Mary McCaslin & Geoff Bartley November 15, 2008

MARY MC CASLIN

Mary McCaslin represents an unbroken link between traditional folksingers and today's "new folk" singer-songwriters. Her music ranges from ballads of the old west to her own songs of the new west and modern times. Regarded as a pioneer of open guitar tunings, and known for her distinctive vocal style, Mary's influences can be heard in many younger folk performers.

She is also known for her haunting renditions of pop standards and rock classics, such as "Ghost Riders In The Sky", "The Wayward Wind", the Beatles' "Things We Said Today", and the Supremes' "My World Is Empty". Her versions of the Beatles' "Blackbird" and the Who's "Pinball Wizard" are made more unique by her "clawhammer" banjo accompaniment.

Mary's musical influences are as varied as her repertoire: The western ballads of Marty Robbins, the guitar playing of Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell, the singing and banjo playing of Hedy West, and the vocal inflections of the Beatles and the BeeGees.

Her songs have been recorded by Tom Russell ("Prairie In The Sky"), Bill Staines ("Prairie In The Sky"), Chris Williamson ("Circle Of Friends"), David Bromberg ("Young Westley"), Kate Wolf ("The Ballad Of Weaverville"), Stan Rogers ("Down The Road") and others. The Grand Canyon Railroad has used her song "Last Cannonball" for its promotional television ad.

GEOFF BARTLEY

Geoff Bartley is a prize-winning acoustic guitarist and a nationally respected singer/songwriter whose songs are grounded in traditional folk music, roots blues and jazz. Some of his songs and co-writes have been performed and recorded by other artists in the US, Nashville, Canada and Ireland. Mr. Bartley has released five CDs available from Waterbug Records in Chicago. He hosts two nights of acoustic music each week at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Both nights have been voted Best of Boston in local entertainment media. Mr. Bartley lives in a Boston suburb.

Mr. Bartley is best known for his elegant blues-influenced guitar style and the archetypal imagery in his writing. His songs address the human longing for meaning in life and are told by average people living in a mysterious world. Running through his material are veins of social consciousness and a recurrent fascination with the inner terrain. By bringing images from the natural world coupled with street-level observations of the human condition to the heart of his message, Mr. Bartley reveals a love for the mystical in everyday life. His songs are ultimately uplifting and full of promise.

A natural performer with plenty of personality, Mr. Bartley brings a liberal sprinkling of humor and offbeat between-song patter to his live shows. Audiences are treated to songs and instrumentals in several styles plus traditional and contemporary blues. He boasts a blues-soaked baritone voice and is an expressive harmonica player and slide guitarist. In addition to his own shows mostly in southern New England, Mr. Bartley plays guitar and sings harmony for topical songwriter and folk veteran Tom Paxton at concert venues and festivals in the northeast and elsewhere. Mr. Bartley was also instrumental in bringing the Tom Paxton signature model Martin guitar into production in 2004.

Through Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Churchs Peace, Justice and Mission Committee, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to RESPOND . Patrons may also bring items from RESPONDs wish list. Patrons may also donate funds directly through RESPONDs website - http://www.respondinc.org/main.html

RESPONDs mission is to help women and their children create options for a safer life, free from domestic violence, and to further the efforts of the larger community to end domestic violence. At this time we seek to fulfill our mission by providing shelter, support, advocacy and education.

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of Notlob.