Harbortown Music announces a new addition to its roster!
Rod Abernethy is a world-class guitarist who hails from North Carolina. He is an accomplished instrumentalist, songwriter, video game composer. He is an engaging performer who loves to share his talents with other musicians as well as with audiences all across the country. Harbortown Music can’t wait to work with him! We’re currently looking for some New England gigs in September. You may be hearing from us but don’t be afraid to contact us!
Check out some of his music! You will be astounded! Look at those fingers fly!
Eudaimonia has another intriguing concert coming up in Cambridge on May 12.
As is the case with most Eudaimonia concerts: put on your seatbelt! This “purposeful period band” takes on the masters like Bach and Purcell among others and educates the audience about Baroque influences in modern times–Dave Brubeck, the Beatles, Paul Simon and Procol Harem!
For more information about this show, go to this page.
Latest music promotion work!
I have had the pleasure of working with the amazing Kari Estrin for yet another month of fantastic radio releases including new music by Karan Casey, Aaron Nathans and Michael Ronstadt, Rebecca Folsom, and Tim Grimm. Check out all these artists and give them a “like” and a listen!
News about Grace Morrison’s new CD
Check out this article in the Wareham Weekly!
Eudaimonia–a Purposeful Period Band!
Harbortown Music is thrilled to be working with Eudaimonia: A Purposeful Period Band once again. Their concerts are always eclectic and interesting events and the one on January 28 is no different! It is entitled “The Nightingale’s Endless Song” and will be a crossover cabaret de chambre that brings together the many passions, styles, instruments, and eras found among Eudaimonia’s spirited members. They will celebrate French women in love through music of Pauline Viardot, Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, & Julie Pinel and regale the nightingale’s beautiful persistence through cabaret numbers, medieval ballades, and Sandra Boynton’s hilarious “Chanson Profonde.”
Please visit their website for more information about the show.
News about Grace Morrison!
Grace Morrison had a lovely time at this year’s NERFA (North East Regional Folk Alliance) in Asbury Park. Here she is playing on the stage at the Stone Pony. Photo taken by Neale Eckstein.
Harbortown Music artist, Jim Trick, had a fabulous time playing at the New Moon in Haverhill, MA (his hometown) in support of the amazing Kerri Powers. They collaborated on a very special version of “To Love Somebody.”
Harbortown Artist, Grace Morrison, sang “Ghost of It” at the Thursday Night Music Stage at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. Enjoy! Please subscribe to Harbortown Music on YouTube.
Scotten Jones Productions has taken a breather and is now catching up on all the fantastic videos he took at the Thursday Night Music Stage at Falcon Ridge. Here’s the very first video of the evening. How many of you hear a little John Prine when you hear Peter Lehndorff sing?
How about some photos that captured the scene that happened on the Thursday Night Music Stage at Falcon Ridge! Harbortown Music curated all the music and Scotten Jones Productions made all the magic happen at the soundboard. These photos are courtesy of Craig Harris–photographer, author, DJ.
Falcon Ridge 22: A Good Time was had by ALL
Change is hard. We all know that. With that being said, there are a heck of a lot of good things to say about the new location of the fest on the County Fairgrounds in Goshen, CT. In no particular order:
- Shade and lots of it
- Flush toilets and running water in sinks
- Flat ground to traverse so tumbles and spills are less likely to occur
- streaming feed was a big success
- The Thursday Night Music Stage was a hit and has been invited to come back next year!
- One other special treat to all fest goers: spectacular sunsets
Take a look!
And other good things: Community and Music! More on that later!
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Join us at Falcon Ridge on July 28!
We are beyond excited to announce that Harbortown Music is teaming up with the incredible Scotten Jones Productions on sound and lights to present the Thursday Night Music Stage at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival at the Goshen, CT Fairgrounds on July 28. We have been handed the musical baton from Tribal Mischief (Ethan Baird and Jake Bush) who ran the stage for 10 years. It’s the little stage that grew and grew in size and popularity and we couldn’t be more proud to continue to serve the Falcon Ridge Folk community by presenting an evening of great music. Our mission is to share some fan favorites as well as some brand new-to-you artists who we feel deserve an appreciative audience.
Our lineup has taken some time to to configure but we’re ready to start sharing who we’ve got on our stage. In alphabetical order: Dan Blakeslee, Cloudbelly, Meghan Cary with Peter Farrell, Scott Cook, Andrew Dunn, Hank Wonder, Heather Mae, Phil Henry, Peter Lehndorff, Crys Matthews, Grace Morrison, Annie Sumi with Travis Knapp, Erin Ash Sullivan, and Natalia Zukerman.
We are still finalizing the exact location at the Fairgrounds but expect this event to be held indoors. It will begin at either 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. and there will be a hard stop to music well before the 10:00 pm. noise ordinance for the town of Goshen. Stay tuned for more information about the Thursday Night Music Stage!
Mark your calendars!
Both Grace Morrison and Quentin Callewaert have shows coming up!
Grace will be joining Kim Moberg and Rod Abernethy at legendary Club Passim in Cambridge, MA on June 30, 2022 at 8:00 pm. Tickets available at passim.org
Quentin Callewaert is performing at the 2022 Parks Fest in Newburyport on July 2, 2022. It’s free!
Legendary Happy Traum treats us to a song
Harbortown Music presented a streaming show with the legendary Happy Traum and Toby Walker in February. Enjoy this snippet that Happy learned from Mary Flower.
Let’s revisit a song by Toby Walker
We had the pleasure of presenting Toby Walker AND Happy Traum earlier this year. Here’s a Freddie King song called “Hideaway” played by Toby Walker.
Want to be a Music Ambassador?
Are you like us? Do you want to sometimes shout from the mountaintops when you are excited about your favorite music? Harbortown Music believes in the power of music and we truly think that music can help to change the world. Let’s be authentic! Let’s be transformative! Let’s support indie music and musicians in any and all ways possible!
Announcing Artist Representation of Quentin Callewaert!
Harbortown Music is delighted to announce that we’ll be representing the uber-talented Quentin Callewaert. Many music fans have asked me “What is happening with Quentin?” They saw him play some amazing songs before he headed off to college in Nashville and before COVID. Quentin is back in New England this summer and we’re lookin to book some shows.
See info about Quentin on our Artist Representation page! Booking inquiries are welcome here.
Rebroadcast of Kate and Korby show!
Due to an unfortunate case of laryngitis, Amy Speace informed us that she didn’t think she could give her all at tonight’s streaming concert with Kate Klim. That did not deter the Harbortown Music team and we jumped into action and asked our dear friend, Korby Lenker, if he could take over for Amy. He graciously agreed and we are sure that you’ll love his performance. We hope you’ll stick around and become a fan if you’re not already! As though the kerfuffle having to do with Amy’s laryngitis wasn’t enough, we also ran into some Facebook issues… So we are keeping the show up this week for those of you who missed it. Donation links are on the home page. ANY amount donation is greatly appreciated and will be split between the artists.
KORBY LENKER
Korby Lenker is a roots-music Renaissance man. A prolific songwriter for more than two decades, he’s spent his entire adulthood in a creative whirl, juggling multiple roles — solo artist, road warrior, published author, actor, screenwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and storyteller — along the way.
Why so many avenues? “I think, at the end of the day, I’m in the ‘meaning business,'” he explains. “I come from a long line of preachers, and while I kinda missed the mark there, it’s just in my blood, you know? Everyone wonders why they’re here and what they’re supposed to do. Art is just the path I’ve chosen to try and figure it out for myself. Whether I’m writing a song or a story, or acting in something, I’m really trying to touch that place where mystery and the mundane meet. It’s incredibly interesting to me, and I just keep trying to get back to that space again and again.”
It’s been a unique path, beginning in Korby’s hometown of Twin Falls, Idaho — where he sang old hymns in church, discovered classic rock and New Wave in his high school, hosted his first band practice in a buddy’s basement — and eventually leading him to East Nashville, his adopted home since 2007. Somewhere in the middle, he launched his solo career as a bluegrass-loving, flat-picking folkie, steadily expanding beyond those roots with each album.
As his sound diversified, so did his resume. One year after releasing 2014’s Korby Lenker — a self-titled album that combined his love of songwriting craftsmen like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt with updated indie-pop sensibilities — he published the short story collection Medium Hero, which earned warm reviews from such manifold sources as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and National Book Award-winning author Tim O’Brien. Two years later, he began writing Morse Code, a scripted TV series loosely based on his own life. Korby continues exploring new territory with 2021’s Man in the Maroon, a record full of wide-ranging Americana that doesn’t observe any traditional boundaries. It’s his eighth studio album, anchored by distinct arrangements and the same visionary spirit that runs throughout all his work.
KATE KLIM
With roots in Illinois and Pennsylvania, Kate discovered her parents’ record collection early. She fell in love with iconic songwriters like Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel and Neil Young, but also with her mother’s stack of Motown 45s and classic 80s artists like Cyndi Lauper and Tina Turner. (She will forever have a soft spot for the Bangles, and her first official “cover song” was performed at seven years old – a very passionate rendition of Don Henley’s “Heart of the Matter” delivered after a falling out with her then 6-year-old sister.) While Kate had been tinkering with melodies since she was a toddler, as she grew up they evolved into full fledged songs and by college she found herself majoring in songwriting at Boston’s acclaimed Berklee College of Music. It was here that Kate worked on her skills as a writer and performer, and became involved with the music community known for producing icons like Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman, Patty Griffin and many more. Within a few years of her debut as a singer/songwriter, she was opening for artists like Shawn Colvin, Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell and a regular on stages like Club Passim and Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe.
Kate has been recognized by some of the country’s premier songwriting contests. She won the 2010 Kerrville New Folk competition, was selected as an Emerging Artist by the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. She has also been a finalist in the Mountain Stage Newsong Contest (as Kate puts it, “if you need to lost a song contest to someone, you could do worse than Ingrid Michaelson”), the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest and Telluride Troubadour Competition, among others.
Her first release “Up and Down and Up Again” was created with the help of renowned producer Crit Harmon (Martin Sexton, Susan Werner, Lori McKenna), and was dubbed a “gem” by Performing Songwriter Magazine. Crit’s experience with Lori McKenna led him to suggest Nashville, TN as a place for Kate to explore – she ended up moving there permanently in 2009. Her second release, “Kamikaze Love,” was produced by friend and band mate Brian Packer. A good marriage of her folk and pop sensibilities, its songs were featured in several TV shows, including the pinnacle of high-brow, intellectual social commentary: “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” Her third studio album, 100 Million Years, was released in the late summer of 2014 – an album Kate described as having “a little more maturity and a little more quirk.
After a hiatus of several years surrounding the birth of her two sons, Kate returned to the studio in early spring 2020 with new experiences to share and new songs to sing. While the initial recording session wrapped in early March of 2020, the final sessions were postponed as the first wave of Covid shutdowns hit. The album, which chronicled change and growth through the lens of her ending marriage, was completed at home while she finalized divorce proceedings with her then-husband under the same roof.
The result is her 2022 release “Something Green.” Despite the album’s roots, she is quick to point out that they aren’t songs about loss. “It’s an album about hope, love, change, and new growth.” Kate looks forward to return to live shows in support of the album, which she views as her strongest release yet. While the subject matter and recording experience were far from what she envisioned, what came of it was something positive and something healing. The lyrics from the title track seem fitting: “Sometimes you burn it down, so the rest don’t go. Sometimes you burn it down… so something new can grow.”
Kathy Sands-Boehmer to speak at Scott Alarik tribute at Club Passim
Kathy is honored to be speaking at the Scott Alarik memorial at Club Passim on Wednesday, March 16. Kathy will be joined by other members of the folk community like In person performers and speakers include Chris Smither, Dar Williams, Vance Gilbert, Catie Curtis, Don White, Aengus Finnan, Sean Staples, Marilyn Rea Beyer, Ken Irwin, Brian Quinn, Kathy Sands-Boehmer, and Matt Smith. Video contributions will be made from Reggie Harris, Sol y Canto, Patty Larkin, Christine Lavin, Garnet Rogers, Brian O’Donovan, and Michelle Conceison.
You may watch this tribute via live stream here.
Live From Nashville with Amy Speace and Kate Klim
Singer Songwriters Amy Speace and Kate Klim will swap songs live from Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m. during the second of an occasional series of online concerts co-presented by Harbortown Music and AcousticMusicScene.com.
The show can be viewed online at Harbortown Music’s Facebook page or YouTube channel. It may also be shared via the AcousticMusicScene.com group on Facebook. Although there is no set fee to view the livestream, tips for the artists would be most appreciated (suggested donation: $20) and may be made via paypalme.com/harbortownmusic or venmo @harbortownmusic Proceeds will be split between the artists.
About the Artists:
One of the most acclaimed voices in contemporary folk music, Amy Speace was discovered in 2006 by Judy Collins and signed to her record label. The Americana Music Association UK named the title track of her album Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne was named International Song of the Year in 2020. Speace’s latest release, 2021’s There Used To Be Horses Here. chronicles the year between the birth of her son and the death of her father. A new album, Tucson, is set for release this year. Collins, Red Molly, and Blues Hall of Famer Sid Selvidge among others, have also recorded her songs. Speace founded the East Nashville Song Salon in 2010 and teaches songwriting and performance at conferences, institutions, and privately. For more information, visit amyspeace.com.
Accompanying herself on piano, Kate Klim, whose songs mix her folk and pop sensibilities, was a winner of the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition in 2010, has been part of the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase, and has been a finalist in the Mountain Stage Newsong Contest, the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest and the Telluride Troubadour Competition, among others. After a hiatus of a few years surrounding the birth of her two sons, she returned to the studio in early spring 2020 to begin recording her fourth album. Released earlier this month, Something Green is an album about hope, love, change, and new growth. For more information and to listen to some of her songs, visit kateklim.com.
Thanks to all who attended the Guitar Heroes show!
Harbortown Music AND both Happy Traum and Toby Walker want you to know how much we appreciated your support. We heard some great stories and heard some terrific tunes. Thanks for keeping indie music alive!
Happy Traum and Toby Walker put on a great show on February 24. YOU can still watch it until Sunday February 27 at 11:59 pm.
Hear some terrific takes on some blues and folk songs and a couple of great stories including ones about the guitars they are playing. Worth the watch for sure.
We would beyond thrilled to see a few more donations roll in for these two fine musicians. Life has been pretty rugged for working musicians for the past couple of years. Consider making a donation, however small. Harbortown Music is determined to provide quality music to help support the musicians we love.
You can watch on Facebook here.
You can watch on YouTube here.
Happy Traum and Toby Walker stream on 2/24
Two exceptional solo guitarists, Happy Traum and Toby Walker, will be participating in a live streaming show called “Guitar Heroes” presented by Harbortown Music on February 24 at 7:30 EST. Happy learned from one of the best blues pickers, Brownie McGhee, and was a mainstay in the Greenwich Village folk scene in the 1960s and 1970s. He gigged with Bob Dylan often and was part of a group called The New World Singers who released the first version of “Blowin’ in the Wind” in 1962. Internationally and nationally acclaimed Toby Walker is an award-winning fingerstyle guitar virtuoso who is a member of the New York Blues Hall of Fame. Traum and Walker have taught and played together and are great friends, so this evening of music promised to be entertaining. The show will be broadcast on YouTube and Facebook.
A first-rate fingerstyle guitarist and singer, Happy has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan, both as a solo artist and as a member of various groups, including a duo with his equally talented brother, Artie. In addition to Happy’s impressive recording and touring history from the 1960s to the present, he is well known for his contribution to music education through Homespun Music Instruction. Happy and his wife, Jane, created a DIY music instruction program that has grown to include specific lessons taught by Happy and many roots musicians such as Richie Havens, Tony Rice, Dr. John, and Keb Mo. There are legions of musicians who have benefited from these informative lessons and have enabled them to gain confidence and further their knowledge of their instruments. Happy calls Woodstock, New York home and has a rich history with musicians from that area like John Sebastian, Levon Helm, and Jay Ungar and Molly Mason. A most happy new addition to the Traum family is the Signature Santa Cruz HT/13 Guitar.
Toby Walker has merged many genres into his unique playing—blues, ragtime, country, bluegrass, old-time jazz and even rock. When Walker discovered his intense passion for music, he set out on the road to learn from the masters themselves and scouted out the best pickers from the Mississippi Delta, Virginia, and the Carolinas. He absorbed the lessons from Etta Baker, R.L. Burnside and Eugene Powell, among others. Walker is now known as a well-respected instructor himself. He’s a winner of the International Blues Challenge Award and a New York Music Award for best instrumental album. Noted WFUV DJ, John Platt has said of Toby: “If he doesn’t them with his phenomenal guitar playing or catchy songs, he gets them with his wonderful stories. True entertainers have an engaging spirit that puts a smile on your face. Arlo Guthrie has it. David Bromberg has it. And so does Toby.”
Harbortown Music’s streaming show will be live on Facebook and YouTube. A suggested $20 donation is recommended.
Thanks for your support!
A big shout and an even bigger virtual hug to all who have been supporting Harbortown Music and the artists we have presented. Our last show featuring The Young Novelists, Angela Saini, and Benjamin Dakota Rogers was co-presented with Michael Kornfeld’s AcousticMusicScene.com . Our hope was that by expanding our promo power that music lovers would discover new artists to follow.
Folk from the North Country on January 26!
After a very successful benefit show which raised $1,240 for Colorado Gives to help the victims who lost their homes during the December 30 fires in Boulder, we are moving forward with a new show celebrating the talents of our Ontario neighbors to the north!
We are proud to feature The Young Novelists, Angela Saini, and Benjamin Dakota Rogers.
Sunday January 14 Benefit for Colorado Fire Victims
Just in case you haven’t seen this promotional video for Sunday’s benefit concert, please take a watch and a listen to musicians Teresa Storch and Peter Lacis tell you all about it here.
Hope you’re enjoying these NERFA videos
Here’s a look at “Heaven on Two Wheels” by Kyle Hancharik from our showcase at NERFA 2021. Christine Lavin recently said he was one of her favorite new finds.
NERFA 2021 video premiere
We just shared this video by Rigby Summer on the Harbortown Music YouTube channel. Check it out!
Happy New Year from Harbortown Music!
Thanks to all of you who are sending love and good wishes our way. We’re off to a great start with this new venture. We’ve presented two showcases already and Kathy is busy mentoring musicians to help them attain their goals within the music industry.
Watch for new about a benefit on January 16 to help aide the victims of the horrendous fires in Colorado that have forced hundreds to leave their homes. Watch for another curated showcase later in the month.
All the more reason to sign up for our email list. The sign up is right on the home page. We would love to hear from you!
Yet another NERFA Showcase Video
We are still beaming because of the great music that we showcased during this fall’s NERFA showcase. For those of you who don’t know about NERFA (North East Regional Folk Alliance), be sure to check it out www.nerfa.org. It’s an organization full of talent, joy, and great music.
Big Little Lions is a favorite duo of ours. Helen Austin hails from British Columbia and Paul Otten resides in Ohio. Their music is magical. Enjoy!
Another NERFA Showcase Premiere Video!
Here’s Jim Trick featuring his song “Valley” from his performance at our NERFA 2021 Showcase back in November.
2021 Holiday Showcase a Success
Here at Harbortown Music we are experiencing the afterglow of a job well done! Our team had much fun last night streaming our first ever showcase. We were able to hear all kinds of holiday and family oriented songs featuring the talents of Susan Cattaneo, Jesse Terry, Crys Matthews, Scott Cook, and Heather Aubrey Lloyd. Plus we received a gorgeous pre-recorded video by Antje Duvekot!
Not only were the songs joyous but putting our music community on display here was a big win for Harbortown Music. Getting to know independent artists who work so hard at their craft and trying to gain new fans one at a time is HARD work. Please share the love and “like” them wherever you can, talk about them to your friends, watch for them on social media…and think about purchasing some merchandise from them. The pandemic has hit everyone in a big way and literally every dollar helps.
The video is still available to see. Just click here! We would LOVE for you to open your hearts and contribute to these talented musicians AND to the great work done at Lifebridge North Shore in Salem, MA. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can keep up with all our new events.
Donations can be made here. Any amount is appreciated.
Photo: (c) Creative Commons / Public Domain
Holiday Streaming Showcase on December 12 at 7:30 pm.
We’re delighted to be presenting a holiday showcase just for YOU. These great artists are celebrating the season by sharing some holiday / wintery songs with us.
Part of the proceeds will go to Lifebridge North Shore.
Check out our NEW YouTube channel!
As promised, we’re populating our YouTube channel with lots of fantastic music that we presented at the recent virtual NERFA conference.
Here’s Scott Wolfson and Other Heroes coming at you!
Success! Harbortown Music’s First Virtual Showcase
The NERFA (North East Regional Folk Alliance) conference was a great success. Over 600 attended and everyone affiliated with the virtual event experienced a joyful space where we could all get together!
Stay tuned for excerpts from our showcase!
Tonight’s the Night!
Have you ever been to a music conference? If you’re a music lover and have never been to one, you’re missing out! Not only are conferences like NERFA great places to network and learn about the music business and meet lots of like-minded people, but you get to experience live music for an entire weekend. Not much sleeping goes on, that’s for sure.
This year NERFA is virtual. There’s still time to purchase tickets to see and hear all the great panels, keynote speeches, and showcases. Just got to http://www.nerfa2021.com. Programming is available in the archives after it has taken place live.
Harbortown Music’s showcase begins tonight at 10:00 pm. These are the times that our performers will take our virtual stage.
10:03: Scott Wolfson and Other Heroes 10:18: Nina de Vitry 10:38: Jim Trick 10:58: Big Little Lions 11:17: Rigby Summer 11:37: Kyle Hancharick 11:54: Matt Marshak 12:03: Marion Hálliday 12:22: Sam Robbins
Harbortown Music Presents at NERFA!
Harbortown Music will present a virtual guerilla showcase on Friday, November 12. We have chosen nine exceptional acts to perform in our first ever showcase.
Harbortown Music 