Event

Bellingham Folk Festival: Cantrip and Tzepl

This is the Friday night feature concert at the Bellingham Folk Festival! Learn more about ticketing for the festival and individual events at www.thebellinghamfolkfestival.com

This is the Friday night feature concert that will take place at the Blue Room at 7pm. This is a sitting down and listening show :)

The name Cantrip is an Old Scots word meaning a charm, magic spell or piece of mischief and it aptly describes the unexpected twists and turns in their musical arrangements, likewise the compelling potency of their musicianship. Swirling border pipes, raging fiddle, thunderous guitar and three rich voices blend to create a sound energetic enough to tear the roof off. Echoes can be heard of trad music from the 1960s and 70s, but the years have slowly infested their music with the sounds of funk, metal, bluegrass, swing, and even klezmer. New inspirations began creeping into the sound, complementing the traditional foundation of the band. After 20 years of touring, Cantrip has found a character like no other. Dan Houghton, Jon Bews, Alasdair White and Eric McDonald stir the elements in a witches' cauldron, slowly coalescing into chaotic order.

Tzepl weaves together the accordion of Laurie Andres, the trombone and tuba of Jimmy Austin, and the violin of Mae Kessler into a musical braid that manages to be simultaneously harmonious and quarrelsome. They approach instrumental Yiddish music, often known as klezmer, in a way that is mostly traditional, but not strictly so. Their sound combines elements of nineteenth century European string players with the brassy American style of the early twentieth century, with the accordion bridging the gap. Tzepls music is just as pleasant for listening as it is invigorating for dancing.