Kalos CD Release concert at Fremont Abbey

Join Kalos for a special CD Release concert, co-sponsored by Fremont Abbey Arts and Seattle Folklore. The concert will take place at the Fremont Abbey.  Kalos is a favorite of SFS concert goers and there will be a member discount.  Please see below for more details.

From their recent press release:

Unique among conifers, the tamarack tree loses its needles every fall. Sprigs roar back neon green in spring, then fade to yellow and red before dropping to the earth again in autumn. The amalgam of color, transformation, and renewal the tree reflects is perfectly mirrored in Tamarack, the third recording by acclaimed Celtic folk trio Kalos. Featuring award-winning fiddler Ryan McKasson, virtuoso accordionist Jeremiah McLane, and gifted guitarist/vocalist Eric McDonald, the signature sound of Kalos shines through on eleven gorgeous tracks.

“The Tamarack tree is earthy, grounded, resilient, and utterly beautiful,” says McDonald. “As we were making the album, we embraced a range of sounds, styles, and colors. While looking for a name, we were touring through the woodlands of Quebec surrounded by Tamaracks and experienced an immediate feeling of kinship with the music. The annual transformation of the Tamarack, with its various colors and inevitable renewal, felt like the perfect metaphor.”

McKasson, McLane and McDonald share the tight, musical rapport that comes from years of playing together. Their meticulously crafted arrangements take listeners through a landscape where deep heritage meets restless, forward-looking instincts. McDonald’s Celtic guitar and considerable flat-picking skill drive the band forward, while McKasson’s lithe bowings and McClane’s fleet fingers weave circles around each other. On the vocal tracks, McDonald takes a tenor lead backed by McKasson and McLane in gorgeous three-part harmony.

The music on Tamarack, produced by Kalos friend and collaborator Yann Falquet, ranges from Scottish reels and ballads to Cajun and New England barn burners. Traditional tunes (a fair number from the 1700s) are given a modern twist, the originals sparkle with invention, and the arrangements of contemporary songwriters take great tunes to even greater places.

“There’s a certain spontaneity at work as the three musicians alternately contest and duel, combine and coalesce to bring their talents together.” — Folkwords

Concert opener with the Hayden Stern band:

As a fiddler, composer, singer, songwriter, visual artist, and community builder Hayden Stern has taken Seattle’s roots music scene by storm. Stern draws freely from multiple traditions, expanding his original base of Scottish fiddling to Irish, Scandinavian, French-Canadian, Appalachian, and beyond. But for his upcoming album, The Morning Dark, he’s focusing on composing tunes himself, bringing his roving ear and keen focus on arranging to a live performance built to rouse everyone to dance. The interaction between performer and audience is what drives Stern, and he’s developed his skills as a performer for concert audiences and dancehalls alike. “Playing for dances is conversational,” he explains. “It’s a way of playing where you’re really responding to the dancers and letting it be a dialogue. For concerts, the effect range is larger, I have a full color palette of feeling to work with from the stage. There’s just different ways to sculpt the energy.”

Get your tickets early for this special Kalos CD release concert!

$5 Discount code for Seattle Folklore Society members is SFSMEMBER

Doors open at 7:00, concert begins at 8:00.

Fremont Abbey:  4272 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

Photo credit: Deborah Kay