DENVER, COLO. (3/4/08) -- Since 1979, Swallow Hill Music Association has brought the best acoustic, folk and roots music in the Rocky Mountain Region. Late spring and early summer bring everything from slices of Americana to newgrass, and funky roots to down-home country bluegrass. In June our annual tradition, the Shady Grove Picnic Picnic Series presented in honor of Carol Gossard, returns with a vengeance with a mix of old favorites plus new, up-and-coming artists, all in the serene setting of Four Mile Historic Park. Tickets are now available online at www.swallowhillmusic.org or by phone at (303) 777-1003.

HIGHLIGHTS

Lucy Kaplansky w/Lucky Wainwright Roche
Friday, May 2 at 8 p.m.
Lucy Kaplansky is a rising star, having recorded myriad albums of her own as well as collaborating with artists from Shawn Colvin to John Gorka, and on several soundtracks including Pretty in Pink. She comes to Swallow Hill with her new, Over the Hills, which explores universal themes of love, joy, loss, and dreams for the future, through reflections on family. Lucy Wainwright Roche, the daughter of Loudon Wainwright and Suzzy Roche of The Roches, will open for Kaplansky with her refreshing sound and unadorned style.

Marley's Ghost
Friday, May 9 at 8 p.m.
Since forming in the mid-1980s, Marley’s Ghost has built a singular reputation among discerning roots music lovers for its instrumental virtuosity, ultra-tight four-part harmonies and animated live performances. This year marks their 20-year anniversary and they're celebrating their eighth release, Spooked, which is their first to get a full-fledged national release. It's a musically sophisticated, thematically rich, frequently hilarious piece of work that was produced by the legendary Van Dyke Parks and with art packaging done by acclaimed cartoonist R. Crumb.

Laura Love
Saturday, May 10 at 8 p.m.
Singer, songwriter, bassist, and published author Laura Love is back with her 10th CD on her label, Octoroon Biography. Titled NeGrass (2007), it is an acoustic collection of traditional and original field hollers, Negro spirituals, and folk songs, produced by Barbara Lamb and recorded in Nashville with some of the finest bluegrass musicians in North America, including Tim O'Brien, Jeff Autry, Scott Vestal, and Alice Vestal, among others. Love sometimes refers to her style as "folk-funk," "Afro-Celtic," or "hip-Alachian," but regardless of how she is described, she has an uncanny ability to get her audience to listen beyond their own musical boundaries.

Michael Chapdelaine
Friday, May 16 at 8 p.m.
As the only guitarist ever to win First Prize in the world's top competitions in both the classical and finger style genres—the Guitar Foundation of America International Classical Guitar Competition and the National Fingerstyle Championships at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival at Winfield—Michael Chapdelaine continues to enchant, dazzle, and surprise audiences and critics alike as he redefines the modern acoustic guitar. In addition to his myriad performance awards, he is also an instructor, delivering master classes throughout the world, and is also an arranger and producer.

Jimmy Ibbotson
Saturday, May 17 at 8 p.m.
Former Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member Jimmy Ibbotson was with the Band for 27 years during which they won numerous accolades, from Grammy wins to gold and platinum records. His voice is often credited with giving new country music a direction to model, songs have been recorded by other music greats such as John Denver and Emmylou Harris. Ibbotson's performances are entertaining, filled with humor and music that ranges from country ballads to rollicking, fun anthems.

O'Brien Family Band & Mary Huckins w/special guests
Friday, May 23 at 8 p.m.
With a special blend of Western, bluegrass, old-time country, and original music, the O'Brien Family Band has earned a reputation as "the family that entertains families," and their hot picking has also won them numerous awards across the U.S. on fiddle, mandolin, singing, and guitar. They will be joined by Mary Huckins and special guests to be announced. Mary Huckins, a member of the popular folk trio, Dakota Blonde, is also an acclaimed songwriter, whose song "Dig Real Deep" recently received top honors in the Chris Austin Song Contest at MerleFest in Wilkboro, N.C.

Mack Bailey w/Rachel Levy
Saturday, May 24 at 8 p.m.
Hailed as "the next great singer in folk music" by no less an authority than Glenn Yarbrough, Mack Bailey was the original tenor in the fabulous world-renowned folk trio, The Limeliters, and for almost two decades has been a principle member of the reunited 1960s group, The Hard Travelers. A WAMMIE winner for Best Traditional Folk Performer, he will be joined by his wife and collaborator, Rachel Levy. Their song, “Lucky Man," was chosen as a finalist in the 2006 Mid-Atlantic song contest in the country/bluegrass category.

Ben Senterfit & Friends
Friday, June 6 at 8 p.m.
Ben Senterfit is back to put on a show with a little help from his friends. Since the early 1990s, Senterfit has recorded and released seven full-length releases and been a session musician on more than a dozen other recordings. He has performed and opened for such acts as Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Maceo Parker, Spearhead, and Medeski, Martin and Wood, and was with several popular groups of his own, including the Wayfarers, Chitlin, Zuba, and United Dope Front. In 2000 he released a debut solo effort called Soulwave, and his second release is due out this summer.

Bill Staines
Saturday, June 7 at 8 p.m.
For more than 35 years, Bill has traveled back and forth across North America, singing his songs and delighting audiences at festivals, folksong societies, colleges, concerts, clubs, and coffeehouses. He became involved with the Boston-Cambridge folk scene in the early 1960s, and, for a time, emceed the Sunday hootenanny at the renowned Club 47 in Cambridge, quickly becoming a popular performer in the Boston area. A number of his songs have been recorded by other artists including Peter, Paul, & Mary, Makem and Clancy, Nanci Griffith, Mason Williams, The Highwaymen, Glen Yarborough, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Grandpa Jones, and he has recorded 22 albums over the course of his career.

U.S. Pipe: Unplugged
Friday, June 13 at 8 p.m.
U.S. Pipe is Colorado's premier funk band, whose makeup hearkens back to bands like Sly and the Family Stone—a real diverse set of colorful characters whose combined energies make for a live performance unlike any other. The band started in 2005 as Chris "Citrus" Sauthoff, a then-stage manager and guitarist for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, sought to start his own project. In 2007 they were recognized by Westword as one of the top funk bands in their annual Music Showcase, and in both 2007 and 2008 they opened for P-Funk. This show will be an acoustic funk hootenanny, of sorts, with special guests from the extended Swallow Hill community to explore funk's roots.

Ernie Martinez: CD Release Concert
Saturday, June 14 at 8 p.m.
The wait is over as versatile musician and Swallow Hill community member and teacher Ernie Martinez unveils his long-awaited debut solo CD. The CD and this performance feature special guests, among them members of Dakota Blonde, John Chandler & the Wichitones, Reckless Abandon, and Loose Cannon.

Upcoming Concerts: