PUTNEY-Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present a contemporary folk double bill with Rakish (Maura Shawn Scanlin and Conor Hearn) and The Early Risers (Ashley Storrow and Putnam Smith) on Friday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m.
Violinist Scanlin and guitarist Hearn unite to form Rakish. The pair gets their namesake from the traditional Irish tune "Rakish Paddy," an origin that aptly suits the duo and their shared background in traditional Irish and Scottish music.
Yet the word "rakish" also suggests something strikingly unconventional in its appearance, and organizers say Scanlin and Hearn say they knowingly embrace this wealth of connotation in their music, drawing on the music they grew up with and performing it with their own slant in a performance that "toes the line between concert music and session music."
Rakish explores tunes and songs from Irish and American folk traditions in a way that reflects their shared interest in both traditional tunes and chamber music.
The Early Risers duo from Vermont is made up of Storrow and Smith, delivering both "rootsy and lyric-driven" original songs, featuring close vocal harmonies and arrangements on an array of instruments: banjo, guitar, mandolin, piano, and shruti-box. Their debut album, Making Life Sweet, went to No. 1 on the national Folk DJ Charts in 2019.
Next Stage is at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and $10 for access to the livestream. For information, call 802-387-0102. Advance tickets are available at nextstagearts.org. Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.