Wed Feb 1 – Sun Feb 12, 2012 12:47pm – 12:48pm
Branford Folk Music Society Concert Feb. 11
Sponsored by: Branford Folk Music Society
The original music of Andrew & Noah VanNorstrand is a finely crafted blend of old-time country and bluegrass, Celtic and contra, swing and jazz and alternative folk rock with strains of world. In a word: eclectic. That musical mélange will be on full display at the Branford Folk Music Society’s monthly concert series on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. in the auditorium of the First Congregational Church of Branford, 1009 Main Street on the Branford Green.
Admission to the concert is $15 for non-members, $12 for members and $5 for children 12 and under. For more information, call 203-488-7715 or access the society’s Web page at http://folknotes.org/branfordfolk/
The VanNorstrand brothers and their band, who hail from upper New York State, infuse their music with an equal emphasis on daring improvisation and intricate arrangements. Using a multitude of instruments such as twin fiddles, guitars, mandolins and banjos, critics say that the VanNorstrands represent a prime example of where talented and deeply musically trained young performers are taking folk and acoustic music in this new century.
The brothers are well steeped in traditional music, having been taught by their mother, who is also a classically-trained pianist, as well as by such well-known musicians as bluegrass music’s John Rossbach and Jay Ungar and Molly Mason. In 2000, Andrew and Noah joined with their mom Kim to form The Great Bear Trio, which in a few short years gained an enthusiastic following on the Northeast contra dance scene. In 2004, the boys stepped out on their own and gained national attention with an appearance on Garrison Keillor’s syndicated show, A Prairie Home Companion. All this before they had even graduated from high school!
The VanNorstrands now tour in the Northeast, playing festivals and coffeehouses and drawing on a vast well of musical styles to complement their original songwriting. Three years ago they formed the Andrew & Noah Band that will appear at Branford. As one reviewer in Bluegrass Unlimited magazine recently wrote that “the more familiar you become with the artistry of this quietly powerful duo, the more layers you’ll discover within the complexities of the music.”
The Branford Folk Music Society is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization that has been presenting traditional folk music concerts in Branford since 1973. Its concert series will continue March 10 with Chris Koldewey and John Kirk, two New York State musicians deeply steeped in traditional music but not afraid to venture into contemporary music that possesses a timelessness.
- Admission: $15, $12
- First Congregational Church of Branford
- 1009 Main Street
- Branford
- get directions