Arts & Entertainment
World Music Comes to Barrington's Bay Spring Community Center
The Gnomes and Barrington's own Bay Spring Folk deliver music that spans continents, cultures, and histories to create a fun and eclectic show.
By the time I walked into the folk music concert at the Bay Spring Community Center on Narragansett Avenue Saturday night, the foot-stomping and hand-clapping had begun.
The acoustic guitar and fiddle sounds of Barrington's own Bay Spring Folk was the inspiration as I arrived in the second floor auditorium. The crowd added a whole different form of percussion from the drum kit on stage.
The participation and enjoyment shared between the crowd and the performers at the Local Brew Coffeehouse event was what marked the night as out of the ordinary. And that participation was never more evident than during a fun circle dance shared between Phil Edmonds, leader of the featured group, Gnomes, and eager audience members.
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The coffeehouse started off with some songs, mostly original compositions, played by Bay Spring Folk. The band set the tone for the night.
It was casual and familiar. Bay Spring Folk featured local players Larson Gunness, with leading vocals and guitar, and Sydney Montstream sending out long, graceful notes while bowing her fiddle.
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The main attraction fwas the Gnomes. The band’s catalog traverses continents like Boeing 747 jet liners, and brings you elements of musical culture from around the world -- from relaxing Brazilian tunes to the loping, stuttered waltz of Europe’s Eastern bloc.
Montstream was excited to open for the Gnomes. She and the Gnomes multi-instrumentalist, Cathy Clasper Torch, performed a beautiful duet on fiddle.
“This is the first time we’ve had a professional band at the Bay Spring Community Center,” said Montstream. “I’m not sure how many people have come out tonight, but it’s a great turnout.”
Bob Andrade of Bristol came to Barrington to enjoy the show as well as to see his co-worker, the Gnomes’ bass player, Pete Breen.
“This reminds of when I was younger and living in Cape Cod," Andrade said. "This kind of community thing is what we would do at night.”
The eclectic mix of music made for a fun and exotic evening as sounds from around the world came to a small East Bay town.