Date: Saturday July 24th 2010
Time: 7:00 pm
Suggested Donation: $15.00
Reservations: 913-904-1285 or email concerts_AT_bigplain_DOT_com

Paddy O’Brien

Paddy O’Brien from Co. Offaly is not just one of the most famous Irish accordionists in the world but also a man who had developed so many abilities that one can hardly put into practice in a lifetime. He is also a recognized musician, collector, composer and even a poet.

Above all, Paddy is a little bit of a philosopher and a very outstanding figure. – Yuri Andreychuk

Pat Egan

Originally from County Tipperary, Pat now resides in Baltimore, Maryland. While growing up in his native County Tipperary, Patrick loved the music so much that he used to take his guitar on the back of a horse and cart to school every week to get lessons from his school teacher, Phil Kelly.

He would also trudge across fields and farmland with his guitar just to get a song from local singer John Norton. Luckily, there were lots of singers and guitarists in his home parish and one of the first musicians he ever heard playing traditional Irish music was his neighbor – uilleann piper Michael Cooney with whom, along with Paddy O’Brien, he would later go on to form the band Chulrua.

Thanks to Michael Allen for recording and to Mason for letting us post the concert. If you’d like to download, the audio is hosted at archive.org.

Mason Brown’s voice, guitar, banjo, and viola da gamba can be heard in the Kansas City area and elsewhere. His forthcoming solo album will be titled When Humans Walked the Earth. His previous album, Am I Born to Die, was a collaboration with Chipper Thompson. He has also worked with Mike Dugger, Turlach Boylan, Kelly Dougherty, Roger Landes, Connie Dover, Nathan Pellerin, Michael Fraser, Mark Dudrow, Ed Caner, Ben Wright, Charlene Adzima, and Jed Marum, and has instructed guitar and banjo at ZoukFest.

He recently (April 2007) performed with Glen Road in Dollywood. Pictures here. When not on the road, Mason performs (almost) every Saturday from 3 to 6 in the afternoon at O’Malley’s Pub (540 Welt St, Weston Missouri).

Date: Sunday Mar 7th 2010
Time: 7:00 pm
Suggested Donation: $15.00
Reservations: 913-904-1285 or email concerts_AT_bigplain_DOT_com

Madrid-born Sarah McQuaid was raised in Chicago, studied philosophy in Strasbourg and spent many years in Ireland before pitching up in Penzance, Cornwall, in 2007. Drawing on the traditions of Ireland, America and the UK, her music is sublime and compelling, characterised by warm, velvety vocals and a distinctive acoustic guitar style.

Sarah McQuaid – In The Pines – Brussels, Feb 2008 from Sarah McQuaid on Vimeo.

Whereas her acclaimed debut album album When Two Lovers Meet was a feast of Irish music, 2008’s I Won’t Go Home ‘Til Morning is an enchanting celebration of old-time Appalachian folk, with Sarah’s arrangements punctuated by her own fine compositions and a cover of Bobbie Gentry’s classic Ode to Billie Joe. Sarah is also the author of a highly-regarded guitar tutor, The Irish DADGAD Guitar Book.

Crow Coyote Buffalo, an album of songs co-written by Sarah with fellow Penzance resident Zoe (author and performer of 1991 hit single Sunshine On A Rainy Day) under the band name Mama, has also been garnering rave reviews since its January 2009 release; one critic described the pair as “Two pagan goddesses channelling the ghost of Jim Morrison”.

Sarah’s third solo album, provisionally titled The Plum Tree And The Rose, focuses both on early music (including Elizabethan material as well as songs in Old French, Old Occitan, Italian, Middle High German and Latin) and on originals inspired by such topics as Bess of Hardwick and the garden created at Kenilworth by Robert Dudley for Elizabeth I. Its release is expected in late 2010 or early 2011.

Sparkling guitar and compelling alto voice … reminiscent of Pentangle’s best efforts … a gentle and magical recording that I will return to time and again. – Tom Druckenmiller, Sing Out!

Likely to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. – Aled Jones, BBC Radio 2

Her singing has shades of Baez minus the operatic warble and Gillian Welch without so much Nashville twang. – Spiral Earth

Beautifully spare … a melancholy but somehow celebratory collection. – The Irish Times

One of those rare things, a very lovely personal album but also an incredibly good introduction to Appalachian folk music. Highly recommended. – Americana UK

Quietly expressive and supremely affecting performances … Not a weak link anywhere in earshot … This is a truly lovely record. – NetRhythms

Truly spine-tingling … A touching album from a genuine artist. – Hot Press

A rare beauty of an album. – FATEA Magazine

Pure magic!! We are running our folkclub for 16 years now but I never experienced such a thrilling interaction between artist and audience who rewarded you with three encores!! You have the ability to create an intimate atmosphere with your stories, songs and guitar playing and make the audience part of the gig. – Piet Snellen, De Fookhook, Sevenum, Netherlands

Singers take note – Sarah is seeking fellow vocalists to join her in singing a six-part round she’s written.

Entitled In Gratitude I Sing, the canon carries an uplifting message and features on Sarah’s third album, which is currently in the mixing stage and should be out in 2011.

Its debut performance was on the date of its composition, at a village hall gig in March 2009, when members of fellowCornwall-based band Dalla bravely agreed to essay the song with just five minutes of rehearsal time before the show.

“Up to that point I’d only heard the different parts together inside my own head, having just written it that morning,” Sarah explains, “so I was terrified that they’d turn out to clash! I also wasn’t a hundred percent sure that the key would be okay for both male and female voices.

“But actually they sounded even better together than I could have imagined, even with only five of the six parts – one man and four women including myself – and the range was fine for everybody, thank goodness.”

Eager to share the song with more audiences, Sarah is calling on any singers who plan to attend her concerts to join her onstage for In Gratitude I Sing. The sheet music is available for download from Sarah’s homepage, www.sarahmcquaid.com, as is a MIDI recording of the melody.

Hi-res photos suitable for print may be downloaded from http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/press.html or http://www.sonicbids.com/SarahMcQuaid2.

Sarah is available for interview and can be contacted on +44 1736 810807 (home), +44 7999 868758 (mobile) or via email at sarah@sarahmcquaid.com.

Singer/songwriter and canvas artist Steve Howard has been performing his original music in bands, trios, duos in New Mexico, Colorado and Texas for some thirty odd years, and, for past three years, as a solo act in and around Taos, New Mexico. Steve’s unique acoustic sound evolved from many musical influences and might best be described as a popular rock influenced Americana with
a backdrop of C&W.

“I’m traveling Kansas now singing and performing my new CD ‘Last Call at Lascaux’……for any Kansans willing to take a chance on a singer they have surely never heard of, they should come on out and give it a listen….life and live music is a gamble!!”

John Steven Howard

“If you have ever wanted to hear a performer whose songs and lyrics come straight from the heart…listen to John Steven Howard”.
Stewart Herd – Taos New Mexico

“Howard’s haunting melodies, along with his soft touch acoustic guitar style, reveal the temperament of a poet. He also throws in some edgier tunes surrounding his wry social commentary”
Stan Herd – Lawrence Kansas

Susan Gibson is a troubadour in every regard. From being the CMA award winning writer of “Wide Open Spaces” that the Dixie Chicks launched to multi-platinum success to releasing her latest album “New Dog, Old Tricks” this past year, Gibson’s contribution to the songwriting world is a deep and important one. Gibson is the whole package, and her performances are empowering. She shows us the real dichotomy of a songwriter: what it means to get some pieces of our self back while still willing to keep giving other pieces away.

Date: Sunday Mar 22nd 2008
Time: 7:00 pm
Suggested Donation: $15.00
Reservations: 913-904-1285 or email concerts_AT_bigplain_DOT_com

Norah Rendell sings and plays Irish flute and whistle “with a degree of style and sensitivity envied by many” says Tim Carroll of FolkWords. In Canada, Norah has performed live on the CBC and at the Mission Folk Festival, the Rogue Folk Club and venues throughout British Columbia and Alberta as a founding member of Canadian roots band Cleia. In 2005, Norah was awarded a grant from the Canada Council for Performing Arts to study traditional flute and singing in Ireland. She kept busy, earning an MA in Irish traditional music from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in between island hopping excursions to such venues as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Sidmouth and Whitby Folk Festivals with the UK/Ireland-based band The Outside Track. Since relocating to Minneapolis, Norah has joined the ultratraditional Doon Ceili Band led by County Offaly’s Paddy O’Brien.

Esteemed Irish music critic Earle Hitchner writes that “the backing of [Brian] Miller on guitar flexes not just muscle but a fully complementary style.” Also an accomplished singer and flute player, Miller began playing Irish music as a high-schooler in Bemidji, Minnesota. He has been a highly visible character in the Twin Cities Irish music scene since 1998, while often sneaking away to his other adopted home of Cork, Ireland. As a member of a number of groups and duos including The Tommie Cunniffe Trio, Gan Bua, The Doon Ceili Band, 5 Mile Chase and Laura and the Lads, Miller has performed throughout the US, Canada and Ireland. In Ireland he has been featured on TG4, RTE television and RTE radio. The Irish Times called his guitar accompaniment on Tommie Cunniffe’s 2007 solo album “superb”.

Date: Sunday Aug 24th 2008
Time: 7:00 pm
Suggested Donation: $15.00
Reservations: 913-904-1285 or email concerts_AT_bigplain_DOT_com

Mason Brown you know already from our house concerts, with his disgracefully excellent guitar playing, funky banjo chops, warm voiced songs and gentle wit. Jed Marum is known as a gifted singer, a unique and talented player and an accomplished songwriter. He is a warm and comfortable performer with a story to tell and gift for the telling.

Jed Marum albums play regularly on Folk/Bluegrass and Celtic radio programs around the world. His music is also distributed widely on all the major MP3 services. Throughout the US each year Jed plays over 150 shows at festival, club and concert venues and his 2007 touring plans include performance dates in Canada and Mexico as well.

Reflected in his song writing and song selection is a keen interest in history and the passing of culture from generation to generation. Jed performs traditional songs and contemporary songs in musical style that is both Celtic and American, with strong Bluegrass roots.

Nicky Rossiter is host of STORIES on Irelands South East Radio says,

“Jed Marum has his genetic roots in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Those genes must come from a long line of bards and storytellers to judge from his recorded output. I have collected a number of albums from this troubadour and he never fails to deliver.”

James P. Gannon former Wall Street Journal editor and author of “Irish Rebels, Confederate Tigers” writing about one of Jed songs said,

“Prayer from Little Round Top is the song one of the great Irish poets might have written had he marched to Gettysburg with Jed’s Irish immigrant from Alabama. The melody seems to well up from some misty glen in Connemara, wrapping the soldiers sad story in a teardrop. It may mark me as a sentimental Irish man to say this, but if you can listen to this haunting song without finding your eyes moistening, then somewhere along life’s way, you’ve lost your soul.”