CONCERTS
- October 20th 7pm Keistuoliai Theatre, Vilnius
- October 21st 7pm club "Ramybe", Palanga (Tickets https://goo.gl/WR6pHV)
- October 22nd 7pm Renginiu "Oaze", Kaunas
LINE-UP
- Elizabeth- banjo, vocal
- Anna - guitar, banjo, vocal, fiddle.
In 1607 the first English colony is being established in Virginia. In mountains of Appalachian meets English, Scottish, Irish migrants and Africans that were brought by force to slavery. Everybody has a tough time – nostalgic feeling for home, wars, diseases, unfriendly local Indians. All of that were constant escort of the life in new continent. Appalachian music originates in that environment. This music connects USA and African blues, old traditions of Irish, English and Scottish music. This music imparts live of migrants and special atmosphere of mountains.
Appalachian songs were redone by famous artist like Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia and Bruce Springsteen. That is how traditional ballads became famous and national treasure of USA. Anna and Elizabeth cherishes that tradition.
Anna Robert-Geval and Elizabeth LaPrelle originates from USA. Their music is very sincere, it is full of deep empathy and respect for native Appalachian music. This duet made a tough-all-seen band “NPR Music” to cry while they were performing in “Tiny Desk” with one of the longest and most beautiful harmonies.
Anna and Elizabeth have gathered traditional Appalachian songs with love. All those songs tell a story. Those stories tell human stories that are like from movies. When this duet performs those songs the audience feels as they live the life of a man that has lives half a hundred years ago.
In these songs the most important thing is not emotions or melodramatic tension. The most important thing is lyrics. All those lyrics makes an effect to the listener and goes straight to the heart because of work and sensitivity that duet puts in those lyrics. Using intonation of their voices girls of the duet makes war songs soft and salvation songs captures attention of the listener. The listener feels the longing of home, the long wait of your loved man that has gone to war, a pray for surviving the storm, the lullabies filled with love, feels the urge to dance to ancient dance numbers and Appalachian ballads. The music of the duet is both awakening and contemplative.
The girl duet matches their voices with violin, banjo or guitar. These girls show unbelievable vocal abilities and instrumental skills. If you never thought that you might like mountain music then take a breath and feel all that. You will be nicely surprised. Those songs are rare, beautiful and with old traditions.
Anna and Elizabeth do perform together since 2011. They both are historians, story tellers, video artists and talented musicians sometimes led by intuition. They felt inspired by Appalachian traditions, mountain ballads and studies with old masters. They do collect lyrics form Vermont and Virginia state archives also they do visit older natives. The girls have listened to 4th and 5th decade of the last century music over 100 hours. And they have found sensitive and unique way to show those songs, their live and vibrant full of sound worlds.
Anna and Elizabeth combines music with visual arts and acting. All songs are accompanied by sliding pictures that is called crankies. This technic is not used often anymore. Those illustrations that are used are made by duo girls. They use shadow theatre dolls, clippers, prints and embroidered fabrics.
Elizabeth is the best performer of Appalachian music from the young generation. Anna is multi-instumentalist that is awarded many times. And music they create together is spoken very highly about. “Folk radio UK” has written about their album “This is a rear record that is so intimate, so ambitious, so exclusive and respectable”. KDHX radio said that “Album like that does not show itself every day, every year or even every decade. Those albums are transforming and future record will use those ones”.
Anna and Elizabeth are welcome in USA and Europe that why they have performed in “Newport Folk Festival”, “NPR Tiny Desk Concert”, “National Sawdust”, “The Chicago Folk Festival”, “The High Museum of Modern Art”, “Cambridge Folk Festival”, “Pickathon”. They have resided at “The MacDowell Colony”, “Montalvo Arts Center”, “The Virginia Center for Creative Arts”, “AIR Serenbe”, “Warren Wilson College”, “Hamilton College”, “Bucknell University”, “Richmond University”. They music was published by “BBC Radio 2”, “BBC3 Late Junction”, “Vice Noisey”, “Huffington Post”, “No Depression” journals.
They have performed with legendary folk performer and Grammy winner Alice Gerrard, Mickey Moloney, Sam Lee, Riley Baugus, Bruce Greene, Abigail Washburn, Wayne Henderson, with “National Heritage Award” winner Sheila Kay Adams and Billy McComiskey. Anna and Elizabeth have collaborated in 2016 with Java composer and singer Peni Candra Rini and created original piece for the theatre that connects Indonesian and Appalachian music and stories.
TICKETS
