SOUTH NEWFANE — Two acclaimed acoustic duos will team up for a night of original acoustic folk, country, and rock music, in a concert to benefit the South Newfane Schoolhouse, Saturday Aug. 26.
Jon Fried and Deena Shoshkes, and Elena Skye and Boo Reiners, longtime friends, colleagues, and collaborators on the Americana and indie pop music scene who also share strong ties to the Williamsville/South Newfane community, will present an evening of “great songs, harmonies, and good times,” according to a news release.
Jon and Deena's music features intimate vocal harmonies and charming songs with roots in acoustic folk, catchy indie pop, and joyful rock and roll.
Their songwriting has been called “direct and artful,” by The New York Times. Deena's voice was described as “incredible: kidstuff and wisdom merged,” by The Village Voice. Their songs have been recorded by Jackson Browne, Dar Williams, and Marshall Crenshaw, and featured in films and on network TV.
With a truly memorable and unique collection of songs, Skye and Reiners and their Demolition String Band have steadily built their reputation one gig at a time.
They “love nothing more than thrilling a sweaty dance floor with dangerous Telecaster work atop a nimble rhythm section, or pickin' and singing old-school around a single microphone, juggling banjo, mandolin, and guitars while weaving rustic, taut harmony vocals with tall tales and truth, joy and heartbreak, despair and redemption,” according to the release.
“Live, Skye wears her heart on her sleeve and Reiners plays the hell out of his Telecaster,” says The Village Voice.
Fried and Shoshkes began performing in the streets in Paris and Rome in the early 80s. They started a rock band called The Cucumbers and found a home in the indie pop scene in Hoboken, New Jersey. After many years of playing music together in varied incarnations, their duo performances draw upon a deep songbook and effortless communication.
Skye and Reiners have been collaborators for almost two decades, marking their journey with numerous releases and countless miles on the road in the U.S. and Europe.