BELLOWS FALLS — Rachel Clark and Bob DeMarco, the Vermont duo Blackbird, will perform traditional Celtic and Scandinavian music as well as tunes of their own creation at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26 at the stone church on the hill. The concert is presented by Stone Church Arts.
Fiddle, Irish flute, whistles, accordion, cittern, piano, guitar and voices, are combined to serve up a lively musical mix. Their albums Whistle and Sing and Good Morning, Good Night have both received critical acclaim. Whistle and Sing was awarded the 2013 Times Argus/Rutland Herald Traditional Album of the Year award.
Clark spent her early childhood in Sweden, where her parents surrounded her with Swedish fiddle music and song, along with the classical music of their profession. She studied piano for many years.
In her teens she began playing Irish music on flute, and has since added contra dance and English country dance music to her repertoire. Recently, she has begun teaching.
In addition to Blackbird, she has performed with Wind that Shakes the Barley, Skellig, Northern Spy, and Trip to Norwich. She plays wooden flute, whistles, accordion and piano, and sings.
DeMarco's inspiration and love for Celtic music comes from his mother who was from Ballylanders in County Limerick, Ireland near the Galtee Mountains and the Glen of Aherlow. When he was a boy, she frequently sang in Gaelic and loved to play the fiddle and piano. Over the years his interest in traditional music continued to grow.
He carries on the tradition playing the fiddle, guitar, cittern and piano and makes frequent trips to Ireland to connect with the land, its people, the music and his roots. He is a founding member of Wind that Shakes the Barley, and has performed with Skellig.