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Cranberry Coffeehouse presents Kinobe

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KINOBE (pronounced chi-no-bay) is a Ugandan singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose work has been described as “some of the most exquisite music coming out of Africa today.” For more than 15 years, he has captivated audiences with his soothing African rhythms, understated vocals and powerful world-roots-dance melodies that emanate from the diversity of the many traditional instruments he customised to develop his unique sound. — www.kinobemusic.com

Kinobe has often shared the stage with other celebrated artists, including Baaba Maal, Angelique Kidjo, Salif Keita, Youssou N’Dour, Oliver Mtukudzi and Hugh Masekela—and he has released 10 albums. His latest, The Voice Within, is quite different from all the others. Rather than offering a mix of traditional songs with intimate rhythms, all of the tracks on The Voice Within are original, and tackle social and global issues dear to his heart–love, diversity, economic development and war—“but in a beautiful way,” he promises.

The release of the CD coincided with Kinobe’s long-awaited 2018 North American tour in which he performed solo, as well as in an electrifying stage production alongside his Dance of Hope ensemble. The young troupe is made up of children he mentored in Ugandan orphanages and refugee camps.

As a creative arts producer, speaker and facilitator, Kinobe has given talks and workshops all over the world and worked extensively with schools and colleges conducting residences and outreach exchange programs, which in most cases lead to commemorative concerts with local students.

Through his Dance of Hope Foundation (www.danceofhope.com), Kinobe has dedicated his life to using his music and voice to bring love and joy to people, and help build a healthier, more peaceful world for children and families everywhere.

The Cranberry Coffeehouse encourages musicians, vocalists, story-tellers, and dancers of all ages and skill levels to share their talents during the Middle Set. Middle set performances are each limited to five minutes. Sign up at the door on the night of the show. Doors open at 7:00 PM. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be available. For priority seating, make your reservations in advance at http://kinobe200321.brownpapertickets.com.

Cranberry Coffeehouse presents Robin Bullock

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Hailed as a “Celtic guitar god” by Baltimore City Paper and “one of the best folk instrumentalists in the business” by Sing Out! Magazine, Robin Bullock is one of the preeminent acoustic music masters of our time. His virtuosity on guitar, cittern and mandolin blends the ancient melodies of the Celtic lands, their vigorous American descendants, and the masterworks of the Baroque and Renaissance eras into one powerful musical vision. The 17th-century harp tunes of legendary Irish bard Turlough O’Carolan, the spirited jigs and reels of rural Ireland, the haunting ballads of the southern Appalachians and the timeless compositions of Bach, Dowland and Francesco da Milano all find a musical common ground in Robin’s music, where lightning-fast fingerwork one moment is perfectly balanced with tender, quiet intimacy the next. A warm, friendly presence onstage, Robin effortlessly creates a magical world for the audience with his multi-instrumental wizardry, taking them on an unforgettable journey into the deep heart’s core and through the music of the spheres. — robinbullock.com

Originally rising to prominence as a founding member of the innovative acoustic world-music trio Helicon (winners of the Association for Independent Music’s prestigious INDIE Award for Best Seasonal Recording), Robin’s solo career has won him a ranking among DigitalDreamDoor.com’s “100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists,” a Player’s Choice Award from Acoustic Guitar Magazine in the Celtic guitar category, three Washington Area Music Association WAMMIE Awards(Traditional Folk Instrumentalist 1997 and 1999; Traditional Folk Recording of the Year 1998), a Governor’s Award from the Maryland State Arts Council and a feature broadcast on National Public Radio’s hugely popular Celtic music program “The Thistle and Shamrock.”

Robin maintains a busy international touring schedule, performing in a number of settings; though his primary focus is solo performance, he can also be heard in Celtic duos with guitarist Steve Baughman and Irish singer Aoife Clancy, as a member of the award-winning world-folk trio Helicon, as part of an Asheville-based John Denver tribute group, and most notably, as sideman with Grammy Award-winning folk icon Tom Paxton. Robin’s many years of touring with Tom have included collaborations with such luminaries as John McCutcheon, Grammy-winning songwriters Jon Vezner and Don Henry, and on their 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015 “Together at Last” tours, Tom’s fellow Grammy winner Janis Ian.

An experienced and articulate instructor, Robin is a regular faculty member at several of the U.S.’s leading acoustic music camps, including Steve Kaufman’s Acoustic Kamps in Tennessee, Common Ground On The Hill in Maryland, the March Mandolin Festival in New Hampshire, and twenty-two consecutive years at the Swannanoa Gathering in North Carolina, where he was honored in 2016 with a Master Music Maker Award for lifetime achievement in musicianship and teaching. (Of the thousand-plus faculty members in the Gathering’s 27-year history, only 23 have received this award to date.)

The Cranberry Coffeehouse encourages musicians, vocalists, story-tellers, and dancers of all ages and skill levels to share their talents during the Middle Set. Middle set performances are each limited to five minutes.

Cranberry Coffeehouse presents John Kirk & Trish Miller

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John Kirk & Trish Miller present fiery fiddle tunes, folksongs and fancy footwork to audiences of all ages. John’s lyric voice, good sense of humor, and versatile instrumental skills have earned him widespread recognition in folk and traditional music circles.  On fiddle, mandolin, and several other instruments, he has performed on stages from Carnegie Hall to mountain campfire gatherings. Trish Miller is known for her clogging, guitar & banjo. Both of them call square dances and have taught folk music & dance programs of over two decades together. — johnandtrish.com

The Cranberry Coffeehouse encourages musicians, vocalists, story-tellers, and dancers of all ages and skill levels to share their talents during the Middle Set. Middle set performances are each limited to five minutes.

Cranberry Coffeehouse presents Duo Meridian

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Duo Meridian is an acoustic pair featuring Robert Siegers on banjo and Cricket Tombs on violin. The duo performs original instrumental compositions as well as early 20th century American, traditional Celtic and Scandinavian tunes.  Duo Meridian blends folk and classical in their approach as they perform atmospheric originals that transport the listener on a journey out of this world. — duomeridian.com

The Cranberry Coffeehouse encourages musicians, vocalists, story-tellers, and dancers of all ages and skill levels to share their talents during the Middle Set. Middle set performances are each limited to five minutes.

Cranberry Coffeehouse presents Shannon Heaton and Keith Murphy

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Boston-based Irish flute player and singer Shannon Heaton has been heralded as one of North America’s finest traditional musicians. A warm and entertaining performer, Heaton excels at making Irish music fresh and accessible to a wide variety of audiences. With her appealing mix of instrumentals and heartfelt ballads, she offers world class music with Irish roots and universal appeal.

For this concert Heaton teams up with Newfoundland native Keith Murphy, whose guitar playing and singing wells from traditions in Ireland, Eastern Canada, Quebec, and his adopted home of Vermont. His rhythmic guitar playing brings new shape to old music. And his intimate style of traditional singing in English and French infuses ballads with a powerful immediacy.

$10-$15 suggested donation. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Local musicians, storytellers, and performers are invited to share their talents during the Middle Set!

Cranberry Coffeehouse presents Jez Lowe

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A double nomination in the 2015 BBC Folk Awards – for Best Singer and Best New Song – was a timely reminder of Jez Lowe’s standing in the UK folk and acoustic music scene. Not only he is one of the busiest live performers in the country, but his songs are among the most widely sung by other performers, whether by long-established acts like Fairport Convention, The Dubliners, and Bob Fox, or by the new breed of stars like The Unthanks, The Young Uns, and The Duhks.

Jez’s own long-established band The Bad Pennies (featuring Kate Bramley, Andy May and David De La Haye) continue to attract a huge following, and his other collaborations with The Pitmen Poets (with Billy Mitchell, Bob Fox and Benny Graham), The Broonzies (alongside fellow-veterans Maggie Holland, Chris Parkinson and Roger Wilson), Men at Words (with James Keelaghan and Archie Fisher) and with fellow-songwriter Steve Tilston, show a willingness to push boundaries and venture boldly into pastures new.

Meanwhile, his involvement in the award-winning BBC series, The Radio Ballads, continues, with his song, “The Wrong Bus”, singled out for inclusion on Radio 4’s Pick of the Year last year, and five more of his contributions included in the BBC Radio broadcast featuring the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in November 2019. Many of these songs also feature on his last solo album, The Ballad Beyond, the success of which prompted a feature in fRoots magazine and glowing reviews the world over.

Jez’s ongoing partnership with fellow-singer/songwriter Steve Tilston reached fruition in 2016, with the release of a duo album, The Janus Game, consisting entirely of new, co-written songs by the duo. They continue to tour together, with a series of UK concerts scheduled for 2020.

Jez’s role as Musical Director for Badapple Theatre is also an ongoing project, and he will be contributing songs and music to their next production, due in Spring 2020.

The publication of Jez’s first novel, The Dillen Doll, with an accompanying CD featuring a “suite” of traditional songs inspired by the story within it, was met with widespread acclaim. This endeavour sees him return to his roots in the folk music of his native North East England, and a second novel, touted as “a continuation” rather than a follow-up, will be published in October 2019, title yet to be announced.

Jez shows no sign of slowing down in 2019, with a solo American tour in September to be followed by a “Farewell” tour by The Pitmen Poets, beginning in mid-October. He’ll then be reunited with The Bad Pennies for their annual Christmas tour in December. Already lined up for 2020 is a tour of Canada with James Keelaghan, followed by summer Canadian festival appearances for the duo, and another US solo trip. Jez also has an enviable list of UK solo dates for next year to boot.

So watch out, no doubt Jez Lowe will be coming to a venue near you before too very long.

Cranberry Coffeehouse: St. Patrick’s Day Concert

The Cranberry Coffeehouse presents a St. Paddy's Day Special Concert on Sat., March 17, 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 183 Riverside Dr., Binghamton. Ceol do Beoir features rollicking reels, jigs, hornpipes, traditional Celtic melodies and expressive airs played on fiddle, dulcimer, concertina, tin whistle, flute, guitar and more played by Curt Osgood, Walter Carlip, Scott Craver, Sarah Gerk and Jim MacWilliams. Suggested donation of $10. The middle set features performances by you (5 minute limit) and as always, goodies and coffee will be available. Handicapped parking in front of the church. 

Jamcrackers at Cranberry Coffeehouse

On Saturday, February 17, the Cranberry Coffeehouse features Jamcrackers — seasoned solo performers Dan Berggren, Peggy Lynn and Dan Duggan, who combine talents to create a dynamic trio named in honor of the river drivers who broke up log jams. They worked hard to find solutions, to get things rolling again, and it was a job that couldn't be done alone.

   Dan, Peggy and Dan feel the same way about their music. These good friends and accomplished musicians bring a rare blend of humor, history and musical spirit to their performances. The Jamcrackers' musical performance is genuine and contagious. The trio's diverse blend of folk and blues, ballads, gospel and dance tunes spark a rare chemistry and guarantee a good time.

   The coffeehouse encourages all musicians, vocalists, storytellers and dancers to share their talent in the middle set, with performances limited to 5 minutes.

   The Cranberry Coffeehouse, 7:30-9:30 p.m., is located at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation 183 Riverside Drive, Binghamton, New York (next to Lourdes Hospital). Suggested donation of $10. Handicapped parking at front of the building. Good coffee and goodies available from the Cranberry kitchen.

   For information, call 754-9437 or visit http://www.cranberrycoffeehouse.org or email cranberrycoffeehouse@yahoo.com.

John Kirk, Trish Miller and Joel Rosenberger at Cranberry

As the winter wind begins to blow, find warmth at a concert by John Kirk, Trish Miller and Joel Rosenberger at the Cranberry Coffeehouse, on Saturday, January 20, 7:30-10 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Binghamton, 183 Riverside Dr., Binghamton.
 Highlights of the event include John's fiddlin' and Trish's dynamic clog dancing. Special guest Joel Rosenberger adds colorful, musical breaks on accordion, tenor banjo and Irish harp.
Their repertoire ranges from traditional folk songs and fiddle tunes to original, historical, sentimental and funny pieces. Some tunes are toe-tappin' barn-burners! In the last year, John  released several new recordings, so many of the songs and tunes will be new to the Binghamton audience.
As always, goodies and coffee will be available from the Cranberry kitchen.
The middle set is for you — come sing a song, play a tune, dance a dance, tell a story (five minute limit).
For more information, visit cranberrycoffeehouse.org.
Admission is a suggested $8 donation.

Cranberry Coffeehouse Presents Magpie

Join Magpie — singer/songwriters Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner — at the October 21 Cranberry Cofffeehouse during this, our 45th season.

With a career that has spanned more than forty years, Magpie has traveled the globe, bringing its unique sound and breathtaking versatility to audiences everywhere. From traditional songs to vintage blues, swing and country to folk classics to contemporary and stirring original compositions, they cover a lot of musical ground. With their powerful voices and harmonies and their excellent instrumental arrangements on guitars, mandolin, harmonica, dulcimer, and concertina, their sound is much bigger than just two people. Award-winning recording artists, songwriters, musical historians, and social activists,  Leonino and Artzner promise a presentation that is highly entertaining as well as provocative and deeply moving.

The coffeehouse encourages all musicians, vocalists, storytellers and dancers to share their talent in the middle set, with performances limited to 5 minutes.

The Cranberry Coffeehouse is located at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation 183 Riverside Drive, Binghamton, New York (next to Lourdes Hospital). Suggested donation of $10. Handicapped parking at front of the building.

For information, call 754-9437 or visit http://www.cranberrycoffeehouse.org or email cranberrycoffeehouse@yahoo.com.

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