Folk Music Concerts
The following folk music concerts are presented by The Living Tradition. These concerts feature international and local artisans of contemporary folk music and traditional folk music.
To view a list of artists who have performed in The Living Tradition concert series, click Concert History, or scroll to the bottom of this page. These events are partially funded by a grant from the Anaheim Arts Council.
Note: The Living Tradition newsletter will continue to be mailed, but concert fliers will be sent by e-mail. Click here for more information.
Location & Time
All concerts are held on the 3rd Saturday of most months at the Anaheim Downtown Community Center, 250 E. Center St., in Anaheim (in the heart of Orange County). Free parking.
Concerts start at 7:30 PM, unless otherwise noted.
Price
Unless otherwise noted: $18 per person ($15 with Living Tradition membership discount). Children under 18 FREE with paid adult.
Contact
For reservations, concert information and booking
inquiries, please call Ron at (714) 997-8590 or e-mail
concerts@thelivingtradition.org.
Schedule
Apr. 21, 2018
Rick Shea cut his teeth in the bars and honky-tonks of San Bernardino where he grew up. He has since gone on to build a solid career for himself as a solo artist, singer, guitarist and songwriter. With nine critically acclaimed albums he has performed all over Southern California, the West Coast, and across the country. His songs reflect the folk, country, rock and Mexican influences he grew up with. Chris Spector of Midwest Record said, “If your tastes run toward hard working, literate, back-40 folkies like Tom Russell, Chuck Pyle, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and others like that, Shea is sure to be another that you're going to dig...”
Bill Dempsey began his career as a trombonist studying classical music and jazz. During the early 1960s he became interested in folk music. At one point he was playing trombone in a small orchestra and working weekends in a jazz band. After finishing work he would rush off to sing and play at a local coffeehouse. It soon became clear that singing and playing guitar was what he wanted to do. Over the years Bill has continued to learn new instruments and new kinds of music while staying close to the folk and traditional music he loves. Some know Bill as the Shanty man on the brig Pilgrim in Dana Point, California. Bill books the Tall Ships Festival at the Ocean Institute there. Others recall him as part of the groups Open All Night or Monday Night Waltz. Seniors know him as Banjo Bill. Students know him as Mr. Dempsey the music teacher and los ninos call him Maestro.
May 19, 2018
Ronny Cox is a superbly talented singer-songwriter, musician, and actor who has been consistently active in the music world and Hollywood for over 40 years. Ronny’s music is eclectic, a woven tapestry of songs and stories with an over-all arc that eventually comes together and tells something about “the human condition.” A look of familiarity has helped make Cox one of Hollywood’s most versatile character actors. His first time in front of a camera featured him playing the guitar in the Dueling Banjos scene in Deliverance, creating one of the most iconic moments in the history of moviemaking. He has also appeared in films like Beverly Hills Cop, Total Recall, Taps, Bound For Glory, The Onion Field, all told over 125 movies and television appearances. Despite his great success in movies and TV, what he says he loves most is singing and playing the guitar. According to him, nothing cuts through to the heart like music. The acting experience simply enhances his musical and song-writing skills.
June 16, 2018
James Lee Stanley has been recording and performing since he was fourteen. He has toured consistently since he returned from the USAF (as a Chinese linguist) and has performed up to 300 dates a year since then, with such diverse acts as Bonnie Raitt, Robin Williams, and Nicolette Larson. His remarkable ability as a vocalist and composer allow him to create songs, each recorded with a finely crafted with guitar orchestrations that enhance the lyric.
July 21, 2018
Concert: TBA.
Aug. 18, 2018
New World String Project is an exciting weave of music rooted in the Celtic, Nordic and American folk traditions. Ancient and modern sounds mingle freely on Swedish nyckelharpa, Celtic harp, fiddle, guitar, cittern, bouzouki, and more. Join the New World String Project for a musical ride that will shake your boots, uplift your spirit and warm your heart. The band consists of Aryeh on Swedish nyckelharpa, Windham Hill recording artist Lisa Lynne on cittern and Celtic harp, John Weed on fiddle, and Stuart Mason on bazouki, guitar and vocals. John Weed and Stuart Mason are in high demand being two thirds of the highly regarded Scottish Celtic band Molly’s Revenge, Story Road, Little Black Train and other ensembles. Lisa is a widely beloved Celtic harpist and composer. Having been signed to Windham Hill and New Earth Records, she has sold well over a million albums. Aryeh has collaborated with numerous music luminaries, produced and arranged for television, performed for VIPs such as Prince Charles, and has toured as a solo artist and with artists such as Patrick Ball and The Windham Hill Winter Solstice. Click here to view live show moments on YouTube.
Sept. 15, 2018
Mandolinist and fiddler, Evan Marshall is a virtuoso musician and entertainer, regarded by fellow mandolinists as the premier solo performer in "Duo-Style." By himself, he sounds like several of the world’s finest mandolinists performing together. Country guitar legend Chet Atkins called Evan “One of the few great musicians of our time.”
A bluegrass band like no other, the Misky Mountain Boys features the world class musicianship of Michelle Lynskey, John W. Marshall, Evan J. Marshall, Alex Finazzo and introducing their newest member, Deborah Kollgaard. Individually they’ve performed all over the world and at events and venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, the Disney Studios, Pops Symphony Orchestras, the Tournament of Roses, and the United Artists Theater in Los Angeles. They have also been featured performers in radio, television, and film, including the Academy Awards, A Prairie Home Companion, and HBO’S series, Big Love.
Oct. 20, 2018
Tracy Grammer is widely renowned for her springwater-clear alto, perfectly intoned violin, and guitar playing that is by turns percussive and delicate. Her stories are often described as "incantations" and add a rare mixture of vulnerability, intimacy, and hard-won insight to her performances.
Nov. 17, 2018
Men of Worth: Scotsman Donnie MacDonald of the Hebridean Islands off Scotland, and Irishman James Keigher of County Mayo, Ireland, came together to perform Irish and Scottish folk music, combining traditional and contemporary styles. Donnie performs on vocals, octave mandolin, tenor banjo, concertina, and bodhran. James performs on vocals, guitar, mando-cello, and bodhran.
Bernice Lewis: With almost four decades of performing festivals, concert halls, coffeehouses, colleges, and house concerts, along with a half dozen acclaimed CDs, Bernice Lewis has built a solid national fan base. She is also a published poet, a producer, and an educator extraordinaire. Lewis — who studied vocal improvisation with Bobby McFerrin, guitar technique with Alex DeGrassi and Guy van Duser, and songwriting with Rosanne Cash and Cris Williamson — has been a featured performer on NPR’s Mountain Stage program, as well as at the Kennedy Center.
Additional details about 2018 concerts will be added as information becomes available.
The schedule is subject to change.
Attention Artists:
If you are an artist who wishes to be considered for an
appearance at The Living Tradition concert series,
please first review the Concert History below.
Does your music fit in with this diverse group of
artists?
The following artists have performed in The Living Tradition Concert Series (since 1999) or are booked for upcoming shows:
Chris Berry
Blue Mama
The Brilliant Gypsies
The Browne Sisters & George Cavanaugh
Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
Colerick-Corbett Band
Chuck E. Costa
Dan Frechette & Laurel Thomsen
Freebo & Photoglo
Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen
Ken & Phee Graydon
Terri Hendrix with Lloyd Maines
James Hurley
Richard Lappin
Richard Lappin & Rob Balmuth
Tom Lee
Tom Long
Kate MacLeod and Kat Eggleston
The Muses
Nathan & Jesse
Tracy Newman and the Reinforcements
Lisa O'Kane
One Foot In
Robin Pearl
Jenny Richards
Rusty Richards
Andy Robinson
Tanya Savory
Secondhand Smoke
Rick Shea (solo)
Sion & Anderson
Chris Stuart & Backcountry
Tintangel
Jon Wilcox
Return to schedule of upcoming concerts.
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