Hannah Sanders and Liz Simmons
March 27, 2010 ~ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Cost: $12.00 ~ kids $5.00


Hannah Sanders (The Dunns), from Old England, and Liz Simmons (Long Time Courting, Annalivia), from New England, two traditional singers and guitar players, join forces to create a harmonic blend of voices and guitars, delivering renditions of ballads from England, Appalachia and beyond that are not to be missed, as well as their own self-penned songs. Like all good folk musicians, they bring elements of jazz, old time and other styles to their playing and singing, while still maintaining the authenticity of the ballad singing tradition. This hot new act of two celebrated musicians is the latest addition to the vibrant folk scene!

Hannah Sanders grew up in Norfolk, England and comes from a family of traditional singers and musicians. In the days of the folk revival, her pa sang and played with Pete Bellamy and Pete Berryman, and her mum sang in folk clubs across the UK. In a converted 30ft Bedford bus, Hannah traveled and sang across UK and Europe with her family group, The Dunns, singing at traditional song and story clubs and festivals (such as Cambridge Folk Festival, Whitby Festival, Beyond the Border) with such folk luminaries as Lindisfarne, Frankie Armstrong, Julie Felix, The Wilsons, Hugh Lupton and more! The Dunns were touring artists for English Heritage, singing in castles and historic sites across England. Hannah moved to Boston 4 years ago and when she is not singing and songwriting she teaches at Emerson College and writes about women, witchcraft and English folklore.

Liz Simmons grew up in a musical family and spent her early childhood traveling with her parents and their various folk and rock bands. As a child, her mother sang to her and her sisters old ballads from Scotland, Ireland, England and Appalachia, and paired with this was the rock and New Orleans sounds about which her parents were also passionate. Although Liz spent a few years studying classical voice as a teen, she has since chosen to focus on traditional and contemporary folk song. Her performance credits include North Cregg, The Sevens, and The Chagrin River Band. She currently performs with the traditional fiddle band Annalivia, the all-female Irish folk quartet Long Time Courting, and The John Whelan Band.