Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas and San Miguel Fraser at Next Stage

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.


Seth Glier and Rosier at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary and indie folk music from the US and Canada by Massachusetts-based singer/songwriter Seth Glier and Montreal-based quintet Rosier on Friday, October 11 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.

Five-time Independent Music Award winner and Grammy-nominated contemporary folk singer/songwriter Seth Glier’s gifts are an innate curiosity and a fierce desire to connect with other people. His musical acumen provides him with a vehicle for both. He has worked as a cultural diplomat for the US State Department and collaborated with musicians in Ukraine, Mongolia, China, and Mexico. Seth has shared the bill with a diverse list of artists ranging from the likes of Ronnie Spector, James Taylor, Ani DiFranco, and Glen Campbell. As a producer, music director, or studio musician, he has collaborated with Sophie B. Hawkins, Tom Rush, Antje Duvekot, Richard Shindell, Doctora Qingona, Dar Williams, Nick Carter, and Cyndi Lauper. With a commitment to using songwriting as a tool for positive change, he has written with the students in Parkland, FL for the “Parkland Project,” co-written with soldiers at Walter Reed, and is an advocate for autism awareness citing his autistic brother Jamie as his greatest non-musical-musical influence.

Bilingual, female-fronted Rosier balances folk-trad sounds (traditional melodies and lyrics) and instrumentation firmly rooted in indie-pop. By blending the pop textures of synthesizers, and the rock tones of electric guitars with more traditional instruments (acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle), with lyrics rich in Franco-Canadian living heritage, Rosier creates a bridge between the stories of yesterday and today. Béatrix Méthé (vocals, fiddle and synthesizers), Sarah Marchand (vocals, piano and keyboards), Marie Savoie-Levac (bass), Éléonore Pitre (acoustic and electric guitar, backing vocals), Colin Savoie-Levac (Marie’s brother, on guitar, banjo, lap steel, feet and backing vocals), with guest drummers, have been sharing this Quebecois heritage around the world for over a decade.


Rakish and The Early Risers at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present a contemporary folk double bill with Rakish (Maura Shawn Scanlin and Connor Hearn) and The Early Risers (Ashley Storrow and Putnam Smith) on Friday, September 20 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.

Violinist Maura Shawn Scanlin and guitarist Conor Hearn unite to form “Rakish.” The pair gets their namesake from the traditional Irish tune Rakish Paddy, an origin that aptly suits the duo and their shared background in traditional Irish and Scottish music. Yet “rakish” itself also suggests something strikingly unconventional in its appearance, and Maura and Conor knowingly embrace this wealth of connotation in their music, drawing on the music they grew up with and performing it with their own slant. In a performance that toes the line between concert music and session music, Rakish explores tunes and songs from Irish and American folk traditions in a way that reflects their shared interest in and love for old traditional tunes and chamber music. Maura Shawn, a two-time U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion and a winner of the Glenfiddich Fiddle Competition, wields the technical range of a classical violinist and the deep sensitivity of a traditional musician. Conor, a native to the Irish music communities of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD, makes his home in Boston, MA playing and teaching guitar. As a duo they have performed at venues and festivals across North America, and can be found teaching at fiddle camps across the country.


Kalos and Hannah O’Brien & Grant Flick at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of traditional and contemporary Celtic and fiddle music by Kalos (Eric McDonald, Ryan McKasson, Jeremiah McLane) and Hannah O’Brien & Grant Flick on Friday, September 6 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage. 

Three innovative interpreters and composers of Celtic roots music – McDonald (guitar,mandolin, vocals), McKasson, (fiddle, viola, vocals), and McLane (accordion, piano, vocals) – draw on years of experience performing with the likes of Cantrip, Nightingale, The Clayfoot Strutters, and Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas to forge a new musical path as Kalos. They are masters of tradition who purposefully explore the dark corners floating on its edges, delivering an alluring musical complexity full of spontaneity and joyful exuberance. Their individual artistry springs from strong traditional roots, and as a trio they move beyond this foundation. Kalos’ underlying drive and pulse, rhythmic electricity and swirling intensity transform traditional repertoire into a vital, elemental, genre-transcending sound appealing to music lovers of all stripes. Their music asks to be shared live, and performance is the band’s heart and forte.


Yann Falquet & Keith Murphy and The Murphy Beds at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present a double bill of traditional and original folk, with Yann Falquet & Keith Murphy, and The Murphy Beds on Saturday, August 10 at 7:30 pm

Keith Murphy and Yann Falquet are masters of contemporary Celtic guitar, representing the compelling textures, harmonies and rhythms that the guitar has brought to traditional songs and instrumentals since the Celtic music revival in the 1970s.


Rainbow Girls at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of folk, roots, and Americana music by California-based trio Rainbow Girls at Next Stage on Thursday, August 15 at 7:00 pm. Children of Divorce open.

Rainbow Girls are an eclectic folk trio hailing from the golden countryside just north of California’s Bay Area. Vanessa May, Erin Chapin, and Caitlin Gowdey seamlessly combine soul-touching harmonies, varitextured instrumentals, and poignant lyrical content into a beautiful sonic tapestry. Throughout their performance, voices are paired with an ever-changing amalgamation of acoustic and slide guitar, keys, upright bass, harmonica, and an array of vocal techniques creating an engaging and emotionally moving live show.


The Sweetback Sisters at Next Stage

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present country swing sextet The Sweetback Sisters at Next Stage on Friday, August 2 at 7:30 pm. 

Centered around the charismatic, airtight harmonies of Emily Miller and Zara Bode, The Sweetback Sisters mix compelling originals and unexpected interpretations of country classics. Hints of jazz and ragtime flesh out the Sisters’ unique brand of classic country, as Miller, Bode, and their remarkably versatile band conjure up a singular blend of heart, humor, and virtuosic musicianship. Their rollicking music is as infectious as it is heartbreaking. Like the country artists they admire, the Sisters sing about traditional subjects of heartbreak, revenge, remorse, and staying strong in the face of relationships gone wrong, albeit with a contemporary sensibility. 


Cantrip at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of Celtic music by high-energy bagpipes/fiddle/guitar quartet Cantrip at Next Stage on Friday, July 5 at 7:30 pm. 

From the strong base of its Celtic roots, Cantrip branches out into the music of other European cultures. With swirling border pipes, raging fiddle, thunderous guitar, and three rich voices, Dan Houghton, Jon Bews, Eric McDonald, and Alasdair White take audiences on a cultural journey, putting their own spin on each musical style. Known for their innovative arrangements, high-energy songs and tunes, and dry wit, Cantrip has toured throughout Scotland and the US, expanding the boundaries of Celtic music along the way. 


Keith Murphy and Band, Album Release Concert: Bright As Amber at Next Stage on 6/21

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an album release concert for Keith Murphy and Band’s “Bright As Amber”, at Next Stage on Friday, June 21 at 7:30 pm.

For many years, Keith Murphy has been forging a distinctive sound in the world of traditional song. He grew up surrounded by the rich tradition of his native Newfoundland and over the course of his later travels has incorporated elements of many other traditions including the repertoire of his adopted home in Vermont. He is a noted instrumentalist and well known for his playing with Nightingale, Childsplay, Boston Revels, Tony Barrand, Hanneke Cassel, Yann Falquet and his most enduring collaborator, his wife and fiddler, Becky Tracy. He is also the founder and artistic director of the Brattleboro Music Center’s Northern Roots Festival.


Singer/songwriter John Gorka Returns to Next Stage on June 2nd

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present singer/songwriter John Gorka at Next Stage on Sunday, June 2 at 7:00 pm.

Rising from a milieu of lovelorn singer-songwriters, John Gorka illuminates instead with his trademark wordplay, twisting, turning, and tying words and phrases in the way a balloon artist creates complex creatures from simple balloons. Few contemporary songwriters coax language as deftly as Gorka.

For over two decades, Gorka’s keen ear has picked up the stories of those along his path, folding them into poetry and song. His keen perceptiveness inspires people from all over the world to share their stories. By involving those tales in his music, he escapes the trap of introspection that hobbles less-gifted singer-songwriters.


Singer/Songwriter Carsie Blanton Returns to Next Stage Arts in May

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present singer/songwriter Carsie Blanton, at Next Stage on Thursday, May 9 at 7:00 pm.

Carsie Blanton is a songwriter with hooks, chutzpah, and revolutionary optimism. Inspired by artist-activists including Nina Simone and Woody Guthrie, her catalog careens through American popular song from folk and swing to pop-punk protest anthems.


RUNA at Next Stage on April 2nd

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present Celtic-American Roots music quintet RUNA on Sunday, April 2 at 7:00 pm at Next Stage.

Celebrating 14 years together as a band, RUNA continues to push the boundaries of Irish folk music into the Americana and roots music formats.  Interweaving the haunting melodies and exuberant tunes of Ireland and Scotland with the lush harmonies and intoxicating rhythms of jazz, bluegrass, flamenco, and blues, they offer a thrilling and redefining take on traditional music.  RUNA has been honored internationally, winning “Top Group” and “Top Traditional Group” in the Irish Music Awards and three Independent Music Awards including “Best LIVE Album,” “Best World/Traditional Song,” and “Best Bluegrass Song.”


The Foreign Landers at Next Stage

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of bluegrass and folk music by The Foreign Landers on Thursday, March 16 at 7:00 pm at Next Stage.

Drawing from the musical styles of their homelands, transatlantic, multi-instrumentalist duo David Benedict (from South Carolina) and Tabitha Agnew Benedict (from Northern Ireland) join with Nate Sabat on acoustic bass and Julian Pinelli on fiddle for their 2023 tour to celebrate the release of the CD “Traveler’s Rest.” David and Tabitha’s authenticity and originality in songwriting, instrumental prowess on guitar, banjo, and mandolin, evocative vocals, and unique transatlantic touch all combine to create a unique sound that is inexpressibly foreign and yet familiar.


Karan Casey at Next Stage

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present trailblazing Irish singer/songwriter Karan Casey on Thursday, March 2 at 7:00 pm at Next Stage. For her March ’23 US tour with fiddler Sheila Falls and guitarist Matt Heaton, Karan premieres songs from her brand new album “NIne Apples of Gold,” mixed with favorites from her previous eleven albums.

Singing songs charged with a sense of social responsibility in a career spanning over 25 years, Karan Casey was among the vanguard of the Irish music revival’s “third wave” of the early 1990s, and a founding member of the seminal Irish American band “Solas” before launching her solo career in 1999. Though steeped early on in Irish traditional and folk music, Karan has long followed an eclectic path, whether studying classical music, fronting jazz bands, or working with Frank Harte, a much-revered folk/traditional singer from Dublin. The list of artists that she’s collaborated with is similarly diverse – James Taylor, Maura O’Connell, Karen Matheson, the Boston Pops Orchestra, Liam Clancy, Tim O’Brien, The Chieftains, The Dubliners, and Béla Fleck, among others. A Waterford, Ireland native, Karan has performed extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Japan.


The Stockwell Brothers and Fellow Pynin at Next Stage

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary folk and bluegrass music from near and far by Vermont-based The Stockwell Brothers and Oregon-based Fellow Pynins on Sunday, February 19 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.

Bruce, Barry, Alan, and Kelly Stockwell’s music spans traditional and progressive styles, but their trademark acoustic sound features new singer/songwriter material recast with banjo, alternative rhythms, and three-part harmonies. Featuring 2005 Merlefest bluegrass banjo contest winner Bruce Stockwell, The Stockwell Brothers have performed alongside artists from Bill Monroe, Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs to Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Jonathan Edwards and Asleep At The Wheel, recorded with Mike Auldridge and Phil Rosenthal of the bluegrass supergroup The Seldom Scene, and toured throughout the United States and in Canada and Europe.


Twilight on the Tavern Lawn presents Low Lily on Sunday, August 25

Twilight Music concludes its 17th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, zydeco, Celtic, jazz, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, August 25 with folk and Americana trio Low Lily.  The seventh and final concert of the 2019 series begins at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain.


Twilight on the Tavern Lawn presents Planet Zydeco on Sunday, August 11

Twilight Music continues its 17th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, zydeco, Celtic, jazz, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, August 11 with Planet Zydeco performing their high energy accordion/guitar driven dance music of Louisiana.  The seven concert series continues every other Sunday through August 25.  All concerts begin at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain.


Sam Reider and The Human Hands plus Aura Shards at Next Stage on Saturday, August 3

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music’s “Rising Star” concert series continues with Sam Reider and The Human Hands, a “staggeringly virtuosic band” (RnR Magazine) of Brooklyn-based bluegrass and jazz musicians, plus Brattleboro-based world fusion duo Aura Shards, at Next Stage on Saturday, August 3 at 7:30 pm.  NSAP and Twilight Music are committed to supporting young, emerging artists, and the new series puts the spotlight on exciting, ready-to-be-discovered performers who are appearing at Next Stage for the first time.


Twilight on the Tavern Lawn presents the Julian Gerstin Sextet on Sunday, July 28

Twilight Music continues its 17th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, zydeco, Celtic, jazz, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, July 28 with the Julian Gerstin Sextet performing original jazz influenced by rhythms and melodies of the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.  The seven concert series continues every other Sunday through August 25.  All concerts begin at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain.  The series is sponsored by the Town of Putney, Green Mountain Well, Soundview Paper Company, The Putney Food Co-op, The Stockwell Brothers and many other Putney area businesses and organizations.  The concerts are free to the public (donations are accepted) and food will be available.  For more information, call 802-387-5772 or visit www.twilightmusic.org.


Twilight on the Tavern Lawn presents Cantrip on Sunday, July 14

Twilight Music continues its 17th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, zydeco, Celtic, jazz, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, July 14 with high energy Scottish music bagpipes/fiddle/guitar trio Cantrip.  The seven concert series continues every other Sunday through August 25.  All concerts begin at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain.