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01/10/2018 11:01 PMThe Branford Folk Music Society opens its 2018 concert series on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. in the auditorium of the First Congregational Church of Branford on the Town Green with a return visit from internationally renowned and respected balladeers Debra Cowan and John Roberts.
Admission is $20 for non-members, $17 for members, and $5 for children age 12 and under. For more information, call 203-488-7715 or visit www.branfordfolk.org.
Cowan and Roberts bring to life songs seldom heard on TV or radio these days. Drawn from both the folk tradition and the work of contemporary songwriters, many of these songs tell of the timeless joys and sorrows of human experience. They offer windows into where we’ve come from and perhaps where we’re headed.
Both musicians can also spin a ripping good yarn and whether illuminating, inspiring, or laugh-out-loud funny, their stories convey their love of the songs and the people who’ve sung them over the years, decades and, in some cases, centuries.
Roberts and Cowan’s musical partnership began in 2009 with a simple question: “How are you getting to Chicago?” And with that, they decided to team up for a series of small concerts in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois before arriving as separately booked artists at the Fox Valley Folklore Society’s annual festival. The combination of car-pool and mini-tour was successful enough that they continue to perform together both in the U.S. and in the United Kingdom. They’ve recorded one album, Ballads Long and Short, on Golden Hind Music that has already become a folk music classic. Both still pursue solo music careers.