Just Announced @ BSL - 6.29.11

::Just Announced::

Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas Tuesday September 20, 2011 @ 8:00 PM "Fraser, one of the most respected of all exponents of the Scots fiddle, would look long and hard to find a more appropriate cellist as a partner. Haas can switch just as effortlessly as Fraser from a gentle singing tone to driving, dancing melody. A positive joy." — The Scotsman Scottish fiddle and cello music of unrivaled beauty, eloquence, and passion. The musical partnership between Alasdair Fraser, long regarded as Scotland's premier fiddle ambassador, and the sizzlingly-talented young California cellist Natalie Haas may not seem an obvious one. Fraser, acclaimed by the San Francisco Examiner as "the Michael Jordan of Scottish fiddling," has a concert and recording career spanning 30 years, with a long list of awards, accolades, television credits, and feature performances on top movie soundtracks (Last of the Mohicans, Titanic). Fraser has been sponsored by the British Council to represent Scotland's music internationally, and received the Scottish Heritage Center Service Award for outstanding contributions to Scottish culture and traditions. Natalie Haas, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, wasn't even born when Alasdair was winning national fiddle competitions on the other side of the Atlantic. But this seemingly unlikely pairing is the fulfillment of a long-standing musical dream for Fraser, whose cutting-edge musical explorations took him full circle to find a cellist who could help him return the cello to its historical role at the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music. The duo's debut recording 'Fire & Grace' displays dazzling teamwork, driving, dancing rhythms, and the duo's shared passion for improvising on the melody and the groove of Scottish tunes. The two instruments duck and dive around each other, swapping melodic and harmonic lines, and trading rhythmic riffs. The recording won not only critical acclaim, but also the coveted the Scots Trad Music "Album of the Year" award, the Scottish equivalent of a Grammy. Tickets - $22, $32

An Evening of Music & Comedy with Dave Rave and Friends Friday September 23, 2011 @ 8:00 PM Dave Rave is a musician’s musician. To the general public, he’s the manic Teenage Head rhythm guitarist who graduated to lead singer and catapulted the band back into the charts; but musicians know him as a valued session player (Daniel Lanois, Andrew Loog Oldham, Alex Chilton, and countless others) who can play the best version of a song he’s never heard. Media continually notes “his sharp pop intelligence means the songwriting is of high standard.” Dave continues to produce incredible music in a wide variety of genres from jazz to folk to rockabilly to punk. But it is Dave’s pop sensibilities and his devotion to making music that is honest, intimate and real regardless of whether he touches you with smiles, tears or the occasional urge to pogo in your living room. Daves love of comedy made him have the idea to bring his favorite comics to join in on the fun: Mike Yard has become one of the hottest comedians touring the country today. In addition to being one of the most sought after acts on the college and university circuit, Mike's made a name for himself as one of New York City's premier comedians. Michael was honored to be named one of Comedy's most thought provoking comedians by The Black Comedy Awards. His quest to delve deeper into the minds of the masses paid off when Rev. Jessie Jackson invited Mike to perform twice for The Rainbow Coalition/ Operation PUSH national conventions in New York and Chicago. Mark Riccadonna is a hard working comic that gets the job done with a truthful style and a positive message. He doesn't just tell jokes; he turns stories into life. Mark has the charisma and is a gifted storyteller who can transform a crowd into an audience. The minute Mark gets on stage, you’ll laugh and feel like you've known him forever. His unique delivery and voice combined with his likeability on stage and off made Mark into a favorite in clubs and theatres everywhere. Also on the bill is writer and comedian: James Oakes. Tickets - $20, $30

Bob Malone Sunday October 9, 2011 @ 8:00 PM “Bob Malone doesn't just accompany himself on piano. He supports his singing with pulsating, roaring keyboard work that grabs you and shakes you until you cry for mercy.”— Keyboard Magazine Malone is currently on tour with John Fogerty of the Creedence Clearwater Revival. The man contains multitudes. Multitudes of rhythm, soul, jazz, blues, smoke and magic. He’s an astounding piano man, a deeply soulful singer and a tremendously gifted songwriter whose music merges strains of honky-tonk New Orleans, Memphis soul, Chicago blues, East Coast rock ‘n’ roll, the California sound and more, all rendered in a voice that marries the spirit of Dr. John with Elton John. He’s “the train that never stops,” as one writer put it – a musician forever on the road who has amassed a vast network of fans around the globe, all hungry for his newest musical offering. And now comes 'Ain’t What You Know,' the eagerly anticipated new album, produced and created with producer-guitarist Bob DeMarco. It’s Malone’s seventh album, and the first to be released both on vinyl and CD. It’s a new phase for Malone, an evolution of his expression both as a songwriter and performer. It’s both edgier and more intimate than his previous records, both sorrowful and celebratory because, like his fellow Jersey native Bruce Springsteen, Malone writes songs that cover the full gamut of human experience, from deeply blue to vividly exultant. Malone’s last two albums, the live “Malone Alone” and the 2006 studio effort “Born Too Late” earned Top 20 spots on the Living Blues, Roots Music Report and Earshot (Canada) radio charts, steady play on over 300 non-com and A3 radio stations, including Sirius and XM Satellite Radio, and high-profile play on syndicated shows such as Car Talk, Acoustic Café, and the Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour. Additionally, Malone has been a featured performer twice on The Price Is Right, and his songs have been heard on television shows including Jag, Felicity, Cupid, One Life To Live, The Young and the Restless, All My Children and films Hollywood Palms, Jaded, P.S. I Love You and One Eyed Horse. Tickets - $15, $25