Media Page
Greg Brown – Bio | Promo
Sugar Maple is proud to present our Friday Night Headline act, Greg Brown. Greg moves audiences with warmth, humor, a thundering voice and his unpretentious musical vision. He’s the folksinger of his generation, and a gifted spokesman for it. His roots run deep: to the land, to family, and to the richest and oldest veins of American music. Hillbilly country, black blues masters, and the history of American folk resonate together in his songs. Brown’s songwriting has been lauded by many, and his songs have been performed by Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana, Michael Johnson, Shawn Colvin, and Mary Chapin Carpenter. He has also recorded more than a dozen albums, with One Big Town earning three and a half stars in Rolling Stone, chart-topping status in AAA and The Gavin Report’s Americana rankings and Brown’s first Indie Award from NAIRD (National Association of Independent Record Distributors). Don’t miss this opportunity to catch Greg Brown in an intimate setting under Sugar Maple Festival’s tent.
Chulrua (pronounced cool-ROO-ah) is an internationally acclaimed trio of the most respected and unique exponents of Irish traditional music. Their music, which is comprised of the old instrumental dance melodies of Ireland: jigs, reels, and hornpipes, will transport you to the Emerald Isle and make you dream of Erin. Button accordion icon Paddy O’Brien is a true master and is revered by Irish music aficionados worldwide. Together with Patrick Ourceau (fiddle) and Eamon O’Leary(guitar and vocals) they have almost 70 years of experience performing at community fairs and festivals, colleges and universities, folk clubs, and a variety of other venues—doing concerts, workshops, dances, and school residencies all over the United States. Chulrua concerts are in keeping with the old tradition—music in a relaxed, intimate atmosphere, and tunes offered as they were handed down from generation to generation in Ireland. Prepare to be enchanted and delighted. You may even catch yourself doing a jig.
Bruce Molsky & Big Hoedown – Bio
Big Hoedown has been living and breathing old-time music for most of their lives and it shows in their ability to be true to the spirit of the past. Bruce Molsky stands today as the premier old-time fiddler in the world, the defining virtuoso of Appalachia’s timeless folk music traditions. That must feel odd for a former engineer from the Bronx, who didn’t begin a music career until he was forty. But folded into those strange facts is the secret to his unique genius. Joining Molsky are Rafe Stefanini, who has established himself as one of the foremost interpreters of fiddle music from the South and is a dynamic and elegant fiddle and banjo player, and Beverly Smith, an accomplished singer, guitar player, fiddler, and dance caller. Driven by their deep love of the music, they’ve each learned at the feet of the masters, experiencing first hand where the music came from. Yet they have made the music their own, thereby helping to keep it alive for all of us. Big Hoedown delivers all this and more; wild virtuosity, intricate syncopations, and hypnotic rhythms.
Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers – Bio | Promo
Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers are one of the best traditional bluegrass bands around and have become one of the most sought-after bluegrass bands in the Midwest. Joe Mullins is a native of southwestern Ohio who is recognized as a top banjo player, vocalist and radio broadcaster for over 25 years. Mullins recorded and performed with the band Longview, earning Song of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year awards from the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) in the late 1990’s. He also won an Instrumental Recording of the Year award in 2001 from the IBMA for his banjo work on Rebel Record’s Knee Deep in Bluegrass. The Radio Ramblers do a huge variety of original, traditional and gospel music. The Radio Ramblers include: Adam McIntosh on guitar and vocals, Tim Kidd on bass, Evan McGregor on fiddle and vocals, Mike Terry on mandolin and vocals. If you like old-fashioned, no frills bluegrass, you won’t want to miss Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers!
Karl and the Country Dutchmen – Bio | Promo
Make sure to bring your dancing shoes as our Festival closer, Karl and the Country Dutchmen bring a rollicking beat and an infectious spirit. With his Chemnitzer concertina stretched about a mile, Karl leads his band, shouting out key changes and using body language to conduct his ensemble of brass and reed players. It is polka and a whole lot more—Dixieland, ragtime and old time pop and country standards—played as you’ve never heard them before. Featured on Prairie Home Companion and at the National Folk Festival, the Dutchmen have played for dancers from coast to coast, on cruises and European tours. Recognized as the outstanding Dutchman concertinist of his generation, Karl and the Country Dutchmen have added more syncopation, chromatic runs and improvisational flourishes to their play than predecessors but use only the old acoustic instruments and adhere to the basic Dutchman style. We defy you to stay seated when the Country Dutchmen take to the Sugar Maple Festival stage!
Shotgun Party – Bio | Promo
The Stellanovas – Bio | Press
Charlie Parr – Bio | Press