The Boxcar Lilies, Americana Trio, Play Centerport on Oct. 4

By Michael Kornfeld

The Boxcar Lilies, an Americana trio from western Massachusetts that has been wowing audiences with its lovely vocal harmonies since forming in 2009, will be the featured artists when the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s First Saturday Concerts series resumes on Oct. 4 at the Congregational Church of Huntington (30 Washington Drive, off Route 25A, Centerport). The 8:30 p.m. concert s preceded by an open mic at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, priced at $25 ($20 for FMSH members) may be purchased online at www.fmsh.org using a credit card or at the door (cash and checks only). For more information, visit the website or call (631) 425-2925.

The Boxcar Lilies have quickly made a name for themselves with their signature mix of folk, country and bluegrass-tinged Americana music featuring spine-tingling, innovative harmonies and top-notch songwriting. Accompanying themselves on guitar, clawhammer banjo, concert ukulele, bass, and washboard, Katie Clarke, Jenny Goodspeed and Stephanie Marshall have brought their warm sound and energetic stage presence to venues up and down the Eastern seaboard.

2013 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival attendees voted the trio “Most Wanted to Return” artists following the festival’s annual Emerging Artists Showcase that featured 24 acts. The Boxcar Lilies also secured a coveted official showcase at the 2012 International Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis and a formal showcase at last year’s Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference.

The Boxcar Lilies “bring energy, improvisation and a charming presence to the stage each night. Anyone with an ear for folk or luscious harmonies will enjoy these women,” writes Zak Jason in the Cape Cod Times.

Here’s a link to a video of The Boxcar Lilies performing a Townes Van Zandt song in concert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBF0SFe0Yh8

 Now in its 46th year, the Folk Music Society of Huntington presents two monthly concert series, a monthly folk jam and an annual folk festival in conjunction with the Huntington Arts Council. In addition to the Oct. 4 First Saturday Concert, upcoming FMSH events include its folk jam, song circle and sing-along on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 12, at the South Huntington Public Library, and the Hard Luck Café series featuring singer-songwriters Jesse Terry and Kat Quinn on Thursday night, Oct. 16, at Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre. FMSH also joins with the Cinema on Wednesday, Oct. 22,  in co-presenting the Long Island premiere of Harlem Street Singer, a feature documentary about the Reverend Gary Davis, along with a reception, Q &A and performance by the film’s producer, acclaimed guitarist Woody Mann.

The Oct. 4 First Saturday Concert featuring The Boxcar Lilies is a 2014 Arts Alive LI Arts Month event.  A month-long celebration of the many cultural and entertainment attractions Long Island has to offer, Arts Alive LI is presented by the Long Island Arts Alliance and Bethpage Federal Credit Union.  Now in its third year, Arts Alive LI will feature special events at more than 40 cultural venues across Nassau and Suffolk Counties.  Long Island families and visitors are encouraged to log-on to www.artsaliveli.org for a complete list of events or visit any Bethpage Federal Credit Union branch location on Long Island to pick up a commemorative Arts Alive LI “Passport to the Arts” book that includes ticket coupons, discounts and prize-entry forms.