Fri 5/4 @ 7:30PM
Kalamazoo, Michigan’s Red Tail Ring — the duo of Michael Beauchamp and Laura Premo — take old-time country/folk sounds and adapt them for the present. Their repertoire combines traditional tunes and original material with a traditional feel, as they entwining merge their voices and instruments — including guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo — in sympathetic harmony. There’s a naturalness and directness to their music, which belies the fact that he has a degree in ethnomusicology and she in performing artist technology (she also studying traditional Finnish music in Helsinki). There’s nothing overly studied about this music.
Since forming in 2009, the duo has released four full-length studio albums (the latest is 2016’s Fall Away Blues) and toured extensively, playing dozens of bluegrass and traditional music festivals across the U.S. and Europe. Their music is tailor-made for rustic venues such as Oberlin’s Riverdog Gallery where they’ll be performing this trip through town.
Opening for Red Ring Tail is Oberlin Conservatory’s seven-member Camille Vogley-Howes & PI Ensemble, a student group that works on performance and improvisation through a variety of world music styles.
The Riverdog folks tell us, “Our friend, Jamey Haddad, Oberlin’s professor of advanced improvisation and percussion has assured us this group will knock our socks off and that is good enough for us!”
Admission is a $15 suggested donation at the door and it’s always good to call (440-965-8309) to make a reservation since the gallery capacity is limited. There’ll be free snacks but you are always welcome to bring your own cooler and/or picnic basket.