Friday Evening January 27th, 2012  Jacob Johnson

Jacob Johnson is a South Carolina native and a folk singer who brings a little more to the stage than just simple folksy type music. There’s poetry in his songs, and not the kind that make you think of hearts and flowers or even the sorrows of life. No his poetry is more about reality and it is tinged, ok maybe its more than tinged, with humor.

His debut offering,Est. 1986, is a combination of quirky ballads to some very Dylan-esque folk tunes, Jacob shows you that music that sounds good doesn’t always have to be serious. This is the man that wrote a very romantic love song to his guitar! If you don’t believe me, listen to Treat Her Right, and after listening to the album, its safe to say Jacob treats his guitar right. He’s got a very distinct way of playing that puts his playing in the spotlight, and if you can tear yourself away from the lyrics a minute you’ll be suitably impressed. He likes to call his style of playing “Neo-acoustic folk/funk” and if I knew what that was, I might agree with him. I’ll just say that his playing is unique.

"Johnson sounds like Norman Rockwell paintings and the open road. He is a virtuoso, expressing a working comprehension of dozens of techniques and styles. He has blended and blurred the lines of genres to craft a sound he calls 'Neo-Acoustic Folk/Funk' .
- The Florence Morning News

"He surrenders to the passion that drives his guitar playing... Very entertaining and inspiring."
- Maine Music Blog
 
"He's all over the place. Influenced by technical masters like Pat Metheny and fellow southerner Kaki King, he has developed an approach that requires tight coordination of both hands as he slaps and taps the neck of his instrument."
 - The Gazette (Rockville, MD)

Friday Evening March 2nd, 2012  Spiro Cardamis and Julie Ziavras

Spiro Cardamis is an extraordinary keyboardist and composer in both traditional Greek and contemporary "New Age" styles.  A virtuosic poet at the piano.  Julie Ziavras is a wonderful singer in folk, Greek, and classical styles.  The two of them together are a musical marvel.

Spiro composes by performing - a process he calls composing on the spot where the listener experiences the music as it is being created. In doing so Spiro brings back ancient times where the performer was the composer and music was recognized for its healing power. A bold performer with no boundaries Spiro always enters the musical adventure with the attitude and trust of a hero that all is well.

A lot of his music has been likened to a near death experience and listeners who have had the experience have recalled its presence and similarity. Spiro, himself, has called that portion of the music Religious Music of the New Millennium.

Saturday Evening, April 21st, 2012.  Amy Black

Genuine storytelling is a time-honored custom, passed down through generations, shared with passion and imbued by honesty. For singer/songwriter Amy Black, storytelling – and true Southern tradition – is in her blood, arriving with an undeniable sense of history, an irrepressible passion for performing, and a whole lot of authentic soul. And with her new album One Time, the Boston-based performer takes her shot, makes a stand and delivers one of the most evocative new Americana discs of the year.

“I believe that we get one chance in life.” Amy says. “Every day, with everything we do and every decision we make, we’ve got to make it count. Part of making it count is facing up to the truth. That’s what the characters in my songs are trying to do – tell the truth.” One Time is ruled by the truth, a disc that shares tales of hard times, strong women, and even stronger faith in the things that matter.

“Amy Black is that refreshing talent you want to be able to see and hear before she leaves the confines of our local music scene for the national one.”
 — John Laurenti, Program Director, WUMB

"...the beautifully imagined sound and soul of her originals make her a newcomer of note."  - The Boston Herald
 
“Her album, “One Time” [is a] a stunning debut.” – The Boston Herald
 
"Black sings in a folk-styled country voice that suggests bits of Patty Loveless, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Judy Collins, edged by the blues of Bonnie Raitt and a hint of Jennifer Nettle’s sass." - No Depression
 
"Lively blues, country and folk rhythms permeate Black's thoroughly enjoyable solo debut." - Maverick Magazine
 
"If you like Alison Krauss or just enjoy roots and Americana music, chances are you will love One Time." - Lowell Sun
 
"A killer set that commands and demands your attention but is prepared to reward it as well. Hot stuff." - Midwest Record
 
"Singer/ songwriter Amy Black seamlessly blends country, folk, rock and soul on her intoxicatingly enjoyable new album 'One Time.'" - Jeffrey Sisk, The Daily News

Saturday Evening May 5th, 2012   The Walking Willows

The WALKING WILLOWS are the new band of acoustic guitarist, vocalist, award winning songwriter and composer Stephen Cohen and double bass player, pianist, vocalist and arranger Rich Hinrichsen. They perform melodic, “emotionally gripping”, creative acoustic music. The two started playing together in 2007, when Rich joined Stephen's legendary ensemble, the Tree People. Rich is not only a talented and creative double bass player but is also a wonderful piano player, arranger, and composer himself. They perform in concerts and festivals throughout the Pacific Northwest.

"As a musician, Stephen Cohen wears many hats--singer, composer, guitarist, percussionist. Hence, the title of his outstanding new album, "Many Hats. Its 12 selections mark Cohen as an accomplished composer and endearing performer stepping out on the national stage. Underlying all tracks is Cohen,s distinctive guitar picking- a whispery, lyrical style that speaks from the heart. He has a gentle, sensuous voice and provides shimmering percussion as well. He is a fresh talent to be reckoned with."   -Fred Crafts, KUGN Morning Show, Eugene, OR

"Mr. Cohen is a musical storyteller who so intimately and convincingly shares his vision that his listeners can,t help being whisked along on the journey... He employs bells, glass, hanging brass, tubes.. whatever the musical tool, Stephen involves himself in its creation and arrangement for both the visual and musical impact... allowing him to perform full range of emotion, to experiment and expand his art."  -Sharon McBride, State of the Arts

"Stephen Cohen mixes acoustic guitar with his own handmade smorgasbord of Eastern percussion instruments welded together like some sort of Dr. Suess contraption (a "fo-fo-famfoogler" perhaps). It's an act all the Whos down in Whoville would dig- ambient, worldly, quirky folk. "Cohen's musician-inventor tag was recognized with an award at this year's Kerrville New Folk Concert. His new disc, real life and fiction, offers a good helping of his eerie take on folk Americana. His voice, a mix of Bill Morrissey's ragged growl and Rickie Lee Jones, scat stuttering, spars with his guitar playing, which dodges fast fretwork for the different shade of inventiveness and edge of John Fahey's quiet, quirky ramblings. Live, his handmade "sculptural percussion" instruments have got to be seen to be believed. "   -Bill Smith, Willamette Week, Portland,OR

"Cohen's guitar playing throughout is original. His vocals, with their unusual phrasing and evocative lyrics, are a pleasure."   -Tony Albino, What's Happening, Eugene, OR

Friday Evening, May 18th, 2012.  Miché Fambro

Miché Fambro is known by many different people for very different things. Some know him as the dynamic band leader of one of Upstate NY's most popular bands a few years back. Others know him as an extraordinary guitarist/vocalist singer-songwriter touring through their small town ("Why are you here??"),  performing with the energy and sound of a full band on his single instrument. And, still others recognize him as a jazz crooner, lending his fluid voice to beloved classics. His grandfather, a Vaudeville "hoofer," knew him as the boy who wouldn't listen, and chose to shape his life around music/entertainment despite the experienced advice of his elders.  And, it has been a challenge. No doubt about it - Grandpa Fambro was right. Nonetheless, the passion has never dimmed and the urge to create has only grown with time. Miché is always fully committed, completely immersed, creatively propelled.

Hailing from upstate NY, singer, guitarist and songwriter Miché Fambro specializes in a more quiet storm -a delicate blend of acoustic chamber folk, Brazilian tropicalismo and metaphysical introspection -you can practically feel the ambient hush hanging over Fambro's elegant picking and the sweet longing and devotion in his singing.  Beautiful, earnest, soulful.  --David Fricke, Rolling Stone

Miché and the Anglos was the Phish of Flower City, the Dave Matthews Band of the Genesee Valley, or any analogy that may actually impress you and could easily be inserted psychically here.  I know about such things because I was a Miché and the Anglos groupie. It's the only band I have ever followed around the country. I wasn't the only one. Miché Fambro looked like actor LeVar Burton, played guitar like Michael Hedges, and sang like some vocal intersection of Al Jareau, John Popper and Corey Glover.  My girlfriend at the time had the hots for him. It was OK. Everybody's girlfriend had the hots for him. Everybody's girlfriend received special dispensation to have the hots for him. Miché and the Anglos disbanded in 1990 and Fambro developed a solo act that involved intricate, percussive acoustic guitar and soaring vocals.  --Steve Penhollow, The Journal Gazette 

ArtMusic Coffeehouse
is hosted by
Don Slepian and Jan Julia.
It is part of Concerts In Your Home.