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PLUS: LIVE in the Berkshires—Moonshine Holler and Girl Howdy
As you hear the tamburello pounding out the heartbeat of the music of Newpoli, the two singers start up a wild, frenetic dance, and you’ll have a very hard time sitting still.
The group carries on a tradition that is so old it’s hard to date, performing music from the south of Italy laced with influences from all of the surrounding Mediterranean cultures. Originals are mixed with exciting arrangements of traditional music, the tempo is high, and the drama and passion in their blood can be heard in every note.
Their latest CD, Nun te vutà, features twelve tracks, six originals, six traditionals, and more then a dozen handcrafted indigenous instruments played by eight talented musicians. It’s an album that deals with contemporary topics with the help of traditional sounds.
While the roots of their music may go back centuries, Newpoli’s outreach efforts are solidly up to date. Utilizing social media, various online distribution channels, and high-end web design and imagery, the group seems much less like a throwback than the future. Check out their EPK release video for “Num te Vutá,” below, and then purchase your copy at Amazon.com (note: this album makes for SURPRISINGLY good driving music!)
Moonshine Holler
Moonshine Holler, the husband and wife duet of Paula Bradley and Bill Dillof, captures the essence of American music: hillbilly blues, ballads and breakdowns with some knock-your-socks-off flatfoot dancing to boot. Known for their musical prowess on more instruments than they can juggle (banjo, fiddle, guitar, Hawaiian guitar, harmonica, ukulele, kazoo), Paula and Bill are two performers steeped in old time traditional music who have performed and taught across the country and abroad.
These days Paula also tickles the ivories and shares lead singing duties in the NE-based honky tonk combo Girl Howdy and fronts her own bluesy roots combo The Twangbusters. Bill is also a member of the legendary Canebrake Rattlers, a NYC-based stringband known for their authentic “78 rpm” sound.
Upcoming Moonshine Holler Shows
Township Day
July 3, 2015; 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Bidwell House Museum
100 Art School Rd, Monterey, Massachusetts 01245
It’s the annual celebration of Tyringham and Monterey! Music, fun, food and a gorgeous setting. And PIE
Windsor Lake Concert Series
Wednesday, July 8; 6:30pm – 8:30pm
200 Windsor Lake Rd, North Adams, Massachusetts 01247
Lilac Park Concert Series
July 15; 6:30 p.m.
Corner of Main Street and Sunset Avenue
Upcoming Girl Howdy Shows
Clark Art Institute
Tue July 7; 6 p.m.
225 South Street
Williamstown, Mass.
South Hadley Town Common
South Hadley, Mass.
Thu July 16; 6–7:30 p.m.
FREE SHOW!
Bring your lawn chairs & picnic paraphernalia!
Heath Fair
Sat Aug 22, 1 p.m.
Heath, Mass.
Controlled Exposure—Comanchero
Since 2003, Comanchero has crafted an Americana sound that combines old traditions with new, Country with Rock, Bluegrass with Blues, Honky-Tonk with Funk, and Roots with Rockabilly. While unique in their own sound, there is something strikingly familiar in Comanchero’s songs that weave influences ranging from Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers, Little Feat, to today’s contemporaries such as CAKE, Wilco, and Mumford & Sons.
This rockin’ band was featured on “The Mongrel’s Howl” back in 2006, as they were leaving their old name, “El Gringo” behind and breaking in the name they’re known by now.
