Darlin’ Corey Duo’s Erica Brown and Matt Shipman will return to Sap House Meadery’s Dinner and Show Concert Series on Thursday, July 18 at 5:30 p.m. (postponed to September 5th!)
Both multi-instrumentalists, Brown will perform on fiddle, guitar, and vocals with her husband, Shipman, on guitar, mandolin, vocals, and bouzouki (long-necked lute from Greece).
“We performed at Sap House last summer with our French Canadian quartet called Side By Each,” Brown said. “We had a wonderful time. The staff was welcoming, and the food and mead were delicious.”
Brown also expressed enthusiasm for Sap House as a performance venue. “The room was cozy—it has a house concert feel to it, which makes for a very intimate concert experience that we really love,” she said.
Regarding what people can expect from Portland ME-based Darlin’ Corey Duo at Sap House, Brown said they play “a mix of original music and thoughtfully chosen covers,” ranging from bluegrass and old-time to folk. “We are influenced by many artists, but I’d say our biggest influences are Alison Krauss and Tim O’Brien,” she added.
Brown and Shipman started performing together in 2010, but their musical journeys started in childhood. “I began playing fiddle when I was 6 years old, and Matt began playing guitar when he was 14,” said Brown.
In 2006, Brown was recipient of a Maine Arts Commission Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Award and recognized as a Master Artist by the Maine Arts Commission. She has opened for Grammy award winners and collaborated with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. She and Shipman have also played with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra.
This summer, the group also has numerous shows lined up in New Hampshire and Maine, including at the Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, Maine and the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. Both Brown and Shipman are also members of the musical groups, Erica Brown & The Bluegrass Connection and Josephine County.
Presented in collaboration with NH Music Collective, doors open for Dinner & Show Concerts at 5:30 p.m. with Mead & Mingle, where guests can sample meads and mingle among the barrels in the production room at Sap House. Dinner is served at 6:00 p.m. in the adjoining pub with a fixed menu that is conceptually paired with the artists’ music and place of origin. Shows start at 7:00 p.m. and last about an hour.
Tickets for Dinner & Show Concerts are $60. Featuring a tasting room and pub with a full food menu and indoor and outdoor seating, Sap House Meadery features events throughout the year.