2010 First Night Performers
Learn more about a performer by clicking on the links below to view their website.
Please Note: Food and beverages are not permitted in any sites, expect where sold at on-site concessions. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis and all sites will be emptied before the next audience is allowed in. Many performances take place in houses of worship: please pay them proper respect.
Aiseiri (Ash-Eye-Ree) is the old Irish word for "Revival", with the haunting sound of the uilleann bagpipes and the percussive drive of the bodhran drum, audiences can experience traditional Irish music, reflecting on the ancient history and culture of the Irish people and their endless journey through time. The music of Aiseiri is full of expression and life, illustrating the true sound of the music of Ireland. Jigs, reels, hornpipes, and airs can be heard amidst the foot stomping and sing-a-longs that accompany their live shows and performances. Aiseiri (JohnJoe Reilly & Shane O'Neil) are often accompanied by guitar, banjo, keyboards, and vocals. You don't have to be Irish to enjoy their music, whether you like to kick up your heels or relax and enjoy the eloquent beauty of an Irish song or aire, you can take in a truly grand experience with Aiseiri. Visit them online at www.thefestivalofireland.com.
Drew Benware is a native of Northern New York who began formal musical
training with piano lessons at the age of five. Although professional
experiences have led him to utilize other aspects of his musicianship, he
holds his roots dearly, especially with regards to liturgical music. Drew
first began this journey by providing music for Masses at St. Augustine's
Church in North Bangor (NY) and has subsequently performed/music directed at
several venues around the Northeast, including a local connection to St.
Bernard's Parish in Saranac Lake.
Although classically trained, he weaves several genres into his musical
tapestry, paying homage to folk, pop, musical theater, and indeed the
classical tradition. His comprehensive musicianship was bolstered by
instruction on the trumpet from Dr. Gordon Mathie and Mr. Frank Campos, on
voice by Dr. Brad Hougham, and on piano by Dr. Elizabeth Wolynec and Dr.
Charis Dimaris.
Drew holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Music Education from the Ithaca College
School of Music with a concentration on the trumpet, and a Master's of Music
in Choral Conducting, also from Ithaca College, under the tutelage of Prof.
Lawrence Doebler. He has served as the Director of Instrumental Music at
Saranac Lake High School and as the Director of Choral Activities for the
Peru Middle/High School. He is currently on the Instrumental Music Education
faculty at the Ithaca College School of Music where he teaches secondary
instrument techniques and pedagogy, conducting, wind instrument pedagogy,
and has supervisory duties over junior and senior level student teaching in
area public schools. Drew is an active performer and conductor in many
genres, most recently as part of the Cayuga Vocal Ensemble (Ithaca's
professional chamber choir) and as the Choir Master, providing choral
preparation work, for the Lake Placid Sinfonietta’s production of Mozart’s
Solemn Vespers.
Let's just say Barb Heller wears a lot of hats. She's a first rate fingerstyle guitarist, and a pretty good teacher too. She doesn't like to waste time, and can teach almost anyone to fingerpick in five minutes (or less!). Just ask her guitar students.
As a songstress, she writes about her family and friends, both real and wishful, and the world as it she imagines it. Life is full of discoveries, big and small - and opportunities to sing about them.
As a veteran of the coffeehouse musician circuit, she can tell some good stories about people from here and away- all of them true, of course.
Across the Adirondack Mountains, the Saint Lawrence River valley, the Ottawa Valley and the northeast kingdom of Vermont, Barb is best known as the host of String Fever, a weekly bluegrass and acoustic music show on North Country Public Radio (www.ncpr.org). She's been hosting it every Thursday afternoon for the past 20 years. If you tune in on Sunday mornings, Barb is host for FM in the Morning, two hours of the best classical music around.
On a wider scope, you can hear Barb weekday evenings as a music host on Folk Alley, a 24-hour global folk music station based at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Folk Alley broadcasts on the internet (www.FolkAlley.com), on the airwaves of WKSU, and on National Public Radio's HD Radio Folk channel.
For many years Barb Heller has been an emcee for several festivals, including the prestigious Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in Oak Hill, NY and the Madrid Bluegrass Festival in St. Lawrence county.
There is nothing that can compare to live music. Five albums and hundreds of thousands of miles later, Barb still sings original, traditional and contemporary songs, plays guitar and banjo, tells stories about all kinds of people, and really enjoys a face-to-face audience more than anything else. You always go away from Barb's concerts feeling good. You appreciate your loved ones more, feel smarter, look younger, and have a spring in your step. Come out and see Barb, and special guest Danny Gotham, for yourself.
You can reach Barb Heller at home, 315-379-9404 (Barb Heller Rogers). By email at Rogers_Company@hughes.net or at North Country Public Radio, 315-229-5356.
Barry interprets the landscape and the emotions which it inspires. His hope is that someone seeing his work will feel some of the same wonder which compelled him to pause with his camera. Barry's photography runs in two convergent veins, the natural landscape and the cultural landscape. His goal is to capture the emotional and spiritual substance of the moment in the natural world, while his cultural landscapes center on the creations of man. Check out Barry's photography at www.barrylobdell.com.
Original Americana Music. At first sight, Big Slyde's instrumentation seems atypical. At first note, it becomes refreshingly familiar. Building on the foundation of cello and guitar, enhanced by the bouzouki, banjo, and dobro the intensely original music of Slyde can carry you to strange and beautiful places. Playfully twisting and turning Americana on its head, Big Slyde's original acoustic music blends roots rock, bluegrass, and reggae. John Doan's multi-instrumental mastery combines with the mesmerizing guitar of Mikey Portal, the emotive cello of Christina Grant, and the affecting voice and bouzouki of Hannah Doan. Contact them by phone at 518-523-9693 or 518-637-5421, or email Jdoaner@gmail.com.
Burdette has been studying and using photography as both a creative and a business tool since 1964. Photographs can be more interpretations than records. His photographs reflect how a scene, an event, a moment was interpreted when that image was captured. When he takes pictures, something about what his eyes are seeing is compelling enough to make him pause, study and trip the shutter. But the images his brain sees are frequently different than the pictures that come out of the camera. His goal, once an image has been captured, is to process the resulting negative, be it film or digital, so it more accurately interprets or expresses the image in his mind's eye. Read more about Burdette at www.adirondackartistsguild.com/burdetteparks.htm.
Carla has a love of wordplay and a keen observational eye. She is primarily known for her humorous songs. Carla is a comical singer-songwriter whose topics included wedgies, Waffle House, klingons, and other important stuff. She also dabbles in fingerstyle guitar. Frequently heard on Dr. Demento and Sirius XM Radio, her show is fun for all ages. Come see this former school band geek who just released her 5th CD: "Live From Outer Space." Read more about Carla at www.carlau.com.
Local musicians Tracy Posdzich, Mary Lou Reid and Shamim Allen have been writing and performing together for years as the Dust Bunnies. Their blend of blues, country and folk rocks from laughter to heartbreak and back. Check out their my space website at
www.myspace.com/thedustbunniesmusic.
Frankenpine's instrumentation evokes the mountain holler, but the Brooklyn-based group's original songs are a stew of rock, folk, bluegrass and country. Their rhythms churn, their solos slice and their harmonies soar. The band is: Kim Chase on vocals and guitar; Matthew Chase on banjo; James Maher on mandolin, guitar and vocals; Liz Bisbee on fiddle; Andy Mullen on bass, guitar and vocals; and former Saranac Laker Ned P. Rauch on guitar and vocals. Check them out at www.frankenpinemusic.com.
In league with the best brother harmonies in the history of country and bluegrass music, the Grammy award winning Gibson Brothers clearly stand out amongst the competition. Their new release, Ring the Bell, evokes the joy that Eric & Leigh feel when playing and singing. At the same time, enjoy the hard-driving sound of bluegrass. The Gibson Brothers mark their place in the bluegrass music world with solid picking and tight harmonies. This band captures a lot of the true feelings of country's roots in their upstate New York version of bluegrass. You can find more about the Gibson Brothers at www.gibsonbrothers.com
The science of energy is as fun as it gets! Jeff Boyer's Fun with Energy!! shows that energy is what makes our world work, through carefully laid out activities illustrating the laws and forces which govern the world around us. Jeff takes audiences on an exciting energy filled ride they'll always remember. He brings kids right up on stage for interactive demonstrations that entertain and amaze! Check out Jeff's website at www.jeffboyer.com.
Mango Jam has been described as, "one of Vermont's leading bands". They've been a popular presence on the scene for about fifteen years. This band draws its inspiration from the music of the Southern US, Louisiana and the Caribbean incorporating Zydeco, Cajun, New Orleans R&B and Mardi Gras songs along with Ska and Reggae. This six piece dance band will rock the house and burn it down with hot rhythms from Cajun/Zydeco country. For more information go to www.sites.google.com/site/mangojamcajunzydeco/.
The Meter Maids are a quartet of four women who sing a cappella style. They have sung at previous First Nights, talent shows, and Winter Carnival events in Saranac Lake and are delighted to be introducing, new member, Carla Brassard at this year's First Night performance.
After appearances on Last Comic Standing and Jimmy Kimmel Live, Moody is no longer a well-kept secret. Comic, writer, aloof uncle, Moody McCarthy weaves topical jokes with crafty material, an old school ethic, and a dash of crowd work. Here's an act that survives in any setting, from upscale country clubs to the Adirondack mountains. Moody McCarthy: few people hate him! To find out more go to www.moodymccarthy.com.
A favorite at First Night Saranac Lake©, this group is modeled after the great steel bands of the Caribbean. RRRP plays traditional island tunes and contemporary arrangements for steel band. They always bring a little sunshine with them when they play, and invite you to join them for some barefoot dancing in the sand! To see their Website, click here.
The Rustic Riders, a Saranac Lake-based acoustic group, play original music with a traditional sensibility. Featuring Lisa Meissner on vocals and guitar and Klaus Meissner on percussion, Lisa's songs sometimes invite you to sing and dance; sometimes to pause, reflect and renew. Their music is influenced by their love of folk, traditional Celtic, Appalachian and Quebecois tunes, as well as Latin Jazz, Blues and Rock and Roll.
The Saranac Lake Jazz Band is a 19-member group made up of Saranac Lake High School students. The students in the ensemble play only for their love of the music. Despite rehearsing 3 days a week at 7 am, they don't receive academic credit for playing. The group plays often in Saranac Lake and the surrounding communities, and regularly travels to high school competitions and festivals.
Check out the writing talents of our local students. Poetry readings from elementary to high school scholars. Winners will be selected by Pen & Parchment. (Saranac Lake writing group)
Speedy Arnold has been playing music for North Country audiences for more than 20 years either solo or with the Bluegrass groups Mardi Gras, the Wolverine Brothers and Three Doug Knight. Performances involve playing guitar and singing fun songs to kids of all ages, combining audience interaction with sing-a-longs and silliness. Being a well rounded artist, he also has several sketchbooks filled with his original ink drawings of local scenes that he will bring with him for discussion before, during or after performances. In addition to his music, Speedy will have signed copies of the children's books he has illustrated: The Little Brook in the Field, a frog story, and The Adventures of Molly the Monarch Butterfly and Friends.
Sylvia travels with the Magic Trunk, a well traveled box inhabited by a delightful bunch of quick-witted puppets that she magically brings to life through ventriloquism. Whether she stops at schools, county fairs, corporate shows or others venues, the young and young at heart are treated to a show where, they can believe that a puppet can truly talk. Come meet her cast of characters including Chito, a wise cracking Latino opossum, an outrageous Southern bird who loves to steal the show , a Genie who lives in a bottle , a talking picture and many more surprises. Learn more at www.themagictrunk.com.
Too Tall String Band plays everything from Celtic songs and fiddle tunes to traditional Adirondack tunes and stories to roots country music and even a little bluegrass. The band has been featured all across the north country and Vermont including Rod Driscoll, Hap Wheeler, and Bruce Lawson and the sounds of guitar, hammered dulcimer, banjo, mandolin, and bass. www.tootallstringband.com.
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