Thurs. 5/12, 8pm, $5:
Historic Monument 157, 3110 N. Broadway, 90031
Walter Spencer:
Walter Spencer has been playing Bluerass and Old Time around Los Angeles for 20 or so years. But it wasn’t till a trip to Weiser, idaho in 1999 when his VW van conked out in between the campsites of Pig Iron and the Dickel Brothers, it was there in Stickerville did his love affair with old time and portland begin. Playing, gigging, recording and partying often in Portland with Foghorn, Flat Mountain Girls, as well as playing on the last three Water Tower Bucket Boys CD’s.
So in fact, Walter learned about this beautiful music from the South East from the Pacific Northwest
He also shot a documentary on the Portland Old Time Community parts of it can be seen here and here.
Walter Spencer is happy to be part of the LA OLD TIME SOCIAL and will play a set of tunes on solo guitar and banjo.
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The Driftwood Singers are an Appalachian style close-harmony group from Los Angeles, CA. Kris Hutson rotates between guitar, banjo and mandolin while harmonizing with Pearl Charles, who strums the autoharp. Together, the two perform a unique blend of original and traditional music that is certain to charm any audience.
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Modal Tease, an old time string band, is serving’ up sizzling hot slices of American Folk Tradition to music lovers in Southern California and beyond. We grew out of the Los Angeles old-time music scene, where folks meet regularly to jam and share tunes “around the campfire.” Our penchant for modal tunes brought us together, and our fascination with obscure crooked tunes and other “jam busters” sealed the deal. Modal Tease the band was born in 2009 and we’ve been playing Farmer’s Markets, Concerts, Dances, and Living Rooms ever since.
Belinda Thom on the Devil’s Box (fiddle) and Cliff Latimer on mandolin belt out tight unison melodies and vocal harmonies. With Jim Hamilton on claw-hammer banjo and Larry Ullman on standup bass, we play hard-driving dance numbers, archaic fiddle and banjo tunes, songs and ballads. We respect and protect the old time traditions but like to serve them up in fresh new ways.
As life stampedes along, we delight in transporting folks back to an earlier time, to a porch in Southern Appalachia, where fireflies buzz and neighbors retire after a hard days work to commune with their culture, making music by-hand.