Whiskey Deaf–Friday, March 29

Whiskey Deaf is a top-notch bluegrass / old-time / early country music band from Portland, Oregon. Fiddler Annie Staninec has been playing since age 4, plays now with the Kathy Kallick band, and is sought out by musicians all over the country. Ethan Lawton, a terrific songwriter and mandolin player, has been at Fifth Street with Western Centuries. Jamie Blair, John Kael and Dee Johnson fill out the lineup. This Whiskey Deaf show highlights a full complement of bluegrass and old-time shows here and we’re thrilled to have them. Here are a couple tunes.

Kathy Kallick Band–Friday, April 5

The Kathy Kallick band is based on the west coast, from the San Francisco Bay Area to Anchorage, and their powerful mixture of original and classic music has great appeal everywhere. Their latest release, “Horrible World,” has been out for a few months and is getting played throughout the world(s) of bluegrass/folk/acoustic music radio. The album contains a half-dozen new Kathy compositions, an original instrumental from KKB member Tom Bekeny, distinctive covers of numbers learned from Bill Monroe, the Carter Family, and Bob Wills, plus a couple of unique interpretations of traditional songs. Kathy’s exceptional career includes winning a Grammy and two IBMA Awards and collaborating with the country’s top acoustic musicians – including her mighty current band: Annie Staninec (fiddle), Greg Booth (dobro, banjo), Tom Bekeny (mandolin), and Cary Black (acoustic bass), all of whom provide sterling harmony vocals.

Led by one of the music’s extraordinary composers and vocalists, the Kathy Kallick Band is among the most dynamic and affecting groups in bluegrass, and have nearly as much fun as the audience when performing. The material is compelling, the songs have lots to say, the tone ranges from humorous to bittersweet to soulful, the instrumental playing is dazzling, the vocals luminous.

The Corvo String Quartet–Saturday, April 6

Sorry, this concert is sold out.

The members of the Corvo String Quartet began performing together as a quartet in 2004, but their musical paths intersected in the worlds of classical chamber music, opera, renaissance and baroque music, and in folk, dance and popular music for years before that. Sara Usher and Rachel Durling, violins, Shira Kammen, viola and David Morris, cello, plus guest violist Wendy Clymer will bring us two of Mozart’s famous viola quintets, the C minor and G minor ones. Not to be missed!