The Lovestruck Balladeers, Lou Shields

media release: The Lovestruck Balladeers enchant audiences with their masterful performances and inspired repertoire of ragtime, jazz and beautiful songs from around the world. They might whip out a lost melody from a forgotten mandolin folio or they might play a Mexican waltz. They might push into a renegade rearrangement of a swing standard or get down with a country rag.

They are the five scorpion sons of a West Virginia dance hall, a Little Italy tourist attraction and a Oaxacan birthday party. Together or on their own paths, this stellar band of traveling musicians has traversed the country and the globe, carrying traditional styles into modern times.

The versatile quintet features twin fiddles, guitars, a mandolin trio, upright bass, banjo, piano and vocal harmonies. Their repertoire is a rare repository of American and international music seldom heard beyond the walls of low-lit dancehalls at the edge of the known world.

Having played together in various configurations and all varieties of musical enterprise, The Lovestruck Balladeers came together as a band throughout a series of recording sessions for Jalopy Records’ 2018 release, Estrellas de Radio. Once formed, the group quickly made a name for themselves as an exciting new act highlighting musical excellence and a tightly crafted stage show. With featured performances in New York City, a Midwest tour in the fall of 2018 and an electric performance at the 2019 Brooklyn Folk Festival, the band has turned heads and won over audiences every step of the way. FeaturingJake Sanderson guitar, Aaron Jonah Lewison violin and banjo, Dennis Lichtmanon clarinet and a variety of string instruments, Dalton Ridenhour on piano and Sean Cronin on bass, the novel ensemble creates a rich blend of five distinct musical personalities.

Lou Shields continues the tradition of American music with a solo-performance that pulls in styles of days-gone-by. Using his 1931 National Resonator Guitar or Banjo accompanied by a unique front porch style of foot percussion and harmonica, he uses his voice as an extension of the past. Lou carries a full sound during live performances while sharing stories, thoughts and experiences with the audience. He has toured throughout the United States and Europe for over 15 years and has released 8 full-length albums and 13 EP’s.

Tickets $10 in advance/$15 at the door