Twilight Music

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present contemporary folk singer/songwriters Antje Duvekot and Seth Glier on Saturday, December 20 at 7:30 PM at Next Stage. Together, Antje and Seth create an evening of luminous storytelling—songs of heart, conscience, and connection that illuminate both the inner and outer landscapes of our lives.

Antje Duvekot is a German-born, American-raised singer/songwriter whose work has been critically praised for its hard-won wisdom, dark-eyed realism, and street-smart romanticism. Her bicultural upbringing and relative newness to English have shaped a unique poetic voice, giving her songs a startlingly original palette. These qualities underpin the powerful, empathetic perspective that informs everything she writes. Antje has won top songwriting honors, including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, the Kerrville Folk Festival Best New Folk Award, and the Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act.

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music invite you to a magical evening of traditional Irish and original holiday music with John Doyle and Cathie Ryan on Friday, December 5 at 7:30 pm. “An Irish Christmas” brings the warmth and joy of the season to life through song, story, and memories of festive Irish traditions.

John Doyle and Cathie Ryan are longtime friends and collaborators, celebrated across the globe for their mastery of Irish music. While they have toured extensively throughout Europe, they rarely perform as a duo in the U.S. They are both members of the acclaimed ensemble The Irish Music Masters and were featured in the PBS special The Soul of Christmas. Together, they blend traditional tunes with original songs that continue to shape the Irish music tradition.

Two of the finest mandolinists in the modern acoustic world are coming together for a special evening of music that promises to delight fans of bluegrass, roots, and contemporary string band sounds.

Matt Flinner, a National Banjo and Mandolin Champion, has spent decades pushing the boundaries of acoustic music. From performing at bluegrass festivals before his teens to touring and recording with artists ranging from Steve Martin to the Modern Mandolin Quartet, Flinner’s artistry is widely celebrated for its musicality, innovation, and versatility.

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary folk, roots, and Americana music with The Clements Brothers and The Early Risers at Next Stage on Friday, October 10, at 7:30 pm.

The Clements Brothers—George (guitar) and Charles (upright bass)—are identical twins from the heart of New England. They have been writing and performing music together for as long as they can remember, first emerging on the Americana scene in 2012 as part of the internationally touring grassroots band The Lonely Heartstring Band, releasing two albums on Rounder Records. More recently, George has played the role of Paul Simon in the national hit The Simon and Garfunkel Story, while Charles has performed in the bass section of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Drawing on roots, rock, bluegrass, jazz, and classical influences, The Clements Brothers craft a unique singer-songwriter sound, blending harmonies only possible with their identical voices—at once enthralling and intimate, groovy and serene.

PUTNEY, VT – Twilight Music presents a double bill of mesmerizing folk duos: Ordinary Elephant and Lizzy Mandell & Colin McCaffrey. The concert takes place Friday, September 19, at 7:30 pm at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT. Doors open at 6:45 pm. Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 at the door, or $10 for livestream.

Ordinary Elephant—husband-and-wife duo Crystal and Pete Damore—has spent nearly a decade on the road, captivating audiences with harmony-rich, character-driven songs. The pair first garnered national attention in 2017, winning the International Folk Music Award for Artist of the Year with their breakout album Before I Go. Their follow-up, Honest, earned widespread critical acclaim, with the Associated Press naming it “one of the best Americana albums of the year.” Their latest, self-titled album distills their sound to its most essential form, highlighting hauntingly beautiful harmonies, delicate guitar work, and a rare kind of storytelling that resonates long after the final note.

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present indie-folk duo Sway Wild and singer/songwriter Jake Klar at Next Stage on Friday, July 18 at 7:30 pm. 

Sway Wild’s infectious sound explores the corners of rock, pop, funk, and folk, but at its nucleus it is undeniably a music full of joy. Mandy and Dave’s gorgeous harmonies paired with moving lyrics serve to both process and share their jubilation, grief, and frustration with a complex and deeply imperfect society. And Mandy’s electric guitar pyrotechnics and chordal rhythms challenge the listener to comprehend how she manages to extract so much feeling from six strings and an amplifier. 

The name Sway Wild evokes a specific feeling. From the beginning, Mandy and Dave intended this band to reflect what the endeavor felt like to them – a pathway to the uninhibited unfiltered core that we all possess. The words themselves are an invitation, if not a command, to seek out this untainted part of ourselves. In many ways, Sway Wild’s music is the product of truly wild places, and, like ribbons of light piercing a dark green canopy overhead, it can help us find the wildness that is unquestionably still within us.

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present contemporary folk singer/songwriters Crys Matthews and Sam Robbins at Next Stage on Friday, July 11 at 7:30 pm. 

A troubadour of truth, Nashville-based Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. An award-winning, prolific lyricist and composer, Matthews blends country, Americana, folk, blues, and bluegrass into a bold, complex performance steeped in traditional melodies punctuated by honest, original lyrics. On a mission to “amplify the voices of the unheard, to shed light on the unseen, and to be a steadfast reminder that hope and love are the truest pathways to equity and justice,” Crys is made for these times.

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of Celtic and Old-time Appalachian roots music from Quebec and Ireland by Kavaz and I Draw Slow at Next Stage on Thursday, July 3 at 7:00 pm.

Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, and led by sibling songwriters Dave and Louise Holden, award-winning quintet I Draw Slow has consistently redefined the boundaries of acoustic roots music over the past decade. Their distinctive blend of Irish and Appalachian roots music and dynamic, immersive performances captivate audiences with exquisite balladry, then bring them to their feet with high energy trad tunes. Their evocative music has been featured in film, TV, and advertising, and their fifth and most recent album “Turn Your Face To The Sun” on Nashville-based Compass Records soared to #1 on the Irish charts. Touring extensively across North America since 2013, I Draw Slow has firmly established itself in the US and Canada’s acoustic music scenes, appearing regularly at some of the biggest and most iconic roots festivals including Pickathon, MerleFest, Grey Fox, Wintergrass, RockyGrass, Edmonton Folk Fest, and Mountain Stage.

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present folk music duos Sons Of Town Hall and Alice Howe & Freebo on Friday, March 7 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.

Sons of Town Hall, the transatlantic folk duo of American songwriter/author David Berkeley and British songwriter/producer Ben Parker, is creating an entirely new performance genre. Part live concept album, part performance art, they conjure their timeless mythic universe under the aliases Josiah Chester Jones and George Ulysses Brown, 19th-century vagabonds who travel the world in a hand-built boat to escape troubled pasts and search for adventure and love. Designed as a live companion experience to their gorgeous radio-theater podcast “Madmen Cross The Water,” The Sons weave their wild and hilarious stories between their heartbreaking and rousing songs, taking audiences on a deeply imaginative trip every show. Both the Sons of Town Hall concert and the podcast offer escapes from the everyday, temporary relief from the woes of the modern world. Listeners and concertgoers alike are left transfixed and transformed, in awe of Sons of Town Hall’s harmonies, and drunk on adventure and the tragic beauty of the human condition.

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present roots music trio Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards, plus singer/songwriter Emily Margaret, on Friday, February 28 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.

Laura Cortese is a prolific songwriter, vocalist, and fiddler who artfully blends American roots music with indie, electronic grooves, and pop powerhouse vocals – all the while appealing to a broad audience from millennials to seasoned folkies. Along with Laura, Valerie Thompson and Isa Burke feature a nearly symphonic hybrid of countless traditions and influences, full of rich interplays of virtuosic string instrumentation. Drawing upon their combined decades of experience in a rich variety of styles, the trio uplifts songs with orchestral string arrangements and layered vocal harmonies.

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of Québécois music from Canada and the US by two trios – É.T.É and Yann Falquet with Emily Troll and Eric Boodman – on Saturday, February 8 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.

É.T.É transforms the nostalgia of a kitchen party into an unforgettable concert experience that celebrates the joie de vivre of Québécois culture. With soaring vocal harmonies, a deep groove, step-dancing, and rich instrumentation, the trio creates their own trad universe with original compositions and unique arrangements of Québécois and Acadian repertoire. Since winning the OPUS prize for “Discovery of the Year 2017-2018,” Élisabeth Moquin (fiddle, step-dancing, vocals), Thierry Clouette (bouzouki, podorythmie, vocals), and Élisabeth Giroux (cello, vocals), have shared their original, lively take on Québec traditional music with audiences worldwide.

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present New England’s acclaimed folk/roots quartet Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem at Next Stage on Saturday, February 1 at 7:30 pm.

Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem feature 4-part vocal harmonies, indelible songs, fiddle, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, and a homemade percussion kit of cardboard boxes, tin cans, caulk tubes, packing-tape tambourines, bottle-cap rattles, Mongolian jaw harps, and a vinyl suitcase. Over the past 20 years, the quartet has toured its uplifting, healing performances to concert halls, festivals, and residency engagements across North America, and has released seven CDs on Signature Sounds. From the Newport Folk Festival to California World Music Festival and beyond, this band’s steadfast brew of wit, camaraderie, and musicality leaves audiences everywhere humming and hopeful, spirits renewed.

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present a dance party with roots and world music quintet The Gaslight Tinkers at Next Stage on Friday, January 24 at 7:30 pm. Blending African, Caribbean, Funk, Reggae, and Latin grooves with traditional fiddle music, the quintet creates the genre-bending future of the music of the past.

The Gaslight Tinkers’ mix of global rhythms creates a joyous world beat sound around a core of traditional New England old time and celtic fiddle music, merging boundless positive energy with melody and song. Drawing from their extensive musical backgrounds in traditional folk, Caribbean, old time, Celtic, and rock, I-Shea, Clara, Garrett, Elie, and Peter craft a sound that brings world traditions together.

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary folk music with Antje Duvekot and Goodnight Moonshine (Molly Venter and Eben Pariser) on Saturday, December 14 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.

Antje Duvekot is a German-born, American-raised singer/songwriter whose songs have been critically praised for their hard-won wisdom, dark-eyed realism, and street-smart romanticism. Her bicultural upbringing and relative newness to English have helped shape her unique way with a song, giving her a startlingly original poetic palette. They are the keys to the powerful, even revolutionary, empathy that informs everything she writes. She has won some of the top songwriting awards including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, the Kerrville Folk Festival Best New Folk Award, and the Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act.

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present a triple bill of contemporary folk singer/songwriters – Hayley Reardon, Sam Robbins, and Emily Margaret – on Friday, November 29 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.

Hayley Reardon is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter and a storyteller in the truest sense of the word. Her songs serve as postcards from an artist brave enough to take the road less traveled. Hayley dove head first into music at the young age of 15, and has spent much of the past decade writing, recording, and performing music around the world. With more than 85 original songs released to date, Reardon’s music has been featured on multiple Spotify and Apple Music editorial playlists, boasting more than 7 million streams on Apple Music alone.

Raised in a coastal Massachusetts town north of Boston, Hayley spent three years based in Nashville followed by six years carrying her songs and stories all over the globe. She has played nearly 300 shows across Europe, and was awarded a six-month artist-in-residency program in Dachau, Germany. She has shared the stage with renowned artists including Lori McKenna, Rodney Crowell, Dar Williams, and Anaïs Mitchell, and was nominated as 2023 Vocalist of the Year by the Boston Music Awards.

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of traditional and contemporary Scottish and fiddle music by duos Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas and San Miguel Fraser (Galen Fraser & Maria San Miguel) on Sunday, October 20 at 7:00 pm at Next Stage.

The musical partnership between consummate performer Alasdair Fraser, “the Michael Jordan of Scottish fiddling,” and brilliant Californian cellist, Natalie Haas, spans the full spectrum between intimate chamber music and ecstatic dance energy. Over the last 16 years of creating a buzz at festivals and concert halls across the world, they have truly set the standard for fiddle and cello in traditional music. This seemingly unlikely pairing of instruments is the fulfillment of a long-standing musical dream for Fraser. His search eventually led him to find a cellist who could help return the cello to its historical role at the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music, where it stood for hundreds of years before being relegated to the orchestra. Alasdair and Natalie blend a profound understanding of the Scottish tradition with cutting-edge string explorations. In addition to performing, they both have motivated generations of string players through their teaching at fiddle camps across the globe.