Event

The Honey Dewdrops and Jonah Tolchin

Step into any coffeehouse like Eddie's Attic in Decatur or Club Passim in Boston to main stages as far away as Seattle and Winnipeg, and you will hear the work the Dewdrops have undertaken over the past few years to achieve the raw simplicity of their art. Using a handful of acoustic instruments and two voices, Laura and Kagey strive for clarity over effects and ornamentation. It's what you have left when you strip everything back down to zero. It rocks, it reels, and then it consoles you when you come back down. The sparseness and beauty of the Dewdrops' playing is matched by the integrity of their songwriting. Their latest album is Silver Lining, but their previous releases, These Old Roots and If the Sun Will Shine, show a songwriting duo that emerged with their craft ready for the world. We happily welcome Laura and Kagey back to the Lily Pads stage.

Sharing the bill is one of our favorite artists, who honored us with a stellar CD release show for his album Criminal Man, in 2012. JonahTolchin's songs are direct, tough. Born of deep feeling, of struggles and trials, he delivers them with elegant simplicity and a clarity that speaks to his deep foundation in -- and affinity for -- classic folk and blues forms. But Tolchin is no museum piece or revivalist. "I'm drawn to the older stuff," he explains, "because the belief and passion behind the singing is something I can feel in my heart and my bones." An acknowledgment of his unique talent: Jonah was asked to perform at the Newport Folk Festival in 2012.

Producer Marvin Etzioni (Lone Justice) and Tolchin recorded Clover Lane, Tolchin's first full-band record, quickly and spontaneously in Nashville, with Mike Anderson engineering and an impressive cast that includes Chris Scruggs, Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), John McCauley (Deer Tick), Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson), and more. Welcome back to Lily Pads, Jonah!