The Blue Moon Sundays concert series is held at The Blue Moon Cafe located on North Princess Street, at the corner of Princess and High, in Shepherdstown WV.  The concerts are presented in a non-smoking, listening room atmosphere.  Doors open at 5:30pm, dinner is served from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, and shows start at 7:00pm.  Admission is @ the door.  Dinner reservations, with show to follow, may be made by calling the Blue Moon Cafe at 304-876-1920.   For more information, contact Cheryl Mansley at 304-702-0554 or bluemoonsundays@....  Or, visit the Blue Moon website at www.bluemoonshepherdstown.com.

 

JULY:

1st  DANE GALLOWAY JAZZ TRIO, SHEPHERD UNIVERSITY STUDENT KIPYN MARTIN, BROTHERS BRANDON & ANDREW SMITH, AND FATHER AND SON, ERIC AND LOGAN HUGHES

*An Evening Celebrating Young Artists*

Dane Galloway, of Frederick, Maryland, is still a high school student, and he's making waves in the world of Jazz.  Dane, on organ/piano, will perform with Anna Meadors on Saxophone, and Nick Palmisano on Drums/Percussion.  Meadors just graduated from Linganore High School and will be attending Peabody Conservatory of Music next year. Palmisano will be a senior at Linganore High.  Kipyn Martin, a Jefferson County, WV, native, is a music major at Shepherd University. Though the past few years have been occupied by her studies, she continues to write and perform her own songs.  After high school graduation, Cheryl Mansley, founder of the RiverHouse Concerts, invited Martin to open for a few shows.  In doing so, Martin met acoustic blues artist, Pops Walker.  Since then, she and Pops have shared many a stage. 

A devout musician, Martin enjoys all aspects of music creation and loves to play!  She has been compared to artists such as Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell, but hopes to develop her own unique style as she continues down her musical path.  Brothers Brandon and Andrew Smith will also be performing, as will father and son, Eric and Logan Hughes.   Eric has been playing guitar and singing for 25 years.  His son, Logan, has been playing for five, but is already teaching guitar lessons!   Logan plans to attend Shepherd University this coming year and major in music. 

 

15th  ROBBIN THOMPSON

Website: www.robbinthompson.com

One Man, One Guitar & One of the Most Distinctive Voices Around!

Former Springsteen Bandmate - Robbin was lead singer in Steel Mill - he's shared the stage with Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Hornsby, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash...just to name a few!

 

22nd  THE DREAMSICLES

Website: www.thedreamsicles.com

Tom Prasada-Rao & Cary Cooper!

Two Voices and a Guitar - Intricate Harmonies with a little Cheerleading thrown in - Love Songs for Grown Ups!

 

29th -  ELIOT POPKIN

Website: www.eliotpopkin.comm

Eliot Popkin began writing poetry and singing at age six.  A musical scholar, both in the classroom and the studio, he

graduated from Berklee College of Music in three years with a Bachelor of Arts in Songwriting. 

After a critically-acclaimed debut, Eliot took time off to write his latest album entitled "Endless Ride."  With a fine supporting cast, including

 James Taylor and Chaka Khan, Popkin has delivered a fine 11-song collection of pop and acoustic rock gems.
BILLBOARD WORLD SONG CONTEST: HONORABLE MENTION for "The Reason Why"
LA MUSIC AWARD: Nominated for BEST MALE SINGER/SONGWRITER
MUSE'S MUSIC AWARDS: BEST ADULT CONTEMPORARY MALE CD "Endless Ride"
BEST ADULT CONTEMPORARY SONG: "The Reason Why"
BEST BALLAD:"The Reason Why"
INTERNET MAINSTREAM CHART w/ over 1.8 million impressions: "Endless Ride" debuted at # 92
HONOR AWARD winner in the 6th Annual GREAT AMERICAN SONG CONTEST: "The Reason Why"

 

AUGUST:

 

5th  CLIFF EBERHARDT

Website: www.cliffeberhardt.com

A superb singer whose songs have been covered by the likes of Ritchie Havens, Buffie St. Marie, and the folk superstar band "Cry, Cry, Cry."   Bluesy guitar playing and soulful, Ray Charles-like vocals - the missing link between Paul McCartney and Cole Porter.

 

12th  THE BLUE RHYTHM BOYS

Website: www.yellowcarmusic.com/tommitchell

Blending the blues of Mississippi John Hurt with the hot club swing of Django Reinhardt, The Blue Rhythm Boys delight audiences with their tight vocals, hot guitar playing and smoky mix of hot jazz, blues and hokum!

 

19th - MORWENNA LASKO & JAY PUN 

Website:   www.mojamusic.net

Morwenna Lasko & Jay Pun defy the boundaries of acoustic music.

Hailing from Charlottesville, VA, this duo has more raw talent and natural style than you ever thought was possible.  Morwenna's unfathomable expertise and pure unity with her violin supply lush, melodic lines and soulful, rhythmic chopping commonly heard in acts such as the Turtle Island String Quartet, Darol Anger and Casey Driessen. Jay's guitar, on the other hand, blends the funky, percussive finger-style groove reminiscent of his mentor Pierre Bensusan with the colorful tunings of Joni Mitchell.  With influences ranging from Bach to The Roots and everything in between, their music surpasses eclectic into a transcendent realm.   With the release of their debut album, Etopia (which features Corey Harris on the title track), Morwenna and Jay put together their individual unique sounds and have found their collective groove.

These gifted musicians will take your breath away and leave you begging for more.

 

26th - SHENANDOAH BLUE BLUEGRASS BAND

Website:  www.shenblue.com

Award-winning Bluegrass with amazing musicianship, fantastic harmonies, and a touch of gospel.

DAVE MACGLASHAN - upright bass

KEVIN MALLOW – fiddle and vocals

KEITH WADDELL - guitar and vocals

SCOTT WALKER - banjo and vocals

 

SEPTEMBER:

 

2nd  THE KENNEDYS 

Website: www.KennedysMusic.com

Website: www.myspace.com/thekennedysmusic

Modern Folk-Rock - Pete and Maura Kennedy met at the Continental Club in Austin Texas.  Within a few weeks, they went on their first date at Buddy Holly's grave in Lubbock, TX, and within a year, they were touring together, as part of Nanci Griffith's band.    In a dusty little dressing room on the top floor of Dublin's Olympia theatre, they penned the songs that would become their first CD, "River of Fallen Stars".  

 The CD was awarded the "Indie" award in 1995 for "Best Adult Contemporary CD" by the National Association of Independent Record Distributors.    Eight CDs and half a million miles of touring later, they enjoy loyal followings in both the guitar camp and the singer-songwriter set.   Ultimately it's their tight harmonies, their chemistry, and their unashamedly idealistic outlook that has carved them their own niche in the studio and onstage.

 

9th THE DREAMSCAPES PROJECT

Website: www.thedreamscapesproject.com

Keith Center (12-String Acoustic Guitar/Vocals), Ben Guy (Cello/Vocals), Jeremy Rodgers (Electric Bass),

Gordon Shankman )Percussion), and Eric Sanford (Percussion)!  Washington Post "Best Bets" 2006 - Highest ranked unsigned original act in DC.

Washington DC Finalist - Emergenza International Battle of the Bands - June 2005

Runner up in the DC Finals for 2005 and only act to ever reach the DC Finals twice.

Best Bassist in the Washington Region - Emergenza International Battle of the Bands - June 2005

Editors Choice - mp3.washingtonpost.com - August 2004

Ranked #1 in the Washington Region by popular vote - Emergenza International Battle of the Bands - June 2004

Achieved one of the highest popular votes in the Nation, overtaking almost 100 other regional acts for the title.

Best Rhythm Guitarist in the Washington Region - Emergenza International Battle of the Bands - June 2004

1st Place - Jaxx Battle of the Bands - October 2002 - The areas largest head to head battle featuring almost 200 area bands and $10,000 worth of prizes.

 

16th MENAGE

Website: www.themenage.com

There’s an exotic subtext to the word “ménage;”: the promise of delights uncommon and often seductive.  Mary Ellen Bush and Sarah McDonald are the gifted talents that merged to form “Ménage,” a band whose intimate, harmonic landscapes echo the authenticity of  Emmylou Harris, the Indigo Girls, and Neil Young.  While legendary predecessors inform any current artist, Ménage has etched their own signature perspective: folk-rooted melodies wrapped in a bluesy swing, conveyed in grooves ranging from smoky, rollicking roadhouse, to dreamy, three-quarter waltz.  Ménage’s collective musicianship underscores lyrics of whimsy and gravitas delivered in unfettered harmony, sparked by the occasional Texas croon.  Solid stringed riffs laced with distant artful flashes of harmonica and accordion are siren songs to those lucky enough to be within earshot.

 

23rd CRAIG BICKHARDT

Website: www.craigbickhardt.com

Soulful vocals, virtuoso guitar playing, a literary songwriting style, a veteran's experience as a recording artist, perfomer, and writer of songs for Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, B. B. King, Alison Krauss and others.  His songwriting credits read like a Who's Who of the music industry.  Ray Charles, B. B. King, Johnny Cash, The Judds, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Allison Krauss, Anne Murray, Art Garfunkel, Poco, and Vince Gill are just a few of the many luminaries who have recorded Craig Bickhardt's songs.  Craig's signature finger picking guitar style can be heard on CDs by The Judds, Kathy Mattea, Jonathan Edwards, Suzy Bogguss, and others who invited him to sit in. Bickhardt now regularly appears in concert around the country, often sharing the bill with Livingston Taylor, Maura O'Connell, Suzy Bogguss and others.  If you ever saw the movie Tender Mercies starring Robert Duvall, you heard Duvall sing one of Craig's songs.

 

 

30th  ELLEN MCILWAINE - SLIDE GUITAR LEGEND

Website: www.ellenmcilwaine.com

Two years ago, Ellen McIlwaine performed at a RiverHouse show, and everyone in attendance helped her celebrate her 60th birthday.  That was October 1, 2005.  Well, she's coming back, and we're going to celebrate her birthday again!  So, come and join in the fun!  McIlwaine uses the Blues as a spring-board spanning Blues, Reggae, Funk, and Rock.  According to the National Times in Australia, "McIlwaine has helped redefine woman's place in Rock Music."  "E.M. is down-and-dirty Delta swamp slide blues: she is the whole-and-nothing-but-the-soul-banging gospel truth." Woodstock Times, NY.   McIlwaine used to perform with Jimi Hendrix.  These days she plays with Taj Mahal.

 

OCTOBER:

 

7th  SONS OF THE NEVER WRONG

Website: www.sons.com

A folk trio from Chicago that has been creating original "turbo-charged folk music" for 14 years to a cult-like national following.  Although the band name harkens back to the traditional harmonies of old-time acts, Sons are anything but.  The Son's 5 CD releases have brought them stunning national and international reviews and extensive radio-play.  It is their live performances though that win the audience's hearts.  The group can barely stand still on stage and insty-choreography results in a non-stop show of stories,  dancing, and odd-ball humor. Yet it is when the three step up to the mic and give out one of their many stunningly arranged songs, that you know you are in for something special.  Some music you've got to hear to enjoy, this you gotta see...  Sue Demel on vocals, guitar, drums, strumstick, Deborah Lader on vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo, and Bruce Roper on vocals, guitar, and harmonica.

 

14th  VALERIE SMITH & LIBERTY PIKE

Website: www.valeriesmithonline.com

Bluegrass!!!  "Valerie Smith and her amazing band are a breath of fresh air.  Onstage, they present visually beautiful and exciting performances with exceptional musicality.  Offstage, they are like family and best friends to everyone, always willing to share that which makes them so very special - their music, their hearts, and their souls."

 

21st - CAM MILLER ENSEMBLE 

Trombonist Cam Millar's original jazz compositions have been heard in his native Canada on CBC's Jazz Radio Canada as well as the Calgary and Edmonton International Jazz Festivals. He has appeared in big bands led by Bob Brookmeyer, Maria Schneider, Doc Severinson, Vince Giordano (NYC), Lew Anderson (NYC), and many others, including an evening subbing in the Count Basie Orchestra.

 He can be heard playing with many local West Virginian musicians in all styles of music, and is currently an adjunct professor at Shepherd University teaching composition, sound design, and recording techniques. He also teaches Music Appreciation/History at Blue Ridge Tech College in Martinsburg. His original film scores include work for the US National Park Service, numerous independent film producers, and modern dance choreographers in DC and NYC.

 

28th  AMY SPEACE & THE TEARJERKS

Website: www.amyspeace.comm

Speace's arresting voice combines the best parts of Lucinda Williams and Roseanne Cash with an unflagging sense of 21st century hipness, which makes perfect sense since she's a folk-rocker from New York City.  A stage actress with the National Shakespeare Company who has acted off-Broadway, she is no stranger to the stage and seeps with artistic pizzazz.  An outstanding vocalist, it's no wonder she's on ruby-throated Judy Collins' private label, Wildflower.  A wise choice on the label's part!  And, she isn't the innocent, sweet-looking folkie girl with a guitar she might appear to be. She grew up on Hank, Patsy, Waylon, Willie and Johnny, has a fluid, crystal clear voice that can soar and growl, writes a pretty hummable tune, and is backed by one of the best damn bands around. It took a few years on the folk scene to figure out that she liked her music with tequila and whiskey, rather than wine spritzers. So she put down the Taylor, picked up the Gibson, put together her hotshot band The Tearjerks, with dueling guitar players James Mastro

(The Jayhawks, Ian Hunter, Health & Happiness Show),  handling the rock,  and Rich Feridun, chicken-picking like no man from Jersey should, rounded out by Brooklyn bass player Matt Lindsey and drummer-about-town Jagoda. With the band in tow, she's been playing her Americana/rock all the way up and down the East Coast. She spends a bit of time in Nashville, writing the country stuff too, but she's no powder-puff country pop gal. Think Shelby Lynne, Lucinda with a sweeter voice, a bit of Allison and early Linda Rondstadt. Don't miss this  "Woman Who Rocks!"

 

NOVEMBER:

 

4th  ANGIE NUSSEY

Website: www.angienussey.com

When Canadian Angie Nussey first contacted producer Cheryl Mansley, Mansley asked her to send a CD.  Nussey did....and Mansley was hooked!  Nussey's music left a lasting impression, so much so that over the years Mansley has tried numerous times to bring Nussey to West Virginia.  Since the artist is young and would have to travel all the way from Canada, it wasn't a simple thing to do.  But, the two kept trying, and now it's finally happening!  So, here she comes!  In an industry that generally covets glossy image over human substance, Angie Nussey is defying the laws of commercial success by garnering the attention of music critics, record companies, and mainstream media all as an independent artist who writes and performs without gimmick or pretence.  With sales of over 3000 copies of her first full-length album,

nationally televised performances and regular play on CBC and College Radio across Canada, Angie Nussey has only just begun to make her impact on the Canadian music scene.  Her song  "No Choice" was donated to Save the Children Canada as part of Canadian television's Save the Children campaign.  At the Toronto Independent Music Awards she's won Best Acoustic Act, Best Female Performer twice, and Best Song!  And, for this year's Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards, she's nominated for three Awards!

 

11th  DAVID LAMOTTE

Website: www.davidlamotte.com

Guitar Spanking open-tuning Grooves and Folk-tinged Pop!  LaMotte pushes the envelope with challenging lyrics and unusual guitar tunings, but he also pays homage to folk tradition.   LaMotte has a strong commitment to peacemaking.  He has traveled from Bosnia to Belfast, and tours internationally each year promoting intercultural understanding through music.  His social consciousness is also evident in his work with at-risk high school students. His music has been honored with numerous awards and grants as well as artist sponsorships from Taylor Guitars and John Pearse Strings.  His song Dark and Deep was included on Songs Inspired By Literature, Chapter One, a benefit CD to raise money for adult literacy.   Other artists on that CD include Bruce Springsteen, Aimee Mann and Suzanne Vega.

 

18th  GERRY O'BEIRNE & ROSIE SHIPLEY

Websites: Gerry: www.gerryobeirne.com

Rosie: www.shipwhistle.com

O'Beirne is a Master Musician of the 6 and 12 string Guitar whose Instrumentals are out of this world.  Besides being a superlative guitarist, this native of Ireland is also a Beautiful Singer and a Powerful Performer. 

Rosie Shipley has been playing the fiddle since she was three years old.  Her music is a combination of Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, French Canadian, and American influences blended together in her own unique style.  She tours internationally with Irish singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist O’Beirne, performs in the mid-Atlantic region with the Washington, D.C.-based singer/guitarist Lisa Moscatiello, and has appeared as a guest fiddler and pianist with the Irish-American band Cherish the Ladies.  Shipley's music has taken her across the Untied States and to Ireland, Scotland, France, and New Zealand.

 

25th  TODD COYLE BAND, BANJERDAN, JAY SMAR 

Websites: Todd: www.flatrabbitmusic.com

BanjerDan: www.banjerdan.com

Jay Smar: www.kikomusic.com/jay

Todd's been playing guitar since he was 10 years old and gigging around West Virginia for twenty-five!  He's hosted or co-hosted 1,300 - give or take a few - open mics and plays folk, blues, pop, country and rock!  He's another one of the gifted Shepherdstown musician's musicians and he's played with'm all!  He recently released his third CD "Chop Wood Carry Water."  BanjerDan - bluegrass and beyond on banjo, guitar, mandolin and dobro!  There's fire in Jay's fiddle and it'll spread to your heart!  "A true traveling minstrel in the old Woody Guthrie tradition, Jay will play anything, anywhere, for anybody - Americana and original folk, guitar, fiddle, claw-hammer banjo, harmonica, and a little flat-footin'!

 

DECEMBER:

 

2nd  AL PETTAWAY & AMY WHITE

Website: www.alandamy.com

Award-winning, critcally acclaimed, passionate and playful - they are all that and they're married, too.   Al & Amy are an acoustic performing arts team committed to creating an intensely personal yet universal sound.  They draw inspiration from musical traditions across the globe and distill these myriad styles into a rich and unique voice – a timeless recipe for healing, heartfelt music.  During their live shows, Al & Amy capture the hearts of their audiences with the love they have for one another and the colorful stories about the places, history and events that inspire their music.  They invite their listeners to celebrate beauty and joy in all aspects of life.

 

9th  BETHANY YARROW & RUFUS CAPPADOCIA

Website: www.bethanyandrufus.com

“Unbelievable!” is the word most used by audiences when first hearing Bethany & Rufus, whose cello and voice duo breaks new musical ground, sliding with seamless ease between groove, jazz and a gritty, unvarnished approach to traditional folk music.   “900 MILES”, the duo's debut CD, blends Bethany’s hauntingly beautiful -- but sometimes explosively powerful -- voice with the mind-blowing, genre-bending

cello playing of Rufus Cappadocia. Bethany & Rufus have somehow managed to render timeless songs; such as 900 Miles, East Virginia, and St. James Infirmary; with a freshness and vitality that reviewers have found “simply astonishing,” pushing the boundaries of American roots music far into unexpected territory where intense groove meets sweet, heartbreaking soul.

 

16th  SONiA & DISAPPEAR FEAR

Website: www.disappearfear.com/home.php

Whether in the bomb shelters "Miklats" in Israel or summer camps in Palestine, colleges, festivals or venues around the world, SONiA is always striving to disappear fear and spread her message of Peace. She has been nominated for a Grammy and has won numerous awards for her albums.  She named her last studio CD "No Bomb Is Smart" and has used every opportunity she has to let people know that War is not the answer.   She Loves Out Loud and Proud and donates 18% of all downloads of her music to end World Hunger.   Jeep named her as one of 8 troubadours for their new National Campaign and video of the tour is currently on MTV.