Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly will perform at the New Lebanon Library Friday, August 7 at 7 pm. The highly acclaimed husband-wife duo will present a delightful program of traditional American and Celtic folk songs, a capella pieces, old-time gospel songs, dance tunes, and original works. [private]
Elwood and Aubrey blend gorgeous and unusual harmonies and play guitar, Appalachian mountain dulcimer, mandolin, tin whistle, harmonica, banjo, bones, spoons, limberjacks, and other surprises including Appalachian clog dancing, French Canadian footwork, and Tap. Their performance is appealing to all ages, and with humor, audience participation, and a relaxed stage presence, Aubrey and Elwood explain song origins to create a deeper understanding of the music and its history.
On Saturday August 8 at 10:30 am, Aubrey returns to the New Lebanon Library to teach a workshop in Clogging, also known as Flatfooting, Jigdancing, or Buckdancing, a percussive form of dance that precedes Tap. Aubrey, who has the distinction of being the only currently performing clogger in Rhode Island, will teach steps learned from the masters in Appalachia, the Ozarks, and other parts of the US and Canada. Her style of clogging is old and improvisational and, in keeping with the tradition, she helps students develop their own “bag of tricks” as dancers.
Married since 1989, Aubrey and Elwood perform throughout the United States and, on occasion, abroad. Their ten recordings receive international airplay. Highlights include airplay on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” Fiona Ritchie’s “Thistle and Shamrock,” and the nationally syndicated “Midnight Special” out of Chicago. The duo has performed and researched traditional folk music and dance in Appalachia, the Ozarks, New England, and other key places in the United States, as well as Ireland, England and Prince Edward Island. They have performed with or shared festival billing with folk legends Jean Ritchie, Pete Seeger, and Doc Watson. Atwater~Donnelly have won Motif Magazine’s Music Awards in the following categories: “Best Local Folk Act” award in 2006, three awards in 2007: “Best Folk Act” for the Atwater~Donnelly Band, “Album of the Year” for “The Halfway Ground,” and “Best Female Vocalist” for Aubrey Atwater, which Aubrey won again in 2009. Atwater~Donnelly also won “Best Folk Act” for 2010, “Folk Act of the Year” for 2011, “Americana Album of the Year” for “Each Other’s Story” for 2012, and “Best Folk Act” for 2014.
For further information on this event, please call the library at (518) 794-8844. All are welcome and the event is free. The library is located at 550 State Route 20, 1/4 mile north of the yellow blinking light at the intersection of Routes 20/22.[/private]