Shady Rill: expanding the folk language

(this piece was published by Planet JH Weekly)It’s the low water time of year when a rill, or brook, percolates though a canyon or babbles along the valley floor, emptying the high elevation snowpack before the onslaught of winter. Fittingly then, that Vermont’s accomplished folk duo Shady Rill will trickle into town for an intimate show at Dornan’s.Patti Casey (vocals, guitar, flute, seated clogging) and Tom MacKenzie (vocals, banjo, ukulele, hammered dulcimer, keys) will journey west via the central Vermont town of Adamant for a six-show tour that turns around in Moose. Casey and MacKenzie have played Dornan’s a few times in the past, once as Shady Rill and a few times as members of Vermont folk group Woods Tea Party. Together they explore everything from French Canadian dance tunes, to Tin Pan Alley, to Old Time Country, and a original material in the expanding realm of traditional acoustic music. The small room at Dornan’s Spur Bar makes them feel right at home.“There are quite a few small venues in Vermont, in fact, there are not many big rooms.” MacKenzie said. “There has always been a small but dedicated audience here. Our type of music seems to come and go in cycles but there are a lot of younger musicians coming up adding new energy.”A proven and prolific songwriter, Casey blends “New England-flavored” bluegrass with folk and has released five solo albums, the latest being The Heart of A Waiting Boy (2012). Her career has led her to perform on A Prairie Home Companion, while Casey’s song craft has earned recognition from some of the country’s most prestigious competitions. She won Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Songwriter’s Competition, joined the ranks of Gillian Welch by winning the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, and placed first in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s Troubadour contest.A common fixture at hundreds of New England contra dances over the years, MacKenzie teaches banjo, ukulele and hammered dulcimer when not performing. He regularly explores American old-time, Scandinavian, ragtime, classical, or even Clarinet Polka on the dulcimer while also penning his own songs.“I couldn’t imagine not playing music, it’s just a big part of my life,” MacKenzie said. “Although it’s not a vocation to get rich by, we get to travel to some wonderful places and get to know a lot of great people. We love touring, especially to beautiful places. We try to add some down time during tours so that we can hike or visit with folks we have met over the years. We do two or three big tours a year for two to three weeks and the rest are just long weekends. Both of us also do other non-music work, but the music is our passion.” Shady Rill, 8 p.m. Tuesday at Dornan’s in Moose. $15. 733-2415.