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All Common Ground locations are wheelchair accessible.

Common Ground was founded as an effort to build community and to support regional and national musicians and other artists. Since 2005, Common Ground has used its profits to operate the Common Ground Microcredit Fund. The fund raised has raised over $25,000 for local, regional and global community groups and organizations that provide either much needed social services or work toward progressive, nonviolent social change. For more information on Common Ground’s social justice mission, and to learn more about the Common Ground Microcredit Fund, please click here.

Now preparing for our 11th year, Common Ground has hosted such beloved national and regional artists as Steve Forbert, John Hammond, Eliza Gilkyson, Ellis Paul, Red Molly,  Chris Smither, Andy Statman, Susan Werner, and many more. For many years, Common Ground was a regular stop on the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival’s Annual Most Wanted Preview Tour. In addition to traditional and modern folk artists and singer-songwriters, we frequently feature other musical genres, such as jazz, blues, cajun-zydeco, popular song, and even the occasional evening of avant garde gamelan music!

GREENBURGH NATURE CENTER
99 Dromore Road, Scarsdale NY

Sunday, July 14th, 3-8 pm:
Open Air Family Music Festival
with Spuyten Duyvil, Graham Clarke, Kismet, Greetings from Anywhere, and South County
Tickets: TBA

STEVENS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
6 Shady Lane, South Salem NY

Saturday, July 27th, 8 pm:
The Boxcar Lilies
Tickets: $15 in advance/$18 at the door
Click here for info and advance tickets


Our Fall 2013 Season At A Glance

COMMON GROUND COFFEEHOUSE
@ The First Unitarian Society of Westchester
25 Old Jackson Avenue, Hastings-on-Hudson NY

9/28, 7:30 pm: Jesse Terry, Matt Turk, and Marc Von Em
10/26, 7:30 pm: An Evening with Zoe Lewis
11/23, 7:30 pm: The Stray Birds, with Caitlin Canty
12/28, 7:30 pm: Rock for the Run Benefit for Midnight Run
1/25, 7:30 pm: Barnaby Bright, Tall Heights

COMMON GROUND @SOUTH CHURCH
@ South Presbyterian Church
343 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry NY

10/5, 7:30 pm: Mike & Ruthy, Winterpills
11/2, 7:30 pm: Dance Party with Daddy-O
12/7, 7:30 pm: Ellis Paul Holiday Show, with Rebecca Loebe
1/4, 7:30 pm: Chris Smither, with Milton

The Greenburgh Nature Center
99 Dromore Road, Scarsdale NY

The Open Air Family Music Festival

featuring

Spuyten Duyvil

Graham Clarke, Kismet, Greetings from Anywhere, and South County

Spuyten Duyvil perform “I’ll Fly Away”

Greetings from Anywhere cover John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery”

South County perform “Feed Me, Mama”

Graham Clarke in concert

Bring the whole family and join us at The Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale, New York for the 2013 edition of the Open Air Family Music Festival! The festival, scheduled to run from 3-8 pm, will include a late afternoon and evening of music from a variety of national, regional and local artists!

Scheduled to appear are acclaimed children’s entertainer Graham Clarke, singer-songwriter duo Kismet, comprised of Sarah Silbert Hinawi and Jessica Seidel; Greetings From Anywhere, who blend folk, blues, bluegrass and country into a unique roots-rock hybrid; the “folk-a-billy meets alt-country” South County; and Spuyten Duyvil, the barn-burning, award-winning, eight-piece roots music powerhouse.

SCHEDULE
3-3:10 Introduction
3:15-3:50 Graham Clarke
4:00-4:45 Kismet (Sarah Hinawi and Jessica Seidel)
4:55-5:40 Greetings from Anywhere
5:50-6:35 South County
6:45-7:45 Spuyten Duyvil

Early registration rates: Nature Center Members-$5, Non-members-$10, children 2 to 12 years of age-$4.

Day of event rates: Nature Center Members-$7, Non-members-$12, children 2 to 12 years of age-$4.

For more info, click here

The Boxcar Lilies

In Concert at Stevens United Methodist Church
8 Shady Lane, South Salem, NY

“When we think of great harmonies in the contemporary roots music world, we think of bands like The Wailin’ Jennys or Red Molly. We can now add The Boxcar Lilies to that list.” – Sheryl Hunter, The Recorder (Greenfield, MA)

Americana trio The Boxcar Lilies have quickly made a name for themselves with their standout marriage of superb songwriting and spine-tingling, innovative harmonies. Accompanying themselves on guitar, clawhammer banjo, concert ukulele, electric bass, and washboard, they have brought their uniquely warm sound and energetic stage presence to venues across the Northeast and beyond, including The Birchmere Music Hall, Club Passim, and Philadelphia’s Tin Angel.

Based in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, The Boxcar Lilies are Jenny Goodspeed, Stephanie Marshall, and Katie Clarke – three singer-songwriters that met through a local musicians’ cooperative and – despite having different musical backgrounds and tastes – discovered a shared passion for three-part harmony. At the time they met, Clarke was playing bluegrass and traditional country, Marshall was recording contemporary country and rock songs in Nashville, and Goodspeed was writing in the vein of 70s era singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell. Despite their stylistic differences, their singing voices, like their writing voices, combined to make a whole that was somehow greater than the sum of its parts.

It’s a sound that has led to a myriad of new opportunities including being selected to perform an official showcase at the 2012 International Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, performing for SRO crowds at The Greater New Bedford Summerfest in Massachusetts, and opening for the world-famous bluegrass band The Seldom Scene at the renowned Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, VA.

The Boxcar Lilies began in 2009 when Goodspeed invited Marshall and Clarke to join her for the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival’s Emerging Artist showcase. They knew then they had something special and decided to make it official. Over a few beers at a local tavern, The Boxcar Lilies were wed. They married their love (read: obsession) for great songwriting and sweet harmonies and set out to arrange originals and cover some of their favorite songs by the likes of Fred Eaglesmith, Neil Young, and Gillian Welch. The following summer they recorded their debut CD Heartwood with esteemed producer Dave Chalfant (Erin McKeown, The Nields).

A portion of the proceeds for this evening will support Red Bird Mission, a non-profit agency located in the  Appalachian mountains of Southeastern Kentucky that empowers individuals and advocates justice by providing  educational, health, and community outreach ministries to area low-income residents. For more info, click here.

Tickets: $15 in advance, $18 at the door

]]> http://commongroundfusw.com/2013/05/30/saturday-727-8pm-the-boxcar-lillies/feed/ 0 commongroundfusw Eventbrite - The Boxcar Lilies http://commongroundfusw.com/2013/05/30/928-jesse-terry-matt-turk-and-mark-von-em/ http://commongroundfusw.com/2013/05/30/928-jesse-terry-matt-turk-and-mark-von-em/#comments Thu, 30 May 2013 15:41:26 +0000 Carter http://commongroundfusw.com/?p=6045 ]]> Songwriters in the Round

Jesse Terry, Matt Turk, Mark Von Em

Common Ground Coffeehouse @ The First Unitarian Society of Westchester
25 Old Jackson Avenue, Hastings-on-Hudson NY

Jesse Terry is a nationally touring, award-winning singer-songwriter and road warrior. His music has been compared to the likes of Ryan Adams, Jackson Browne, Paul Simon and James Taylor. Jesse has toured relentlessly in support of his two full-length albums. Terry released his second album Empty Seat On A Plane on July 10th of 2012 and was immediately featured on iTunes “New and Noteworthy” and “Discover This” pages. Songs off the new record have already been featured on the CW’s “Hart of Dixie” and PBS’s “Roadtrip Nation.”

A seasoned recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, eternal idealist and peace loving realist, Matt Turk is a veteran performer who has engaged audiences around the world, both as a hard-rocking bandleader and an acoustic folk troubadour. He has shared the stage with Judy Collins, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Norah Jones, the Dave Matthews Band, the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart and Phil Lesh, Hot Tuna, Richie Havens, Fiona Apple, The Doobie Brothers, Ellis Marsalis, NRBQ, and many more. He has performed and toured throughout the U.S.A, Israel, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean appearing at scores of festivals and venues, including Clearwater’s Hudson River Revival, the Gathering of the Vibes, the Berkshire Mountain Music Festival, Atlanta’s Music Midtown, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Beacon Theater, Tarrytown Music Hall, Folk Alliance International and at the invitation of Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence.

Marc Von Em is a soulfully energized singer/songwriter whose sound flows easily between blues, folk, funk, jazz & classical. His lyrics weave tales of intimate real-life events, and do so with a depth beyond most singer/songwriters. Driven by his fluid acoustic guitar playing, rich powerful voice, and comfortable, sometimes comical, stage presence, Marc’s live shows never fail to excite audiences. In early 2005, Marc’s career took an unexpected turn when he was asked to be part of the Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty) Band. Circling the globe with Rob as a backing vocalist and guitarist, Marc appeared on all the major TV programs from The Today Show to The Tonight Show. In 2009, Marc joined Rob Thomas for a second tour. In addition to contributing even more of his vocal and guitar talents to the show, Marc was happy to oblige when asked to open for Rob. While touring, Marc began writing songs for his now completed fourth release “Crash Boom Pow”, which was released on Jan 1st 2012. This collection of songs has been building a buzz among MVE fans and Marc proudly believes this recording is his best to date.

Tickets: $15 in advance/$18 at the door

Mike + Ruthy

with special guests

Winterpills

“Some of the best songwriting of their generation.” – LA Weekly, on Mike + Ruthy

“I don’t know why Winterpills aren’t one of the most cherished pop bands in the world: Their songs are dazzling, and their albums have a coherence that’s rare.”
- Jonathan Lethem, Rolling Stone

After thousands of concerts across tens-of-thousands of miles, Ruth Ungar & Mike Merenda have emerged as one of acoustic America’s most revered musical duos. As story-tellers, as singers, as poets and as parents (they tour with their two small children), Mike + Ruthy are heralds of an American cultural awakening, one that values honesty and togetherness, one that prefers grit to glitz and one that – in the face of an information super-highway - revels in the old-fashioned telling of a story. Described as “rich, vintage Americana” by Time Out NY, Mike + Ruthy’s 2012 Woody Guthrie collaboration “My New York City” is being hailed as one of the most gorgeous pieces ever to have come out of the archive.

Starting with their self-titled debut in 2005, Winterpills have built a vibrant career with their exquisite chamber-pop songs that The Washington Post called “densely packed but hugely evocative, tiny bombs of feeling and meaning… fiendishly melodic”, attracting fans from their native New England to the Netherlands and beyond. They may be one of the most exciting bands to emerge from the vibrant Northampton, Massachusetts music scene in recent years, adding another chapter to the world of ethereal indie-pop. They play haunting, delicate, dynamic, room-hushingly beautiful music with shimmering melodies and aching lyrics. Fronted by singers Philip Price and Flora Reed, they harmonize closely, often and gorgeously.

Tickets: $18 in advance, $20 at the door

presents

Zoe Lewis

“Probably the most charismatic performance I’ve ever seen.” – ACCESLINE, IA

“She stormed the main stage playing everything from swinging folk and latin jazz to acoustic funk and sprightly celtic flavoured tunes.Her boundless energy was hard to ignore.”
- OTTAWA XPRESS, Canada

“A true artist.She is blessed with the uncanny ablility to uncover the extraorinary beauty in the seemingly ordinary.”
- BAY WINDOWS, MA.

Originally from England, Zoë now resides in Provincetown, Cape Cod. She plays jazz, jump jive, latin grooves, swing, international folk, funk originals on anything from the piano to the spoons! She describes her blend of music as WORLDBEAT-VAUDEVILLE.

She was CO-WINNER of the Colorado Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Troubadour award in 2003, NEW FOLK WINNER 2002 at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas and 2001 Falconridge Folk Festival AUDIENCE FAVORITE and now she’s getting booked to play many festival main stages with virtuoso jazz recorder player Roxanne Layton (from Mannheim Steamroller). Her latest CD “Small is Tremendous” is on Judy Collins’ WILDFLOWER label and she’l be touring with her and Nanci Griffith this summer.

Her music is upbeat, amusing and perfect for all ages. She’s part troubadour, storyteller and accomplished musician and has toured internationally, picking up influences along the way. While at once setting listeners off balance with her quirky spin on things she sneaks in simple, potent messages, leaving audiences worn out and inspired.

Tickets: $18 in advance, $20 at the door