Join friends and neighbors to celebrate Apple Tree, singer-songwriter Lisa Ferguson's debut album, at 7:00 PM on Saturday, May 9 at the Tamworth Congregational Church in Tamworth, NH. Joining Ferguson and percussionist Jonno Deveneau on stage are singer-songwriters Peg Loughran and Doug Hazard, with Steve McBrian of The Crunchy Western Boys on bass. This fundraiser for Arts Council of Tamworth, produced and sponsored by Sunnyfield Bakery and Raw Cider Music, with help from the Tamworth Congregational Church, supports Arts Council of Tamworth’s artists-in-residence at the K. A. Brett School, free creative workshops and Choose Your Own Ticket Price performances. Donations ($10 suggested) will be taken at the door. Intermission will feature appetizers, light desserts and beverages prepared by master bakers Allie Thompson-Kaplan and Nicole Norlund, by donation.
Lisa Ferguson is a musician and songwriter of diverse talents and experience, a multi-instrumentalist with a strong, warm voice that can belt out a blues number or soar up into the higher realm on tender folk ballads. Apple Tree includes songs based around the guitar inspired by both folk and rock/pop traditions. Her piano accompaniment harkens back to the stylings of Carole King and Joni Mitchell. Ferguson is not afraid to roam the musical landscape seeking out for her lyrics and melodies what is just right for the moment at hand, rather than remaining tightly bound to a particular tradition.
A valley musician for over 20 years, most lately as the bass player for Idol Hands, Ferguson is the music teacher at the K. A. Brett School in Tamworth and lives with husband/fellow musician Jonno Deveneau and their son, Jesse, in Madison. She’s been writing songs for many years and playing them at local coffee houses. The pile of originals kept growing, and a couple of years ago she was approached by a friend and community member, Beth McCarthy, and asked when Ferguson was going to record them. “When she learned that funds were an issue,” Ferguson says, “she mobilized a campaign for funding with a bake sale dubbed ‘Cakestarter’ that included beautiful baked goods and craft items donated by really caring folks from the Tamworth and Sandwich communities.” With the funds raised, Ferguson was able to start recording. She finished recording in August of 2014 and the CD was released in the fall. “Usually a CD release party ensues,” Ferguson says, “but it was hard to find the time,” until friends Peg Loughran and Allie Thompson-Kaplan of Sunnyfield Bakery hatched a plan to make it happen. “This concert is a way to say thank you for the community support by giving back to one of its many wonderful organizations, Arts Council of Tamworth,” Ferguson says.
Apple Tree was recorded at The Sound Oven in Wolfeboro and is available at the Tamworth Lyceum and the Other Store in Tamworth, the North Conway Music Center, and at the concert, of course, where you’ll have an opportunity to get it signed.