Molasses Creek Travels to Wilmington & Southport
Molasses Creek traveled down to Wilmington, NC the third week of November to give a couple of performances and films some live performances. They joined John Golden at the Scottish Rite Temple on Friday, November 19, for an album release concert featuring songs off of John Golden’s “Minstrel of the Times” recording. For a sample of the concert songs you can listen to tracks off the album at www.soundsiderecords.com/albums/jgminstrel.html
Molasses Creek also worked with filmmaker Mark Teachey during the week, recording performances of The Waterman, Java Jive, Selchie’s Joy Waltz, and That’s What I Like About You. They plan to post these videos online when they are ready in January/February. We’ll let you know when they are live!
After the Friday night Wilmington performance, the Molasses crew traveled down to Southport, NC for a Saturday concert at the Playhouse 211. The sold-out evening was a great success. Many thanks to Ken Perrin and Martha Myers for helping bring it all together! Here is a clip of “Chicken in the Fridge” by Jeff Deitchman, performed by Molasses Creek. Thanks to Martha Myers for filming!
Gerald and Gary checked out some instrumental finds at music stores around Southport, while Lou, Marcy & Dave took the historic Southport Trail Walking Tour around the beautiful waterfront town. Southport was established in 1792 as Smithville, and renamed in 1887 as Southport, but Indian settlements in the area stretch back hundreds of years earlier. One of the highlights of the walking tour is an ancient oak that was bent by Native Americans of the region, marking it as an important meeting place. Another claim to fame for Southport area was the final battle and capture of the gentleman pirate, Stede Bonnet in September of 1718. Stede and Blackbeard (who finished up his career with a beheading at Ocracoke in the same year), worked together briefly in March before going their separate ways.
Ocrafolk Festival Thanksgiving Fundraiser Brings in $2100
Returning from their brief southern sojourn, the Molasses Creek lept into action back on Ocracoke to help assemble the Ocrafolk Festival Thanksgiving Fundraising Concert. This event happens every Friday following Thanksgiving at the Ocracoke Community Center, and features many of the performers that appear at the main festival in June. This year’s performers included storyteller Donald Davis, Marcy, Lou & Fiddler Dave of Molasses Creek, Martin Garrish, Julie Howard & DeAnna Locke, John Golden, Rob Temple & Sundae Horn, April Trueblood, Barbara Smith and Scott Paulson. The evening raised over $2100 in support of June’s main event!
Ocrafolk Festival Winter Concert Series
Following hot on the heels of the big Thanksgiving weekend, the Michael Ronstadt Generations band docked on the island on Tuesday for a Wednesday residency at Ocracoke School and evening concert at the Deepwater Theater. The Ocrafolk Festival Outreach Program sponsored the visit with the assistance of the Beaufort County Arts Council, the North Carolina Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, other community partners. Ronstadt Generations consists of Michael J. Ronstadt
(brother of Linda Ronstadt), Michael G. Ronstadt, Petie Ronstadt and Josh
Hisle. Their music spans two generations with a repertoire that reaches back to the end of the 19th century. Michael J. Ronstadt is a vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who continues in the tradition of southwest troubadours. Ocracoke sure enjoyed their visit, and Molasses Creek especially enjoyed the food and music at the Thursday night jam session at Philip Howard’s house. Mighty fine picking!
The Ocrafolk Outreach Winter Concert Series with continue in 2011 on January 28 when the festival’s stellar standup bassists, Robbie Link, travels from the triangle with his baroque music ensemble, Basso. Mandolin Orange will wrapup the series on Friday, March 4, with a residency and concert at Deepwater Theater. If you would like to help give a great Christmas present to the kids at Ocracoke School, you can help sponsor these concert residencies by making a tax deductible contribution of $50 to the Ocrafolk Festival, PO Box 604, Ocracoke, NC 27960. The festival is housed under the Ocracoke Preservation Society, a non-profit 501(c)3. If you have any questions, you can contact the festival Chairperson, David Tweedie, at info@ocrafolkfestival.org or 252-928-3411.
Upcoming Molasses Creek Concerts
Molasses Creek’s next appearance is at First Night Williamsburg on December 31st, at the Old Fellowship Hall of the Williamsburg United Methodist Church. Performance times are at 7 PM, 9 PM, and 11 PM. For more information on the performers, directions, and how to purchase your admission button, visit www.firstnightwilliamsburg.org. Come on out, it is great fun!
On Friday, January 21, Molasses Creek will be giving an evening house concert in Raleigh. Bett Padgett is the host at Little Lake Hill House Concerts. If you are interested in finding out more information on the performance, please contact Bett at (919) 787-6378, bett@bettpadgett.com.
Thanks for reading! Hope to see you out and about!
