August 17 Concert in the Park
Concert in the Park goes Celtic for the August 17 show at the St. Johns City Park Performance Shell as Shepard’s Folly brings its lively brand of music to the summer series. There is no admission charge to the 7 p.m. show at the lovely outdoor venue located next to the Fairgrounds in St. Johns.
The quartet of talented musicians who comprise Shepard’s Folly have been entertaining audiences for years performing a wide variety of Celtic music that ranges from tragic songs and airs, to fiery jigs and reels from ancient Ireland and Scotland to contemporary America. Band members include Phil Shepard (flute), Patti Anne Lea (vocals, guitar, bodhran), Marty Somberg (fiddle) and Ray Kamalay (guitar, vocals).
Kamalay started playing music in Detroit coffeehouses in the late 1960s, working through a diverse repertoire of ragtime, Blues, jazz, Celtic, Brasilian, Bach and original music. He joined up with Shepard and John Sands in the late 1990s to form Shepard’s Folly. Shepard’s early training as a classical musician helped hone skills that paved the way for his transformation to Celtic flute.
A “resident” at the Ten Pound Fiddle in East Lansing and frequent performer at Hillsdale College’s annual Celtic Festival, Patti Anne Lea’s musical background that includes folk, bluegrass, pop and Celtic is a perfect fit for Shepard’s Folly. Somberg has built a reputation as one of the finest Irish fiddlers in Michigan. His playing skills and style are known and loved in all the Celtic enclaves of Chicago and Detroit, and he headed the Irish sessions at Conor O’Neill’s Pub in Ann Arbor for many years.
Shepard’s Folly has performed in venues and at special events across Michigan and the Midwest like the Michigan Irish Festival and Chicago Celtic Festival, The Ark in Ann Arbor, Crystal Theater, Northport Arts Center and many others.
Concert in the Park is sponsored by the Clinton County Arts Council and the city of St. Johns, with support from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. In addition, Abraham and Gaffney, P.C. is being recognized at the Aug. 17 concert for its financial support of the Arts Council and the summer music series.
Concerts are held each Wednesday evening, beginning at 7 p.m., in the St. Johns City Park, located near Park and Morton streets. The St. Johns Lions and Lioness Club staff a concession stand each week that offers light refreshments. All concerts are held rain or shine.
For information on Concert in the Park call the Clinton County Arts Council, (989) 224-2429.