DK&thejoymachine + Ashley Jones + The Berger Sisters + Seán McCluskey Quartet + NAFSI GROOVE @ The Way Station

7pm- DK&thejoymachine

Genre: alt-folk and acoustic punk
For fans of: Amy Ray, PJ Harvey, Billy Bragg

A singer-songwriter known for “rocking out” on dulcimer, “DK” performs acoustic, punk and roots/Americana music with complex arrangements and a highly innovative and percussive style on both acoustic and electric mountain dulcimer (the "Joy Machine").  Mid-East Mountain Dulcimer champion, “DK“ also won first place in the Great Trails Dulcimer contest in her 20s. After being on hiatus for more than 10 years, she came back to performing with passion, writing new, innovative material and further pushing the boundaries on this traditional instrument.  Playing both acoustic and electric dulcimer, DK performs a range of material---originals, trad tunes with an edge, and covers, including some queer-core, with her work ranging from a punk sound (imagine PJ Harvey on dulcimer) to trad/folk and roots/Americana. Her material has been dubbed "quirky and smart" and her new EP, "Love Harder," released January 25th, 2013, described by VENTS magazine as "an album with heart, ...beauty, and passion. In every chord, note, or string you can feel poetry, sincerity, greatness... a record to closely pay attention to and be delighted by."

"What a treat! Last night I got to hear DK and the Joy Machine perform...DK commands both acoustic and electric dulcimer with graceful mastery. ...Beautiful sounds. Her original songs are quirky and smart, and her singing is just wonderful. Lovely range from soft highs to much deeper notes. It was a fabulous evening and I look forward to more."    (What I Read and Watched blog)

"Love Harder is an album with heart, feelings, beauty, and passion. In every chord, note, or string you can feel poetry, sincerity, greatness. Two pieces of evidence for this are “Siamese Twins” and “These Four Walls.” In the latter track, Dian takes the time to sing and her voice will immediately remind many of us of singers such as Dido/Dolores O’Riordan (The Cranberries)/Alanis Morissette. “Love Harder” is another song where string instruments combine to deliver something powerful, epic, and really experimental... It’s really poetic and captivating...this is a record to closely pay attention to and be delighted by..." (RJ Frometa, VENTS Magazine (Feb 10, 2013)

http://www.reverbnation.com/dknthejoymachine

7:30pm- Ashley Jones
Genre: Folk/alt-country/acoustic
For Fans of: Ryan Adams, Daughter, Civil Wars, James Vincent Mcmorrow, Brooke Fraser, Laura Marling

Ashley hails from the great state of South Carolina, well...by way of birth in Baltimore,MD. She's an actor, singer/songwriter and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. She's been heavily influenced by way too many artists to name, but she's got a soft spot in her heart/soul for Jeff Buckley, Sam Cooke, Nina Simone, Chanticleer, Ryan Adams, Jakob Dylan, Pablo Neruda poems, intricate choral music, Tennessee Williams, August Wilson, southern cooked food, and really awesome hugs. She’s played in venues across the city and Brooklyn(National Underground, Pete’s Candy Store, Path Café, L&P Harmony,etc). She is currently recording her first studio EP Les Reveries of Une Jeune Noire, which will be out early Spring 2014.

Reverbnation.com/ashleynoeljones
Soundcloud.com/noelashley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jWvwLjnFu6w

8:15pm- The Berger Sisters
Genre: Folk/Americana

This collaboration between sisters Melody Allegra and Mariel Adora has been a long time in the making! Mare is an improvisational pianist/composer who took up accordion and guitar, Mel a classically trained violinist/vocalist turned bluegrass fiddler. In addition to original songs they explore music from around the world including cajun, klezmer, americana, jazz, brazilian, western swing and pretty much anything else they fancy. With enchanting harmonies and grooving, danceable songs, the sisters promise to delight!

 “… the Berger Sisters charm the audience as they sing mountain, Cajun and klezmer music and play the violin and accordion.”    ~New York Times

www.melodyallegra.com
http://youtu.be/YO2VKu0d7jc  Crying Holy, bluegrass gospel tune
http://youtu.be/64TWjmwYeYs  The Blackest Crow into the Cajun tune 'Tit Galop Pour Mamou

https://soundcloud.com/melody-allegra-berger/the-seams-rehearsal-recording 

*photos credit: Brian Geltner

9pm- Seán McCluskey Quartet
Genre: original jazz compositions
For fans of:  Brian Blade Fellowship, Ella Fitzgerald, Tommy Dorsey, Oscar Peterson, Billy Kilson, Lars Daniellson

Seán McCluskey, a young veteran of the jazz circuits of Boston and Chicago, and now an important pianist in Brooklyn, brings a new quartet to the WayStation. The group combines subtle lyricism with a flair for extemporaneous improvisation to produce mercurial musical creations. Funneled through the format of time-honored jazz standards, each member brings a distinct musical sensibility to the band,  allowing it to grow into a creation much greater than the sum of its parts. Interplay, melody, spontaneity, and the blues are the band's core values. It's sure to be a special performance and not to be missed.

"The pianist Seán McCluskey, a young talent who builds around melody and focuses on tightly orchestrated individual statements, will remind you of Chick Corea…" Giovanni Russonello, Capital Bop

"McCluskey proves a thoughtful soloist who relishes the idea of lyricism with a fiery spontaneity." John Barron, The Jazz Note

"McCluskey's solos bubble with originality - but for all his inventiveness, his playing consistently reaffirms core jazz values like ear-catching technique and narrative propulsion." Neil Tesser, Chicago Reader
www.seanmccluskey.org
www.soundcloud.com/seanmccluskey
www.soundcloud.com/miltonbarreto2
 
10pm- NAFSI GROOVE
Genre:  Soul-Fusion
For fans of: 15

NAFSI GROOVE is a Brooklyn, NY based, soul-fusion band who jams out an eclectic set of original music. The name Nafsi (nof-see), comes from the Arabic word "Nafs", which means 'self'. This simply describes our mission to fully incorporate our whole, individual selves--mind, body, soul and spirit--into the music, in order to create a captivating experience that takes us and our audiences on a journey!

http://www.youtube.com/nafsigroove
http://www.soundcloud.com/nafsigroove
http://www.facebook.com/nafsigroove

11pm- Julia McKinnis
Genre: Indie Pop
For fans of: Ingrid Michaelson, Regina Spektor, Cat Power.

Julia McKinnis was a born musician; humming herself to sleep in her crib in her hometown of Ft. Worth, Texas. Julia’s endearing indie-pop style is reminiscent of artists like Ingrid Michaelson, Cat Power, Regina Spektor. Says the artist, “I always tell people that my music is music to make you fall in love with life and eat cookies and sweet things and not feel bad about yourself. It's most definitely happy music.” The Good Has Won, her first album, is set to release in February 2014.

juliamckinnismusic.com
youtube.com/juliakmckinnis
twitter: @juliamckinnis
FB: Julia McKinnis