2025 Jams and Sing Alongs

Celtic

Wandering the Burren explores the traditional music of Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Brittany, and Spain. Its six members include Rebecca Keeshan and Harlow Pinson on whistle and flute and sometimes banjo; Barbara Herrington on fiddle; and Doug Cowen playing concertina, flute, and bodhran; all bolstered by Mike Maulsby’s inspired guitar chords.

The original Pastatones were formed over thirty-five years ago. We were a group of non-Italians (Italians by food preference, as we liked to say) who had become interested in Italian folk music from many sources. We picked up tunes from books and recordings, but also from handwritten manuscripts or from copies of antique sheet music, and most importantly from old Italian musicians or from people who had learned from old musicians.

Some of this music represents traditional folk dance forms that go back centuries, while other pieces were created by Italian immigrants in the the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These skilled musicians created beautiful pieces that would be performed by the mandolin orchestras and smaller ensembles of the time.

Not long after the Pastatones were formed, we (the younger folk) met up and merged with a group of older musicians - real Italians! That group performed several times at Summerfest on the Civic Plaza and for numerous other events. But now most of the older guys have passed on and the formerly younger folk are now the older folk you see today.

Our members are:

• Linda Askew - guitar
• Jack Klintworth - concertina
• Scott Mathis - mandolin and mandola
• Juli Paladino - violin and viola

Bluegrass

The Badly Bent has been entrenched in the bluegrass music scene since 1998. Based in Durango, Colorado, The Badly Bent has proven its musicianship through the winning of prestigious music competitions and receiving accolades from many of its peers in the bluegrass industry. These band members are not newcomers to either the bluegrass scene or performing in front of large audiences.

The Badly Bent does not present itself as one of the new bluegrass jam bands. Although their musical prowess allows them to explore the edges of traditional music, the listener will find that the music never strays far from the roots established by the fathers of the genre. Their love for the genuine bluegrass sound is so evident every time they take the stage. And, that emotion is totally contagious with the audience. Everyone has a good time. But, don’t be surprised when they pull a song out of the hat that everyone says, “Now, where have I heard that before?” Their repertoire will please even the most discriminating listener

Winners of the coveted 2005 Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition, The Badly Bent has performed at over 100 festivals across the US and has been acknowledged as one of the most entertaining ensembles at those festivals. In a nutshell, The Badly Bent gives you your money’s worth, musically and emotionally. This band has an infectious way about them. You get hauled into their musical world and you leave wanting more and more.

Old Time, Americana, Bluegrass

Led by Martha Spencer, the Wonderland Band will take you on a musical journey through the roots of Appalachia entwined with beautiful songwriting and classic country stepping along the way. Featuring Lucas Pasley on fiddle/banjo/vocals, Jake Dwyer on percussion/washboard/dance and Lu Furtado on bass, the Wonderland Band has toured across the USA from California to Nashville- performing such venues as the Brooklyn Folk Festival, Topanga Banjo Fiddle Festival, Buck Owens Crystal Palace, Ashkenaz Center, Richmond Folk Festival, and Song of the Mountains PBS and internationally in Ireland and Canada.

Growing up with the lullabies of old time fiddle tunes from her family on Whitetop Mountain and flatfoot dancing at the Carter Family Fold, Martha Spencer was immersed in country and mountain music all her life. That’s evident in the way she sings, the songs she writes; music is as much a part of her as breathing in the mountain air and her love for it dances through her songs like a steady heartbeat. She plays several instruments (guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, bass) and has been recognized for her Appalachian dancing. As much as Martha’s love of her Blue Ridge Mountain home is present, she also is a “rambling woman” and has traveled around the world performing across the US, in Australia, UK, Canada, Mexico, and Europe multiple times. Her adventurous spirit and traveling is evident in a lot of her songs like “Woman of the Road.” As her daddy used to say, “if someone asked you to go anywhere, you’d just say, let me get my hat and coat, and we’ll roll.” That’s led Martha to playing in various bands (her Wonderland Country Band, Whitetop Mountain Band, Blue Ridge Girls, and more…) as well as collaborating with artists like Luke Bell and The Legendary Ingramettes, and working on lots of roots projects like Appalachian Dance World, Women in Roots and JAM.

Old Time

The Central Avenue String Band is mostly an old-time string band but they can turn some bluegrass and country as well. This local band, made up of Braden Frieder, banjo; Jason Sewell, fiddle; Tom Giambra, guitar; and David Debonis, bass will lead a delightful traditional music jam.

Old Time

The Virginia Creepers play old-time music. Formed in New Mexico 30 years ago, the band is drawn to weird, old, crooked tunes from exotic places like West Virginia and Kentucky, lively dance tunes that they play for squares and contras, and songs about hard times, trains, and whiskey, all ranging in age from the Civil War era and earlier to newer pieces in the old-time style. The Creepers are: Rick Olcott on guitar, Laurie Phillips on mandola, Jane Phillips on fiddle, Marc Robert on bass and banjo, and Michel Robert on fiddle. All of them sing now and then. Based in Albuquerque, they play around NM and beyond for dances, parties, and festivals, and as soothing background music for the quiet and studious patrons of saloons and taverns. The Creepers hosted a weekly old-time jam at Tractor Brewing in Nob Hill for over 7 years, until the pandemic shutdowns. They have continued the tradition with virtual jam-along sessions on Facebook Live, racking up over 50 of them by the beginning of 2022.

Bluegrass-Adjacent Folk

Strange Holler is a bluegrass-adjacent folk trio performing good old country songs and original Americana tunes with beautiful three-part harmony. Get ready for a toe-tappin’ and fun-filled morning of music that will leave you smiling!

Lineup: - James Macklin, Lead guitar and vocals - Diane Marino, Bass and vocals - Shelly Ley, Lead vocals, guitar & mandolin

Música Latino-Americana

Lasotras aims to break down walls, build bridges, add music to the struggle and encourage solidarity. We are an Albuquerque-based musical group that has played together in different configurations for over 30 years. We perform U.S. and Latin American folk music with tight harmonies, spicy riffs, and upbeat rhythms on string, wind and percussion instruments. We often take favorites written by other composers and adapt our own words or make the songs bilingual. We also host peñas (cultural coffeehouses) in Albuquerque and play at political and social events. Lasotras are Enrique Cardiel (bass, accordion and vocals), Teresa Guevara Beltrán (cuatro, jarana, guitar, cajón, bombo, and vocals), Ricardo Magallanes Guillén (guitar, zampoñas/panpipes, bombo, maracas and vocals), Dair Obenshain (fiddle, guitar, bongós, bones, bass and vocals) and Ruth Warner Carrillo (cuatro, jarana, charango, guitar, bongós and vocals).

Celtic

Duke City Ceili Band is a group of friends from the local Irish session scene: Harlow Pinson, Jim Crowley, Phil Gaudette, Grace Broadhead, Chris Carilli, Jessy Stone, Lucy Wang, Elsa Goosen, and Cleve Sharp. We formed to play dance music for ceilis and added singing shanties for our concert events. Find out more at our Facebook page

International Bluegrass

The Adobe Brothers is an eclectic group of identical quadruplets born to different mothers who came together a long time ago to play any kind of music that is fun. Perhaps their greatest musical continuum has been playing for contra and square dances and music festivals throughout the southwest. Though the Brothers' musical style might be best categorized as Americana, a typical performance will include tunes and songs from a variety of genres including Bluegrass, Old Time, New Time, Celtic, Latin Folk Music, Klezmer and more. In addition to their superb musicianship and diverse material, the Brothers are noted for their entertaining stage presence feating a unique style of humor resulting from their identical DNA. The boys often finish each other's sentences even when they know what they're talking about. The Adobe Brothers released their first studio CD in 2009 titled "The Adobe Brothers." A second CD, "Our Name is Mud," was released in 2013 and a third CD, "Don't Get Trouble On Your Mind" came out in 2017.