The word Kolonien derives from Latin “Colonia”, meaning the cultivator and breaker of new grounds. But in Sweden it’s a term for community gardening, often just outside the cities.
A Koloni is a few square meters of land where urban people can grow some vegetables or flowers and create a sanctuary from city life.
“This Koloni concept sums up what the band means to us very well. A sort of sacred space where we can let things grow, whether it’s music, conversations or ourselves. We’re trying to break new grounds musically and cultivating a new story to grow into.”
Though each member of American/Swedish Night Tree originates from a different musical world, the six members have come together to a create a new sound that is unique to their instrumentation and musical voice, both attracting and bewildering enthusiastic crowds while connecting folk music lovers, cafe radio junkies, jazz enthusiasts, free-improvisers, and beyond.
In September of 2016, six wildly diverse musicians came together unexpectedly within the walls of Boston’s New England Conservatory to form New Acoustic band, Night Tree. The group, all students at NEC, were named the Conservatory’s WildCard Honors Ensemble for 2016-2017. Awards for this title included a sponsorship from NEC, a headlining performance at the historic Jordan Hall, and a year of working with Winifred Horan, fiddler and co-founder of Irish super-band, SOLAS. Night Tree released their debut album on September 1st of this year, produced by Séamus Egan, another founding member of SOLAS. Their album was ranked in the top 15 of every category in the compilation by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists based on 12,417 airplays from 127 different DJs.
These six conservatory-trained musicians have absorbed genres from across the globe. Night Tree is unique, not only for its abnormal instrumentation of two fiddles, cello, accordion, saxophone, percussion, and the occasional viola and mandolin, but for their collective representation and incorporation of traditions from Irish, Classical, Swedish, Jazz, Klezmer, and Afro-Cuban music. Each artist’s personality is given a spot to emerge with fiery improvisation, individual compositions, and a pristine ear. The band thrives on playing in darkness as to allow themselves the opportunity to solely listen with the absence of any possible visual distractions. They react to each other at any given time, in a matter of seconds. They have learned to get inside each other’s musical minds, creating one blossoming and unpredictable wave of sound that is Night Tree.
Grammy-nominated, described as “an absolute master” (No Depression), Molsky transports audiences to another time and place, with his authentic and personal interpretations of rarities from the Southern Appalachian songbook and other musical traditions from around the globe. Best known for his work on the fiddle, Bruce’s banjo, guitar and his distinctive, powerful vocals also resonate with listeners. His combination of technical virtuosity and relaxed conversational wit makes a concert hall feel like an intimate front porch gathering.
Bruce’s take on tradition has landed him in collaborations with some of the world’s most highly respected players from roots to rock. He is a special guest on legend rocker Mark Knopfler’s recent CD, “Tracker.” His 1865 Songs of Hope & Home with Anonymous 4, was on Billboard’s top 10 for weeks. Along with Andy Irvine & Donal Lunny, Bruce is a founding member of the supergroup Mozaik, with three recordings. You can see Bruce on the BBC TV “Transatlantic Sessions” with Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas, and on “David Holt’s State of Music” on PBS. He stays active touring and recording with longtime collaborators Darol Anger, Tony Trischka and Mountain Drifters’ Allison de Groot.
February 2022 will mark the long-anticipated release of Bruce’s solo guitar CD: “Everywhere You Go” which is the coming-together of new interpretations and arrangements of a wide swath of styles.
Bruce holds the title of “Visiting Scholar in the American Roots Music Program” at Berklee College of Music, where he is the go-to guy for the next generation of roots musicians.
Keeping the Tradition of Nepali Folk Music Alive
Hailing from the centuries old Gandharba musical tradition of Nepal, Shyam Nepali has enjoyed an almost 30 year long career bringing the sounds of the Sarangi to audiences around the world. Shyam has filled a very unique and important role in the Sarangi tradition of Nepal, expanding on the work of his Grandfather, Magar Gaine, and his father, Ram Sharan Nepali, legendary Sarangi players who broke new ground on the world of Sarangi playing, with their technical and artistic innovations to the instrument. Shyam’s son, Prince Nepali, is continuing the tradition of innovation and virtuosity in this beautiful tradition.
Shyam’s creative and virtuoso musicianship has allowed the traditional sound of the Sarangi to travel in new directions musically, whether it’s blending the traditional folk music of Nepal with other musical styles or paving an entirely new path with new sounds through creative musicianship and improvisation. His virtuosity and musicianship allows him to fearlessly expand the Sarangi’s expressive capabilities with every note.
Jefferson Hamer is an internationally touring songwriter, guitarist, and traditional musician based in Brooklyn. He performs with the Murphy Beds and Session Americana, and his guitar work and vocals are featured on Sarah Jarosz’s Grammy-nominated Blue Heron Suite. Hamer’s Child Ballads album with Anaïs Mitchell earned a BBC2 Folk Award and was named one of NPR’s top-ten folk releases of the year.
McKain Lakey is a musician whose work investigates themes of oppression and empowerment through the richness of American folk traditions.
An instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter, McKain performs as a solo artist, as part of the duo Woolly Breeches, and with other bands by invitation. She is an educator and facilitator who works with groups of all ages and backgrounds to deepen their understanding of the historical and technical foundations of music and to encourage personal exploration of voice and creative power. She holds a degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
McKain is also an experienced audio engineer who has produced countless live music events, as a front-of-house engineer, monitor engineer, and stage/production manager, in addition to her work as a studio engineer/producer. Recent projects include international tours with acclaimed band MarchFourth of Portland, OR, and mixing work on “The Gods Are Made of Mud”, the latest studio album by Hot Damn Scandal (Bellingham, WA).
Daymark is an international trio performing traditional Irish music infused with infectious energy, raw power, and Northern swagger. Fusing the talents of Will Woodson (flute, uilleann pipes), Dan Foster (fiddle) and Eric McDonald (guitar, vocals) the group presents a classic blend of wind and string as driving flute meets virtuosic fiddle, underpinned by well-considered and expertly delivered guitar.
Each member of the trio had carved their individual musical pathways and style from diligent listening and study, extensive travels, and numerous performances in Ireland, Scotland, England, America, and Canada before meeting at the Northern Roots Festival in Vermont during the winter of 2016. Over a long night of music, they discovered a natural and complementary fit of individual styles, as a well as a mutual interest in the same corners of the Irish tradition. Sharing a love for the music of generations past, in Daymark’s sound one can hear the echoes of Irish-American dance halls from the 1920s and 30s, alongside the lonesome tones of Donegal country fiddlers and the rollicking smoky pubs of Northern England’s immigrant neighborhoods. Taken together, these influences merge into a music that’s very much part of the present; it’s a sound that’s urgent and wild, held together by camaraderie that’s quite audible. This is the foundation of their music. What emerges is intimate enough feel at home down at the local pub, big enough to fill a festival stage or a concert hall.
Muscari is a New England based group that specializes in the music of the Mediterranean regions and the surrounding areas. Since it was formed in 2016, the group has been performing regularly around the New England area. The original members include: Burcu Gulec – voice, Melissa Lund – oud and George Lernis – percussion. In addition to the original members Muscari has been collaborating with different instrumentalists like: Mal Barsamian – clarinet and Panos Aivas – Kanoun. Our group’s goal is to share our love and passion for this music and to bring together the different communities around us through music.
With engaging stage presence and masterfully-crafted music, Boston-based Matt & Shannon Heaton offer well-travelled Irish music from the heart. Steeped in sessions in County Clare and brewed in the acoustic music scenes of Chicago & Boston, their flute/guitar/bouzouki instrumentals and sweet husband-and-wife harmony singing draw deeply from the Irish tradition.
Since their move to Boston in 2001, the Heatons have become an integral part of Boston’s vibrant trad music scene. Shannon co-founded the Boston Celtic Music Fest in 2003.
Shannon was named 2016 Massachusetts Cultural Council Traditional Artist Fellow. The Irish American News dubbed her Female Musician of the Year (2009) and Live Ireland nominated her Female Musician of the Year 2010 and 2011. She’s been compared to Alison Krauss and Altan’s Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh for her combination of vocal grace and instrumental prowess on Irish flute, whistles and accordion. She is also an acclaimed arranger and composer, and has published two instructional Irish music books.
In addition to his acclaimed work as an Irish accompanist on guitar and bouzouki, Matt has also received multiple Massachussetts Cultural Council Grants for his work with kids (he’s got two CDs of original rockabilly-tinged music for children and discerning parents). He fronts surf-rock band Electric Heaters and also holds a master’s degree in classical guitar. For his creative chording and driving grooves, Matt has been called “a combination of Bill Frisell and Arty McGlynn.”
Matt and Shannon are poised, passionate American performers with Irish roots and universal appeal. They are comfortable onstage and have a warm connection with their audiences. They move listeners with their love of traditional music (and each other), and their sense of adventure and fun in exploring new directions and possibilities.
Alash ensemble is a trio of master throat singers from Tuva, a tiny republic in the heart of Central Asia. The ancient art of throat singing developed among the nomadic herdsmen of this region. Alash remains grounded in this tradition while expanding its musical vocabulary with new ideas from the West.
The ensemble is named for the Alash River, which runs through the northwestern region of Tuva. The Alash River has also inspired a couple of Tuvan songs which carry its name.
All members of Alash were trained in traditional Tuvan music since childhood, first learning from their families, and later becoming students of master throat singers. In 1999, as students at Kyzyl Arts College, they formed a group called Changy-Xaya. They practiced in the damp college basement on Kochetovo Street, and soon became the resident traditional ensemble on campus.
The musicians are inspired by the music of their grandparents, great-grandparents, and the great musicians of Tuva and Central Asia. At the same time they are influenced by such western artists as Sun Ra and Jimi Hendrix. Yet the Alash musicians never sacrifice the integrity of their heritage in an effort to make their music more hip for an American audience. Rather they look for contemporary ideas that mesh well with the sound and feel of traditional Tuvan music.
