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Joel Mabus will be performing on Wednesday May 6 at 7:30 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ellsworth, ME. This is a benefit for Community Radio WERU 89.9 FM presented by the Downeast Concert Collective.

Suggested donation is $15 for the general public, $12 for WERU members. Free for those under 16. All profits from this concert go to WERU 89.9 FM

Doors open at 7 PM. No advance reservations are required. For more information call 207 667 7825.

WERU FM’s Friday AM Host, Denis Howard, did a phone interview with Joel last Friday May 1st, 2009. Click here to listen

Joel Mabus may be called a singer-songwriter, but he doesn’t sound like one. He’s the son of a 1930’s old time fiddle champ and a banjo-pickin’ farm girl. His performing career began in college during the Vietnam era, where he studied anthropology and literature by day and played coffeehouses by night. One critic writes, “Joel Mabus knows his way around the English language and American culture just as well as he knows his way around a fretboard.”

Born in 1953 in the southern Illinois town of Belleville, Joel has recorded 19 solo albums of original and traditional music since his recording career started in 1978.

The Banjo Monologues, Joel’s unique blend of old-time banjo and storytelling, placed #6 in the Folk Radio charts for 2007.  He placed #4 in the same charts for 2008 with his latest, Retold — some of his original songs revisited.

A one-off in the folk world, Mabus defies any easy pigeon-hole. His palette ranges from mountain banjo to jazz guitar — from sensitive introspection to wicked satire. He’s both picker & poet, and from coast to coast over the past 30 years this Midwesterner has brought audiences to their feet, wanting more.

“His songs are tastefully made and witty; timely and memorable. Joel’s innovative songs speak of those small moments in life that lodge in our memories: experiences like viewing the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, or using duct tape. He treats his subject gently, with empathy and grace, allowing his mellow voice to color the lyrics just enough to make you feel privileged to have heard his viewpoint. That’s a rare talent for ANY performer. Joel Mabus is the type of folk artist who will be around for a long time to come, and we will all be much richer for the experience” - THE KENT STATE FOLK FESTIVAL

“Joel is one of those quintessentially Midwestern American artists. He lives in Lansing, Michigan, but he has a style we will always associate with Will Rogers or Mark Twain, and a great sense of humour which compliments, rather than contradicts, some very serious material. Joel can reduce us to tears with a song about the Vietnam War Memorial, Touch A Name On The Wall, and then make us laugh hard with a song like Hitler Was A Vegetarian. He has perfected the art of being entertaining without pandering, he teaches without lecturing, and does it all with great style. ” - VANCOUVER FOLK FESTIVAL

* For more information about Joel Mabus visit http://www.joelmabus.com/
* For more information about the Downeast Concert Collective visit http://downeastmusic.org/
* For more information about the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ellsworth visit http://uuellsworth.org/
* For more information about WERU 89.9 FM visit http://weru.org/

WERU-FM Community Radio (89.9 Blue Hill, 102.9 Bangor) throws a big party every year. That party is called the Full Circle Fair and it happens the last full weekend in July. This year, the 2008 Full Circle Fair is July 26 & 27 at the Blue Hill Fairgrounds in Blue Hill, Maine. In addition to celebrating Community Radio, the Fair will also be helping the station to celebrate 20 years of operation.

The Full Circle Fair is a two-day, family event that includes music, speakers and children’s events. There are hundreds of vendors including artists, crafters, a wide variety of foods and non-profit exhibitors.

There are two stages of music and speakers. Some of the confirmed acts include Buddy Holly’s Original Crickets, blues guitarist Debbie Davies, folk singer, Ellis Paul, Slaid Cleaves, Prince Edward Island’s Vishten, indie rockers Maggi, Pierce & EJ, and folk/protest singers emma’s revolution.

WERU is pleased to have Teri Blanton as our keynote speaker. Teri is survivor of a Superfund toxic waste site near her home in Harlan County, Kentucky and her courageous stand against the abuses of coal companies has won her notoriety within her state. An active member of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Teri’s personal mission is to reach out to her community about the issue of mountaintop removal mining. In addition to being our keynote speaker, she will sit for a portrait with Robert Shetterly for his “Americans Who Tell the Truth” series

Other speakers at the Fair include Humble Farmer, Margaret Micolichek from The Restorative Justice Project, Ruth Lockhart from The Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center and a panel discussion about Sears Island and the Federal Wetlands Mitigation Bank.

There’s a whole children’s area and a number of performers for the kids including Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers doing their “Everybody Loves Pirates”, Jay Mankita, Tom Neilson and Ellis Paul all doing music sets for the young and old alike. Sara Yasner will lead a sing-along in the Children’s Area as well.

Other features include an open mic, a second hand fashion show, a techno dance and special events like open community drum jams.

The Fair is planned, organized and run by volunteers.

Part of WERU-FM’s mission is to be a “voice of many voices” and to provide programming to the community that cannot be heard elsewhere. The Full Circle Fair reflects that mission through its performers. In the past, the Fair has had Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, Helen Thomas, a former White House correspondent, Jim Hightower, and Dahr Jamail.

The 2008 Full Circle Fair is July 26 (10am-9pm) & July 27 (10am-6pm) at the Blue Hill Fairgrounds. Tickets are: 1-day $10 for members/seniors/students, $15 for general public; 2-day $12 for members/seniors/students, $20 for general public. Kids 16 and under FREE! For more information, visit http://fair.weru.org or contact the Fair Coordinator at fair@weru.org

Suggested donation is $15 for the general public, $12 in advance and for WERU members. Free for those under 16. All proceeds from this concert go to WERU 89.9 FM

Get advance reservations by contacting WERU at 469-6600 or info@weru.org. You can also just show up at the door.

Travelling musicians with a carload of instruments is nothing new in the world of folk music, but what if one of those instruments is a sitar from India or a Renaissance Crumhorn? Going out on a musical limb is common for the group Four Shillings Short. With an ever-increasing array of instruments (over 20 at last count), including hammered dulcimer, mandola, mandolin, tin whistle, woodwinds, sitar, banjo, percussion and vocals, their music is always varied and captivating.

In a single night, Four Shillings Short perform traditional Irish tunes and airs, Indian ragas, folk ballads, old-time songs, medieval & renaissance instrumentals and a cappella numbers as well as contemporary folk and original compositions. Their sound has been described as “wondrously diverse”, “truly refreshing” and “alternative neo-Celtic folk of the first order”.

* For more information about Four Shillings Short visit www.art.net/~4ss/
* For more information about the Downeast Concert Collective visit downeastmusic.org/
* For more information about WERU visit weru.org/
* For more information about the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ellsworth visit uuellsworth.org/