Saturday, November 5, 8:00pm
Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad Street, Nevada City, CA
$20 general admission
$30 reserved seating
The award winning Beaucoup Chapeaux acoustic quartet is well known for their extraordinary and eclectic repertoire and performances, as well as the sense of community they create with their audiences in each of their performances.
Maggie Mc Kaig – band leader, accordion, guitar & vocals
Luke Wilson – tenor guitar, banjo, dobro & vocals
Murray Campbell – violin, oboe, english horn & vocals
Randy Mc Kean – clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone & piccolo
The award winning Beaucoup Chapeaux acoustic quartet performs at the historic Nevada Theatre in Nevada City, California on Saturday, November 5 as part of Paul Emery’s Nevada City LIVE! concert series. The band plays ancient, contemporary, and original music. Many fans and reviewers speak of the skill and passion this quartet puts into each of their performances along with the powerful sense of community, the joie de vivre, the pure fun that audiences experience at a Beaucoup Chapeaux concert.
Together thirteen years with nearly 800 performances, even in their earliest incarnation Beaucoup Chapeaux had the ability to carry audiences away to the most intriguing corners and cafés of Southern and Eastern Europe, as well as here in the Americas; from the cozy Nevada City Classic Cafe where they got their start in 2009, to clubs and concert venues across Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.
For this special Nevada Theatre concert, the band, responding to many fan requests, is excited to be presenting an evening of mostly original compositions. They are equally as thrilled to have bassist Justin Purtill, and percussionist Tim Bulkley joining them on stage that evening.
From California, Beaucoup Chapeaux’s founder and leader is accordionist, guitarist, vocalist, and composer Maggie McKaig. A soulful singer in a dozen languages and formidable instrumentalist, McKaig has recorded seven albums, the last two with Beaucoup Chapeaux, A Night at the Classic Cafe (2011) and This Music Heals Broken Hearts (2016). H
From Ontario, Canada, Luke Wilson is a master of strings, playing tenor guitar, plectrum and 5-string banjos, dobro, as well as a fine singer. The former Capitol Records artist performed and recorded throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.
From Scotland, on violin, oboe, cor anglais, and vocals, Murray Campbell has performed and collaborated with McKaig and Wilson on many projects since 2005. A member of Beaucoup Chapeaux since its inception, and considered a musical wizard by all who play with him, Campbell also performs regularly on his reeds with numerous symphony orchestras.
Randy McKean, on clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, piccolo, and vocals, is a noted improvisational saxophonist and new music composer, and a member of Beaucoup Chapeaux since its inception. The Iowa-born McKean’s original compositions draw upon methods of distillation and synthesis pioneered by composers such as Anthony Braxton and Iannis Xenakis.
Past performances include: Salem World Beat Festival; Red Poppy Art House; The Big Easy; Jefferson Center for the Arts; Aubergine; Sir and Star; Emerald Tablet; Valhalla Art and Music Festival; the White Rabbit (Seattle); The Matrix (WA); Blackbird Cafe (Inverness, CA); Point Reyes Station House Café; Smiley’s Saloon; Fenix; Plough and Stars; Wild Eye Pub; the Nevada Theatre; and many hundreds of private events. Beaucoup Chapeaux has also warmed up the stage for: Aaron Neville; Allen Toussaint, and Dr. John, at Stars at North Star House.
“On a ledge tucked into the storefront, we nestled among pillows, enveloped by compelling yet comforting strains of accordion, fiddle, guitar, clarinet. So many fans showed up that the Poppy’s small wine bar ran out of glasses, but the crowd felt like family, with cousins crowded around the table, and you almost felt like volunteering to do the washing up.” – San Francisco Chronicle