SF Live Arts at Cyprian’s SFBOT Kickoff

Internationally acclaimed Foghorn Stringband has been at the vanguard of a revival in American old-time music for over a decade now. They’ve traveled the globe, been signed to a major label, and inspired a new generation of old-time musicians, all without compromising their love of traditional American music. But they’ve gathered new ideas and new band members too. Their unique sound still comes from the fiery, intertwining melodies of Stephen “Sammy” Lind’s fiddle and Caleb Klauder’s mandolin, but now they’re supported by the bedrock-solid rhythm foundation of Reeb Willms’ guitar and Nadine Landry’s bass. And when it comes to vocals, they deliver; four powerful and exceptional voices resulting in countless combinations of harmonies. A typical Foghorn set is based around exquisitely rare old-time tunes and songs, but a vast knowledge of early country music and recent explorations in Cajun song traditions have molded a powerful new sound. Any band would be happy to have mastered one music genre, but Foghorn Stringband have a roaming spirit, and are already sparking new revivals of American roots music traditions.

Jeff Kazor & Lisa Berman  Jeff Kazor founded his groundbreaking and internationally influential band The Crooked Jades in San Francisco in 1996, recording 7 albums and touring the US and Europe playing festivals including Rudolstadt World Music Fest in Germany, Hebridean Celtic Festival in Scotland, Belfast Festival at Queens in Ireland, Calgary Folk Festival in Canada and (Hardly) Strictly Bluegrass, Merlefest, and Strawberry Festivals in the US. The Crooked Jades have showcased at SXSW, Folk Alliance and IBMA and been profiled on the PBS art magazine SPARK. Live radio performances include BBC in Scotland, England and Ireland and NPR in the US. A producer, musicologist and composer, as well as multi-instrumentalist and magnetic vocalist and performer, Kazor created the soundtrack to award-winning PBS documentary film “Seven Sisters” (2000) and produced music selected by Sean Penn for “Into the Wild” (2007). Recently selected by prestigious UK folk music magazine fRoots as one of 10 bands representing the best of Americana, Kazor and The Crooked Jades are currently being profiled and filmed for an upcoming 4-part television series (co-production of the US and Britain’s BBC) to represent the cutting-edge modern folk music scene. Kazor co-founded the grassroots San Francisco Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival in 1999.

Lisa Berman is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Internationally known as a pioneer in bringing the Hawaiian slide guitar back to old-time music and redefining its sound, she also performs on claw-hammer banjo, dobro, guitar, harmonium, and baritone ukulele. Berman co-founded The Crooked Jades with Jeff Kazor, where her rare gift for harmony singing has been showcased and critically acclaimed as hauntingly beautiful and goosebump-raising. Her performance style incorporates elements of body music and dance, drawing from her studies of African and Afro-American styles. Berman also records and tours with the renowned Stairwell Sisters (an all-woman old-time string band she co-founded), including performances on Prairie Home Companion, Lincoln Center (NYC), (Hardly) Strictly Bluegrass Festival (San Francisco), Celtic Connections Festival (Scotland), the BBC and Sesame Street. A sought-after session player and teacher, Berman has worked with such traditional-music stalwarts as the late Mike Seeger, Laurie Lewis, Mac Martin and Tut Taylor.

Anne and Pete Sibley  Originally from New England, the Sibleys have been at home in the Rocky Mountain West since 1999. Singing for as long as they can remember, Anne & Pete have come many miles from their classical music training to “the people’s music:” folk, bluegrass and traditional music. Using the guitar and clawhammer banjo to accompany their tight harmonies, the Sibleys tell stories about life and love as they see it, and it is this quality that rings true with audiences from coast to coast. Anne & Pete’s music highlights their connection with the landscape, community, family, and even the food they grow and eat. Less than a decade since they released their first album, the Sibleys’ music hit the national spotlight in 2009 with a blue ribbon finish in the “Great American Duet Sing Off” on National Public Radio’s A Prairie Home Companion. Last summer, the couple released their fourth and most critically-acclaimed CD, Coming Home. Prior releases are Will You Walk With Me (2005), Winter on the Great Divide (2007) and Think of This River (2004).