The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

SFF Presents announces three spring concerts at The Belfry in Sisters. First up is the award-winning Scottish contemporary folk band Breabach on Wednesday, April 17. Legendary singer-songwriter Willy Porter will perform next on Thursday, April 25. The final concert is scheduled for Thursday, May 16, with 2023 Sisters Folk Festival alum Chatham Rabbits, alongside the Colorado bluegrass trio Stillhouse Junkies.

Tickets are on sale Wednesday, February 14, at 10 a.m. For more information visit https://www.sffpresents.org/concerts

Securely ranked among Scotland's most skilled and imaginative contemporary folk acts, Breabach unites deep roots in Highland and Island tradition with the innovative musical ferment of their Glasgow base. They have released six increasingly acclaimed albums, while fueling their creative appetites in collaborations with indigenous Australasian artists Moana and the Tribe & The Black Arm Band, Quebec's Le Vent du Nord, video game composer Big Giant Circles, and as artists-in-residence at the 2019 Celtic Colours festival with Cape Bretoners, Beolach. Their 17-year adventure has included live performances from the Sydney Opera House to Central Park in NYC. They have racked up an impressive array of accolades including five Scots Trad Music Awards, nominations as Best Group in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, and European Album of the Year in The Songlines Music Awards.

Willy Porter continues on a musical and personal odyssey spanning more than two decades, 13 albums, and multiple continents. His journey has been defined by an inquisitive love for humanity and the language that describes what we all hold to be true. Porter's songs weave a universal perspective about the questions, struggles, and triumphs of human existence. His live shows are guitar-driven grit, soul, silence, and muscle; at times electrifying, dynamic, and unique in the way that Porter's voice blends and fuses with his fretwork. 30 years after his solo recording debut, he continues to reach further into his guitar and pen while stretching the form of what his own music can be. He recently released his 13th full-length album "The Ravine" in 2023.

Partners in music and life, Chatham Rabbits' Austin and Sarah McCombie blend their personal histories for deft songwriting that comes from building a life together. Leaning into each other's strengths, their songs present a congenial, collaborative spirit that has captured the pure adoration of fans along the way and earned them praise from Garden & Gun Magazine, American Songwriter, and No Depression. Steeped in the regional traditions of their North Carolina home, Chatham Rabbits' musical pursuits represent a new age of roots music.

Joining Chatham Rabbits on May 16, Stillhouse Junkies offer a hypnotic and high-energy form of roots music anchored in the free-flowing interplay of band members Fred Kosak on guitar and mandolin, Cody Tinnin on upright bass, and Alissa Wolf on fiddle. While they've gained major traction in the bluegrass world in recent years - including winning the IBMA Momentum Band of the Year award in 2021 - Stillhouse Junkies ultimately inhabit a genre-blurring and subtly inventive sound informed by everything from blues to classical to Texas swing. When matched with their nuanced songcraft and soul-stirring harmonies, the result is a one-of-a-kind musical experience that immediately transports the listener into a more enchanted state of mind.

The concerts will be held at The Belfry at 302 E. Main Avenue, Sisters. Doors open at 6 p.m. with shows starting at 7 p.m. These are general admission, all ages shows. Beverages will be available for purchase, no outside food or beverages permitted in the venue. Follow @SFFPresents on Instagram and Facebook for updates and additional information.