Golden Link Presents
Jim Gaudet & the
Railroad Boys
Saturday, March 24th, 7:30 pm
Rochester Christian Reformed Church, 2750 Atlantic Avenue, Penfield
$18 ($15 for Golden Link
members; $10 for students; 12 years and under free)
See
below for information about two concurrent afternoon
workshops from 1:30 - 3:30 PM.
Purchase
advance
tickets using Pay Pal:
It’s no secret that Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys are having a very good year. Coming off their first appearance at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival held on the Walsh Farm in Oak Hill, NY, Jim and his posse entertained festival goers from the Masters Stage with their hybrid folk grass, jokes and pokes. Fans of the band petitioned producers of the festival (through numerous emails) to include the Railroad Boys in the fest and so it goes that on a perfect Thursday evening in July they turned out in mass to support their local sons. The Railroad Boys delivered favorites from their 2009 release like “Callin My Name” and “Jealous Heart.” The audience also got their moment to contribute in what the group calls their shout-a-long titled “So Far So Good.” Highlights from their performance are available on youtube.
Jim Gaudet assembled the band in 2008 after returning from a self induced musical hiatus. With new material and a working mans attitude of exploring subjects, he found just the right musical foil for the new songs. Time-Union music critic Greg Haymes describes Gaudet as, “One of the most respected literate musical talents on the capital region scene, Jim Gaudet is the rare singsongwriter capable of dancing across the tightrope that stretches between wit and wisdom. Gaudet pours out finely crafted, deceptively simple musical stories.”
The Railroad Boy’s sound is steeped in the tradition of “Americana Roots Music.” They present an unpretentious blend of traditional mountain music fused with Gaudet’s diverse contemporary songwriting. Individually the Railroad Boys are Jim Gaudet on guitar and vocals, Bob Ristau on bass and vocals, Sten Isachesen on mandolin and guitar, and Mat Kane on violin and vocals.
And like any good frontman worth his salt Gaudet is not afraid to let his band play and these guys can really dig in.
“Fresh from tearing it up at the Grey Fox
Bluegrass Festival on Thursday, Albany's own Jim Gaudet
and The Railroad Boys did the same in a too- short opener
sparkling with caffienated bluegrass riffing, front porch
harmonies and Gaudet's gem-like songwriting. In "Born To
Be Lonesome" -- lively and mournful at once -- he
lamented, "It ain't lookin' good, this gettin' over you,"
then the Boys rolled it fast on down the tracks. In "The
Only One," he exulted "I know, you know, you're the only
one." Apart from "The Battle Of New Orleans" -- spiced
with precise a capella harmonies -- everything was
original. But it all felt bedrock deep in conviction,
musical roots and skill. Gaudet and The Boys have
tremendous skill.”
The Daily Gazette, Music
Review, Michael Hochanadel
While hard work doesn’t always
guarantee success, the Railroad Boys are obviously enjoying
the ride and the story doesn’t end there.
Railroad Boys
Workshops
During the afternoon prior to
Jim
Gaudet and the Railroad Boys evening concert, from 1:30 - 3:30
PM, concurrent songwriting and mandolin
workshops will be held, followed by some joint music making by
the band and the
participants.
“There's a Song"
There are so many "songs"
all around us in everyday life just waiting to be written. Join with Jim Gaudet
of The Railroad Boys in
a workshop to discuss why anyone can write a song and where
songs come from.
Songs are emotions, thoughts, stories, and experiences of
everyday life. Jim
will present his own experiences, his own
history and how he got here.
He will
explain why he encourages "non for profit" writing and what it
means. An open
forum will discuss the
many processes, methods and philosophies of creating a song,
encouraging all
participants to offer their own incite as a contribution to
the workshop. One
of the many goals is to bring back or rejuvenate
any former/current songwriters and to encourage those new
writers facing
obstacles and pitfalls of getting started.
Bring a song along and prepare for some of Jim's
"humorous anecdotal
stories."
"Mandolin Accompanying Singers"
Following a very strong
participant
response to his workshop at the 2010 Turtle Hill Festival last
September, Sten
Isachsen of The Railroad Boys is back to
provide more. Join
Sten in a workshop
to discuss improvisational concepts related to chordal and
melodic
accompaniment. Sten
will demonstrate
several patterns that will facilitate playing in all keys.
“Bring It All Together”
We
all
know what fun the Railroad Boys have making music
together. To
conclude the afternoon’s workshops
sessions, both individual workshops will come together to
get at taste of that
feeling by playing and singing with the Railroad Boys. Try out some new
mandolin skills, or bring
whatever instrument you have, and we’ll see what comes out
of the mix!
The cost of each workshop
will be $15. Please contact Dean Santos at education@goldenlink.org,
or
585-334-4732. Please leave a message
with your name, e-mail address and phone number, and
indicate which workshop
you would like to attend.