Hard Luck Café at Cinema Arts Centre, June 19

By Michael Kornfeld

Photo above: He-Bird, She-Bird

Photo above: The Lords of Liechtenstein

He-Bird, She-Bird, a Long Island-based acoustic trio, and The Lords of Liechtenstein, a quirky New York City-based acoustic folk duo, share the bill during the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s monthly Hard Luck Café series at the Cinema Arts Centre (423 Park Avenue, Huntington) on Thursday, June 19. The 8:30 p.m. concert in the Cinema’s Sky Room will be preceded by an open mic at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for Cinema Arts Centre and FMSH members; $15 for non-members. For more information, visit www.fmsh.org or call (631) 425-2925. 

He-Bird, She-Bird is a Long Island-based acoustic trio with a gravel, silk and honey vocal blend that brings a rich and heartfelt sound to their wide-ranging repertoire of both original songs and American acoustic roots music. Since striking up their band late last year, Todd Evans, Terri Hall and Christine Kellar have incorporated sparks of folk-rock, country, bluegrass and gospel to fuel their harmonious vocal collaboration, accompanied by their guitars and sundry other stringed instruments.

In the short time since launching their musical partnership, He-Bird, She-Bird has had people flocking to see them. They’ve performed at several local venues — including a well-received set during the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s Members Showcase Concert this past January. Christine, Terri and Todd have also been in the studio, recording their first He-Bird, She-Bird CD. This Hard Luck Café show will mark the band’s first featured performance for FMSH. Multi-instrumentalist Dee Harris will be joining them onstage.

The Lords of Liechtenstein is a quirky NYC-based acoustic folk duo comprised of two brothers – Noah on ukulele and vocals and Dan on guitar, banjo, mandola and vocals. Their sound has been compared to Simon and Garfunkel, while their onstage antics have drawn comparisons to The Smothers Brothers. It’s their instrumentation and introspective lyrics, however, that put them in a category all their own. “They are like the Everly Brothers with an attitude,” says Mark Miller, host of the Urban H2O concert series in Yonkers, NY and leader of the popular alt-roots band Spuyten Duyvil.

The duo first met in a hospital in July of 1994. “Hey, let’s start a band!” said Dan Rauchwerk to his new little brother, Noah. “Waaah!” said Noah as he had just been born and wasn’t quite able to speak yet, much less sing or play the ukulele. The brothers mutually agreed to wait a few years, until Noah was at least potty trained, before pursuing musical careers.

Although the debate rages on as to whether or not Noah is yet potty trained, the duo formally joined forces as The Lords of Liechtenstein in 2007. Noah and Dan have brought their unique blend of folk music to clubs and coffeehouses all over the East Coast. Their most recent album, Girlz (With a ‘Z’) shows off the duo’s versatility in songwriting and performing, moving effortlessly from reggae songs about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to upbeat folk songs about having one’s heart broken and torn apart by wolves.

Established in 1973, Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre (www.cinemaartscentre.org) seeks to bring the best of cinematic artistry to Long Island and use the power of film to expand the awareness and consciousness of our community. LI’s only not-for-profit, viewer-supported, independent cinema presents a wide array of films that are often accompanied by discussions and guest speakers.

Now in its 45th year, the Folk Music Society of Huntington (www.fmsh.org) presents two monthly concert series, a monthly folk jam and an annual folk festival in conjunction with the Huntington Arts Council. The ninth annual Huntington Folk Festival will be presented at Huntington’s Heckscher Park on Saturday, July 19, from noon through late in the evening, in partnership with the Huntington Arts Council, as part of the Town of Huntington’s Summer Arts Festival produced by the Huntington Arts Council. The free festival will feature an evening concert by Bobtown on the Chapin Rainbow Stage, preceded by a hootenanny-style musical tribute to Pete Seeger and an afternoon of unplugged showcases and song swaps featuring some three-dozen artists from the New York metropolitan area and beyond.