Louisiana Fiddler David Greeley leads off notloB Music's new Concert Series at Gregorian Rugs in Newton Lower Falls

Louisiana Fiddler David Greeley leads off notloB Music’s new Concert Series at Gregorian Rugs in Newton Lower Falls

New acoustic series will be in conjunction with Newton Nomadic Theater.

Scott Gregorian and Gregorian Rugs loves doing community and arts oriented events at his beautiful store in Lower Falls. So much so he has opened his store, located at 2284 Washington St, Newton Lower Falls, to community organizations and area producers. Earlier this year Gregorian listed his performance space in a registry run by the Massachusetts Cultural Coucil, where it was found by Jeff Boudreau, owner and “chief cook and bottle washer” of notloB Music. notloB (that’s “Bolton” spelled backwards, Monty Python fans will “get” it) has been producing small and interesting musical concerts for the last eight years at various venues in the greater Boston area, including Newton’s Jackson Homestead and Carriage House Violins.

“MCC’s service is kind of a dating match site where people having venues can share them with producers and artists and producers and artists can search for performance spaces” explained Boudreau, who serves on the Arlington Cultural Council. “As we generally do not use artificial sound reinforcement, I was immediately attracted to Gregorian Rug’s brick and stone interior and vaulted ceiling. The piles of gorgeous oriental rugs was the clincher, so I reached out to Scott. Within days we had met in person, discussed the possibilities and agreed to a Fall series.” The rest, as they say, is, or will be, history.

During their meetings, Gregorian suggested Boudreau coordinate his dates and logistics with Jerry Reilly, a founder of and principle in Newton Nomadic Theater, who had already been presenting theater performances in the store. It turns out Reilly knew Boudreau from attending notloB concerts at Carriage House and was publicizing them in his blog, “Village 14.” notloB will continue to present solo acts at Carriage House’s 47-seat performance hall, and use Gregorian for larger ensembles requiring more space.

“Besides coordinating the dates, Newton Nomadic Theater will assist notloB with lighting, chairs and volunteers,” explained Reilly.

DAVID GREELEY

“I’ve been attending the Rhythm and Roots Festival over the Labor Day weekend in Charlestown, RI for at least ten years. For the past eight, when notloB was started, I’ve wanted to present David. In 2015 the planets finally aligned”, shared Boudreau, who is of Acadian ancestry, about the inaugural concert. Laissez bon temps rouler!

Thursday, September 10, 8pm - David Greeley

General admission $15, seniors and students $10. Tickets are available through Eventbrite - http://www.eventbrite.com/o/notlob-music-6730833315

David Greely’s French Louisiana music is opening a new wing in his tradition. David has taken the swampy syncopations of Cajun music and its renaissance French dialect to new level of sophistication without losing its urgency and texture. In solo acoustic performance, he sounds like two or three fiddles, weaving accompaniment to his vocals as if it’s someone else singing. Presenting his concerts in English or French, he embraces all the aspects of his heritage that a fiddle and voice can reach- ancient ballads, cane field blues, yearning waltzes and fiery two steps, and melds his ancestral legacy with his own adroit compositions and stories of the rich souls who kept this music and language alive.

David was born in Baton Rouge of Cajun and Irish ancestry, and learned Cajun music on dance hall stages throughout South Louisiana, in the archives of Cajun and Creole music at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette, and from his apprenticeship to Cajun fiddle master and National Heritage Fellow Dewey Balfa. As a founding member of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, David toured Folk Festivals worldwide for 23 years, and was nominated for four Grammy Awards. He has received the Louisiana Artist Fellowship Award for Folklife Performance, and is an adjunct instructor of Cajun fiddle at the University of Louisiana.

notloB Music also presents concerts in Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington and at a second venue in Newton. See its full schedule at https://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic. Tickets for all concerts are available at http://www.eventbrite.com/o/notlob-music-6730833315. For more information see its Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/notloBParlourConcerts/ - or email notlobreservations@gmail.com (please do not contact the venues).