Hannah Sanders and Liz Simmons April 11, 2010

HANNAH SANDERS (The Dunns) from Old England, and LIZ SIMMONS (The John Whelan Band, Annalivia) from New England, join forces to create a harmonic blend of voice and guitar, creating a sound which calls to mind the earlier days of Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny and June Tabor, but which is also very much their own.

Like all good folk musicians, their music draws from elements of jazz and old time music, while still maintaining the authenticity of traditional balladry. Even though these gals grew up with an ocean between them, they had similar childhoods traveling with musician parents. They were both raised steeped in traditional folk songs, as well as other styles of music including Rock and Roll.

Hannah and Liz are the latest acoustic act to burst out onto the trad scene, writing new songs and breathing new life into old ones.

HANNAH SANDERS grew up in Norfolk, England and comes from a family of traditional singers and musicians. In the days of the folk revival, her pa sang and played with Pete Bellamy and Pete Berryman, and her mum sang in folk clubs across the UK. In a converted 30ft Bedford bus, Hannah travelled and sang across UK and Europe with her family group, The Dunns, singing at traditional song and story clubs and festivals (such as Cambridge Folk Festival, Whitby Festival, Beyond the Border) with such folk luminaries as Lindisfarne, Frankie Armstrong, Julie Felix, The Wilsons, Hugh Lupton and more! The Dunns were touring artists for English Heritage, singing in castles and historic sites across England. Hannah moved to Boston 4 years ago and when she is not singing and songwriting she teaches at Emerson College and writes about women, witchcraft and English folklore.

LIZ SIMMONS grew up in a musical family and spent her early childhood traveling with her parents and their various folk and rock bands. As a child, her mother sang to her and her sisters old ballads from Scotland, Ireland, England and Appalachia, and paired with this was the rock and New Orleans sounds about which her parents were also passionate. Although Liz spent a few years studying classical voice as a teen, she has since chosen to focus on traditional and contemporary folk song. Her performance credits include North Cregg, The Sevens, and The John Whelan Band. She is the lead singer and co-founder of the traditional band Annalivia, a fiddle band which draws from traditional music in North America, the UK and Ireland, infusing it with a fresh, innovative style. She is also one quarter of the all-female Irish folk quartet Long Time Courting, which exhibits girl-band talent and sassiness at its best.

Artists' website ~ http://www.myspace.com/hannahsanderslizsimmons
notloB website ~ http://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic/
notloB mailing list ~ http://groups.google.com/group/notlobmusic

Suggested minimum donation $12, $10 for museum members and all making reservations at least 24 hours in advance. $45 immediate family maximum. All donations go to the museum and artist.

Venue: The historic Jackson Homestead.

Reservations (recommended) / information ~ notlobreservations@ gmail.com

Official Website: http://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic