Media fame for Sables & Co!

07 Jun 01 - 05:58 PM (#478732)
Subject: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)

Check out this article in the Keene Sentinel today- it came with a color photo. I'll save you some copies, lads! (Most of my quotes are paraphrases, but the gist of it is correct, most of the time!)

COFFEEHOUSE DEBUTS IN KEENE

The Off the Square Coffeehouse got off the ground with a classic British Isle folk beat on last Sunday at the Unitarian Church on Washington Street in Keene.
The coffeehouse's debut featured the work of internationally-known British folk performer Bill Sables, from York, England. Sables, a veteran musician who has been performing for decades, was joined on stage by guitarist Ian Stephenson, 19, and Sam Pirt, 21, both of whom also live in York.
In comparison to Sables, Stephenson and Pirt are relative newcomers to folk music, although each has been playing music for over a decade. The trio's repertoire that night included ballads, fast- paced instrumentals and traditional folk tunes from Scotland, Ireland and Britain.
A large part of Sables' skill as a musician comes from his family history. His father, a miner, taught him many of the coal mining workingman's songs.
"I learned a lot of it from me dad. He worked in the coal mines in Northeast England," Sables said. "He died a lot o' years ago."
The group peppered their performance with snippets of good-natured humor, and even some comedic novelty songs such as "Don't Get Married," originally written in the early 1960'. In addition to the fine guitar work of both Sables and Stephenson, accordion player Pirt stunned the audience with an extended bit of French-Canadian foot percussion that added a truly motivating element to their rousing performance. Pirt recently carried home BBC Radio's Young Folk Musician Award.
The performance came about as the result of the group being "discovered" on the Internet by Allison Cobb, a teacher at Symonds School.
"It's a funny story," Cobb said. "There is a REAL community that first started out as a cyber-community. The name of the site was The Digital Tradition, meaning traditional (folk) music in the digital age."
Cobb explained how this organization, which can now be reached at the URL www.mudcat.org, functions as a virtual gathering place for folk musicians from all over the globe.
"I first made contact with (Sables) on the Web page, and later met him and his family in person at a folk music festival a few years later," she said. "Now, he's a friend."
"It always amazes me that we've got friends all over the world with 'Mudcat'", Sables said. "There's musicians from Scandinavia, Iceland, France, Germany, America, South America. It's getting bigger."
The opportunity for Sables, Stephenson and Pirt to be booked for the coffeehouse show is something of a happy coincidence. Sables was aware of an upcoming North American tour, and he contacted Cobb and asked if there was a place available in Keene where he could play. At the same time, a friend of Cobb's suggested that the Unitarian Church could provide a venue coffeehouse-type performers. The marriage of these two ideas resulted in an excellent Sunday-evening music experience for all involved.
"In terms of timing, it was just a happy situation that worked out for everyone," Cobb said.
After the show in Keene, Sables explained the group's itinerary for their tour, which will last about two weeks. The group played in Maine for their first stop, and they are now headed to Toronto for a radio show and a folk club performance. After this, they'll be heading to Columbus, Ohio, a radio show in Philadelphia, and a concert in Seabright, NJ. On June 13, Sables, Pirt and Stephenson will return to Keene to play at Symonds school, and then return home to England to play some festivals.
"That is, if the jet lag is okay," Sables joked.
The Off the Square Coffeehouse at the Unitarian Church in Keene plans to continue monthly Sunday night coffeehouses starting in September on either the first or last Sunday of the month.

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07 Jun 01 - 06:01 PM (#478737)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: JenEllen

Wonderful stuff, Al! Good luck with future coffeehouses too!

~J

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07 Jun 01 - 06:06 PM (#478743)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: Sorcha

WHOOPEEE WOW!!! Wonderful, Allison! (and the Boyz too, of course)

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07 Jun 01 - 06:16 PM (#478752)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: Linda Kelly

Just think - it will be a movie soon Leo de Caprio could be Ian, Brad Pitt could be Sam -now who would we get to play bill Sables???

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07 Jun 01 - 06:31 PM (#478764)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: katlaughing

WOW! Neat writeup, even made Ohio sound important as a concert venue!!**BG** Blow that possum, boys!

Wow, o Wow...our little community is really something, isn't it?

Delighted,

kat

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07 Jun 01 - 06:39 PM (#478772)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: Mrs.Duck

Sean Connery??? That's a fiver you owe me Bill!

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07 Jun 01 - 09:37 PM (#478877)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: Noreen

Great!

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07 Jun 01 - 11:06 PM (#478948)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: DonMeixner

Na! I've met BIll, James Fox is the more likely choice.

Don

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07 Jun 01 - 11:16 PM (#478955)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: Sorcha

Bill(?) Miner would have been perfect.....(the Grey Fox guy that died not too long ago)

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08 Jun 01 - 12:39 AM (#479001)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: DonMeixner

Richard Farnsworth, a great actor, underappreciated by many. A true original.

Don

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08 Jun 01 - 12:57 AM (#479012)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: Sorcha

Yea, him, Don. Richard Farnsworth.......incredible actor.Thanks for the assist.........CRS and my brain cell went walkabout!

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08 Jun 01 - 03:55 AM (#479041)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: John J

Oooo-er! Well done lads, fame at last! John

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08 Jun 01 - 04:12 AM (#479046)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: Patrish(inactive)

What about one of those musicians from ZZ Top playing Bill

Glad to hear that everything is going well.
Patrish

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08 Jun 01 - 05:04 AM (#479063)
Subject: RE: Media fame for Sables & Co!
From: Skipjack K8

Heineken voiceover ........

"Al Pacino IS Bill Sables"

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