Brittany Haas and Nic Gareiss Concert Benefits Schwamb Mill

Arlington, MA -- notloB Music returns to Park Avenue Congregational Church’s wonderful wooden and acoustically-alive hall, where in 2009 it presented several concerts, including Broken Blossoms, The Folk Arts Quartet, The Boston Boys, Joy Kills Sorrow and Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers. “I’m looking forward to again presenting in Arlington”, says notloB’s Jeff Boudreau. “Back in 2009 I was living in another town, but since moving here about five years ago I have become involved in local arts, community and non-profit events, and have wanted to again present in town. If this is concert is well-received, it will be the first of many at Park Avenue Congregational Church, and possibly other venues.

The concert rings in the New Year on Saturday, January 17 at 8:00pm (doors 7:30pm) with two notloB veterans, Brittany Haas (5-string fiddle - Haas Kowert Tice, 4tet, Crooked Still, Republic of Strings) and Nic Gareiss (Irish step dance – self, 4tet). Tickets are $15-20, with a discount for seniors and students. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Old Schwamb Mill, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary.

Ed Gordon, curator of the beneficiary states “We are pleased this concert will benefit The Old Schwamb Mill, financially and by giving us exposure. The Mill, celebrating its 150th anniversary, is a hidden treasure in Arlington Heights where one can experience the creation of oval and circular picture frames on antique machinery that dates from various phases of Schwamb family ownership (1864-1969).” Old Schwamb Mill is open for tours Tuesdays, Saturdays and by arrangement.

BRITTANY HAAS
http://brittanyhaas.com/
California-born Brittany Haas is widely regarded as one of the most influential fiddlers of her generation. She grew up honing her craft in fiddle camps nationwide, and came to her unique sound through the old-time fiddling of Bruce Molsky and the innovative stylings of Darol Anger. A prodigious youth, she began touring with Darol’s Republic of Strings at the age of 14. She simultaneously studied baboons in the evolutionary biology department of Princeton University (and minoring in music performance, composing with professor Dan Trueman) and joined seminal chamber-grass band Crooked Still. She has toured with them since, and also performed with Yonder Mountain String Band, Tony Trischka, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas (her cellist sister), Abigail Washburn, and The Waybacks. She played her fiddle on Steve Martin’s Grammy Award-winning CD, “The Crow,” and performed in his band on Letterman and SNL. She released her debut self-titled solo album at 17, produced by Darol Anger and featuring Bruce Molsky, Mike Marshall, Alison Brown and others. Currently residing in Nashville, she is the co-leader of the Brittany Haas/Dan Trueman band who released their debut record “CrissCross” in 2011. She also plays in a fiddle duo with Lauren Rioux, an all-girl indie old-time band called The Fundies, “4tet” with Cleek Schrey (hardanger fiddle/pump organ), Jordan Tice (guitar) and Nic Gareiss (percussive dance), a trio with Jordan Tice and Paul Kowert (bassist in the Punch Brothers), and a duo with Kai Welch.

“So here is a real roots musician in the most modern sense--Brittany Haas fiddles from a very deep and personal place, the way she feels it, the way she wants to hear it, with seemingly infinite facility, and a spirit that’s simply uplifting.” -- Bruce Molsky

“...a major fiddling talent has emerged.” -- Mark O’Connor
“She can shove the whole room around with her fiddle.” -- Danny Barnes
“A joy to listen to...” -- Alasdair Fraser
“There’s no one I’d rather listen to play the violin than Brittany Haas – her playing just slays me.” -- Matt Glaser
“Britt opens the window, gets out of the way, and the music floods through in a tide of joy.” -- Darol Anger

NIC GAREISS
http://www.nicgareiss.com/
Michigan-born dancer, musician, and dance researcher Nic Gareiss has been described by the Irish Times as “the human epitome of the unbearable lightness of being,” and “the most inventive and expressive step dancer on the scene” by the Boston Herald. His choreographic work re-imagines movement as a musical activity, recasting dance as medium that appeals to both eyes and ears. Gareiss draws from many percussive dance traditions to weave together a dance technique facilitating his love of improvisation, traditional footwork vocabulary, and musical collaboration. He has performed with many of the luminaries of contemporary traditional music and dance, including The Chieftains, The Gloaming, Darol Anger, Dervish, Buille, Liz Carroll, Genticorum, Bill Frisell, Yvon Mimeault, poet Aonghas MacNeacail, Step Afrika!, Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, Rhythm in Shoes, Bruce Molsky, Alasdair Fraser, and Martin Hayes.

In 2011 Gareiss was commissioned by the Cork Opera House to create and perform two new solo percussive dance pieces to celebrate the 75th birthday of composer Steve Reich. In 2013, he served as community liaison for the Wheatland Music Organization’s 40th Anniversary production ‘Carry it on...’, supervising a cast of 70 non-professional dancers from the state of Michigan. He received a Traditional Arts Commission from the Irish Arts Council to create a new duo fiddle and dance work with Caoimhín Ó Raghalliah. The resulting piece, MICE WILL PLAY had a sell-out run at the Project Arts Centre during the 2013 Dublin Fringe Festival.

Gareiss has concertized in Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada, and New Zealand and continues to tour and teach internationally, working with dance communities and presenting solo percussive dance choreography. Nic holds degrees in anthropology and music from Central Michigan University and recently completed his MA in ethnochoreology at the University of Limerick.

The Old Schwamb Mill is the oldest continuously operating mill site in the United States. There has been a mill operating at this site since c.1650. The current mill is a well-preserved 19th-century woodworking factory. The mill is open for tours Tuesdays and Saturdays, and by arrangement.

17 Mill Lane, Arlington, Massachusetts 02476
Phone (781) 643-0554
http://www.oldschwambmill.org/
https://www.facebook.com/OldSchwambMill

Attention foodies! Ticket holders are eligible for 10% off at Szechuan’s Dumpling Chinese Restaurant 1360 Mass Ave, present your ticket receipt to your server. Please base your tip on the full, not discounted, amount.

notloB Music Presents... Brittany Haas and Nic Gareiss, a Benefit for the Old Schwamb Mill
Park Avenue Congregational Church

50 Paul Revere Road, Arlington, MA

Saturday, January 17, 2015
Doors 7:30pm
Concert 8:00pm
$20 VIP seats, 50% of the sales go to the Old Schwamb Mill

$15 regular
$10 seniors and students

Tickets through eventbrite.com and, if not sold out, at the door 30 minutes before the concert begins.

Look to the notloB website https://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic for current info (artist, venue, tickets) and new concert additions.

Tickets are available through https://www.eventbrite.com/

Contact notlobreservations@gmail.com