Americana roots music continues to grow

Published 3:42 am Monday, April 30, 2012

ASTORIA – Acclaimed string innovators The Bee Eaters will join Grammy award-winning vocalist Laurie Lewis in a collaborative concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at the First Presbyterian Church at 1103 Grand Ave.

Tickets are $15 for adults or $12 for students and seniors and can be purchased in advance at Bach ‘n Rock (Marine Drive at 16th Street) or at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

During the past two decades, Lewis has established herself as one of the best artists in bluegrass and American roots music. She is an accomplished singer, songwriter, guitarist, fiddler and bass player, as well as a bandleader and record producer. As a child, Lewis first learned to play the classical violin. As a teen in the 1960s, she attended many of the Berkeley Folk Festivals, getting to see some of the era’s best folk and bluegrass musicians, including Doc Watson, Jean Ritchie, Mississippi John Hurt and the Greenbriar Boys. She also entered fiddle contests, twice winning the California State Women’s Fiddle Championship.

Lewis was twice named female vocalist of the year by the International Bluegrass Music Association, was nominated for a Grammy award for a 1996 album with Tom Rozum, and won a Grammy as part of the 1997 compilation album “True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe.”

The Bee Eaters trace their roots back to musical traditions as diverse as bluegrass, Celtic, jazz and old-time. While today’s new breed often produces an amalgamation of sounds and styles based on a distant view, the Bee Eaters were raised embedded in these traditions. Brother-sister duo Tristan and Tashina Clarridge, long known and lauded by those steeped in the American fiddle tradition, are joined by hammered dulcimer virtuoso Simon Chrisman.

Tashina Clarridge, the 2005 Grand National Fiddle Champion, has toured with Mark O’Connor, Tony Trischka and Laurie Lewis and has performed at Carnegie Hall as a part of MacArthur Fellow/Grammy-winning bassist Edgar Meyer’s Young Artists program. Multi-instrumentalist brother Tristan is an innovative cellist and five-time Grand National Fiddle Champion. His talents have been sought by Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, Bruce Molsky and Cape Breton fiddle phenomenon Natalie MacMaster.

Hammered dulcimer virtuoso Simon Chrisman brings an unusual style to an instrument that has previously been thought to have limited range and technique. His inventive virtuosic touch and sophisticated rhythmic sensibilities are redefining the instrument and earning the attention of musicians from all over the world. He has performed with Darol Anger and Mike Marshall, opened for Bill Frisell, and at the tender age of 16 was a scholarship guest artist at the prestigious Augusta Heritage Festival.