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Folk on Mass
Folk on Mass provides an intimate setting for nationally and internationally known folk singer-songwriters and jazz groups. We present music in a beautifully restored Victorian homein historic downtown Lawrence. The hardwood floors and high ceilings provide a wonderful acoustic experience for 40-45 guests.
Visit our reservations page for more information on reserving seats.
Our schedule for Spring 2008 includes the following artists. Please note that all concerts start at 7:30 pm.
Oregon native Rob Scheps began studying the tenor saxophone at age nine. He grew up on Long Island, New York. After having graduated high school at age sixteen, he enrolled in the New England Conservatory. He received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies with Honors in performance in 1986. While living in the Boston area he led his own groups, most notably the True Colors Big Band. In 1988 he moved to New York, formed the Rob Scheps Core-tet and Bartokking Heads and established himself as a formidable force on the jazz scene. A member of the Mannes College of Music Faculty,
Rob has been a workshop clinician at Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Hunter, Lewis and Clark, UMKC, Friends University, and Whitman College as well as Portland State and the University of Connecticut.
Roger Wilder was born and raised in Rochester, N.Y. After receiving a Bachelor of Music from University of Miami in 1986, he continued to record and perform in South Florida, most notably in groups assembled to back Stanley Turrentine, Randy Brecker, Adam Nussbaum, and Chris Potter. He taught a jazz piano class and private lessons at Miami - Dade Community College from 1987 - 1991. In 1995, he and his wife moved to the New York City area for 5 years, where his activities included teaching, performing, and recording. Five years ago, he settled in Kansas City, and in addition to performing with his own various ensembles, Roger also performs as a "first-call" pianist and keyboardist for other outstanding band leaders, including: Angela Hagenbach, Stan Kessler's "Sons of Brasil", Dan Thomas Quintet, Chris Burnett Quartet, Aurora Consort, Jake Blanton Quartet, and was an original founding member of the Westport Art Ensemble. In January 2006, he began hosting his own Jazz Radio Show on KKFI every Monday from noon to 3pm. Tune in your radio at 90.1 FM, or catch the show streaming online at www.kkfi.org.
Leela Grace and Ellie Grace are singers, multi-instrumentalists, songwriters, and percussive dancers who grew up traveling across North America performing with their parents Paul & Win Grace as The Grace Family. For the past 10 years, they have been making a name for themselves around the country as a duo, in addition to offering solo appearances, and touring with nationally-known bands such as the Dirk Powell Band. Leela and Ellie have been acclaimed by audiences and fellow musicians alike for their powerful voices, close sisterly harmonies, warm stage presence, and driving old-time instrumentals.
Leela and Ellie's music has a strong grounding in traditional American and Old-time string band styles, but crosses over into the contemporary folk realm, including their own compelling original songs. They recorded three albums with the Grace Family (in addition to doing studio work with other musicians) and are in the process of recording their second duo CD. The sisters have performed at prestigious venues across the United States and Canada, ranging from the Winnipeg Folk Festival to the Lincoln Center in New York City to the Summer Solstice Festival in Los Angeles.
Lojo Russo is known for repeated outbursts of beatnik jargon while frequenting indie coffeehouses that offer international reading material and underground magazines. She is overly fond of the movie, Tank Girl, Friz Freleng cartoons, old VWs, the colour candy-apple blue, and spelling words like 'colour' as if she's from Jolly Olde England. Her production company, L'J'R'demain Music, is a front for an organization that supports the tossing of rotten fruit in order to tag the ignorant so that we might all recognize them by their stickiness.
Brooks Williams is a stunningly soulful and blues-soaked guitarist. His musical vision encompasses blues fingerpicking, swingin’ slide, and rootsy flatpicking, and manifests itself in a hybrid of funky chords, walking bass lines, and fiery leads. With influences as diverse as John Fahey, Michael Bloomfield, and Joseph Spence, it is pleasantly difficult to pin Williams down. He’s a guitarist, a songwriter, and an interpreter. For example, Williams’ signature guitar riffs can be heard in between news segments on National Public Radio in the United States, his song Forget About Him is a mainstay on XM Radio, and his cover of the Blind Boy Fuller classic Weepin’ Willow Blues regularly brings audiences to their feet.
Brooks Williams is also one of the most entertaining and engaging performers on the circuit today. His concerts are legendary: a constantly evolving mix of blues, originals, ballads, and instrumentals, presented in a fresh and personable way. More than one audience member has been heard to muse about a Brooks Williams concert: “Now there’s a musician who loves his work!” From coast-to-coast, country-to-country, Williams and his guitars roll and tumble like nobody’s business.
