Back Beat

Music in the Parlor, with Spoons, Guitars & Harps

by Tiffany Razzano

John Corr is next up, with Irish songs, guitar, and yes, spoons!

The 2009 Parlor Music Series at the Bridgehampton Historical Society (BHS), kicked off with singer-songwriter Terry Winchell on February 7.

But don't worry if you missed that first show, as BHS has a line-up of intimate acoustic music scheduled into April. The next show, on Saturday, February 28 at 2 p.m., features John Corr, a Kings Park-based singer-songwriter who will perform nautical and Irish songs on guitar and spoons. Having performed at BHS in 2008, this time around his new CD, Come Round Ye Northeast Mariners, will be available.

Then, on March 14, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, catch Sag Harbor's Terry Sullivan, who will be singing Irish songs and telling stories. For more information, go to myspace.com/terrysullivansagh. Stony Brook singer-songwriter Claudia Jacobs (claudiajacobs.com) will perform her mix of folk, blues and Americana on March 21. Her new EP, Makin' Lemonade, will be available at the show. Guitarist Dan Koontz, with Don Schmitz on harmonica, will close out the Music Series on April 4.

Though BHS has offered live music in the past, it wasn't until Stacy Dermont, program director, began working there in November 2007 that a regular music series again became a part of what the museum has to offer to the community. Dermont also books the music series on Sundays at Christ Episcopal Church in Sag Harbor.

"We look to book acoustic acts, not necessarily just old music," Dermont said. "But the idea of this is how people were entertained 100 to 150 years ago. The goal of the Parlor Music Series, in a time where technology rules everyone's lives, is to bring back that "live person to person communication."

According to Dermont, "Unless you go to Sunday services, you don't have contact with live music. Here, people interact so fluidly." Often, Dermont says, the performers and the audience will chat in between songs as well as before and after the show. And, with only enough room to allow 30 and 40 people, this means the shows are truly intimate. This also means reservations are often required, as each show is usually sold out. However, Dermont is hoping in the future that one of the barns on the property can be cleaned out and utilized as a venue for the music series, allowing more people to attend.

The Parlor Music Series concerts, sponsored by the Bridgehampton Association, Inc., are all at 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is $5, and includes cider, cookies and a tour of the museum. The current exhibit, "Bridgehampton's Historic Turnpike," closes on March 6. For more information about the music series and upcoming exhibits, go to www.Bridgehamptonhistoricalsociety.org or call 631-537-1088.

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