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The Drunken Maidens
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Traditional Folk, by Un-traditional Folk. [email protected] 206-604-0158
Short Bio
The Drunken Maidens, an all-female acoustic band, specialize in tight vocal harmonies
which are inspired by performers such as Sweet Honey in the Rock, Mediaeval Baebes,
Great Big Sea & the Wailin’ Jennys. In addition to their voices, the band incorporates guitar,
fiddle, mandolin, whistles, mountain dulcimer and percussion. Threads from traditional
ballads, shanties, oldtime and bluegrass, fiddle tunes and early music are woven together
to produce a colorful and varied blend of British and American music, old and new.
Discography
1. Byker Hill / Elsie Marley
2. Maids When You’re Young
3. Staten Island Hornpipe (instrumental)
4. Li’l Liza Jane
5. The Keeper
6. Maiden’s Choice (E. Bradtke)
7. S’ann An Ile
8. Tree (L. Waterfall)
9. The Cuckoo
10. The Drunken Maidens
11. Princess Royal
Samples
Music, Video and Photographs can be found at www.thedrunkenmaidens.com
Notable Performances
2015
o Tumbleweed Music Festival, Richland, WA
o Wooden Boat Festival, South Lake Union, Seattle, WA.
o Northwest Folklife, Seattle, WA.
o Maritime Festival, South Lake Union, Seattle, WA.
o Phinney Arts and Music Series Concert, at the Woodland Park
Presbyterian Church, Seattle, WA.
Aug 2014
o Princeton Traditional Music Festival, British Columbia, Canada
The Maidens
Lori Bellamy grew up listening to her father sing bluegrass
music, loudly and off key as they made frequent road trips to the
family homestead in east Tennessee. This led to her lifelong love
of traditional music.
After a longish stint in musical theatre, Lori is back singing the
music she loves. When she's not rehearsing and performing
with the Maidens, Lori moonlights as a tutor. Lori made her way
from Delaware back in 1996. She had a strong desire to stick her toes in the pacific ocean,
which she did. She met her true love and has been here ever since.
Liz Savage was raised in New York City but soon felt the call
of the open road and headed west. By day she teaches science
students while at night she transforms into a soulful blue grass
star. Through the past two decades Liz has been involved with
several bands in the Pacific Northwest including "Twins before
Birth" and the Folk/Americana group "Rodeo Lagoon".
Alongside Alicia Healey she opened for such greats as Art
Garfunkel, Cheryl Wheeler and Catie Curtis. They also played at
Folklife and Wintergrass where Liz has continued to work for many years.
Helen Gilbert hails from England where she developed a
strong passion for the music of her ancestors, which she too
inherited from her father. Descending from Miners, Mariners
and Farm Labourers she particularly enjoys lending her accented
vocals to stories of longing and hard times.
Helen traversed the globe in 1999, stopping in California before
arriving in Seattle where she quickly put down roots. Her
wanderlust satiated for a spell she has been known to lead the Seattle and Port Townsend
Shanty Sings and hosts a monthly Pub Sing at T.S. McHughs.
Elaine Bradtke is an accomplished musician, fiddle scraper,
mandolin plucker and semi-soprano. By day she is a music editor,
transcriber, researcher and cataloguer for the James Madison
Carpenter project and the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library of
the English Folk Dance & Song Society.
Former groups include the "SOAS Ceilidh Band" in London and
the "Fab Girls Du Northwest" mostly in Seattle where you may
also catch her performing with the "Village Carolers".
Cat Fox began making musical instruments in 1981 by building
bodhrans, before progressing to dulcimers and guitars. In 1989,
after an impressive apprenticeship, she came to Seattle and
started her own shop where she still works on instruments of
the famous and the obscure.
Cat brings vocals and a number of instruments to The Maidens. Her first foray into music was playing classical piano, then Irish music, then Old Time music. She played with the fondly
remembered local band “The Wailing Strangers” and was also in the unlamented “Paddy Shillelagh”, Seattle’s Worst Irish Band. No one remembers them, and that’s a blessing. Cat also takes the blame for writing “Chipmunk with a Death Wish”. Sorry.
Long Bio
Once upon a time in the misty hills of Seattle, a group of women joined their voices in harmony and The Drunken Maidens, an entertaining acoustic band, was born. They specialize in tight vocal harmonies, inspired by performers such as Sweet Honey in the Rock, Mediaeval Baebes, and the Wailin’ Jennys. In addition to their voices, the band incorporates guitar, fiddle, mandolin, whistles, and percussion. Threads from traditional ballads, shanties, old-time and bluegrass, fiddle tunes and early music are woven together to produce their colorful and varied repertoire. Their blend of British and American, old and new material includes the wistful strains of Appalachian music, saucy English folksongs, ancient melodies and recently written songs, all arranged to showcase the intricate blend of their voices and instruments. The Drunken Maidens have an excellent rapport with their audiences, and the group’s joie de vivre and merry banter enliven their shows. Notable recent performances have included the seventh annual Princeton (BC) Traditional Music Festival, The Pacific Northwest Folklore Society’s Folk Musicians Showcase, Northwest Folklife and Tumbleweed Music Festival. The group recently released their first album “Maiden Voyage”, featuring some of their non-traditional arrangements of traditional songs. Selections include: “The Keeper” an allegorical ballad with roots in the seventeenth century, that somehow found its way to the Appalachian region in the twentieth; the classic Carter Family love song “Are You Tired of Me My Darling?”, the delightfully cheeky warning song “Maids, When You’re Young, Never Wed an Old Man”; “Maiden’s Choice”, an original instrumental with renaissance overtones; and of course, their infectiously syncopated interpretation of “Drunken Maidens”, the song that gave them their name.
Maiden Voyage – The Drunken Maidens -Liner notes
All songs and tunes are traditional unless otherwise noted
Byker Hill / Elsie Marley – A song about coal miners from Newcastle-Upon
Tyne. “Elsie Marley” is a tune associated with a popular nursery rhyme about a
real woman who ran a pub.
Maids, When You’re Young, Never Wed an Old Man – Found in both Ireland
and England, our advice to young women is loosely based on the version in the
New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs
Staten Island Hornpipe – A jaunty tune with a salty flavor and the slightest Irish
accent.
Li’l Liza Jane – Popularized as a southern dialect song a century ago, it was
probably an African-American folk song before then, and has been sung by
generations of children in the ensuing years.
The Keeper (To The Green-o) – Dating back to a mid 17th century broadside
called “The Huntsman’s Delight, or, The Forrester’s Pleasant Pastime” our
abridged version was sung by the Englishman Sam Bennett in 1933 to James
Madison Carpenter and his wax cylinder recording machine.
Maiden's Choice (by Elaine Bradtke) – written while driving on Maiden Choice
Lane in Paradise by the Beltway (on the southwest corner of Baltimore).
Written in the late 20th century in a renaissance style, it sounds much older than
it is.
Sann an Ile – an example of mouth music; dance tunes sung to inconsequential
lyrics, usually when there aren’t any instruments available. In this case the
words are about the beautiful Island of Islay (home of some very good
distilleries). None of us are Gaelic speakers, but we do our best.
Tree (by Linda Waterfall and a group of fifth graders) – The first time we sang
this song was in a snowy apple orchard. The rolling echoes of the Woodland
Park Presbyterian Church give it an especially atmospheric sound.
Cuckoo – Versions of this folksong are found on both sides of the Atlantic, ours
is from the Appalachian branch of the family and includes a lap dulcimer.
The Drunken Maidens - (also known as “Three Drunken Maidens”) about a
saucy group of women from the Isle of Wight; a place off the south coast of
England once famous for smugglers and cheap booze. We took our band name
from this song.
Vocals: Lori Bellamy, Liz Savage, Helen Gilbert, Backing vocals Cat Fox, Elaine
Bradtke.
Instruments: Liz Savage – Guitar, Helen Gilbert - whistle and percussion, Cat
Fox – whistle, percussion and lap dulcimer, Elaine Bradtke - fiddle and
mandolin.