Tag: Prism Coffeehouse

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ARTS Pick: Dry Branch Fire Squad

Expert pickin' and a whole lot of grinnin' will hit C'ville Coffee on Saturday night when Dry Branch Fire Squad takes the stage. Publicity image.

Burnin’ bluegrass: Dry Branch Fire Squad has played at every single Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, a bi-annual gathering that will celebrate its 80th concert in 2020. That’s 40 years of performances, and it speaks to why DBFS describes itself as “aggressively traditional.” Frontman Ron Thomason has been called the “Forrest Gump of Bluegrass” because he’s so connected to the genre’s history. Known for his comedic live banter, Thomason employs social commentary and catchy lyrics to weave the band’s instrumental talent into pure entertainment.

Saturday 11/30. $16-19, 7pm. Prism Coffeehouse at C’ville Coffee, 1301 Harris St. 978-4335.

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ARTS Pick: Hiroya Tsukamoto

Hiroya Tsukamoto brings his swift guitar stylings to a Prism Coffeehouse event at C'ville Coffee Friday, September 28. Publicity photo

The swift guitar stylings of Hiroya Tsukamoto are the result of his discovery of the banjo, and a childhood love of bluegrass comes through in his playing, which includes takes on folk, jazz, and traditional Japanese music. As a teen, Tsukamoto worked tirelessly to perfect his craft, and it paid off in 2000 when he accepted a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. The exceptional composer has gained international accolades, and earlier this month he placed second in the International Finger Style Guitar Championship.

Friday, September 28. $13-16, 7 pm. Prism Coffeehouse at C’ville Coffee, 1301 Harris St. 978-4335.

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ARTS Pick: Beppe Gambetta

Beppe Gambetta plays Friday, October 13, as part of The Prism at C'ville Coffee. Publicity photo

Known for a smile as disarming as his talent, Italian flatpicker Beppe Gambetta plays acoustic arrangements in four languages—English, German, Italian and the provincial dialect of Genovese—on his 13th release, Short Stories. In his original compositions, the guitarist makes his affection for traditional folk music clear, and holds “America in his heart, and his roots in the sun and the olive trees of the Mediterranean sea.”

Friday, October 13. $16-18, 6:30pm. The Prism at C’ville Coffee, 1301 Harris St. prismcoffeehouse.org

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ARTS Pick: Jordan Tice

Jordan Tice's new album, Horse County, with a backing band by the same name, is his first all-original release and it highlights his new interest in ragtime. Publicity photo

Jordan Tice’s journey to becoming a force on the bluegrass scene started with classical guitar, jazz and rock ’n’ roll, then expanded into a variety of projects that found him keeping musical company with members of Crooked Still, Punch Brothers, Dave Rawlings Machine and Canadian folk act The Duhks. He was even tapped by banjo-playing actor/comedian Steve Martin, who used Tice for his twangy scoring of Shakespeare’s As You Like It in Central Park. His new album, Horse County, with a backing band by the same name, is his first all-original release and it highlights his new interest in ragtime.

Saturday, March 4. $13-15, 7pm. C’ville Coffee, 1301 Harris St. prismcoffeehouse.org.

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ARTS Pick: Seth Swingle

Seth Swingle shows off his mastery of the kora Friday, January 13, at C’ville Coffee. Publicity photo

It’s not every day that we have the opportunity to witness a master of the kora, a lute-like harp formed with cowskin stretched over half of a large gourd. After a Fulbright scholarship sent Seth Swingle to Mali, he spent years mastering the unique instrument, capable of producing mesmerizing bass lines and harmonies. In addition, his work under the tutelage of Mike Seeger led to a command of traditional Southern banjo that earned him two awards at the Virginia state banjo competition.

Friday, January 13. $11-13, 7pm. C’ville Coffee, 1301 Harris St. prismcoffeehouse.org.

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Arts Pick: Dry Branch Fire Squad

For more than 40 years, Ron Thomason’s intricately woven and hilarious stories have been at the heart of the old-time, Southern gospel and bluegrass songs of Dry Branch Fire Squad. Publicity photo

For more than 40 years, Ron Thomason’s intricately woven and hilarious stories have been at the heart of the old-time, Southern gospel and bluegrass songs of Dry Branch Fire Squad. The longtime Prism Coffeehouse favorite’s keen sense of humor and small-town country wisdom, combined with skilled musicianship, launches pointed—and sometimes scathing—observations of the hypocrisy of modern society.

Saturday, November 26. $16-18, 7pm. C’ville Coffee, 1301 Harris St. 296-1600.

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ARTS Pick: Kamalakiran Vinjamuri

Publicity photo

Not only has Kamalakiran Vinjamuri been mastering the Carnatic approach to violin since age 7, he’s also composed a ballet, earned a black belt in karate and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for participating in the largest Kuchipudi group dance with more than 5,000 others. The young classical musician from northern Virginia performs with a second violinist and percussionist.

Friday, October 28. $8-12, 7pm. The Prism at C’ville Coffee, 1301 Harris St. 817-2633.

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ARTS Pick: Eric Brace and Peter Cooper

While honoring masters of tradition, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper make their own mark on bluegrass and folk. Publicity photo

Washington, D.C., is not the first place that comes to mind as the center of folk and bluegrass music, but there’s a long history of accomplished players from the capital city, including Eric Brace and Peter Cooper, who honor their peers on the recent album, C&O Canal. The Grammy-nominated collaborators’ engaging songwriting, quick wit and masterful harmonies highlight this ode to “the Birchmere back then” and its extensive music community.

Friday, September 30. $15-18, 7pm. Prism Coffeehouse at C’ville Coffee, 1301 Harris St. cvillecoffee.com.

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ARTS Pick: Prism Coffeehouse series

Mile Twelve stops at C’ville Coffee on Friday. Publicity photo

For the sound of the Blue Ridge Mountains, look no further than the Prism Coffeehouse series. For the better part of 40 years, beginning in the ’70s, the Prism was the heart of the local music community for folk, bluegrass, blues, jazz, Americana and traditional music. After personnel and location changes, the Prism is enjoying a resurgence, and its fall season opens this week with Molsky’s Mountain Drifters on Wednesday and Boston bluegrass zingers Mile Twelve on Friday.

Friday, September 23. $15-20, 6:30pm. C’ville Coffee, 1301 Harris St.