Wednesday Folk Traditions
"Cold Mountain" Shape-Note Singer Tim Eriksen and Cordelia's Dad
June 18 at 6:30pm

HADLEY, MA.-The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum opens the 27th season of its Wednesday Folk Traditions Concert Series on June 18 with a performance by Tim Eriksen, and his Pioneer Valley based band Cordelia’s Dad. Eriksen has recently attracted international attention for his work on the soundtrack to the film “Cold Mountain.” Jon Pareles of the New York Times dubbed Eriksen’s work on the film a “revelation.” In addition to the intensity of Eriksen’s sometimes unaccompanied singing, Cordelia’s Dad performs a unique blend of traditional ballads, old popular songs, fiddle tunes, shape note harmonies, and acoustic folk rock arrangements. Concerts by Cordelia’s Dad rediscover the heart and soul of American music. The concert will be held in the museum’s sunken garden at 6:30 p.m.; picnickers are welcome on the grounds beginning at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $2 for children under 16.

Cordelia’s Dad plays uncompromising traditional music drawn from the American heritage of the past three centuries—what the Montreal Gazette describes as “ tunes about love betrayal, war, work, and dark revenge set to sturdy melodies”. Lead vocalist Tim Eriksen says, “ There’s something about the old songs—whether they are 19th century parlor ballads that my family loved or older things from the oral tradition…it’s just great music”. The band will perform traditional ballads from the Appalachians and the Pioneer Valley as well as original pieces that have been described as “magical realism in song”.

They have been given a four star rating by both Rolling Stone and Pulse and has been characterized by the Village Voice as “semi-reformed punks turned shape-note singers...recently gone entirely acoustic, but buzzing with metaphorical electricity”. During their coast to coast performances and tour of England, Cordelia’s Dad has been praised for the eclectic mix of audiences they attract. As the only person to have shared a stage with both traditionalist Doc Watson and Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, Tim Eriksen is a leader in the centuries-old shape-note tradition who cut his teeth in the early 80’s punk scene. The Los Angeles Weekly says “This band has all eight feet firmly rooted in traditional acoustic American music, which is not to say that they don’t rock. They do. The intensity of their performances leaves audiences spellbound and hollering for more, and although the attitude is 90s, the music is timeless”. The Vally Advocate: “What makes the band punk is their refusal to see the difference between the mournful ballads of 19th century Appalachia and the rawest punk rock, and their genre shattering but ultimately natural sounding marriage of the two”. The O.C. Weekly: “This is a band that long-time folkies will love for the sake of the wonderful old music and fiery instrumental accompaniments. It is a seasoned college-club band that will impress a young audience looking for a music more alternative than alternative, with rock’s intensity but without the sheer volume of electric instruments”.

The members of this Northampton-based band have forged a sound that is just as surprising as it is familiar. Tim Erickson, in addition to singing plays the guitar and banjo. Cath Oss, a vocalist whose style is informed by Sacred Harp singing, plays mountain dulcimer and accordion. Peter Irvine, a vocalist with a background in country, punk rock, and shape note music, plays frame drum. Together, the members of Cordelia’s Dad have found the common ground between traditional American music and hard-edged, savvy, contemporary music.

Since 1990 Cordelia’s Dad has released 5 CDs and have shared a stage with bands such as Nirvana, The Lemonheads, Weezer, Uncle Tupelo, and Peggy Seeger. They have played at many of the world’s major acoustic festivals and venues: The Newport Folk Festival, The Bottom Line in New York, Mountain Stage on National Public Radio, the Rudolstadt Tanz und Folkfest in Germany, the Sidmouth International Festival in England, and the Lowlands Festival in the Netherlands.

The 27th season of the WEDNESDAY FOLK TRADITIONS concert series continues June 25 with Nzinga’s Daughters, and throughout the summer featuring music from The Goodwin Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Choir, River City Slim & the Zydeco Hogs, Afro-Semitic Experience, MacTalla Mor, and MarKamusic. Come celebrate over a quarter century of music!

Wednesday Folk Traditions performances are funded, in part, by grants from: The Marion I. And Otto C. Kohler Memorial Fund at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts; The Hadley Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; The New England States Touring Program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment of the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies; and with support from many local businesses.

The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum is located at 130 River Drive (Route 47) in Hadley, two miles north of the junction of Routes 9 and 47 North. The Museum is open for guided tours Saturday through Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and by appointment. For further information about the tours and the WEDNESDAY FOLK TRADITIONS series, call the Museum at (413) 584-4699, or view the website at www.pphmuseum.org" www.pphmuseum.org.