Sabrina & Craig and Honey Whiskey Trio

The Folk Music Society has been reaching across the country, across borders, and across the seas for recent shows, but for this one we feature some fine local talent in a double billing. Sabrina and Craig are Los Angeles-based and have been building a following with their harmonies over the 9 or so years they've been performing together. Sabrina plays ukulele, bass, and percussion and she has a great big voice and personality to match. Craig, who won a bronze medal for diving in the 1972 Olympics, has sought perfection in playing the guitar since he gave up the diving boards. He has won 3 awards for his finger style guitar at the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Folk Contest and Folk Festival, and in 2010 they won together in the singing competition. Both of them are gifted wordsmiths, skilled at painting complex and beautiful emotional pictures with a colorful and smooth economy of line. The highly esteemed Bob Stane, of the Coffee Gallery Backstage, up the hill from our series, said of them: "The show was an absolute delight. Lovely and well chosen songs. Their interplay was professional and full of wit, intelligence and sparkling personality. In an enlightening display of professionalism, they tailored the evening to fit my crowd and were rewarded with a well deserved encore from a full house. They made the room glow. The night was successful in every way and I look forward to having them grace my stage again. Sooner than later. I highly recommend them for an evening of music and fun." Need we say more?

Also on the bill is Honey Whiskey Trio, a largely a cappella group, but they also play a bit of guitar and mandolin. HWT consists of Courtney Gasque, Ann Louise Jeffries Thaiss & Christina Wilson. They met at Cal State Long Beach and they have significant jazz in their pedigree, but explore harmony in folk, bluegrass and any melody that catches the ear. Last year, they won 1st place at the regional Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival when they had only been together for about four months, and then won the national first place award four months later. Their sound is rich, pristine, and perfectly blended, while their arrangements, though often minimal, are complex, engaging and anything but bland. Through their full harmonies, body percussion, haunting melodies and vitality on stage, Honey Whiskey Trio captivates and moves audiences. Their repertoire ranges from House of the Rising Sun to O Mary, Don't You Weep, with lots in between. They are a spirited group and this is a perfect time for you to be introduced to them.