Lloyd Thayer puts the ‘multi’ in multi-instrumentalist, playing a mind boggling assortment of stringed intsruments including but not limited to: Dobro and Weissenborn lap steel guitars, Turkish Oud, Saz and Cumbus, Indian Chaturangui and Mohan Veena, Ragmakamtar, Ukulele and more. A recovering street performer and determined songwriter, his indoor shows combine a mixture of American folk and blues with elements of Indian, Arabic, Turkish, and Southeast Asian musical ideas, often all in the course of the same song.
Artist Category: Roots
Sarah Potenza
After years of touring with her band Sarah & The Tall Boys, Sarah Potenza was chosen over 50,000 candidates to appear on The Voice. Judge Pharrell Williams’ reaction to Potenza’s on-air audition gives you a pretty good idea of the level of talent of this incredible singer. Williams’ immediately exclaimed, “You’re giving this generation something they’ve never seen before”. Potenza left the show as a top 20 finalist then headed to Nashville, where she quickly integrated into the local music scene, becoming a staple at the world renowned Bluebird Café and the globally broadcast Music City Roots program. She continues to earn raves for her big voice, which seamlessly blends roots, rock and soul.
NPR Music exclusively premiered the music video to Potenza’s debut album, ‘Monster’. Programmers have been supporting her gritty sound and unstoppable resolve, resulting in ‘Monster’ moving quickly up the Americana Radio chart. NPR Music calls the album a “blistering, riff-propelled personal anthem,” while No Depression states, “You won’t find any gimmicks on MONSTER, just pure unadulterated rock and roll.” Sarah’s album also received rave reviews from Rollings Stone. In September the magazine named her one of the top 10 artists you need to know, stating “Potenza is to the Blues what Adele is to Pop.”
Blue Light Bandits
Blue Light Bandits (BLB) is an independent groove rock band from Worcester, MA. Their colorful sound is a mixture of pop, rock, and R&B with jazz, blues, and reggae stylings. BLB has 3 lead singers in front, filling each song with rich vocal harmonies.
After receiving the “Best Up & Coming” award at the 2016 Worcester Music Awards, BLB released their first LP in October of 2017. The self-titled LP climbed to #186 on the NACC 200 college radio charts.
Louie Lou Louis
Louie Lou Louis is a Brooklyn-based songster who combines an uplifting musicality with a soothing, yet energizing vibe. Through life experiences and short stories, he celebrates human imperfection and engages audiences with an infectious positivity. With a unique blend of folk, jazz, and global music, he inspires joy and connection in any audience.
Sean Staples
The Resophonics
It’s still as Alan Lomax wrote “folk music in overdrive” but the Resophonics introduce elements frequently lacking in modern bluegrass music – great original songs played with passion, energy and humor that would be as at home in a rock club as on a festival stage. Longtime members Sean Staples, Eric Royer, Tim Kelly and Paul Kochanski combine elements of the traditional string band and the contemporary songwriter to create a unique sound that is rooted in tradition without sounding dated, modern yet with substance. Following over a decade of local shows and international touring that culminated in a Boston Music Award as Outstanding Folk Act, the band went on hiatus in 2010. Tonight they joyfully reunite in the familiar and homey confines of Club Passim for a special show featuring new music as well as songs from their four studio recordings. The Resophonics are back!
Màiri Chaimbeul
Màiri Chaimbeul is a Boston-based harp player and composer from the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Described by Folk Radio UK as “astonishing”, she is known for her versatile sound, which combines deep roots in Gaelic tradition with a distinctive improvising voice and honed classical technique.
Màiri tours regularly throughout the UK, Europe and in North America. Recent highlights include performances at major festivals and events including the Cambridge Folk Festival (UK), Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, Hillside Festival (Canada), WGBH’s St Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn, Glasgow’s Celtic Connections, and Encuentro Internacional Maestros Del Arpa, Bogota.
Màiri can currently be heard regularly in duo with fiddler Jenna Moynihan, progressive-folk group Aerialists, the Brìghde Chaimbeul Trio, and with legendary violinist Darol Anger & The Furies. She is featured in Series 2 of Julie Fowlis and Muireann NicAmhlaoibh’s BBC Alba/TG4 television show, Port.
Màiri was twice-nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, finalist in the BBC Young Traditional & Jazz Musicians of the Year and twice participated in Savannah Music Festival’s prestigious Acoustic Music Seminar. She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, where she attended with full-scholarship, and was awarded the prestigious American Roots Award.
Nicole Rabata
Flutist Nicole Rabata is well known for her diverse musical interests and her virtuosity in the classical, Celtic, and Brazilian choro genres. Holding an International Artist Diploma and Masters Degree in Performance from Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, she is on the faculty at Colby College and the University of Maine at Augusta.
Nicole has performed internationally at festivals and concert halls throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Highlights include appearances at the International Flute Festival of Lund, Sweden and the Magic Flute Festival in Stockholm; The Interharmony International Music Festivals in Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany and Arcidosso, Italy; White Mountain Bach Festival; Acadia School of Traditional Music and Arts; Festival Interceltique du L’Orient in France; Hebridean Celtic Festival in Scotland; International World of Music and Dance Festival in the UK; chamber music performances in Kalimpong, India, and Portland Chamber Music Festival. Nicole was selected to perform and present lectures at the National Flute Conventions in both San Diego and New York City, and was featured on National Public Radio, BBC Glasgow and French national television.
An avid chamber musician, Nicole is a member of the Bayside Trio and Colby Faculty Winds. She has been a coach and adjudicator at Bay Chamber Concerts’ Next Generation Program, and also had the opportunity to coach chamber music for two months at Ghandi Ashram School in Northeast Bengal, India as part of the Colby College JanPlan abroad program. She was a founding member of Harlequine, former Ensemble in Residence at Bowdoin College.
Junko Ogawa
Singer-Songwriter / Vocalist / Pianist / Guitarist
Born and raised in Yokohama, Japan, Junko Ogawa began classical piano training at the early age of four. She recalls by age fifteen, she was enamored by an eclectic mix of musical styles–folk, pop, ballads, rock, fusions of Japanese, British, and American music–while maintaining her original love of classical music.
At the age of nineteen, Junko arrived in the United States to attend college. Her musical endeavors soon followed. Over the years, she has performed in rock and pop bands as a piano/keyboard player. Her exposure to an ever-increasing body of music expanded her interest to include blues, jazz, and R & B.
In recent years, Junko added guitar to her repertoire which inspired her vocal training and her songwriting. A few of her many musical influences are Chopin, Akaitori, Sting, and Sarah Vaughan. Junko writes and performs in both the English and Japanese languages.
Junko is based in the greater Boston area and is currently performing in and around New England.
Ryan Tennis
Listening to Ryan Tennis is like taking a road trip to a new place with an old friend. Songs range from soul-touching acoustic ballads to roots funk and soul to rollicking reggae and afro-caribbean, but under it all is a foundation of groove and warmth that keeps you moving forward. Tennis’ sound has drawn comparisons to Paul Simon, Bill Withers and Ben Harper–surprising likenesses for an all-American college football player turned singer/songwriter. While his disarming lyrics and singable melodies display a rare sensitivity, the intensity of his live performances – solo or backed by the raucous Clubhouse Band – hint at his gridiron past.
Tennis’ charming authenticity and powerful groove have endeared him to fans at home and abroad, and with a dogged DIY mentality the last three years have seen him orchestrate successful tours through Switzerland, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Ireland, Colombia, and Argentina.
