dror Sinai: Middle Eastern oud & percussion
Tue, Jul 14: Miss Tess & Thomas Bryan Eaton: Crossover Country
Sat, Jul 18: Sophie Wellington & Evie Ladin: old-time fiddle/banjo duet
Other musical events of interest:
Sat, May 2: 7:00-10:00pm The Faux Paws
Woodhouse Brewing, 119 Madrone St, Santa Cruz (no cover)
These guys played a great concert here last year!
Sun, May 3: 4:00-7:00pm Mr. Bidu's Circus: Brazilian forró
Shanty Shack Brewing, 138 Fern St, Santa Cruz (no cover)
Music that makes you smile. Come out and dance!!
Wed, May 6: 7:30pm Caleb & Reeb
Westside Santa Cruz House Concert
Info/Reservations: email <herrman...@gmail.com>
Old-Time and Country Songs
_________________________________________________________________________
Kalos: Celtic Roots Trio
Thursday, May 7 7:30 PM
Kalos is drawn to water. Every performance is like stepping into a river—they never play a
song the same way twice. They make music inspired by the maritime traditions of Scotland,
Ireland, Scandinavia and North America. Their album titles—Harbour and Headland—honor
the meeting point between the land and sea and they sing songs about shorelines, seafarers
and drownings. They revel in the driving danceability of Irish tunes, but also take inspiration
from the pastoral melodies and naturalistic metaphors of Scottish music. But while the music
they write is forged in tradition, it is nonetheless cast and tempered in new and unexpected ways.
The trio spans three generations, three cities and two countries. Ryan McKasson,
The trio spans three generations, three cities and two countries. Ryan McKasson,
Eric McDonald, and Jeremiah McLane met over the years at highland games, contra
dances and fiddle camps across North America. They made their first recording in 2016
and have been touring together since 2019. Kalos prizes the magic of live performance—
breathing, dancing and weaving together like high-wire acrobats. They are as generous
as they are virtuosic. Like nature itself, their music is full of chaos and chance yet always
feels spacious and balanced. Their concerts are more an exposé than a performance—
they are immersive, trance-inducing experiences.
Ryan McKasson: fiddle, viola, vocals
Ryan McKasson has gained a strong reputation as a performer, composer, collaborator
and teacher. In 1994, he began attending Alasdair Fraser's Valley of the Moon Scottish
Fiddling School (VOM), which led him deep into the world of traditional music. In 1996
he became the youngest ever to win the US National Scottish Fiddle Championship and
in 1997 he was awarded a Merit Scholarship for Viola Performance from the University
of Southern California, where he studied with Donald McInnes. Over the years Ryan has
recorded with a number of influential artists; his playing appears on fellow Scottish fiddle
champion Hanneke Cassel's three albums, as well as Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas's
recording Highlander's Farewell (2011). In addition to McKasson & McDonald, other
current projects include MAC, Ensemble Galilei and The Syncopaths.
Jeremiah McLane: accordion, piano, vocals
Jeremiah was raised in a family with deep ties to both its Scottish heritage and its New
Hampshire roots. Traditional New England music and dance were a part of his parents' and
grandparents' generations. After an early formation in classical piano, Jeremiah spent his
teenage years playing blues and jazz, studying with legend Gary Peacock in university.
He then studied Indonesian Gamelan, West African drumming, and the music of minimalist
composers Steve Reich and Philip Glass. It wasn’t until his mid twenties that Jeremiah
began to immerse himself in the world of traditional Celtic and French music, studying
accordion with Jimmy Keene and Frederic Paris. He then spent several decades traveling
in Europe, doing field research that laid the groundwork for a Master’s degree from the
New England Conservatory. In the early 1990s Jeremiah formed two bands: The Clayfoot
Strutters and Nightingale. Both bands had strong traditional New England roots and had a
deep and lasting impact on the traditional dance scene in New England. Jeremiah has
recorded over a dozen CDs with Nightingale, the Clayfoot Strutters, Bob & the Trubadors,
Le Bon Vent, and with Ruthie Dornfeld. His second solo recording, Smile When You’re Ready,
was nominated by NPR in their “favorite picks”, and his fifth release, Hummingbird, with
Ruthie Dornfeld, received the French music magazine “Trad Mag” Bravo award, as did his
CD Goodnight Marc Chagall with Le Bon Vent. He has composed music for theatre and film,
including Sam Shepard’s “A Lie Of The Mind”, and been awarded the Ontario Center For
The Performing Arts “Meet The Composer” Award, and the Vermont Council On The Arts
“Creation Of New Work” grant.
Eric McDonald: guitar, mandolin, vocals
Eric McDonald found his way to traditional music through the rich local music scene in his
hometown Boston. Nearly a decade after studying at Berklee College of Music under world
renowned musicians such as guitarist/mandolinist John McGann and cellist Eugene Friesene,
he is now established as one of the USA's premier accompanists in many styles. Eric cut his
teeth playing for contra dances in New England, and can still often be seen from the dance
floor. Nowadays he is an active session player, regularly recording and traveling with musicians
of many stripes. Touring credits include The Outside Track, Andrea Beaton, Wendy MacIsaac
and Katie McNally. In addition to McKasson & McDonald, he can currently be seen touring with
the lively trio Daymark, Scottish powerhouse Cantrip, and award winning singer/songwriter
Connor Garvey. In addition to guitar accompaniment, Eric's debut solo album Rove features
his unique style and approach to tunes on the mandolin, as well as carefully crafted deliveries
of traditional ballads on voice and guitar.
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