Watermelon Wednesdays

	Watermelon Wednesdays 2011 At the West Whately Chapel near the intersection of Conway and Williamsburg Roads (Click HERE for directions. All shows begin at 7.30 pm. All tickets are $15)

	Tashina Clarridge, Jefferson Hamer, and Special Guest : When two of the best young artists from the east coast new acoustic music scene come together to play as a duo, the audience knows it's in for a treat! Jefferson Hamer, multi-instrumentalist and clear-voiced folk singer, mixes his repertoire of new and old songs with the fiddling of one of America's greatest young players, Tashina Clarridge, a fiddler since age two and winner of the National Old Time Fiddlers' Contest in Weiser, Idaho. What results is a sparkling musical collaboration that pulls the audience into a world of astonishingly relevant original and traditional folk songs, performed with excitement, creativity, and tremendous all-around musicianship. Adding to the mix will be their special guest. Hint: Celtic harpist and singer.	June 8
	Donna and Molly Hebert-Wilson and Max Cohen: Traditional music from French Canada, New England, the British Isles and beyond, channeled through master fiddler, Donna Hebert, her extradordinary singer-daughter Molly, and the wonderful guitar playing of Max Cohen. There are many musical treasures in the Valley; Donna and Company are among the richest.	Juune 22
	Annalivia : Drawing from the musical traditions of Appalachia, Cape Breton, Scotland, England and Ireland, the members of Annalivia also write their own material, including inventive, quirky fiddle tunes and lushly arranged songs. Annalivia is made up of seasoned musicians who have toured with the likes of Cathie Ryan, John Whelan, The Glengarry Bhoys, Dewey Balfa, and Adrienne Young. The members of Annalivia - Liz Simmons, Flynn Cohen, Emerald Rae, Brendan Carey - Block and Stuart Kenney are equally at home playing a set of traditional Scottish tunes as they are performing a ballad from the Appalachian mountains.	June 29
	Matt Glaser, Matt Munisteri, Joe "Sonnny" Barbato: Swing, jazz and beyond. Matt G's last visit to Watermelon Wednesdays was as the leader of his band, Wayfaring Strangers. He was chair of the Berklee School strings department for over 25 years and is one of the generative forces behind the Boston strings explosion. You can judge a musician by the company they keep. MG has performed at Carnegie Hall with Yo-Yo Ma and Stephane Grappelli, He has also performed with Mark O'Connor, David Grisman, Ralph Stanley, Jay Ungar, Bob Dylan... MM's credits include gigs with Wynton Marsalis, Mark O'Connor, Madeline Peyroux..and TV and movie music too numerous to mention. Sonny is a pioneering voice in jazz accordion. He is one of Boston's finest musicians. He has performed at festivals and concerts with Ravi Coltrane, Eddie Harris, Stanley Turrentine, Larry Coryell, played accordion on over 30 recordings that range in style from country to jazz and recorded with Lori Mckenna, Kenny Barron, Duke Levine, George Schuller, and many more.These are guys at the top of their craft whose music you've heard without perhaps knowing whose it was. Now find out!	July 6
	Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum: Two of my favorites, Grammy nominees (for their album The Oak and the Laurel), Laurie and Tom return to Watermelon Wednesdays to play their infectious blend of traditional, folk, original, and bluegrass. Top-notch fiddle and mandolin (and guitar and mandola) playing along with some of the sweetest vocal harmonies you'll ever have the good fortune to hear. And they're great entertainers!	July 13
	Yellow Barn Ensemble: Yellow Barn training institute and festival of Putney, VT is now the summer destination for many of the best young string, piano, woodwind and percussion players anywhere. The musicians who perform at Yellow Barn each summer include many of today's leading figures in chamber music as well as young professionals whose stars are on the rise. Seth Knopp, Yellow Barn artistic director, is putting together an ensemble that will assuredly rock the chapel with classical music of the highest caliber.	July 20
	Karrin Allyson and Valley Jazz Divas: Grammy nominated jazz singer and pianist, Karrin Allyson has 13 albums to her name. Her latest, Round Midnight, has been receiving universal critical acclaim. She is a musician's musician, truly. The Divas are Jill Connolly, Carol Abbe Smith and Barbara Weene. Their music covers swing, bebop, blues, ballads, Andrews Sisters type harmonies and more. Together these four women will provide an unforgettable evening of song.	July 27
	Session Americana: SA are seasoned veterans of the Boston music scene (and geographic points farther afield): Jim Fitting, Ry Cavanaugh, Dinty Child, Sean Staples, Jon Bistline and Billy Beard. A band reminiscent of The Band but more acoustic, more "down-home," but just as infectious. Note: Last minute cancellation: The Henry Girls will not be able to make the show. Very Sorry!	August 10
	4 Toads in a Basket: The toads are: Dave Chalfant (bass, vocals), Ben Demerath (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Tracy Grammer (fiddle, guitar, vocals) and Jim Henry (mandolin and vocals). These toads sing not croak, and they play pretty darn well to boot (as most of you probably already know!). After their opening gig at the Iron Horse in April, they have quickly become a Valley "supergroup."	August 31
	Aoife O'Donovan and Band: Aoife, Of Crooked Still and Sometimes Why, comes back to the chapel with yet another configuration of talent (the identities of which are as yet unknown, to me anyway), but, given her other ensembles, this will be hot!	September 7
	Maeve Gilchrist and Band: Singer and Celtic harpist (see above hint) returns to the chapel with her band: an alternative string quartet featuring harp and vocals, cello (Danielle Plane), fiddle (Duncan Wickel, of the John Doyle Band) and double bass (Scottish bassist of the year, Aidan O Donnell). Maeve is a rising star in the nu-folk/trad heavens, who shines high above the horizon. A night of delight.	September 14
	The Bee Eaters: The Bee Eaters boasts four of the most accomplished, creative young talents of the new generation, tracing roots back to the musical traditions of Bluegrass, Old-time, Celtic, Jazz and Pop. The quartet combines the strong, striking music of hammered dulcimer virtuoso Simon Chrisman and banjo phenomenon Wes Corbett (Joy Kills Sorrow) with the inimitable sound of brother-sister fiddle duo Tristan (Crooked Still) and Tashina Clarridge (see above). Whether you know it or not, we are in the midst of an American acoustic renaissance, and the Bee Eaters are at its center.	September 21
	Sweetback Sisters: The rollicking country swing of the Sweetback Sisters is as infectious as it is heartbreaking. Their charismatic charm harkens back to the golden era of both the silver screen cowgirl and the ersatz cowboy stars of local UHF TV kiddie shows. That whimsical exterior is wrapped around a core of deeply felt love for traditional country music styles and a palpable joy in playing and singing together. In addition to the "sisters" Zara Bode (lead vocal, guitar) and Emily Miller (lead vocal, fiddle, guitar), they are: Stefan Amidon, Ross "Rolling Thunder" Bellenoit on Telecaster and vocals, guitarist and fiddler Jesse Milnes, and newcomer Bridget Kearney on bass.	September 28

Advanced tickets are available (*and highly recommended*) at Brattleboro Tickets (www.brattleborotix.com). Some tickets will also be available at the door the night of the show. For more information call Paul Newlin at 413-665-3741. Note: the facility is fan-ventilated. Note also: a bridge on Haydenville Rd. is out for the summer. People coming from Whately Center must use Conway Rd.

This series is made possible in part by a grant from the Whately and Masschusetts Cultural Councils