Paper Wings and Rakish at The Parlor Room

  • April 3, 2024 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
  • The Parlor Room

    32 Masonic Street
    Northampton, Massachusetts 01060
Ticket Price $15.00-$20.00 This event is now over
Description

Paper Wings and Rakish
at The Parlor Room 
Wednesday, April 3rd
SHOW: 7:30pm / DOORS: 7:00pm
ADV TIX: $15 GA / $13 MEMBERS
DOS TIX: $20 GA / $18 MEMBERS

Paper Wings Album Release!

Long-time friends and collaborators Emily Mann and Wila Frank, known together as Paper Wings, dream up warm, pastoral folk songs suited to wandering through a forest or field, quiet contemplation, and long winding journeys. Furnished with delicate banjo and spellbinding harmonies so close you often can’t tell their voices apart, Frank & Mann deliver dynamic performances emboldened by the strength of their sincere songwriting. The duo have an uncommon ability to tastefully reference nostalgic sounds of American folk music while maintaining their own compelling style of artful and unpretentious lyricism. The strength and solitude one finds in the wilderness is a theme throughout their writing, and they lovingly transport listeners to open landscapes in which to find comfort and ask the questions which we all have in common.

Both with roots in rural parts of the West Coast, Mann & Frank eventually found their way to Nashville where they recorded their debut album Paper Wings in 2017 and sophomore album Clementine which came out in 2019. In 2020 the duo were on the road opening for Avi Kaplan’s ‘I’ll Get By’ tour. It was soon after this that they shared Marigold, the first pre-released single from the upcoming album which is a delicate and hope-filled ode to new beginnings and second chances. This is the first peek into their upcoming album which explores themes of grounding and rediscovering a sense of innocence.

 

Violinist Maura Shawn Scanlin and guitarist Conor Hearn unite to form “Rakish.” The pair gets their namesake from the traditional Irish tune Rakish Paddy, an origin that aptly suits the duo and their shared background in traditional Irish and Scottish music. Yet “rakish” itself also suggests something strikingly unconventional in its appearance, and Maura and Conor knowingly embrace this wealth of connotation in their music, drawing on the music they grew up with and performing it with their own slant. In a performance that is something more akin to concert music, Rakish explores tunes and songs from Irish and American folk traditions in a way that reflects their shared interest in and love for chamber and improvised music. Maura Shawn, a two-time U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion and a winner of the Glenfiddich Fiddle Competition, wields the technical range of an accomplished classical violinist and the deep sensitivity of a traditional musician. Conor, a native to the Irish music communities of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD, makes his home in Boston playing guitar for a number of traditional music acts and bands.

Rakish has performed on Front Row Boston, Brian O’Donovan’s 2020 “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn,” the Burren Backroom Series, and they can be heard on broadcasts of GBH’s “A Celtic Sojourn.” They have appeared at esteemed festivals including the Boston Celtic Music Festival, the Bellingham Irish Music Festival, and the Rockport Celtic Music Festival. Rakish is a recipient of the 2019 Iguana Fund Grant generously supported by Club Passim.

 

The Parlor Room is a BYOB venue. Tickets are non-refundable.

The Parlor Room is located at 32 Masonic Street Northampton, MA 01060

Date & Time

Wed, Apr 3, 2024 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Venue Details

The Parlor Room

32 Masonic Street
Northampton, Massachusetts 01060 The Parlor Room
The Parlor Room

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