Write a commentThe Oswego Music Hall is excited about bringing the edgy, genre-bending trio that's making waves – We're About 9 (WA9) – to its stage, 8 p.m., Saturday, March 15.
"With a sound that "colorfully blends acoustic guitar-backed harmonies with pop, blues, and coffeehouse rock, this trio from Baltimore delivers a positively enthralling performance," according to Singer Magazine critic, Robert Lindquist.
And adding to the fun, the WA9 show will be opened by another duo known for one of the most exciting sounds in today's folk (ish) music scene, IlyAIMY (I love you And I Miss You). Both groups have performed in venues up and down the eastern United States from main stages at folk festivals – like Falcon Ridge and Clearwater – and summer concert series to house concerts and biker weekends, plus everything in between, like colleges and coffeehouse settings similar to Oswego's Music Hall.
The We're About 9 trio – Katie Graybeal, Brian Gundersdorf, and Pat Klink – brings complex vocal harmonies and a poignant, outside-the-box songwriting approach to an upbeat, fun show. The trio has been performing for more than10 years now, ever since their open mic shows started flooding both floors of the coffee house in Ellicott City, MD, breaking the fire code, and spilling out into the street. After the weekly open mic ended, the music continued outside in the parking lot. It was in the magical location of Parking Lot D that Graybeal, Gundersdorf and Klink first started sculpting their distinctive vocal harmony arrangements.
Emerging in a music scene where they would play shows to everything from high school kids to mature folkies, We're About 9 said it was was inspired to forge a sound and a songwriting style that would appeal to both audiences. The traditional "family music" vibe wouldn't have worked. We're About 9 knew they needed to be edgy, charming, dissonant and robust. And while they needed to work hard and take the craft seriously, the presentation needed to be all about fun. A good part of their success is proof that they discovered the secret to defying the age gap.
Fast forward two years to 2002, and We're About 9 won the emerging artist showcase vote at The Falcon Ridge Folk festival. Within another two years, the band played the main stages at Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, Philadelphia Folk Fest, Clearwater Revival, Four Corners Folk Fest, Mountain Stage New Songs Fest, and many more–at the same time touring though out east coast. In 2008 We're About 9 released Paperdust :: Stardust, an album that shows off the duo (Katie and Brian) on some songs, the trio (Brian, Katie and Pat) on others, along with special guests. Their second release, Amalgam, came out in 2010.
Opening this twofer show is ilyAIMY (i love you And I Miss You), a percussive acoustic rock duo hailing from Baltimore, MD. ilyAIMY mixes genres from rock to folk to soul to bluegrass and flavors as varied as jazz and hip hop to create what is undoubtedly one of the most exciting sounds in today's acoustic music scene. Recently voted "Most-Wanted Artist" by the audiences at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, ilyAIMY combines award-winning songwriting, tight male/female harmonies, signature intricate slap-style guitar work, ukulele, djembe and a curiously Muppet-like stage presence into an exquisite package.
Like We're About 9, these artists have been performing coast to coast for at least a decade. In the past year alone they have received accolades from Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance, and the National Association for Campus Activities, and over the years have played everything from bait shops, to biker weeks, colleges and coffeehouses and clothing-optional resorts.
With the tag line "Short Format Fiction :: Large Format Harmony," We're About 9 promises to give a unique performance based on careful songwriting, musical prowess and a dynamic stage presence.
Partnered with ilyAIMY, that "ain't your grandpa's folk music . . . fearless writers and performers" with voices so "rich and emotionally hard-hitting – equal parts velvet darkness, barely contained heartbreak, and hard-won, unstoppable joy (Pat Wictor, Brother Sun)," this concert is one the young at heart should not miss.
Read and hear more at http://www.ilyaimy.com/ and http://www.wereabout9.com/index.html, and then enjoy a Saturday night at the all-volunteer, family-friendly Music Hall – also known as the Ontario Center for Performing Arts. The venue is the McCrobie Civic Center, 41 Lake St., Oswego.
The atmosphere is intimate with candle-lit tables surrounding a small stage. Homemade desserts, popcorn and beverages will be available for purchase.
Tickets can be purchased on-line at http://oswegomusichall.org/ or at the River's End bookstore, 19 W. Bridge St., in Oswego. Holders of tickets purchased before 1 pm on the day of the concert will have preferred seating. After 1 p.m., seating will be general admission. Ticket prices are $12 if purchased in advance and $14 at the door. Children 12 and younger are half-price; younger than 5 is free. For the best deal – lowest ticket prices and prime seating – Season passes are available and may be purchased at any show. For information, contact membership secretary, Carol Forrest at 343-2988.
The Music Hall's next concert this season will be the vibrant and driven darlings of the Canadian acoustic pop scene, Dala, on April 6, 2013.
Music Hall concerts are made possible in part with funding by the NYS Council on the Arts.
For more information call 315-342-1733 or access the Music Hall website at http://oswegomusichall.org/.
