frogstop

Season 3 opens Saturday, March 27, with Four Shillings Short

frogstop.org — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:45:43 GMT

Four Shillings Short are giving the west coast a thorough barnstorming at Gaelic Catholic masses, various coffee roasters, and (happily for us) a stop at frogstop in San Marcos.

With over a decade of touring in the US and Ireland under their belts the husband and wife duo of Aodh Og O'Tuama from Cork, Ireland and Californian Christy Martin live as full time minstrels. In a single night, Four Shillings Short perform Traditional Irish and Scottish songs, tunes and airs, Indian Ragas, Folk Ballads, Old-Time songs, Medieval and Renaissance instrumentals and a cappella numbers as well as contemporary folk and original compositions. Their sound has been described as "wondrously diverse", "truly refreshing" and "alternative neo-Celtic folk of the first order".

2007’s Attitude and Gratitude has the duo singing about war in the hopes of bringing peace; a cover of Eric Bogle’s “And the Band Played Waltzing Mathilda” about the cannon-foddering of brave Anzac soldiers at Gallipoli; a trance-folk version of “Green Grow the Rushes,” the tune our boys were singing when they went marching to Mexico in the 1840s; and “The Wounded Hussar,” a traditional about the death of cavalryman by a river’s edge. This is but part of an extensive repertoire of songs that have been hits for at least 500 years.

More on Four Shillings Short at http://fourshillingsshort.com.

Concert: 7:00pm
Doors open: 6:15pm
$15 (all proceeds go to the artists)

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Donations to make reservations for this event are $15 per person. All donations go to the artists. To donate and reserve seats:

Use PayPal to donate now by credit card or PayPal account:
or email your request, either through your email program or our contact form
or go to the frogstop reservations page.

The concert may be held outdoors or indoors, depending on weather.

Season 2 opener: Berkley Hart, Saturday, May 30

frogstop.org — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:29:32 GMT

We're opening our second season at frogstop on May 30 with Berkley Hart, and our timing couldn't be better. The guys will just be coming off a performance at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville, Texas. And May will mark the debut of their 5th studio album, "Las Vegas", so we're eagerly looking forward to hearing the new songs, along with some old favorites.

Listen

Concert: 8:00pm
Doors open: 7:15pm
$20 donation (all proceeds go to the artists)

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The concert will be held outdoors.

Post-concert Pleasures (#2)

frogstop.org — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:46:08 GMT

We flew out of town the day after the concert (a pleasure trip), and returned a few days ago to finish the clean-up (an activity that generally falls somewhere below the pleasure line). So this is the first chance we've had to update the site.

But what a terrific concert! Eve is such an outstanding singer, and Marc is just immensely talented. And such great songs!

One of the big post-concert pleasures for us is hearing from folks who attended. This time, from J&K:

Eve and Mark's concert was fantastic! The sound system, lighting, seating, and every last detail was handled perfectly. We'd like to thank you for opening your beautiful home to us for the evening and for all of the hard work you obviously put into the preparations and refreshments. We hope to have an opportunity to do it again!

Cathy managed to get a few photos during the concert (go to the Gallery to see these), and a very short (35-second) video:

Looking forward to seeing you all at the next concert. Stay tuned!

Special concert: Eve Selis and Marc "Twang" Intravaia, August 16, 2008

frogstop.org — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:14:41 GMT

We had hoped to be able to have Eve Selis at frogstop, and our hopes have been exceeded. On Saturday, August 16, frogstop presents a very special show: Eve Selis and Marc "Twang" Intravaia (Eve's songwriting partner since the early 90's) will offer an intimate evening concert. We love the full band and will go to see them again and again, but we think this is a rare opportunity to hear these outstanding artists perform as a duo.

A gifted songwriter and electrifying performer, Eve Selis is well-known both to the San Diego music scene and to those lucky enough to have seen her on tour. Her voice is regularly lauded by critics as nothing short of a masterpiece: passionate, melodic, raspy and sweet, with a phenomenal range rarely heard in pop music.

This multi-award winner has headlined coast to coast, from the House of Blues in Hollywood to the legendary Bitter End in NYC. She has shared the stage with such notables as B.B. King, Albert Lee, the Doobie Brothers, Joan Osborne, Crosby, Stills and Nash among many others.

Listen

Concert: 8:00pm
Doors open: 7:15pm
$20 (all proceeds go to the artists)

Download flyer

The concert will be held outdoors.

Post-concert Pleasures

frogstop.org — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:27:15 GMT

What a great evening! We knew that a concert by Berkley Hart would be great (a recurring pleasure), but what a great group of people to have visit our home! Wonderful folks, and you made us so happy that we took the plunge. Thank you!

If this was your first time hearing Berkley Hart and you didn't get a chance to purchase a CD or DVD on your way out, be sure to visit the Berkley Hart music room, where you can listen to samples and buy CDs. We have them all, and we're eagerly awaiting the next one.

A big thanks to our dear friends who helped with the concert logistics. Kevin and Shole seemed to be everywhere, and Melisa cheerfully handled duct tape and artist liaison duties with equal aplomb. (By the way, Melisa just finished her most recent CD. Check it out.) Plus a hearty thanks to our son Robert, who manned the lighting board with more patience and attention than many 11-year olds could have managed.

When we start thinking about the possibility of a "next" house concert, we'd be interested in knowing what artists you'd make a trip to North County to see. So don't be shy, and let us hear from you (or post your feedback below).

Our first concert: Berkley Hart, Saturday, April 26

frogstop.org — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:33:01 GMT

We're thrilled to be launching what we hope to be a series of house concerts at frogstop with Berkley Hart. These are the guys who got us excited about attending house concerts, and we just keep coming back. And now we get to bring them here, and share them with you. If you already know them, we don't need to say any more. If not, you're in for a treat. Check them out at the official Berkley Hart website.

Hailed as masters of both two part harmony and dazzling song craft, over the past ten years, Berkley Hart have established themselves as one of the premier acoustic duos touring the country. In concert the duo shines, the obvious camaraderie between these two top songwriters driving each performance. Add in virtuoso playing from both Jeff Berkley (guitar, percussion) and Calman Hart (guitar, harmonica) as well as their good natured humor and it’s easy to see why the two have become live favorites. That said, it’s their acclaimed albums which have racked up the accolades, each filled with tunes as catchy as you’re likely to come across. Over their four albums to date, the duo has honed their approach, experimenting with format and instrumentation, even using a band. Now the pair has stripped their sound down to the basics, using only what they can carry, their guitars and their voices.

Concert: 8:00pm
Doors open: 7:15pm
$20 (all proceeds go to the artists)

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The concert will be held outdoors (you'll want to dress accordingly).

We're live (well, live enough)!

frogstop.org — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 01:49:30 GMT

Next concert: Berkley Hart (April 26)

During one of the recent rains, we spotted a full double rainbow out back:

That seems like the promise of an auspicious start to us. Our first house concert is scheduled for Saturday, April 26 at 8pm. Please join us then for Berkley Hart!