Les Sampou performs Saturday. Reserve your campsite now for the 27th Annual Spring Gulch Folk Festival. A weekend-long event of excellent music, sing-a-long campfires, workshops, dancing, and crafts. The 2013 Folk Festival will run for four days, Thursday through Sunday

More information here.

Recently naming her a 2012 “Bostonian Of The Year”, The Boston Globe characterized her as…”a confident, radiant teenage singer/songwriter who is helping to pen the next chapter of the Boston folk scene…while Reardon is rapidly making a name for herself under the stage lights, it could be said that she’s having a bigger impact on her peers across the country as a leading spokesperson for bullying prevention.  By pairing her music with a message of collective responsibility, she has become an effective teen-to-teen ambassador, sought after by schools nationwide.”

“When you listen to 17-year-old folk singer Hayley Reardon, it’s hard to identify what’s more impressive: the fact that she’s already considered a seasoned folk artist or that she’s a national spokesperson for PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. In any event, both are laudable facts that dovetail nicely on her debut album Where The Artists Go.

“Powerfully expressive, Les Sampou has been tested in the trenches of life and survived brilliantly. Her new album, “Lonesomeville,” is a personal Top Ten favorite of the year. She invests many songs with the emotional honesty of Lucinda Williams, probing love in all of its complexity while belting the heck out of the music. She has a passionate, rockabilly-blues edge that lifts your spirits high, followed by ballads that dig into your soul like few artists can.”

STEVE MORSE Boston Globe Correspondent & Contributor to Billboard and Rolling Stone

Carolyn Waters…Socially Conscious Soul…

“Carolyn’s music is hypnotic, in a deeply soulful groove. You’ve heard it said that pure music seems to “flow” through a great singer? Go hear Carolyn to experience the real thing” – Pete and Maura Kennedy, The Kennedys.

Carolyn Waters is a performing singing/songwriter who fuses blues/roots/folk and other musical genres into a unique unforgettable blend of songs and sounds.

As a young girl growing up in Philadelphia, Carolyn Waters sang alone in her bedroom or out loud in the house when she was sure it was empty. It wasn’t by choice, but as the result of thoughtless teasing she got from her family. Even in her church choir, a place where many singers first get noticed and make early names for themselves, she mouthed the words to avoid embarrassment. She, however, never lost her love and passion for music and spent endless hours moving up and down the radio dial, and listening to albums from her parent’s collection.

A life changing event about a decade ago pushed Carolyn to take a voice lesson. This time she wasn’t teased. She was taken notice of, supported, and given a start in folk music, which highlights included opening for Judy Collins, Tom Rush, and Kate Campbell among others.

Oh, and have we mentioned the blues?

“Carolyn Waters is a force of nature. Some people are simply created to sing and bless those who listen, Carolyn is one of those people”. Rev. Robert Jones, Sr. Acclaimed Blues/Roots Musician/Blues Historian – September 2013

Carolyn can belt out barrelhouse and juke joint blues, or fuse them with a pinch of Gospel and roots. She has been featured in the Boston Blues Society’s Ladies Sing the Blues Events where she shared the stage with the late great Shirley Lewis “Regal Queen of the Blues”, Lydia Warren, Lisa Marie and the wonderful Diane Blue to name a few.

Recently Carolyn joined forces with Satoru Nakagawa, a Japanese-born blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and member of the Tokyo Tramps to record her first all blues ep. This powerful duo merged the Delta slide with soulful singing and produced a deep blues experience.

“Carolyn’s voice is amazing, captivating, compelling—any superlative will fit. I don’t believe I have heard such a rich, velvety, and yes—bluesy—voice locally in years” – Karen Nugent, Boston Blues Society – May 2010

Performing solo, and with various accompanying musicians ranging from an incredible single guitarist to fronting her new dynamic Carolyn Waters Band, she can and has performed at all sizes and types of venues including clubs, festivals, galas, coffeehouses, vigils, and intimate-private functions in New England, New York, Maryland and Virginia.

“Carolyn’s songs are personal and have an emotional quality that moves the soul. Her easy natural style communicates immediately with your heart. Her performance is calm but powerful, putting you at ease and making you feel that all is right with the world. I look forward to hearing Carolyn perform her wonderful creations in the future. The best is yet to come”. Charles Williams, Principal, Phillip Glass’ Einstein On The Beach (2012-13 World Tour)

A benefit for Folk New England.

Denny Laine celebrates the 40th anniversary of the “Wings Over America” tour with a live on stage performance of their greatest album, “Band on the Run”—complete and unabridged! Within a year of its release, “Band On the Run” had sold over six-million copies worldwide, having spawned three U.S. Top Ten hits-”Helen Wheels”, “Jet”, and the title track. The singles alone occupied the U.S. chart for forty-five (45) weeks, while the album stayed on the charts for over two (2) years. “Band On The Run” was in the Top-30 of the Billboard 200 as recently as 2010, when a remastered version of the album was released.

This special evening celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Wings Over America tour. The sold out U.S. leg of the “Wings Over the World” tour helped carry the’ “Silly Love Songs” single and “Wings at the Speed of Sound” album to number one on their respective charts. From the tour came the film “Rock Show” and the number one triple album set “Wings over America”.

By far the most successful album involving any of the Beatles following their breakup, “Band on the Run” was created by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney. The other members of Wings quit the group just prior to the departure to Lagos, Nigeria to begin sessions for the album, but out of adversity came advantage.  With Paul McCartney on vocals, piano, drums, guitar, bass, and keys, and Denny Laine contributing vocals, keys, acoustic, electric and bass guitars, and Linda McCartney on keys and vocals, Band On the Run transcended the era to become an album whose deep cuts such as “Let Me Roll It”,  “Picasso’s Last Words”, and “Mrs. Vanderbilt”  and “Bluebird” are better remembered-and played more often on classic rock radio-than most hits of the era.

Expect other Wings hits such as “Live and Let Die”,  and “Time to Hide” as well as Denny’s legendary lead vocal on the Moody Blues classic “Go Now” to round out this special anniversary show.

Tickets: Click Here