The Mainstay presents the first in a series of four free summer concerts “Music at Oyster Court” on Saturday July 24 at 7:00 p.m. with the folk duo Magpie. The concert will be outdoors in Oyster Court, the open space behind the Mainstay in Rock Hall. Bring a comfortable chair. In case of rain, the concert will move indoors. Information about this and other Mainstay concerts is available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
The concerts in this series are sponsored by the Sener-Johnston Family Fund at Mid Shore Community Foundation, the Rock Hall Business Association, the Kent County Arts Council and the Mainstay.
Magpie is the husband and wife duo of Terry Leonino, a multi-intrumentalist and a gifted singer and Greg Artzner, an outstanding fingerstyle guitarist and singer. Together they have been performing their unique blend of traditional folk, classic country, swing, jazz and blues of the 20’s and 30’s and contemporary songs at festivals, performing arts centers, clubs, camps and schools for more than 35 years.
Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner began to play music together in Kent, Ohio in September of 1973. They chose the name Magpie for their band, a name which grew in personal significance for them as years went by. Leonino was a student in her senior year at Kent State University in the fall of ’73, and when she graduated the following spring, she and Artzner packed his VW bus and moved to the Washington, DC area. In the years since, they have traveled and toured extensively, performed in concerts, at folk clubs and festivals around the world, and recorded many times. Now based in upstate New York, their repertoire ranges from traditional, classic country, swing, and blues of the 1920’s and 30’s, to contemporary songs written by themselves and others. Their own songs have a strong humanist and environmental focus.
Leonino’s voice is a truly impressive instrument, not only because of its natural power, but also because of her versatility. She is a gifted singer of jazz and blues in the tradition of Connie Boswell and Billie Holiday, but is equally comfortable with the subtle beauty of traditional folk and contemporary songs. She is a fine player of harmonica, mandolin, fretted dulcimer, and rhythm guitar. Add to this her uncanny ability to find the perfect harmony line, which gives their voices a powerful blend.
Artzner is an outstanding guitarist whose fingerstyle approach owes a lot to his heroes, guitar legends such as Reverend Gary Davis, Big Bill Broonzy, Nick Lucas, Phil Ochs, and Rolly Brown. His playing is the solid basis of Magpie’s sound, providing whatever is called for, whether it is a hard-driving rhythm, or a ringing lyrical melody. From a slow Scots air or a plaintive ballad to a rollicking ragtime blues or infectious swing, he covers it all. His high baritone voice and his captivating interpretation gives power and beauty to music ranging from a growling blues, to a Chilean lament, to a sweet croon.
With the power of their delivery, Magpie is well known for their performances of forthright topical songs. Politically, their viewpoint has been shaped by their life experiences. Artzner began to play music in the early 1960’s as a direct result of the Civil Rights Movement. His father worked for the National Urban League, and members of the family became involved in local action in the Movement. Leonino also began singing at that time, and spent many of her childhood summers with her mother’s family in the deep south where she witnessed the cruelty of racism and the power of the Movement. She also was a witness to the shootings at Kent State on May 4th, 1970 when National Guard troops fired into a group of students protesting the war in Vietnam. They continue to reflect these experiences in their own work as they frequently raise their voices in support of the ongoing struggles for civil rights, freedom, justice, peace and environmental reform.
They are known internationally for their musical work on behalf of the environmental movement. Throughout their career, they have devoted time, energy, and music to environmental causes. They are considered to be among the very best in this field of music and their performances are in great demand by environmental action and education organizations. Their musical work has supported the work of such notable groups as National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Park Service, and Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. In 2000, Magpie collaborated with scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and created a “museum musical,” the first of its kind, utilizing a museum display as the set for the show. The show, Tales of the Blue Crab, premiered at Smithsonian’s Discovery Theatre and ran for a month. Its rollicking, good-fun songs all teach about the life cycle of the Chesapeake Bay blue crab.
Magpie has eight of their own recordings, two as a quartet with their friends Kim & Reggie Harris, and several compilations. Their first, Magpie & Friends, and their third, If It Ain’t Love, showcase their broad range of styles and themes. Their second album, Working My Life Away, is a collection of songs about working people. Their fourth and fifth albums, Living Planet and Circle of Life are both environmental theme albums. A portion of the proceeds from both of these albums is donated to environmental action groups. Their sixth album, Seed on the Prairie, is a showcase for their songwriting and has songs which tell stories of love, loss, and rebirth. Their seventh recording is a celebration of their 25th anniversary entitled Give Light. Their most recent recording is entitled Sword of the Spirit and features eleven songs including seven originals, about famed abolitionist John Brown, his family, friends, and associates. The CD, was produced as a companion piece to Artzner and Leonino’s one-act play of the same title based on the life and letters of Brown and his wife Mary.
Future concerts in the Music at Oyster Court series are New & Used Bluegrass on August 7, the Obsoleets on August 21 and Banjo Man and Bill with Tom Anthony on September 4.
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