[FM] Feb. 14th River House Concert: Press Release

[Cheryl Curtis]

From: Cheryl Mansley-Ford
River House Concerts
E-mail: cheryl@intrepid.net
Phone: 304-876-2690
PO Box 1517, Shepherdstown, WV 25443

..........For Immediate Release..........
Photos Available upon Request
Valentines Day, Friday, February 14th

River House Concerts Present

Keith and Joan Pitzer & Kindred Spirits

West Virginia-inspired Originals, American Folk, and Celtic

On Valentines Day, Friday, February 14th, River House Concerts will present
folk duo Keith and Joan Pitzer along with Celtic trio Kindred Spirits for a
delightful evening of music. Keith & Joan Pitzer perform an array of West
Virginia-inspired originals and American folk, blending their rich vocal
harmonies with skillful acoustic guitar and bass, embellished with harmonica
or pennywhistle.  Kindred Spirits, comprised of Geoff Byrd, Sally Seabright,
and Matt Cook, performs a Celtic repertoire of songs and tunes, mixing rustic
melodies with sweet harmonies and forming beautiful arrangements of jigs and
reels.  The trio plays a wide assortment of instruments from guitar,
pennywhistle, djembe, and violin, to Irish flute and uilleann pipes. The name
Kindred Spirits represents the trio's philosophy that music is the sound of
the spirit shared by all throughout time.

River House Concerts feature a potluck dinner prior to the concert, so bring a
dish to share.  Drinks and tableware are provided.  Feb. 14th, doors open at
6:30, dinner at 7:00, concert at 8:00.  Concert tickets are $10/person and
must be reserved in advance. This event is hosted by River Road Farm in
Shepherdstown, WV in support of the arts, and all concert proceeds benefit the
performers. For more information, reservations, and directions contact Cheryl
Mansley-Ford at 304-876-2690 or cheryl@intrepid.net. Reservations must be made
in advance.

For more information about the performers, read on...
Keith & Joan Pitzer:

Since 1975 Keith & Joan Pitzer have been blending their rich vocal harmonies
with skillful acoustic guitar and bass, embellished with harmonica or
pennywhistle. While their own West Virginia-inspired originals are always a
highlight, the couple easily traverse a wide range of traditional Celtic and
American folk music, infusing it with their own special reverence for the
music and a maturity that comes from over 2 decades of marriage, family and
performing at a variety of festivals and concerts across coal country and the
mid-Atlantic states.

>From their remote mountain home overlooking northern West Virginia's mountain
landscape, the Pitzer's music is a natural extension of the joys and
difficulties of Appalachian life. In addition to writing and singing about the
beauty of West Virginia's mountains and rivers, Keith is the Executive
Director of Friends of the Cheat, an environmental advocacy organization
working to stop acid mine drainage into the wild and scenic Cheat River.


The Pitzers have performed at numerous festivals and concerts across coal
country and the mid-Atlantic states, and they've shared the stage with such
folk and bluegrass standouts as Norman & Nancy Blake, Tony Rice, Tom Paxton,
Garnet Rogers, Robin and Linda Williams and Bill Staines.  To learn more about
the Pitzers, visit their web site at www.fallingmountain.com/pitzers.html .

Kindred Spirits:

Kindred Spirits is not just the name of a band. It represents the philosophy
of the group that music is the sound of the spirit that is shared among all --
musicians and audience alike -- throughout all time.

The band had its beginnings when Geoff Byrd and Sally Seabright were
performing as The Wondering Troubadours.  Then, in the fall of 1998, during
the production of "Quilters" at the Wayside Theater, Byrd and Seabright met
Deirdre Cochran and the duo became a trio.  Afterwards, the three got together
and changed the group's name to Kindred Spirits. This trio released a sampler
and a full length CD "Kindred Spirits walk the Labyrinth" in 1999.  In October
of 2001, they released their second CD, "Deirdre's Fancy". It was three years
later when Matt Cook came across them while playing together with the
Winchester Celtic session.  They briefly became a foursome before Cochran left
the group to pursue other endeavors..

After Cook joined the group, the new trio completed a Sampler CD in January
2002, and later, their full length Celtic CD, "Banish Misfortune", in
September, 2002.

Kindred Spirits often performs at pubs, coffeehouses, festivals, private
parties, weddings and receptions. The group blends both wild and tame themes
into their Celtic repertoire of songs and tunes, mixing rustic melodies with
sweet harmonies and forming complex arrangements of simple jigs and reels.
They also perform at Manor houses such as Glen Burnie, Belle Grove, and the
Oatlands Plantation for special events.

Sally Seabright plays the violin, mandolin, cello, and pennywhistle. She's
classically trained and has been a professional violinist for 30 years. While
teaching in the public schools, she also performed with The Millbrook
Orchestra, and the Fairfax and Maryland Symphonies, as well as various
ensembles. Seabright currently teaches private violin lessons at the
Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy.

Geoff Byrd plays guitar. His first musical career was as a rhythm and
blues/jazz trumpet player.  Today he also plays six string, twelve string and
classical guitars, pennywhistle, and djembe. Byrd's "day job" is as a private
practice mental health counselor and body/mind engergetic healer in
Winchester.

Matt Cook began performing at age 12 with the Old Sturbridge Village Fife &
Drum Corp in Sturbridge, Massachusetts and later with the early American music
group from New Hampshire, the Amoskeag Players. In the '90's he formed a group
along with Will Hare called Fullgael which played all things Celtic and drew
notoriety at numerous Irish Festivals, St. Patrick's Day concerts, and
Scottish Games & Robert Burns Nights throughout Connecticut. Today, Cook also
sings and plays uilleann pipes, Irish flute, pennywhistle and low whistle with
Kindred Spirits. His "day job" is as Senior Human Resources Manager for
Quebecor World Corporation. To learn more about Kindred Spirits visit their
web site at http://members.aol.com/JoycePByrd/KindredSpirits.html .

Cheryl Mansley-Ford
River House Concerts
E-mail: cheryl@intrepid.net
Phone: 304-876-2690
PO Box 1517, Shepherdstown, WV 25443