Alien Folklife: Home
Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, New York will host this special tribute to four brilliant songwriters. All of them left us too soon, yet each left behind an incredible number of great songs. If you're not familiar with all of these wonderful writers, here's a little background on each:
Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans” was a big hit for Arlo Guthrie in 1972. Although Goodman never achieved much commercial success during his life, he was awarded two Grammies posthumously. Dave Carter was known for mystical, spiritual songs such as “When I Go,” but was equally at home with train and “road” songs. Kate Wolf wrote over two hundred songs in just fifteen years, including “Give Yourself to Love” and “Across the Great Divide.” Stan Rogers, one of Canada’s best-loved songwriters, created strikingly vivid portraits of working people, particularly those who labored at sea. He wrote such gems as “Barrett’s Privateers” and “The Mary Ellen Carter.”
Performers at this tribute are multi-instrumentalist and regional favorite Susan Trump, Falcon Ridge Festival regular Terry Kitchen, Stuart Markus from the up-and-coming trio Gathering Time, and Alien Folklife's Joan Kosby.
Click on the calendar link for further details about the show.
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And here's a little bit about who we are and what we do:
ALIEN FOLKLIFE presents a quirky blend of offbeat humorous pieces and heart-rending story songs, or "wrist-slitters and side-splitters." On the funny side, this duo of Joan Kosby and Paul Mercer writes songs about cats, dogs, soap operas, termites and telephones. On the flip side, their repertoire includes moving stories of loss, love, hope and healing. A few "normal" songs help keep things in balance. Wherever Alien Folklife is on the emotional spectrum, you'll find intelligent but accessible lyrics, creative arrangements, stellar vocal harmonies and heartfelt emotion.
A shared passion for contemporary and traditional folk music brought Canadian Paul Mercer and New Yorker Joan Kosby together. Joan's warm contralto and Paul's clear baritone combine to produce a vocal blend reminiscent of sibling duos. Their fingerstyle guitar work is crafted to support the lyrics without overshadowing them. Joan adds textural variety to Alien Folklife's sound with English concertina and percussion.
"The way Joan Kosby and Paul Mercer harmonize, given the specialness of their vocal blend, you just know they are two individuals who are very much in tune with one another. And this unique chemistry is utilized to the nth degree on some stunning original folk material." (Ellen Geisel, Dirty Linen)