PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of acoustic/electric indie-instrumental and folk-pop music by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based guitar duo Threefifty, plus Vermont-based singer/songwriters Paul Siegel and Lizzy Mandell at Next Stage on Saturday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m.
Formed at the Yale School of Music, and molded by the multi-faceted music scene of New York City, Threefifty incorporates elements of post-rock, folk, minimalism and Baroque classicism. Guitarists Brett Parnell and Geremy Schulick compose predominantly instrumental songs, which range from the epic to the intricate to the austerely beautiful.
They have toured throughout the United States as well as in the United Kingdom, Austria, and Bosnia; released three albums; and performed at TED Talks, BAM's most recent Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Festival, and NPR's “Soundcheck.”
Threefifty's first recording, released in 2006, is a testament to the duo's pedigree and finesse as classical musicians. Despite being self-titled, it contains more works from Scarlatti, Handel, and Brahms than Parnell and Schulick themselves.
Their second recording Circles features entirely original music, but doesn't stray from the acoustic duo configuration that has always been Threefifty's bread and butter. Their newest album, Collapses, features more expanded textures, with the inclusion of electric guitar, violin, drums, bass, mandolin, electronics, and ambient vocals.
Contemporary folk singer/songwriter Lizzy Mandell's soulful voice and compelling lyrics and melodies take listeners on a ride through the American landscape - from mountain farms to desert towns to ocean shores - and back home again. In 2012, The Times-Argus and Rutland Herald named her “Singer/Songwriter of the Year” and her Made For Flying CD Best Album of the Year.
Paul Siegel was born and raised in the lower Hudson River Valley, where urban and rural influences collide, and has been writing songs since the age of 12. His style uniquely fuses a sublime rhythmic approach with the beauty of precise melodic statement. His voice ranges from a quiet intimacy to an enthusiastic growl, evoking blues, folk, and funk vocals.