Alien Folklife: Duo Bio
ALIEN BEGINNINGS (Please scroll down for individual bios, discography and selected venues)
Joan Kosby and Paul Mercer met while studying folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Paul’s hometown of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. The two founded the St. John’s Folk Music Club, began performing some songs together, and appeared at the first Newfoundland Folk Festival. After finishing their master’s degrees, Joan lured Paul away from the Land of Snow and Fog to upstate New York, and a duo was born.
Just as they were establishing themselves as performers, Joan suffered a back injury and developed other health problems that almost completely sidelined their music career for several years. They kept a hand in by appearing in local multi-performer concerts and benefits. As Joan’s health improved, they returned to performing and began writing songs together. Gradually they moved from a repertoire of traditional and contemporary music from North America and Britain, with a few originals included, to one of all original material. They are known for their evocative lyrics, vocal blend, and ability to careen from powerfully moving songs to broad comedy, always bringing their audiences along for the ride.
ALIENS ON RECORDINGS
Alien Folklife's first release was a 1991 cassette, Fast Company (now out of print), followed in 1997 by their debut CD, Double Vision. "Thomas Cat," from Double Vision, was featured on "The Dr. Demento Show," and included on Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes 6. It has also become one the most requested songs on Robert Conrad's syndicated program, "Weekend Radio." Paul's song, "Johnny Burke," from Fast Company, was covered by national touring artists Priscilla Herdman, Anne Hills and Cindy Mangsen on their Voices release.
Alien Folklife's latest CD, Down to Earth (2003), was produced by award-winning Canadian producer Paul Mills at his Millstream studio in Toronto. "Paul Mills produced the late Stan Rogers' recordings. Stan was--and is--legendary in Canada, and he's still one of our favorite songwriters," explains Paul. "So when Paul Mills asked us if we'd be interested in working with him, after he heard us at a music conference, we were blown away! Here was someone whose work we've admired for years asking if we'd like to work with him!"
"We're very proud of this CD," adds Joan. "Paul Mills held us to a very high standard--which is exactly what we wanted--and I think that's evident on every cut."
Guest artists on Down to Earth include Tracy Grammer on violin and the mysterious "Curly Boy Stubbs" (alias Paul Mills) on guitar, mandolin, ukulele and percussion. Mills' skillful but spare production highlights the spirit of each of the disc's eleven songs, from the heartbreaking ballad, "Never Trust a Carny," to the outrageous, "Termite Farts."
. . . ON THE ROAD
Touring primarily in the Northeast, Joan and Paul have performed in coffeehouses, concerts, festivals, folk clubs and colleges. They are regular performers at the legendary Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, New York, North America's oldest continously running coffeehouse. They've also toured England twice, where they were warmly received. Their festival appearances include the Old Songs Festival in Altamont, New York, and England's Bridgnorth Festival. Joan and Paul performed in a juried showcase at the 2004 Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) conference, and were finalists in the 2005 South Florida Folk and Acoustic Music Festival's singer-songwriter competition.
. . . AND THE RADIO
Alien Folklife's live radio appearances include repeat performances on such long-running programs as "A Hudson River Sampler" (WAMC, Northeast Public Radio) and "Bound for Glory" (WVBR, Ithaca, New York). Other radio performances include "Performance Place" and "Dancing on the Air" (both on WAMC), as well as on "Mostly Folk" (WRPI, Troy, New York), and the BBC in Shropshire, England.