Corvus is a trio of Boston-area musicians who play
traditional Irish tunes and songs on a somewhat unlikely but quite pleasing
combination of instruments. Emily Peterson: concertina, whistle Steve Levy: tenor banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, lead vocals Sean Smith: guitar, bouzouki, bodhran, lead vocals Samplings from our CD/EP:
These tracks were recorded in August 2012 at The Den, North Reading, Mass.
Emily has been a self-taught (or pub-taught) concertina player since 1996, learning Irish tunes in sessions while moving around the US for school and her day job in optical physics. As well as hosting and haunting Irish sessions, she was part of Michigan trad-rock band Pub Domain and enjoys working with various pick-up bands for contra dances and Scottish dances. She relocated from Chicago to Boston's North Shore in 2008 and is fond of hornpipes.
A musician from age 11, Steve fell in love with Irish music during the 1970s. He has studied with Peter Maguire, John McGann, Matt Heaton, and the late Tony Cuffe. In addition to performing in clubs and concerts in the Eastern US and Canada, Steve has played guitar for the Orion Longsword folk dance team here and in Britain. Recently, he has been the guitarist for singer/songwriter Abbie Barrett.
As a teenager, Sean abandoned his rock 'n roll fantasies in favor of playing traditional Irish, Scottish and English music, and during college spent a year in the UK and Ireland frequenting folk clubs, festivals, sessions and any other place that didn't mind him hanging around. Moving to Boston in 1981, he became involved in the area's Celtic music scene and since then has performed solo or in various collaborations at assorted venues around New England. Sean is a co-organizer of BCMFest (Boston's Celtic Music Fest), including its monthly "Celtic Music Monday" series at Club Passim, which he has frequently hosted.
"The Nightingale/The Girl That Broke My Heart/Man of the House""Bonny Bunch of Rushes Green"
Jigs: Humours of Ennistymon/Garrett Barry's/Dusty Windowsills
Napoleon's Welcome to Erin the Green
Here's a clip of us at BCMFest 2012
We all are experienced performers as well as habitues of traditional music sessions in and around the Boston area. The three of us began playing together through a session at The Mad Raven pub in
Waltham, hence the name "Corvus," which is Latin for "raven." Here's where we're playing, and where we've been:
April 20, 2013---New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA) noon, Middle School 103/104, Mansfield, Mass.
June 1, 2013--American Roots Music Series, opening for Jubilee Mule, The Real School of Music, Andover, Mass., 7:30 p.m.
June 9, 2013--Boston Irish Festival, 11 a.m., Irish Cultural Centre of New England, Canton, Mass.
September 15, 2013--Newton Free Library, Newton, Mass.
Columbus Day Weekend
---Irish Heritage Festival, Dorchester, Mass. To be confirmed
--2012 New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA), Mansfield, Mass.
--The Real School of Music Faculty Showcase, Burlington, Mass.
--Inaugural NEFFA Pre-Festival Showcase, Somerville.
--MidWinter Coffeehouse, West Newton, Mass.
--Boston's Celtic Music Fest (BCMFest) 2012 and 2013
---(October 12) St. John's Coffeehouse, Arlington, Mass.PAST GIGS
--House concert, Newton, Mass.