Native American flutist
BANGOR — Gareth Laffely, 17-year-old NAMMY Rising Star Award recipient and NAMMY and ISMA multi-award nominated Native American flutist, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter and producer from Nashville will be featured in concert:
- 7-9 p.m. Friday, June 12, at the Unity Performing Arts Center in Unity. Tickets are $10.
- 2:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday, June 20, Green Gem Healing Oasis, 900 State St., Bangor.
Laffely will perform songs from his award winning CD, “The Journey” and from his soon to be released CD, “Dare to Dream,” which features an instrumental duet with GRAMMY Award winning composer Laura Sullivan on “Regen’s Song”, a song dedicated to a 12-year-old boy who lost his battle with cancer on Christmas Day 2013.
Laffley’s musical style combines rock, pop and world music. Of Mi’kmaq/Cree descent and from Gallatin, Tennessee, he is self taught on the Native American flute.
The title track of, “The Journey”, was written to honor those who lost their lives on the Trail of Tears. Gareth was invited to perform at the Tennessee House of Representatives for the history making, Resolution of Regret, issued by the State of Tennessee in 2014 to all Native Americans for the state’s involvement with the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the forced removal known as the Trail of Tears.
“This Time” promotes an anti-bully message which Gareth takes into schools across the country. When not touring, Gareth volunteers his time with Hospice, using his music to soothe terminal care patients.
For information about Laffley and his music, go to GarethMusic.com.
For information on Unity Performing Arts Center, call Wendi Richards, events manager, 509-7164.
For information on Green Gem Holistic Healing Oasis, call 217-0673.
Celtic music concert
BREWER — The Brewer Performing Arts Center will present the third annual Celtic Event at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 14, at the center. The event will feature performances by Chris Brinn and Chris Gray. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at brewerperformingarts.com, at the door or by calling 200-5447. The event benefits cultural arts programming for students in the Brewer School system.
Gray grew up on Mount Desert Island and has been playing music and creating art for as long as he can remember. He received a bachelor’s degree in music and visual arts from Bowdoin College in 2010. He then went on to attain a diploma in Irish traditional music and a master’s degree in ethnomusicology in 2011 and 2012 from University College Cork in Ireland. Chris is both an artist and a musician/composer. Gray specializes in playing the great Highland bagpipes, the Uilleann pipes and Irish whistles in addition to being an accomplished percussionist. He has recorded and produced three albums;
Brinn came to the United States nearly 18 years ago from the small fishing port of Padstow on the North Cornish coast of Great Britain. He now lives in Searsmont with his wife, Carol, and their son, Declan.
Brinn, who is mostly self taught and does not read music particularly well, has been playing piano accordion for more than 30 years specializing in Irish music and the dance tunes and songs of his home. His connection with Ireland stems from his grandfather, born in Wicklow and raised in Dublin.
Since coming to America, Brinn has immersed himself in traditional Irish and Irish-American music and is heavily influenced by such masters as Jimmy Keane, Phil Cunningham, Joe Derrane and Sharon Shannon, to name a few.
Before moving to Maine, he spent four years on the West Coast living in Seattle and Spokane, and gaining experience in the traditional music scene within those cities. Since taking up residence on the East Coast, he has placed first in the All Ireland qualifier in New York, and has been a part of a number of locally based Irish- American bands.