Between a Ballad and a Blues, a play about the life of Howard Armstrong featuring live music from the African American string band tradition, premiered at the Carousel Theater at the University of Tennessee in March. Upcoming performances and workshops include an engagement at the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, North Carolina, Nov. 19-22; at the National Performance Network in Seattle, Washington, Dec. 10-14; and at the Louie Bluie Festival in LaFollette, Tennessee, on June 13, 2009. Written by Linda Parris-Bailey and directed by Steven Kent, Between a Ballad and a Blues is performed by the Carpetbag Theatre Ensemble, with Bert Tanner starring as Howard Armstrong, Carlton “Starr” Releford as Ted Bogan, and Clinton Harris as Carl Martin. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/betweenaballadandablues.
Bob Bovee and Gail Heil will be performing at the Ginkgo Coffeehouse in St. Paul, MN, on December 4; Rhein River Art Center in New Ulm, MN, on December 6; Blackhawk Folk Society in Mt. Morris, WI, on December 13; Island House Concert in Milwaukee December 14. In the new year they’ll be playing at the Hope Christian Church Concert Series, Shoreview, MN, on January 18 and Oak Center General Store in Lake City, MN, on January 31.v
After a hiatus of several years, the Freighthoppers are once again touring and recording. Fiddler David Bass and banjo player Frank Lee, founding members, are joined by guitarist Thomas Bailey and bassist Isaac Deal in the new lineup. During the 1990s, the Freighthoppers recorded two albums that climbed into the Top 20 of Billboard’s Americana music charts: Where’d You Come From, Where’d You Go? (1996) and Waiting on the Gravy Train (1998). They toured throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, and appeared on A Prairie Home Companion. A new album on Rounder Records is in production.
Michigan-based string band the Rhythm Billies (Bruce Bauman, Jon Cotton, John Hatton, and Bruce Gartner) released a new CD in late February on the Cleff’d Ear label. Info: www.myspace.com/therhythmbillies.
North Carolina’s WBT Briarhoppers, whose current lineup is Dwight Moody, Roy “Whitey” Grant, David Deese, and Tom Warlick, now have a website: www.wbtbriarhoppers.blogspot.com. |
