Vallecito, CA…Twisted Oak Winery is pleased to announce the next concert of our 2015 Twisted Folk Concert Series – featuring Vishtén! “Vishtén plays a sort of French-Canadian Acadian Celtic style of both new and traditional folk music,” said winery co-owner Jeff Stai. “I know that sounds a little odd, but when you hear their virtuoso fiddle, guitar, accordion, penny-whistle, mandolin, piano, and even step-dancing, you’ll be convinced!”

An easy dinner (easy because you don’t have to cook) will be available for purchase (with a vegetarian option available), along with yummy Twisted Oak wine, brownies, popcorn, and soft drinks. Concertgoers are welcome to bring their own picnics but we ask that no outside alcoholic beverages be brought in.

Seating at Twisted Folk concerts is outdoor festival style, first-come, first-served – bring a low beach-type chair or a blanket. We’re on top of a hill and there is always an evening breeze – it can get a little chilly after dark so please plan ahead.

Twisted Oak Winery is located in the foothills of Calaveras County, and specializes in wines made from Mediterranean varieties like Tempranillo, Viognier, and Petite Sirah. We’re also known for being the home of the world-famous “Rubber Chicken National Forest.” Our concert venue, located at the winery in Vallecito, sits on a hilltop that commands a sweeping view of the Sierra Nevada and the surrounding foothills, presided over by a 350-year old California Blue Oak that graces the label of every wine we bottle.

Vishtén

For over a decade, Vishtèn has earned its place as one of the most respected bands on the international touring scene. The members of this driving trio are both powerful francophone singers and fiery multi-instrumentalists, fusing Acadian and Celtic genres with rock and indie-folk influence.

In the North Atlantic Ocean, in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence off Canada’s east coast, lays tiny Prince Edward Island and nearby, the even smaller archipelago known as the Magdalen Islands (Îles-de-la-Madeleine). In addition to being connected today by a ferryboat, both islands have a shared history and cultural ties that date back several centuries, the tale is of early French Acadian settlers seeking a better life in the new world. In their quest to survive, many of these settlers eventually became fishermen and carried with them their musical traditions as a means of celebrating their survival. Today, there is but a small enclave on Prince Edward Island where the French culture is predominant, while the Magdalen Islands still remains primarily French.

For centuries, there has been a musical connection between these two places, traded back and forth through fishing trips and marriages among members of both communities. Contemporary Acadian traditional group Vishtèn embodies the spirit and the sound of this connection, in the present tense. Group members Pastelle and Emmanuelle LeBlanc and Pascal Miousse have become a distinctive and powerful international voice for traditional music from this part of the world.

All three members are direct descendants of the first colonial families that inhabited their respective islands and second-generation traditional musicians. Twin sisters Emmanuelle and Pastelle LeBlanc were raised on Prince Edward Island and grew up in a household where fiddle music and percussive dancing was a common part of everyday life. Similarly, Magdalen Islander Pascal Miousse’s home was a frequent meeting place for traveling fiddlers and music sessions.

From their traditional roots, these three creative island musicians have been crafting their own brand of new traditional music and a trademark sound that combines original compositions and traditional French-Acadian songs with driving rhythms. All highly accomplished multi-instrumentalists and singers, their unique blend of fiddle, guitar, accordion, harmonium, whistles, piano, bodhrán, jaw harp, Moog, electric guitar and percussive dance make for a unique tour de force, weaving together traditional and contemporary sounds.
Since forming in 2000, Vishtèn has become one of the most exciting folk bands on the international music scene. During this period they have released four albums, won numerous awards and have played more than a thousand performances in more than a dozen countries throughout Europe, Australia and North America. From the Vancouver Winter Olympics to the Newport Folk Festival, Les Printemps de Pérouges in France and Festival International de Louisiane to Woodbury Folk Festival in Australia, Vishtèn has won over audiences of all sizes – they are equally at home in intimate listening rooms or before throngs in the tens of thousands.

With inspiration, deep respect, and a love for the sounds and rhythms forged by the musicians who came before them, Vishtèn continues to reinterpret the music of their parents, all the while creating a future heritage of new music – their own legacy to inspire musicians for generations to come.

http://vishtenmusic.com/welcome/

Where: Twisted Oak Winery, 4280 Red Hill Rd at Hwy 4, Vallecito
When: Saturday, July 11th, 2015 – 8:00pm. Concertgoers admitted 7:00pm

Ticket Information:
Tickets $25 advance ($22 Twisted Few wine club members), or $30 at the door, if available.
Children 12 and under: $10. 100% of children’s ticket sales will be directed to supporting music education in local schools.