When: Friday 15th August, 8pm (doors open 7.30pm)
Where: Levens Village Hall
Tickets: adult £12, U18s £6 - link below or call 07810 216822 /e-mail
Licensed Bar & Refreshments & Raffle
Overview
Led by Martha Spencer, the Trio will take you on a musical journey through the roots of Appalachia entwined with beautiful songwriting and classic country stepping along the way. Featuring Lucas Pasley on fiddle/banjo/vocals and Jake Dwyer on percussion/washboard/dance, the Wonderland Band has toured across the USA from California to Nashville- performing such venues as the Brooklyn Folk Festival, Topanga Banjo Fiddle Festival, Buck Owens Crystal Palace, Ashkenaz Center, Richmond Folk Festival, and Song of the Mountains PBS and internationally in Ireland and Canada.
Bios
Martha Spencer
Martha Spencer is a singer-songwriter, mountain musician and dancer from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She grew up in the musical Spencer family and learned to play several instruments (guitar, fiddle, banjo, bass, dulcimer, mandolin) and flatfoot/clog at a young age. She performs and has recorded with various groups and has been involved with several roots music projects. She has played shows, festivals and led workshops across the US, Australia, UK, and Europe. Martha’s first solo album has been featured in articles in Rolling Stone Country, No Depression, Wide Open Country, Bluegrass Situation, Americana Highways, PopMatters and more. She also has been included in articles in the NY Times, Austin Chronicle and Billboard and was a part of the Fiddlin’ documentary movie.
Lucas Pasley
Lucas Pasley is an oldtime fiddler / banjoist and singer-songwriter from Sparta, NC in the heart of the southern Appalachian mountains. Lucas’s great uncle was the fiddler for the early country band The Red Fox Chasers, and Lucas has been devoted to the honoring and preserving the traditional music of his region. He is also a songwriter and pulls lyrics from his family's writing in addition to his own. Lucas has released several albums of both his songs and traditional music with his local band Gap Civil.
Jake Dwyer
In addition to playing percussion in the Wonderland Band, Jake is a songwriter and guitarist for the Jake Dwyer band and also performs solo. Jake sings heartfelt and soulful songs rooted in vintage blues rock tunes.
Reviews
“Appalachian music, through and through, with all the dynamism of a string band and the longing of a lovelorn country song.” - Rolling Stone Country
“Martha Spencer makes traditional-tinted magic on Wonderland.” - No Depression
“Rolling from the mountains of Virginia, Spencer provides an update on the high lonesome sound, blending equal parts country and bluegrass with a high-flying rockabilly sensibility.” - Austin Chronicle, Americanafest
“Spencer’s breathy soprano lends an ethereal vibe…” - The Boot
“Beguiling as a charm cast in the wind, Martha Spencer spins songs of timeless woods-dwelling folk.” - Americana Highway