AAFFM PRESENTS: THE NEARLY NORMAL STRING BAND and THE IRISH BROTHERS

THE NEARLY NORMAL STRING BAND

The Nearly Normal String Band consists of Viva and Neil Araki, two of the Atlanta traditional music community’s most respected veterans. Neil plays acoustic guitar, fiddle and mandolin in several styles, including blues, bluegrass, Celtic, and old time Appalachian. He has played guitar since he was nine years old, in both finger style and flat pick style. Viva sings and plays guitar and old time banjo and sings in a variety of musical styles. She studied guitar from the age of five and began learning old time Appalachian style banjo about 30 years ago. She is primarily a finger picker on guitar.

Neil and Viva have played together for 26 years. They’re still learning new songs, genres and styles of music. The duo plays at coffeehouses, state parks and music festivals across north Georgia, and for parties, weddings and other private engagements. They have long been active member and supporters of AAFFM. They’ll be drawing mostly from their Irish and Scottish traditional repertoire for this St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

THE IRISH BROTHERS

The Irish Brothers may be Atlanta’s most popular and proficient performers of the beloved genre of traditional Irish music the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem introduced to the American Folk Revival. Sandy “Sandyman” Flynn and “Captain” George Hergen are a unique team. Sandyman comes from the mountains Western North Carolina, while the Captain hails from the canyons of New York City. The two started performing together 35 years ago when they worked “suit” jobs at IBM. Both draw from their Irish heritage for material. Their music practically maps the Irish cultural integration into the “new country” – from traditional Irish ballads to original songs of love, drinking, revolution and redemption.

Sandy is a former songwriter on Music Row (Tree-Sony/ATV) in Nashville. He was a founding member of the band Cullowhee, which toured nationally and internationally for ten years in the 70s and 80s. George started singing and playing after his first visit to New York’s Greenwich Village in the mid-1960s. He honed his craft by traveling throughout Ireland with the great Tommy Makem. The team received the name “Irish Brothers” following a performance at The Folk Alliance several years ago in Memphis, Tennessee.

http://www.gorddcymru.org/atlanta/music/cmd/hergen_george.htm