September Song and Story Swap Will Feature Folksinger Mike Agranoff
Mike Agranoff. Photo: Mark Anbinder
Source: Pioneer Valley Folklore Society
The Pioneer Valley Folklore Society’s monthly Song & Story Swap is back from its summer break. The September session will be at First Church, 165 Main Street, on Saturday, Sept. 5, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. and will feature folksinger and storyteller Mike Agronoff. Parking is available in the lot behind the church.
The Song & Story Swap is open to members of the public of all ages. Admission is free, with a suggested minimum donation to the artist of $10.00. At song and story swaps, people of all experience levels gather to share stories and songs that are traditional, newly written, or drawn from personal experience. You can tell, sing, or lead everyone in singing, or request a song or story. Attendees will be invited to contribute a song or story on the topic of “Funny” during an opening round of sharing. Listeners are welcome.
About the Artist
Guest performer for the September 5 Song & Story Swap will be folksinger and storyteller Mike Agranoff. Less a singer-songwriter than a singer-songfinder, Agranoff delights in discovering little-known gems from traditional ballads, fiddle tunes, Tin Pan Alley, and contemporary folk, then polishing them with his distinctive style. Equally at home in traditional and contemporary camps, he shifts seamlessly from contemplative to uproariously funny, instrumentally brilliant, and powerfully emotional. His prime instrument is fingerstyle guitar; he also plays English concertina, piano, banjo, or sings a cappella. Signature features of his performances are original recitations in the tradition of Robert Service that rivet audiences with unforgettable stories.
Christine Lavin has called him “a genius.” Joe Jencks describes him as “one of the finest concertina players I have ever heard” and “a first-rate storyteller and poet.” Agranoff has released several recordings, including the 2014 album *Straight Lines* (praised as “a masterpiece” by Keith Gorgas of NoDepression). He is also the author of the book of recitations Jake, The Captain, and Other Heroes, featuring signature pieces such as “The Ballad of Jake and 10-Ton Molly” and “The Ballad of the Sandman.” A longtime mainstay of the Northeast folk scene, he has performed at festivals including the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Old Songs Festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, and New England Folk Festival, as well as venues such as Club Passim. For more than four decades, he chaired the Troubadour Acoustic Concert Series for New Jersey’s Folk Project, one of the longest-lived and most respected folk venues in the country.
Learn more about Mike Agranoff at https://mikeagranoff.com/home.php.
Now in its thirty-first year, the monthly Song and Story Swap is sponsored by the Pioneer Valley Folklore Society of Western Massachusetts. Visit the Folklore Society website at https://pvfs.us. For information, contact Paul Kaplan at (413) 687-5002.