The Peninsula Foundation supports the Arts Community by presenting Voices in the Valley, a showcase of traditional roots music. So kick back, relax and join us for a night of music in the Historic G.A.R. Hall. Beer, Wine and adult beverages available.
Parking for the G.A.R. Hall is located directly across the street on the South West Corner of Route 303 and Riverview Road. There is handicap parking located directly in front of the G.A.R. Hall. Alternate Parking can be found 1 block away at the old Yellow Creek Trading Company. Or at Riverview Court (old Ohio Hardwoods) on the Southeast Corner of the intersection of Route 303 and Riverview Road. Parking in Peninsula is always at a premium so if you are coming with friends, consider sharing a ride. Thanks!
If you are looking for a way to sponsor the arts, please consider helping support the Voices in the Valley music program at the historic G.A.R. Hall. Operated by the Peninsula Foundation, this program features local and national touring musicians in the intimate setting of this beautiful, grand old hall. Your donation is tax deductible and very much appreciated. Thank you in advance for supporting the arts and arts programming in N.E. Ohio!!
The Bluegrass Gospel Hour at the Bronson Church
RETURNS on January 28th!
Hosts Paul Kovac and David Mayfield play some of your favorite Bluegrass gospel tunes mixed with some fun banter! This is not a church service, rather a meeting of the Bluegrass faithful looking to enjoy some fellowship with two of the area's favorite pickers!
Excited to begin presenting this fun series again. Hope to see you at the Bronson Church!
General Admission - $10
Doors open at 10:30. Music starts at 11!
Purchase tickets on Eventbrite!
G.A.R. Grass Jam
Join us the first Tuesday of the month from 7-9
The Next Grass Jam is April 9th
Grass Jam is BACK! Paul Kovac and David Mayfield will be your hosts. All ages and skill levels are welcome and encouraged. We have 3-5 separate break out rooms so you can pick your jam. You are welcome to bring your own food to munch on, the bar will be open.
$5 donation at the door
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Bluegrass has its roots in Irish music and Irish immigration. iGrass and JigJam is what happens when the Irish find their prodigal son.
For more than eleven years, Northeast Ohio Americana Band, Hey Mavis has been weaving a musical tapestry and igniting a following of dedicated fans. With heartfelt vocals, honest songwriting, blazing instrumental solos and an undeniable onstage musical chemistry, this quartet is the definition of great Americana music. Always a favorite at the G.A.R. Hall, and rightfully so, join us as we welcome Hey Mavis back to the G.A.R. Hall stage.
Doors open at 7:30pm/ Music at 8
General Admission- 26.00
April 7th- Chatham Rabbits
North Carolina is a place so identifiable by its separate regions – the mountains, the piedmont, the coast – that it has the tendency to feel indescribable, meaning one can conceptualize the state as a mashup of places rather than a single locale.
The art and artists born from the state often embody that same sense of blended regions, borrowing from broad cultural traditions and plumbing the histories of others’ stories on the way to telling their own. Because of this, many North Carolina artists can call a particular region home, but their work belongs to the state because the entirety of the state has opened itself to them and they have opened themselves to it. Chatham Rabbits exemplify North Carolina’s tradition of producing artists who embrace the state’s many cultural resources and diverse musical traditions.
In their marriage and in their music, Chatham Rabbits’ Austin and Sarah McCombie also blend their own histories into a shared musical experience. Sarah first took the stage as part of a trio known as the South Carolina Broadcasters, a band that harkened back to the old days of the Grand Ole Opry and AM radio country classics. Meanwhile, Austin played keyboards and guitar for an electronic band called DASH. Given these histories, how would Chatham Rabbits describe their musical marriage?
“We’re not purists,” Austin says.“
And we’re certainly not the hippest,” Sarah adds.
“But we’ve been able to belong nowhere and everywhere at the same time,” Sarah says, and I would have to agree.
General Admission- 20.00
Doors open at 7:30/Music at 8pm
Purchase tickets on Eventbrite
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April 11th- The Brother Brothers are the indie folk duo of Adam and David Moss. The identical twins were born and raised in Peoria, Illinois and originally based in Brooklyn, but have been ultimately and profoundly shaped by a life surrounded by travel and the web of community worldwide. They are the kind of people who have a story about everything, and moreso, one you might genuinely like to hear.
American Songwriter once said, “no matter what musical context Adam and David Moss may come to put themselves in, what the duo want to say through music will always come to show the beauty that exists—even in the deepest cracks—of human living.” Proclaims No Depression, “the warm harmonies and silky melodies of identical twins David and Adam Moss evoke the kind of ’60s-era folk tunes that reverberated through dark, wood-paneled bars in the Village… If these brothers aren’t among the Americana Music Association’s nominees for Emerging Artist or Duo-Group, I want a recount.”
General Admission- $27.00
Doors open at 7:30/Music at 8pm
Purchase tickets on Eventbrite
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April 12th - The Faux Paws have a problem. They’re a triangle band in a land of circles. Musically impossible to describe, they don’t even fit into todays often hyphenated-genre world. No fan, industry expert, nor member of the band can seem to sum up this band’s sound in any kind of marketable way. They continue to remain a singularly unique outfit in the acoustic music community, always on the fringes, always memorable and with an increasing number of die-hard fans who feel like they’ve uncovered a secret.
A Faux Paws live show is an explosive roller coaster ride that brings the audience along. Virtuosity on the fiddle, mandolin, guitar and saxophone, sure, but also vulnerability, personal lyrics, tight 3-part brother harmonies, playful interplay, intricately arranged details and soaring improvisations.
Is it bluegrass? Not usually. Old-time? Occasionally. Is it Celtic? Can’t quite say that. Is it Folk? Americana? Jazz? Singer-songwriter? None of the above, but members of the Paws have deep ties to all of these traditions and blend their elements effortlessly to serve whatever musical idea is being presented.
According to FolkAlley.com its Trad. Their self-titled 2021 release was named one of the 10 Best Trad albums of the year from around the world. Need more? Well a few points people usually notice: the saxophone that behaves in ways they’ve never heard. An oft-heard ‘compliment’ to Grammy nominated multi-instrumentalist Chris Miller is “I thought I was going to hate the saxophone!” Fiddle-phenom Noah gets most of the attention on his feet – due to his unique approach to his Quebecois-style foot-percussion he’s developed. Combined with his jaw-dropping array of percussive chopping elements on the fiddle he contains the sound of a full band on his own. Except its his brother Andrew carefully executing complimentary chords and riffs on the guitar that makes Noah’s sound what it is.
But spending too many words talking about this stuff detracts from the fact that it’s the original songs – and heart – that keep folks coming back for more year after year.
General Admission-20.00
Doors open at 7:30/Music at 8pm
Purchase tickets on Eventbrite
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April 13th - Drowsy Lads - The Drowsy Lads thundered onto the Irish music scene in the US over 15 years ago and have become fan favorites at every turn. Sticking to traditional roots the Lads bring a fire and excitement that is quickly winning over audiences. 2018 brought the release of their 4th album, Everyone In, and the distinction of “Best Irish American Band of 2018”. With an undeniable genuineness that flows from their live performances, the future continues to look bright for these Lads.
Ohio brothers John and Daniel McKewen, father and son Phil and Josh Franck, and lifelong friend Bryan Brookes bring to the stage a concoction of “we dare you to hold still” Irish dance tunes as well as a full emotional gamut of songs and good humor. Their authentic approach and deep enjoyment of people is a refreshing surprise to both casual music-lovers and those steeped in hardcore Trad.
General Admission - $30.00
Doors open at 7:30/Music at 8pm
Purchase tickets on Eventbrite
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April 20th - Roger Hoover - One of N.E. Ohio's most prolific songwriters Roger Hoover, is no stranger to the G.A.R. Hall. Songs that come from a familiar place, a place we have all been, a place we both love... and want to leave behind. Joining Roger will be all around nice guys and incredible musicians, Ray Flanagan and Kevin Martinez. These three play together so well, they seem to have crossed over from friends to family. Always a pleasure to host these three at the Hall.
General Admission- $25
Doors open at 7:30/Music at 8pm
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A unique folk duo that interweaves age-old music form and traditions with original modern compositions. A soundscape both familiar and new.
May 1st- Mama's Broke is a powerful duo that deliver a compelling performance with heart and raw energy. Although highly influenced by their Canadian roots, Lisa and Amy are based out of nowhere and everywhere.
They've brought their dark, fiery folk-without-borders sound to major festivals and DIY punk houses alike, absorbing traditions from their maritime home in Eastern Canada all the way to Ireland and Indonesia. Nowhere is the duo's art-in-motion approach more apparent than on their long-awaited sophomore record Narrow Line (May 13, 2022 on Free Dirt Records); it's the sound of nowhere in particular, yet woven with a rich synthesis of influences that knows no borders. It earned them a JUNO nomination for Traditional Roots Album of the Year 2022.
For a group defined by constant touring, it’s not surprising that the two artists that make up Mama’s Broke, Lisa Maria and Amy Lou Keeler, met on the road. As Lisa remembers it, “Amy was driving her old Mercedes from Montreal to Nova Scotia and I was looking for a ride. We spent the 17 hours in the car talking almost exclusively about music. By the time we reached Halifax we started playing together, and within a week or two became a band.
Their two strong voices blend to create haunting harmonies, while they artfully juggle fiddle, banjo, guitar and mandolin, and incorporate traditional dance and foot percussion into their performance. Their original -and often dark- compositions push the boundaries of tradition and the constraints of genre. Drawing from old-time, Quebecois, blues, punk, celtic, balkan and doom metal, they create a soundscape that is both familiar and new.
The driving force behind this band is – and has always been – the commitment to challenge borders between people, places, and traditions; while encouraging freedom of expression and community through music.
General Admission - $25.00
Doors open at 7:30/ Music at 8pm
___________________________________________________May 10th-Henhouse Prowlers-The Prowler's exciting performances give audiences a sense of how much they love what they do. With over 175 shows a year, the quartet has toured over 25 countries, often going to places traditional American music has never been.
The band manages to explore their collective life experiences through songwriting and intricate instrumentation. While bluegrass is the undeniable foundation of the Prowlers music, the band manages to bend and squeeze the traditional form into a sound all their own.
General Admission- 24.00
Doors open at 7:30/Music at 8pm
Purchase tickets on Eventbrite
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Mark your calendars for these upcoming events at the G.A.R. Hall
Tickets will go on sale soon!
May 3rd- Westbound Situation
May 4th - Kim Richey
FAQs
More information about these shows coming soon!
Please send all booking inquiries to karen@crookedrivercreative.com
Thanks so much to the Ohio Arts Council for their continued support of the Arts Programming at the Peninsula Foundation, including
Voices in the ValleyThanks so much to the Akron Community Foundation for their support of Arts Programming at the
G.A.R. Hall