For Immediate Release:
Contact: David Kuehn, Executive Director
Cotuit Center for the Arts
Phone: (508) 428-0669
Email: David@cotuitcenterforthearts.org
Website: ArtsOnTheCape.org
Third Annual Americana Hootenanny at Cotuit Center for the Arts
Cotuit Center for the Arts presents its Third Annual Americana Hootenanny on Saturday, August 29,
from 5:30 to 10 PM. The old-fashioned blues, brews, and barbecue throwdown will feature four New
England American roots music groups: Hoot and Holler, Monica Rizzio & Old Kings Highway, The
Wiles, and the headliner, Session America.
The event begins with a barbecue picnic from 5:30 to 7 PM, catered by Simply Divine Catering &
More. Traditional barbecue fare and vegetarian options will be available for purchase, and there will
be a cash bar.
Mark Kilianski and Amy Alvey of Hoot & Holler perform outdoors on the patio from 5:30 to 6:45 PM.
Boston-based Hoot & Holler is inspired by the tender harmonies and hard-driving fiddle tunes of
traditional Appalachian mountain music.
Kilianski is a versatile guitar player, vocalist, and composer with a background in heavy metal, rock,
and jazz. He earned a degree in jazz composition from Berklee College of Music, as he immersed
himself in Boston’s traditional/folk music scene, learning all about bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun,
Quebecois, and other musical styles at jams and tuneswaps. He has performed with the Whiskey
Boys and other folk and bluegrass groups, and has released several CDs.
Amy Alvey plays fiddle and sings. She graduated from Berklee’s American Roots Music program,
where she studied with innovators in New Acoustic Music. She has toured the Northeast and England
with the band Mighty Tiny and with singer-songwriter Laura Jorgenson.
The Hootenanny moves indoors at 7 PM, when The Wiles take the stage. The Wiles are three women,
two fiddles, two guitars, one doghouse bass, and two, sometimes three, intertwining voices.
Their wide repertoire of American roots music ranges from centuries-old Appalachian ballads, to
classic country, to contemporary Americana. They bring soul, energy, depth, and effervescent vocal
harmonies to their blend of old and new music.
Monica Rizzio & Old Kings Highway, featuring Jon Evans on bass and Ben Kushigan on guitar, perform
from 7:45 to 8:30 PM.
Monica Rizzio & Old King’s Highway draws on Rizzio’s Texas roots and New England-inspired melodic
arrangements and harmonies, as it bridges folk, country, and bluegrass. Rizzio sings, plays guitar, and
composes. Her coming out song, “Luckier than You,” is an infectious love song, with a driving guitar
solo and rhythmic drums.
Rizzio is also known for her folk acoustic band Tripping Lily, her jazz performances, and more. She
released a holiday album, “All Wrapped Up for the Holidays,” which features Nicki Parrott and Vinny
Raniolo, and is also an owner of the only roots-based music school on Cape Cod, West Bend Music, in
Dennisport.
Session Americana takes the stage from 8:45 to 9:45 PM. Session Americana is an award-winning
collective of talented musicians known for their camaraderie, songwriting skills, and inventively
entertaining live shows. “Every set,” wrote one reviewer, “is that magical night at the campfire that
you experienced when you were a kids and never forgot.”
Applying traditional Irish music session model, Session Americana began as a jam session, playing
country songs and roots music. Over the years, it has produced four CDs and band members now
write most of the music, influenced by traditional and contemporary Americana.
“We do this thing in front of people, share ideas, do spontaneous work, and collaborate with
whoever is available,” said Ry Cavanaugh, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with the
group. “There is an ‘everything goes/anything can happen’ energy. People recognize this is not just a
band, but a prehistoric experience that doesn’t translate to YouTube or video, it happens in a very
analog way.”
Tickets are $28, $25 for seniors and veterans, and $22 for members. Premium tables with wine are
available. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit artsonthecape.org, or call 508-4280669. Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit.
# # #
What:
Third Annual American Hootenanny
Where:
Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit
When:
Saturday, August 29, 5:30 to 10 PM
Admission:
$28, $25 for seniors and veterans, $20 for members