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https://www.backporchfest.com/
The Back Porch Songwriter Series started in 2017 as part of the Back Porch Festival in Northampton. To date this series has paid tribute to songwriting legends Townes Van Zandt, Dolly Parton, Doc Watson and John Prine.
This fall the series moves to the Drake in Amherst for a monthly set of shows paying tribute to Gillian Welch, Merle Haggard and Nanci Griffith. Each show features the Deep River Ramblers (Chris Brashier, Jim Henry and Paul Kochanski) as the house band with several guest artists joining in for the evening.
The series kicks off on October 10 with a tribute to Gillian Welch, a multi-Grammy winning artist who has released a series of critically-acclaimed albums since her debut in 1996. Her songs have been covered by many artists including Miranda Lambert, Emmylou Harris and Tom Jones.
The special guests joining in for this show include Rani Arbo, Lisa Bastoni, Abby Gardner and Peter Mulvey.
Deep River Ramblers - The House Band
Originally teaming up to perform a Doc Watson Tribute show for Signature Sounds, the trio was and remains a natural collaboration. Their approach to music and performance is humble, direct and expressive. If you can imagine hiking in a landscape of contemporary Americana and roots music, you could easily see these “ramblers” roaming between well known and inspirational voices like Doc Watson, Nanci Griffith, Levon Helm, Muddy Waters or John Prine. Combining fiddle, guitars, mandolin, dobro and bass, this streamlined trio brings multi-instrumental abilities to every song. The final ingredient, however, is the combination of soulful singing with great songs. On that front, the Deep River Ramblers will take you on a journey that will last long after the show is over.
Chris Brashear plays fiddle, mandolin and guitar, and he is a vocalist and songwriter. He has toured and recorded nationally and internationally with a variety of groups including The Maurizio Geri Swingtet, Perfect Strangers, Robin and Linda Williams, and Peter McLaughlin.
Jim Henry plays guitar, dobro, and mandolin. He is a singer, songwriter, producer, session player, and engineer. He has recorded and played on hundreds of albums and has toured the US, Canada, and Europe with Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Weepies, Paula Cole, and many others.
Paul Kochanski is one of the most sought-after bass players in New England. Having performed and/or recorded with literally hundreds of artists, he can be currently seen with Grammy-winning songwriter Lori McKenna, blues legend Ronnie Earl, and Americana pioneers the Swinging Steaks.
Rani Arbo
Rani Arbo is at the helm of daisy mayhem, described as "one of America's most inventive string bands" by The Boston Herald. Rani Arbo grew up a cellist and chorister in New York City, where she had the opportunity to learn centuries of sacred music, from Hildegarde to Poulenc to Paul Winter. After studying geology in college, she took up fiddle and fell for the rootsy sounds of old-time, Cajun, honkytonk and bluegrass music. She co-founded the bluegrass-folk band Salamander Crossing in 1991; and founded daisy mayhem in 2000. To the stage, she brings a warm, inviting alto and swampy fiddle style, along with a rich life as a veteran performer, breast cancer survivor, mother, and songwriter. She has toured and recorded with Joan Baez, John McCutcheon and many others. She lives in Middletown, CT with drummer Scott Kessel and their young son.
Peter Mulvey
Peter Mulvey has been a songwriter, road-dog, raconteur and almost-poet since before he can remember. Raised working-class Catholic on the Northwest side of Milwaukee, he took a semester in Ireland, and immediately began cutting classes to busk on Grafton Street in Dublin and hitchhike through the country, finding whatever gigs he could. Back stateside, he spent a couple years gigging in the Midwest before lighting out for Boston, where he returned to busking (this time in the subway) and coffeehouses. Small shows led to larger shows, which eventually led to regional and then national and international touring. The wheels have not stopped since.
Twenty albums, one illustrated book, thousands of live performances, a TEDx talk, a decades-long association with the National Youth Science Camp, opening tours and gigs for luminaries such as Ani DiFranco, Greg Brown, Emmylou Harris and Chuck Prophet, appearances on NPR, an annual autumn tour by bicycle, emceeing festivals, hosting his own Lamplighter Sessions for years in Boston and in Wisconsin… he has built his life’s work on collaboration, on an instinct for the eclectic and the vital.
Abbie Gardner
Abbie Gardner is a fiery dobro player with an infectious smile. Whether performing solo or with Americana harmony trio Red Molly, her acclaimed tales of love and loss, both gritty and sweet, are propelled by her impeccable lap style slide guitar playing. Solo performances feature the dobro as a solo instrument, bouncing between a solid rhythmic backbone and ripping lead lines, all in support of her voice and songs. Her latest recording DobroSinger hit #11 on the Billboard Blues Chart. It’s intimate, real and raw - her dobro and voice recorded at the same time at home, without a band or any studio tricks to hide behind. You can hear every breath, every chuckle, as if you are in the room with her.
Lisa Bastoni
Lisa Bastoni is a Northampton, MA-based singer-songwriter who has enjoyed a longtime presence in the northeast folk/Americana scene and beyond. She is a 2021 New England Music Award nominee (Roots), 2020 & 2019 Boston Music Award Nominee (Folk) and winner of 2019 New Folk at the esteemed Kerrville Folk Festival. In addition to her work in music, Lisa Bastoni is an accomplished visual artist and teacher, and mother to two young children. Lisa Bastoni has opened for/performed with Lori McKenna, Dar Williams, Regina Spektor, The Secret Sisters, Teddy Thompson, Rose Cousins, Mark Erelli, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, and many more.
