Mishra (UK)
Saturday 23rd September, 8pm
The Carlile Institute, Meltham
Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy a magnificent duo performance by Mishra, our last of the 2023 season
With influences spanning Americana, English folk & Indian music, Mishra weave an enchanting web of sound, with gorgeous vocals and superb musicianship on instruments including clawhammer banjo, acoustic guitar, Indian tabla and low whistle. This will be a duo show featuring founder members Kate Griffin and Ford Collier, the core of Mishra’s “global folk collective”. Mishra have released two warmly reviewed albums to date. They won Cambridge Folk Festival’s Christian Raphael Prize in 2019, as well as the Danny Kyle Open Stage Award at Celtic Connections in 2022. Both Kate and Ford are exceptional musicians and creative talents who have received widespread acclaim both for Mishra and for other projects including The Magpies (Kate) and The Drystones (Ford) – both Ford and Kate were (separately) nominated for BBC Young Folk Awards back in 2018! Kate Griffin is recognised as one of the finest and most innovative clawhammer banjo players in the UK, and a Fellow of international music exchange programme Making Tracks. Over the last couple of years she has been awarded grants from both the EFDSS (English Folk Dance and Song Society) and Arts Council England, to support her collaborative project with Mozambique artist Matchume Zango. Kate’s also a skilful illustrator, designer and photographer. Multi-instrumentalist Ford is renowned for his prowess on multiple instruments, including tabla and calabash, which he took up as part of his obsession with Indian music during his studies at Sheffield University.
Gangstagrass (USA)
with support from Ólta
Friday 28th July, 8pm
Marsden Mechanics, Marsden, Huddersfield
I’m delighted to announce that the hugely exciting and entertaining Gangstagrass are coming to Marsden! This acclaimed American quintet performs a fusion of bluegrass and hip-hop that will have you tapping your feet (or up on your feet dancing). With two emcees, R-Son and Dolio The Sleuth, trading verses, as well as outstanding musicianship from Dan Whitener on banjo, Brian Farrow on fiddle and Rench on guitar (plus great singing and harmony vocals), the band made their Glastonbury debut last year and have built up a loyal following of UK fans. Gangstagrass was first established back in 2006 by Brooklyn producer and singer-songwriter Rench, and they have garnered a reputation among fans on both sides of the Atlantic for their exciting, dynamic and entertaining live show. Gangstagrass have been touring internationally for a number of years, blowing away audiences from SXSW to Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, with a live stage act taking full advantage of the improvisational aspects of both hip-hop and bluegrass. In 2021 Gangstagrass auditioned for a place on the 16th season of America’s Got Talent, and received four yeses from the judges – taking their message of togetherness and their quintessentially American music to a massive TV audience in the USA and beyond, on the way to becoming quarter-finalists. Gangstagrass have released five acclaimed studio albums to date and also received widespread recognition for their song Long Hard Times To Come, which was used as a theme tune for six seasons of the hit TV series Justified, and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2010.
Jordan Tice + Liv Greene (USA)
Saturday 8th July, 8pm
The Carlile Institute, Meltham
Exceptional songs, sensational picking and sublime singing
I’m excited to announce a unique duo performance featuring two stellar solo artists from Nashville, USA. Jordan Tice is a guitarist, singer and songwriter celebrated for his exceptional mastery of acoustic guitar styles in a wide range of genres from bluegrass and folk to blues and jazz. Probably best known as a member of acclaimed folk-bluegrass supergroup Hawktail, Jordan’s amazing musicianship is complemented by a warm singing voice and witty, well-crafted songs. His fifth album, 2020’s Motivational Speakeasy, was produced by Kenneth Pattengale of the Milk Carton Kids and garnered rave reviews. His 2021 EP Yesteryears features five original instrumentals that show off Jordan’s phenomenal skill on the five-string. Jordan is also an in-demand sideman and has worked with celebrated artists including Dave Rawlings, Yola and Steve Martin. Born in Washington DC, Liv Greene is an award-winning young songwriter and performer now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her 2020 debut album Every Bright Penny is packed with dreamy, evocative songs that feature Liv’s gorgeous, distinctive voice front and centre. Liv took up guitar and songwriting at a very young age and discovered Americana, bluegrass and old-time music in her teens. She regularly teaches songwriting workshops in association with the legendary Club Passim venue in Boston, and already has a clutch of songwriting awards to her credit.
Bill and the Belles (USA)
Tuesday 6th June 2023
The Greystones, Sheffield
Hugely entertaining Americana & country roots from Tennessee
Thanks to everyone who came out for a superlative performance by Bill and the Belles
The fun and utterly fabulous Bill and the Belles feature gloriously smooth vocal harmonies and exquisite musicianship on fiddle, banjo and guitar. Massively entertaining but hard to categorise, this band from Johnson City, Tennessee is influenced by classic country, bluegrass and Americana, with a charming “vintage” persona – but they’re also inspired by pop, punk and Motown, especially those classic harmonies which hark back to groups like the Ronettes and The Shangri-Las. Bandleader Kris Truelsen (lead vocals, guitar) also shares his enthusiasm for traditional American music as an award-winning producer and presenter for WBCM Radio Bristol at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Tennessee. The touring trio also includes the extravagantly talented Kalia Yeagle (fiddle, vocals), who also teaches Old Time Music at East Tennessee State University, and newest recruit, the outstanding banjoist and singer Aidan VanSuetendael. As the house band for the historic Radio Bristol programme Farm and Fun Time – now a syndicated TV show produced and hosted by Kris Truelsen – Bill and the Belles regularly perform alongside America’s top country, bluegrass and roots music artists, in an engaging variety style format which has been picked up by US public television network PBS, and now airs in around 20 million homes throughout the southern USA. With two acclaimed albums to their credit, Bill and the Belles have performed at venues and festivals throughout the USA and beyond.
Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves (Canada/USA)
Saturday 20th May
The Carlile Institute, Meltham – concert + workshop
Sensational instrumentals & powerful songs
Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves are two of the most admired musicians on the contemporary acoustic scene. This acclaimed Canada/USA duo draws on influences from folk, old time Americana and bluegrass, creating their own mesmerising sound. Allison and Tatiana’s 2019 debut release garnered glowing reviews, and their second album Hurricane Clarice (2022) continues their adventurous approach to traditional music. The album has already picked up a 2023 Canadian Folk Music Award for Traditional Album of the Year (and the duo also won the CFMA’s Instrumental Group of the Year Award this year!). Renowned Canadian banjoist Allison de Groot has also made a name for herself as a member of Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, in the Goodbye Girls and in a duo with step dancer Nic Gareiss. American fiddle ace Tatiana Hargreaves has performed with musical luminaries including Jake Blount, Laurie Lewis, Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. Allison and Tatiana were a big hit as special guests on the prestigious Transatlantic Sessions live tour back in February, and return to our shores in May for their own headline tour. Allison and Tatiana will also lead an afternoon fiddle & banjo workshop. They are both highly regarded music tutors and have many years experience of teaching at camps and workshops across North America. Tatiana also teaches fiddle at the University of North Carolina. The workshop will explore the dynamics of a duo, working on how to listen, respond, interact, improvise variations, and pick up new tunes on the fly. This is a rare opportunity to learn from two of the best!
All of the Meltham and Marsden events listed here were part of True North Music’s 2023-24 live music series which was supported by funding from Arts Council England (our Bill & the Belles concert in Sheffield was a later addition). Many thanks to ACE for supporting grassroots live music, enabling us to continue to bring world class artists like this to our local community venues. We also want to thank our series sponsor Dark Woods Coffee for their support.