We need your donations now to make CHIRP a repeat performance in 2024. http://www.chirpct.org/donate
Tues. June 6: The RTs (formerly Rad Trads)
They say it takes nearly a decade for a wine to mature. The same could be said for The RT’s (formerly the Rad Trads). If you caught their brand of raucous, beer-soaked trad jazz and blues in the early days, you’ll see the same ingredients (boisterous horns, impassioned vocals, and a driving groove) but a new flavor, and the kind of maturity and subtlety that only comes with time. https://thertsband.com/
Generously underwritten by Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation
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Thurs. June 8: John “Papa” Gros – Concert moved to Ridgefield High School auditorium , 700 North Salem Rd. at 7:00 p.m. Come on in and join us where the air is clean!
“Sharing New Orleans with the world is my calling,” says pianist and organist John “Papa” Gros (pronounced grow). “That’s what I have been doing and that’s what I’ll do the rest of my life.” For over 30 years Gros has brought his city’s celebratory culture to listeners around the globe. Gros mises all the sounds of New Orleans – funk, trad jazz, brass band, blues – and makes it his own signature gumbo. https://johnpapagros.com
Generously underwritten by Sam Hur of Ridgefield Cleaners
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Tues. June 13: Bandits on the Run
A relatively recent indie-folk-pop-Americana outfit consisting of three lead singers, a guitar, a cello, a suitcase drum, an accordion and various toy instruments. They hail from Brooklyn, NY and are known for their vivacious performance style, genre-defying sound, soaring harmonies, and ability to make music-magic happen. https://www.banditsonthe run.nyc
Generously underwritten by the Wadsworth Lewis Fund
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Thurs. June 15: The Nth Power
Proving that soul music can be exponentially greater than the sum of its parts, the Nth Power is on a mission to share the light. The band is relentlessly funky and soulful and believes in music as a higher power! www.thenthpowermusic.com
Generously underwritten by Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation
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Tues. June 20th: A.J. Lee and Blue Summit
Drawing from influences such as country, soul, swing, rock, and jam music, the band uses the lens of bluegrass as a means to express the thread that binds all great music. https://www.bluesummitmusic.com
Generously underwritten in part by Fairfield County Bank
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Thurs. June 22: Amy Speace
We could easily write a 10,000 word essay on Amy Speace. CHIRP and its sister series, @Acoustic Celebration have presented her many, many times since 2007. Each times she releases an album, its reviews are generally raves, with each album containing at least several songs written or co-written by her that tease your mind and tug at your heartstrings. This is an artist whose voice you will not forget and whose writing will leave indelible marks. https://www.amyspeace.com
Underwritten through the ongoing generosity of Tom & Marlene Gerhard
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Tues. June 27: John Jorgenson’s J2B2 Bluegrass Band
J2B2 is an all-star bluegrass supergroup featuring four legendary, award-winning musicians delivering bluegrass like no one has ever heard it before. The four combine forces to form a spot-on union of impeccable musicianship, incredible harmony vocals and seasoned showmanship. The “high lonesome sound” of American roots music at its finest. https://www.johnjorgenson.com
Generously underwritten by the Ridgefield Rotary Club
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Thurs. June 29: Willie Stratton
For over a decade Canadian musician Willie Stratton has been building his good name on his ability to deliver masterful versions of rock ‘n’ roll’s various iterations – heartsick blues, twanged-up country, hip-shaking rockabilly and everything in between. It’s been written that in his new release Drugstore Dreamin‘ he’s melted all those myriad sounds to create sonic gold. https://www.williestratton.com
Generously underwritten by John Katz Family Foundation
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Monday, July 3: Harry Manx
“Mysticssippi” blues man Harry Manx has been called an “essential link” between the music of the East and West, creating musical short stories that wed the tradition of the Blues with the depth of classical Indian ragas. He has created a unique sound that is hard to forget and addictive to listen to. www.harrymanx.com
This concert is generously underwritten by the family of Naomi Manners Stern
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Tuesday, July 4: 4:00 P.M. The Fairfield Counts
Your favorite area 19 piece big band returns with tunes and songs to celebrate the 4th and the classics of 30’s and 40’s music, e.g. Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and lots more. www.fairfieldcounts.com
Generously underwritten by Ridgefield Station-SLR
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Tues. July 6: Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez
CHRISTINE OHLMAN (a/k/a “The Beehive Queen” for her mile-high platinum-blonde hairdo) is a long-time vocalist with NBC’s Saturday Night Live Band. She’ll be joined onstage by the members of Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez band.
In 2017 she was inducted into the National Blues Hall of Fame of American Heritage, International and landed the Top Female Americana Vocalist honors on The Alternate Root’s International Readers’ Poll. Her theme song for “30 Rock” was featured in the July 2020 reunion special on NBC. Mixing a fiery brand of rootsy Americana with an old-school soul music flavor, she serves up a style that’s been dubbed by SIRIUS/XM’s Dave Marsh “Contemporary Rock R&B.”https://www.christineohlman.net
Generously underwritten once again by Gary & Susie Singer
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Tues. July 11: The Faux Paws
Is it bluegrass? Not usually. Old-time? Occasionally. Is it Celtic? Can’t quite say that. Is it Folk? Americana? Jazz? None of the above. Musically impossible to describe, the Faux Paws don’t fit into today’s often hyphenated-genre world. They continue to remain a singularly unique outfit in the acoustic music community with a fast growing number of die-hard fans. https://www.thefauxpawsmusic.com
Generously underwritten by Cohen & Wolf, P.C.
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Thurs. July 13: Damn Tall Buildings
From Boston, with a bluegrass foundation, they are not your traditional bluegrass ensemble. The band coined the term “guerrilla roots” to describe its sound, which draws on early-20th-century Americana/bluegrass music, “repurposed for a modern audience.”” (Boston Globe). https://www.damntallbuildings.com
Generously underwritten by the Ridgefield Thrift Shop
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Tues. July 18: Cantrip
Swirling border pipes, raging fiddle, thunderous guitar and three rich voices blend to create a sound energetic enough to tear the roof off. Cantrip is an old Scots word meaning a charm, magic spell or piece of mischief and this band embodies it all. https://wwwcantrip-music.com
Generously underwritten by Anna- Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation
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Thurs. July 20: Willie Nile
With at least 14 studio albums to his credit, Willie Nile remains one of New York’s finest rock n roll musicians and songwriters. Over his 40+ years’ career he has performed with every big named rock and indie artist while remaining true to himself and his music. He has shared the stage with Bono, Springsteen, Lucinda Williams and so many more. https://www.willienile.com
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Tues. July 25: The Wilder Blue
Sharp storytelling. Gripping and gorgeous five-part harmonies. Arrangements that can swing between fun, engaging and lively one moment and stirring, booming and chill-inducing the next. This is The Wilder Blue who put their own spin on rock-influenced country. https://TheWilderBlue.com
Generously underwritten by the amazing volunteers of the Ridgefield Thrift Shop
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Thurs. July 27: Joslyn & the Sweet Compression
Joslyn & The Sweet Compression combine to deliver a hook-filled mix of funk and soul on their self-titled debut album, released in 2019. A headlining favorite at regional clubs and music festivals, they are engaging fans across the country with widespread touring in 2023. https://joslynandtsc.com/
Underwritten through the generosity of Gary & Susie Singer
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Tues. Aug. 1: Hot Club of Cowtown
We happily welcome back Hot Club after too long an absence. The band lauded for its “down-home melodies and exuberant improvisation(The Times, London), has always woven a combo of seemingly disparate styles together to its own magical effect which so many in our audience have loved from year to year. https://hotclubofcowtown.com
Generously underwritten by Allen Purkiss of Purkiss Capital Advisors, LLC
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Thurs. Aug. 3: Jamie McLean Band
The band creates a musical gumbo that incorporates New Orleans soul, middle Americana roots, Delta blues and New York swagger. “McLean provides a fascinating cross-section of sounds that merge the yearning and romanticism of Tom Petty, the air-tight instrumental proficiency of Nashville and the rugged independent streak of alt-country” (Guitar World Magazine). https://www.jamiemcleanband.com
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Tues. Aug. 8: Miss Tess
Since she last appeared at CHIRP in 2011, Miss Tess has moved to Nashville and developed her sound to include more classic country, rockabilly and vintage rock n’ roll. According to Twangville “There isn’t a genre Miss Tess can’t master.” https://www.misstessmusic.com
Generously underwritten by David & Andrea Beebe
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Thurs. Aug. 10: The Steel Wheels
Long at home in the creative space between tradition and innovation and informed by the familiar sounds of the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains where thee band was formed, The Steel Wheels play a strong brew of original soulful mountain music that springs in part from their shared Mennonite heritage. www.thesteelwheels.com
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Tues. Aug. 15: Funk You
A Southern band that moves both body and soul. For more than a decade it has enchanted audiences with an unmistakably intoxicating blend of modern and vintage sounds. Comprised of eight kindred spirits, this close-knit troupe is driven by an unwavering passion for live performance and emboldened by its own exuberance – making it one of the most electrifying acts in contemporary funk. https://www.funkyoumusic.com
Generously underwritten by Chris Pike (formerly Ridgefield Music)
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Thurs. Aug. 17: Seth Walker
Over the last decade, Seth Walker has become recognized as one of the most revered Americana blues artists in the United States, with a blues man’s respect for roots and tradition. He is a three-dimensional talent who combines a gift for melody and lyric alongside a rich, Gospel-drenched Southern inflected voice.https://www.sethwalker.com
Generously underwritten by the Leir Foundation
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Tues. Aug. 22: Johnny Nicholas & Friends
A rich gumbo of blues, Southwest Louisiana soul and Texas swing and honky tonk. In 2019 his album was Grammy nominated. https://www.johnnynicholasblues.com
Generously underwritten by David and Andrea Beebe
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Thurs. Aug. 24: Low Down Brass Band
A talented all horn band, redolent of Chicago Music culture, the group leans heavily on dancehall and street beat rhythm, with the energy of conscious hip hop, jazz, reggae and soul. www.lowdownbrassband.com
Underwritten through the generosity of David and Andrea Beebe
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Tues. Aug. 29: Nora Jane Struthers
“Just as her intensely energetic live performances connect audiences to the intricate tales woven through her lyrics, the ever-widening scope of Nora Jane Struthers’ musicality means that placing a neat, easy label on the genre she best represents is virtually impossible.” [Wake] has an “evolved blend of roots and rock with plenty of fiddle and steel guitar, [where] Struthers’ lyrical vulnerability is matched by her growing confidence as a performer.” — Stephen L. Betts, Rolling Stone Country
Generously underwritten by William Leventon
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Thurs. Aug. 31: The Wreckless Strangers
Six seasoned Bay Area musicians known for their collaborative songwriting and high-energy live shows, performing an infectious blend of music they call “California Americana Soul” www.wrecklessstrangers.com
Generously underwritten by Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation
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CHIRP 