Town Hall Theatre Company's ongoing collaboration with the Front Porch Music Festival brings an exciting roster of local acoustic musicians to the historic downtown venue on Aug. 2. Appearing in the third performance of the Lafayette-based Front Porch Music second season, the one-night-only show opens with singer/songwriter Joe Peters warming up the crowd in the lobby bar at 6 p.m. Moving from the lobby into the warm, intimate theater space, the full production begins at 7 p.m.
First to take the stage and welcome audiences eager to enjoy close proximity to the artists, are five local musicians who craft a unique program offering folk, Americana, bluegrass, blues, country, jazz, and traditional acoustic music. The range is noteworthy, and a feature Front Porch co-founders Austin and AndrÇe Hurst established early on, when the casual jam sessions began-on their Lafayette home's front porch, appropriately. Now a non-profit organization, Front Porch offers educational workshops and monthly Open Mic night's in addition to concerts.
On Aug. 2, the show begins with accordionist Sarah Gronquist joined by guitarist Mark Gill. The duo will set a lively tone with gypsy jazz and swing, after which guitarist and singer/songwriter Eric Smith will launch into country and bluegrass covers and original tunes with bassist Kerry Hays and percussionist and vocalist Laura Dorman. Lafayette-based Mike Danese, who dove into his long-time love for guitar upon retirement, contributes a storyteller's approach, with songs based in humanity and connective themes that render feelings of harmonic unity.
The special guest artists for the evening are five members of the Berkeley-based band, Charlie Torch. Each a master bluegrass artist in his or her own right, the band's multigenerational old-time style fiddlers include Chad Manning, Jasper Manning, Jayna Manning, Tyler Stegall, and Paul Knight.
Chad Manning and his wife, Catherine Manning, founded and operate the Manning Music school that has several hundred students. Chad Manning began playing fiddle at age eight, and has performed with artists such as David Grisman and Laurie Lewis. During his teens, Manning's musical interest infected his parents-his father began paying bass, while his mother, picked up the piano. Shortly thereafter, his siblings joined in and the family band toured to local fairs and other events. He also started teaching and found special thrill in passing along the fiddling legacy to people of all ages.
Catherine Manning was a classical musician who performed as a violinist with orchestras and appeared primarily in concert halls. She took up fiddling as a student of Manning, her soon-to-be-spouse. Intrigued with learning music by ear, instead of reading notes on sheet music, she became a proficient artist and instructor in the fiddling genre.
The couple's original jam sessions with friends and students they taught out of their El Cerrito home laid the groundwork for the teaching studio they eventually opened in Berkeley. The school's curriculum has expanded beyond fiddling with the addition of guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, Dobro, music theory, and voice teachers. During COVID, when the school was closed, scheduled performances were canceled, and classes held only on Zoom, they countered the isolation with outdoor, backyard get-togethers and live-streamed the shows.
That kind of energy-local, intimate, upbeat, and community enriching-is exactly what the Front Porch showcase aims to affirm and amplify at Town Hall. With local established and emerging musicians sharing their art through performance and mingling with audience members before and after the show, the opportunity strengthens bonds and creates new friendships. Who knows what might happen? If the stars align, the festive evening might even result in a person, young or old, pursuing a long-buried or just-discovered musical passion. |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA