Celtic

Brad Kolodner: Charm City Junction

julgiamb

2591867 At the Delaware Valley Bluegrass festival on Sept. 4, 2016, Mandorichard sat down with Brad Kolodner, banjo player for the acoustic roots quartet, Charm City Junction. Brad is rooted in the traditions of Appalachian folk music, and embodies the next generation of old-time musicians both respecting the music that’s come before and modernizing the tradition with his artistic style and original compositions. In addition to touring and recording with Charm City Junction, Brad also performs with his father Ken Kolodner, a world-renowned hammered dulcimer player.

According to their website, Charm City Junction “creates a fresh soundscape” that has “taken the acoustic music scene by storm.” Patrick McAvinue, fiddle; Brad Kolodner, clawhammer banjo; Sean McComiskey, button accordion; and Alex Lacquement,upright bass blend their different musical backgrounds together creating a common ground on which to develop their unique sound. Charm City Junction released their debut album in the fall of 2015, and are at work on their next CD.

Mandorichard especially enjoyed talking with Brad about his gig as a weekly radio DJ for WAMU’s Bluegrass Country, a 24/7 Internet bluegrass and folk radio station in Washington D.C. “The Brad Kolodner Show” is a radio program that features contemporary bluegrass, americana and old-time music, as well as interviews with touring bands passing through the D.C. area.

To learn more about Brad and Charm City Junction, check-out our interview!

The Interview

Brad Kolodner hosted by Mandorichard. Recorded Sept. 4, 2016. First aired Oct. 4, 2016.
28:37
54.9 MB

The Music

Artist Song Album Year
Charm City Junction Train on the Island Charm City Junction 2015
 Ken and Brad Kolodner  Bradley’s Tune (excerpt)  Otter Creek  2010
Charm City Junction Joe Banes’ Barn Dance Charm City Junction 2015
Red Tail Ring I’d Rather Be The Devil (excerpt) Fall Away Blues 2016
Charm City Junction I’m Troubled Charm City Junction 2015

Rose Baldino: New Traditions

Abena
Rose Baldino

Rose Baldino

Rose Baldino is on fire: Not only is she an earth-scorching fiddler, but she is the leader of Burning Bridget Cleary, a Celtic band named for “the last witch burned in Ireland.” Rose and her band create traditional music, but their influences are not limited to Irish folk. Burning Bridget Cleary fuses their Celtic tunes with aspects of American traditional music, as well as the inclusion of a djembe, an African drum.  On top of their tight harmonies and fantastic fiddling, Burning Bridget Cleary is also known for their boundless, high-flying energy.

In this episode of The Music Room, you’ll hear Rose share the tragic story of Bridget Cleary, discuss the state of modern folk music, and share some of her music.

The Interview

Rose Baldino of Burning Bridget Cleary
29:44
28.5 MB

The Music

Artist / Song / Album / Year

Burning Bridget Cleary / Rolling Hills, Jester, Phoenix / Everything is Alright / 2008

Burning Bridget Cleary / Pressed for Time, Bonnie Mulligan / Pressed for Time / 2013

Burning Bridget Cleary / Another Day / Single / 2014

Hanneke Cassel: Folk Music Gone Worldwide

Richard Gordon

Imagine having “scribbles” instead of “dots” for your sheet music. For today’s special guest, Hanneke Cassel, that’s

Hanneke Cassel

Hanneke Cassel

the chosen norm…for the 40-60% she chooses to write at all.

Winning 1st place in the Instrumental category of the 2008 USA Songwriting Contest, this worldwide acclaimed fiddle player hails from Oregon, and began touring after graduating from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Beginning with a strong Texan influence, she discovered her true passion in the Scottish genre after winning a national contest and consequent scholarship to study with Alasdair Fraser and Buddy MacMaster, first for five summers at the Isle of Man, and later in California.

Her music is a refreshing blend of the traditional and the contemporary, with percussive uses of the cello and fiddle, and deliberately raspy tones for dramatic effect.

As she views the creative arts as a spiritual outlet, she also teaches on Fiddle Video, has taught and raised money for Many Hopes in Kenya, and has visited a children’s shelter in Beijing. A second visit to the latter in 2011 inspired the eponymous song of her 2013 album Dot the Dragon’s Eyes, a Chinese expression referring to a tale of how a painter’s dragon comes to life after adding that finishing touch.

We also discussed the heterogeneity of jigs and Scottish music, the importance of oral tradition and the influence of radio in defining folk music, fond memories of the late Buddy MacMaster, and her collaboration with a local pianist Dave Wiesler.

Speaking of local, Hanneke Cassel is coming to the NorthEast this April: next Wednesday, April 8th, at One Longfellow Square, Portland, ME; the following Friday, April 10th, the Me and Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA; and Friday, April 24th, the Institute of Musical Traditions, Rockville, MD.  Check out her Facebook for more information on these and other events!

The Interview

Hanneke Cassel
(Recorded live 03/31/15; host: Mandorichard), 44:56, 43.1 MB.

The Music

The following music is heard in this episode of The Music Room:

  • Artist / Song / Album (or note) / Date / Notes
  • Hanneke Cassel / The Cypress, Le Jig a Tit-toine / Silver / 2006
  • Hanneke Cassel / Highlander’s Farewell, MacLaine of Loch Buie, Bedding of the Bride, Return to Milltown, Paddy Taylor’s / My Joy / 2001
  • Hanneke Cassel / Jungle Java / For Reasons Unseen / 2009
  • Hanneke Cassel / Dot the Dragon’s Eyes / Dot the Dragon’s Eyes / 2013

Photo provided by hannekecassel.com