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.

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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/

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