BELLOWS FALLS — California singer/songwriter Mary McCaslin seldom ventures East, but she'll be stopping by the Windham Ballroom at Popolo Restaurant on Wednesday, Dec. 5. Joining her on the bill is guitarist and songwriter Rick Shea, a member of Dave Alvin's touring band The Guilty Men.
McCaslin and Shea will each take a solo turn, then they'll perform classic songs from “The Bramble and the Rose,” a duo recording McCaslin and the late Jim Ringer made in a Vermont barn in the 1970s.
Ringer was McCaslin's partner, a folk singer who started out working California's fields, had been a prizefighter, and had even served a little hard time. The title song was written by Barbara Keith, best known as the voice of Stone Coyotes.
In 2011, Shea approached McCaslin about unearthing the McCaslin/Ringer duets and taking their show on the road.
A deeply evocative singer and a formidable guitarist, Shea delivers a near cinematic sound, embracing everything from Norteño and border rock to the more traditional folk and country music of the California of his roots.
Popolo is at 36 Village Square in Bellows Falls. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., with showtime at 8. Tickets are $18 in advance, or $24 for the “Angel” seats. Tickets are on sale in Bellows Falls at Village Square Books, Popolo (10 percent off dinner for patrons with show tickets), Misty Valley Books in Chester, Turn it Up in Brattleboro, and at brattleborotix.com.
The show is a joint presentation of Flying Under Radar (flyingunderradar.com), Kicking & Screaming, and Vermont Festivals, with help from MMorgana.
For more information, call Vermont Festivals at 802-463-9595.