The Buttonwood Tree presents the musical showcase of Middletown's own folk group Merganser, with Pennsylvia-based bluegrass group Five Cent Fireballs.
This concert and other TBT events brought to you by our generous donors and patrons, as well as the following organizations: Middletown Commission on the Arts, Community Foundation of Middlesex County, Department of Community and Economic Development.
Five Cent Fireballs is an all-woman alt-bluegrass ensemble based in Charlottesville, VA. Malia Furtado (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), Clara George (guitar, keys, banjo, vocals), and Emma McDowell (guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, vocals) bring together their own musical styles to create a perfect marriage between the alternative and bluegrass music worlds. Displaying instrumental virtuosity with stunning three-part harmonies, their repertoire includes original songs as well as traditional bluegrass and Americana covers.
Merganser is a modern folk project founded by Derrik Bosse, Taylor Warinsky, and Matt Belliveau in the summer of 2021. The group plays a modern style of traditional inspired tunes that border on post-punk and Irish Trad, yet traces of Andean and Ukrainian folk music can also be heard. Derrik Bosse (winds, bass, vox) is always looking for music off the beaten path. He has studied the folk styles of Greece, Ukraine, Turkey, Cuba, South America, and more. He incorporates these influences into his everyday playing. Taylor Warinsky (various, vox) is a public school music teacher with a background in classical bassoon. He and Derrik met on a jazz gig several years ago and have been working together ever since, in projects like Klezmer Fusion Collective. Xavier Serrano fuses traditional melodic styles with forward-thinking and unconventional forms. His songwriting spins stories of reawakening, self-growth, and the contemplations of life utilizing on the discordant chords of jazz, folk, and alternative rock.
