The featured artist for Deepwells’ May concert was Heather Maloney. Massachusetts writer and song-singer Heather Maloney celebrates the release her 2018 EP, Just Enough Sun. The six songs (five new originals and a cover of Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”) were recorded as mostly single-take, live performances in a room where instruments bled into vocal mics and vocals into instruments. The result is a raw and deeply vulnerable collection songs that follow Maloney’s literate and often heartbreaking exploration of family history, childhood dreams and the adulthood realities that butt-up against them; loss, misogyny, unrequited love, poverty, and even the moral dilemma of sending monkeys into space for the sake of science. The daughter of a psychotherapist and a carpenter, Heather’s songwriting is equal parts introspective and relatable. Photo courtesy of Eric Ilasenko

Opening our May concert was the amazing Dan Whitener – Born and raised in Washington, DC, and a current player in the New York / New Jersey / Pennsylvania scene, Dan Whitener has hit the Billboard Bluegrass charts as a banjo player with both Emmy-nominated bluegrass-hiphop band Gangstagrass and Philadelphia’s own Newgrass Americana band Man About A Horse. Dan’s latest solo project is Crossover, a five-track international collaboration recorded with some of the finest talent in North America. The EP includes entirely original songs, several of which were co-written with family, and Dan on guitar and vocals.

The final act for the 2017 Deepwells Music Festival was a band from Yonkers, NY – Spuyten Duyvil. Seeing a Spuyten Duyvil (pronounced “SPITE-en DIE+vul”) show for the first time is like “throwing a cherry bomb into a lake” (Rich Warren, WFMT). It wakes you up. Their brand of original and traditional American Roots music blends Olde Time, Blues, 2nd Line, Bluegrass, and Folk Rock with a pinch of Punk Rock energy to create a uniquely modern mix. Lead by song-writing couple, Mark Miller and Beth Kaufman, this six piece powerhouse brings barn burning energy to venues throughout the East Coast and Midwest. Drop them on a large festival stage and they electrify the crowd. Place them in a listening room and their stripped down acoustic sets connect powerfully. Photo courtesy of Howard Greenberg

The Deepwells Music Festival featured three main acts – the first of which was a Canadian group called Durham County Poets.

Durham County Poets grew out of the lively music scene in Ormstown, Quebec, a town that was once called Durham county. They first performed at the Branches and Roots folk festival in 2011 and soon after released their debut album, ‘Where the river flows’ in 2012 with drummer/producer John McColgan at the helm. In 2014, amidst a busy year of shows, interviews and even some television, their second album, ‘Chikkaboodah Stew’ was released . With plenty of material still to be recorded and the creative juices still flowing, the Poets are forging ahead in hopes of leaving their stamp on Canadian music. Photo courtesy of Howard Greenberg.

Our 12th Annual Deepwells Music Festival opened with a one-hour showcase featuring local Long Island singer-songwriters – including Chris J Connolly, Jess Chloe, Nick Patrick Johnsen and Kate Van Dorn. Photo Courtesy of Howard Greenberg.

Here’s the second half of our August concert which was a lovely co-bill featuring Kirsten Maxwell and Rachael Kilgour.

Based on Long Island, Kirsten Maxwell has made great strides since diving head first into her career. She is often compared to Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell, for her soaring vocals and retro-folk style. Kirsten gives everything to her live performances and has been described as “making love to the audience”. Although her self-taught guitar chops are minimal, she plays with such delicacy and taste that the guitar seems to be extension of her body. Her delivery creates a level of intimacy that welcomes new audiences in like old friends. With a quick wit and commanding stage presence, Kirsten gives the impression of being more accomplished than her 24 years. In April 2015, she independently released her debut album, Crimson. It has been met with great success and fans await her highly anticipated EP, to be released this Spring.

Our August concert was a co-bill of artists Rachael Kilgour and Kirsten Maxwell – two artists who often collaborate together and who Dave had seen perform together at last year’s NERFA (North East Regional Folk Alliance). Here’s more on Rachael. Stay tuned for Kirstens performance.

Rachael Kilgour is a Minnesota-based songwriter and performing artist whose sincere, lyric-driven work has been called both brave and humane. The 2015 grand prize winner of the esteemed international NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, Kilgour has been featured at NYC’s Lincoln Center and by the ASCAP Music Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival. She was also a finalist in the 2015 Telluride Troubadour Contest. A versatile performer, Kilgour has shared stages with the likes of indie artists Haley Bonar & Jeremy Messersmith as well as folk legends Greg Brown, Cheryl Wheeler & Catie Curtis.

Headlining our May concert was Philly’s favorite bluegrass band, Man About a Horse. This 5-piece bluegrass band brandishes strong ties to the folk music tradition, with a progressive streak that informs their original songwriting. Bridging generational boundaries, Man About a Horse is equally at home picking in concert parking lots and performing on stage at some of the nation’s finest bluegrass festivals.  They released a studio recording in 2015 (“The EP”) that earned national airplay. The band opened the main stage of the 2015 Philadelphia Folk Festival, and has shared bills with the likes of Donna the Buffalo, Steve ‘N’ Seagulls, Wood & Wire, and others at renowned venues around the East Coast. Their music has been featured on blogs such as The Key, the Random Tea Sessions, and Ear to the Ground. Photo courtesy of Dave Dircks.

It was a rowdy night for our May concert – babies talking, fire sirens going off, and an especially perky crowd. Dave had some “special” news to share, then the music kicked off with singer-songwriter, Alice Howe. Treasured by audiences across New England and the Pacific Northwest, the Boston native joins a soulful, impeccably tuned voice with crafted poetry. Her songwriting is rooted in place and memory, raised on old English ballads and 1970s California folk yet entirely her own. Her fourth solo album, You’ve Been Away So Long, will be released in early 2017. “Alice is always a hit whenever she opens for me. I could listen to her sing for hours. Her voice is beautiful as a bell, classic in that Joan Baez way, transporting, wistful…her vocal mastery and musicality are beyond her young years and her songs stay in my head for days.” -Antje Duvekot. For more on Alice, click here. Photo courtesy of Steve Caputo.

Our featured act for April was Oliver the Crow, an exciting new duo from Nashville. Kaitlyn Raitz (cello, vocals) and Ben Plotnick (fiddle, vocals) have been making folk music for the majority of their lives. Though they’ve only started playing Folk, Bluegrass, Appalachian and Stringband music together this past year, they have a combined musical resume that speaks to a lifetime of dedication to these styles and more. Individually, they’ve made their respective marks playing with countless artists across North America. From Jazz, to Country, to Classical, and everywhere in between, they’ve appeared on dozens upon dozens of professional albums. They’ve played in bars for 10 people, or at festivals for 40,000. The relationship between the violin and the cello is age-old and has been proven time and time again, but as soon as Kaitlyn and Ben began to play and sing together, it became clear that something was different. Decades of experience as chamber musicians helped them to blend instantly, but it’s their spontaneous, energetic yet subtle approach to folk music that sets them apart. For more info on Kaitlyn and Ben, go to www.kaitlynandben.com. Photo courtesy of Howard Greenberg.