Allan James and I have played together a few times late night at a soltice party or during jam sessions at the cabin, but we had never performed together until this July 25th. On a steaming hot day, clocking in at 94 degrees in the shade, we played a couple of sets to an appreciative audience in the park at Rose Hill in Berryville.
We had a blast. Here’s how that went.
We played 20 original songs all written and performed by Allan. After just a handful of practice sessions, we were ready…
Lonely Little Bird
Low Down Dirty
The music was just as hot as the evening. You can find many of the songs we performed on Allan’s CDs.
Where’s Aubrey’s ninth record is also available on many streaming services including spotify, apple music, and youtube music. Click the cover to launch spotify. Each song also linked to spotify.
Thanks to you, the Where’s Aubrey show Saturday 11/11 was a smashing success. We played to an enthusiastic full house, missing a sell out of the venue by only four tickets. JOBIE’s opening set was excellent. An all around evening of great music performed for a good cause.
Speaking of which, together we raised $3305 on Saturday evening with $1983 going to the Shenandoah Riverkeeper to protect our local river.
We also released our ninth record, Hole, which is now available on most streaming services including spotify. If you would like to join the 18 people who bought a physical copy of the CD for old time’s sake, just get in touch.
Where’s Aubrey before the show: Rhine Singleton, Charles Arthur, Gary McGraw, and Nick Schrenk.
Here are some pictures and videos of the show in approximate chronological order arranged by set lists. What a night!
The band on stage: Nick on Drums, McGraw on fiddle, Rhine on Guitar, and Charles on everything else.
BORH 11/11: Set One
Your Lies Are Gone
Ghosts on the Farm
The Miles Roll By
Snippet only
Dirty Blond Haired Girl
Brown Like Your Cinnamon
*** (stage lighting changed as we performed the entire new record)
All songs linked below to spotify tracks from the record.
*** (record over, we ended the concert with full band)
Irish Goodbye (JOBIE cover)
Full video
Full video (different angle)
Devlish Situation
Into a Cloud
Snippet only
Has it Ever Been this Good
JOBIE opening set
Special thanks to Jen Lee for photographs and show publicity. April Claggett also provided photos and videos. Romey Michael provided video of Irish Goodbye. Some images above are Copyrighted.
Nick Schrenk, the consumate Winchester-based jazz drummer, and Gary McGraw, lifetime fiddle player (or is that violin?), will be performing together on stage again during the Where’s Aubrey benefit concert for the Barns of Rose Hill. They will be joined by Richmond-based multi-instrumentalist and professional-musician, Charles Arthur, and Where’s Aubrey frontman, New-Hampshire-based Rhine Singleton.
Tickets are on sale now. We recommend getting your tickets in advance, soon. Use this link –> https://bit.ly/WA-BORH23 (or call the box office directly at (540) 955-2003).
Where’s Aubrey will perform all original music from their brand new ninth record, Hole, at a benefit concert November 11th at the Barns of Rose Hill in Berryville. All proceeds from the concert benefit the Shenandoah Riverkeepers.
Here is a rough mix of track six on Where’s Aubrey’s new record Holes. The record is currently in final production.
About: Local violinist Gary McGraw (The Bitter Liberals) and New Hampshire songwriter Rhine Singleton are Where’s Aubrey. Where’s Aubrey will be joined at this show by Richmond multi-instrumentalist Charles Arthur (featured at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts) and Winchester jazz drummer Nick Shrenk. Where’s Aubrey is releasing a new record at the show called Holes.  Where’s Aubrey has performed since 1985, releasing nine records and raising $17,000 for charity. Singleton’s original songs, cloaked and hooded by McGraw’s improvisation on the fiddle and mandolin, range from old-timey folk music to modern jazz.
Gary McGraw has played the violin since he was just three years old (54 years for those of you counting), and has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Barns of Rose Hill. McGraw met Singleton at the University of Virginia and Where’s Aubrey gradually coalesced into existence in the mid-90s and began recording all original music in 2001. Gary is also a member of The Bitter Liberals.
Rhine Singleton played piano and violin as a teen, before switching to the acoustic guitar. In his time at the University of Virginia with McGraw, Singleton started singing and was inspired to write his own music. Soon after compiling a strong repertoire of original tunes, the duo began recording under the name Where’s Aubrey.
Although McGraw and Singleton regularly write and record music, it’s rare to see a live performance by Where’s Aubrey.
Date & Time: Saturday, November 11, 2023. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the concert starts at 7:00 PM.
Ticket Price: All tickets are general admission. $20 in advance until 3:00 PM on the day of the event. $25 at the door. Children 12 years and below are free when accompanied by an adult.
Ticket Information:
 or by calling the Barns of Rose Hill Box Office at 540-955-2004 (Noon to 3:00 PM – Tuesday through Saturday). When our Box Office is closed, please leave a message. All ticket sales are final; no exceptions and no exchanges.
Program Sponsors:We extend our special thanks to Michael Hobert and Mary Jane Lee for sponsoring this program!
Program Benefits: Proceeds from this show will benefit Shenandoah Riverkeeper, part of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network. A representative will be in attendance.
Somehow COVID put a mega-hurt on the Bitter Liberals. We stopped playing shows for all of the obvious reasons, and eventually we also stopped practicing together. For whatever reason, we haven’t managed to restart yet.
We played a gig at the Blue Wing Frog, a restaurant in Front Royal that has been hosting a songwriters series of small shows. Clark agreed to play a show, and Allen Kitselman and I sat it as side men. It was magical playing this music again.
We brought our own sound system and lit the place up with crystal clear sound. The venue was sold to capacity (around 50 people came on a very rainy evening). The crowd listened intently.
Clark opened the first set with 6 or 7 songs performed solo.
Eventually Allen and I joined in.
It was a rewarding and magical evening. Thanks to all who came.
The stadium in Campiglia Cervo is scaled to match the interstate highway system that blazes through the center of town. We packed the stadium to the gills with what I am told was 65 people, including the vice mayor who introduced us, but not including the mayor himself who had more important things to do like look at himself in the mirror. Just so you know, this was a much bigger show than the show Metallica put on at the same stadium!
The show was actually very good. Intimate. Interesting. Tight. During the rest of our time in Rialmosso we ran into lots of people who either attended or heard through the grapevine about our performance. That was both really cool and very gratifying.
The road crew set the stage after arriving the day before to check electricity levels and make sure all of the seating was available. We have nothing but admiration for our intrepid road crew. They work so hard so we can do what we do.
The show consisted of three parts as shown on the billboard above.
Here is a stage floor view of the set list for those of you collecting bootlegs.
And a view of the nosebleed seating in the back before anyone was in the house. You can see the dancing props professionally built by our dedicated construction crew.
Publicity was run by our crack PR team who were able to put up a poster with the last of the tape.
Fortunately that poster was all it took to fill the space to the gills. When we started (only 5 minutes late), people were standing because the seating was gone. Even the reserved section for mastiffs and toddlers was full.
We sincerely appreciate the willingness of the locals in the area to support our art with enthusiasm and love!
The stage is set. The weather is perfect.
And we’re off. Sogol and Matt play Bach together.
Dancing to Vivaldi Concerto in G major for Two Mandolins, Strings and Continuo, RV 532 (re-re-arranged for violin, guitar and piano).
Eight of us have convened in Rialmosso, Italia to create some art together. Sadly, three of us were almost immediately infected with COVID from the trip across the ocean. So far, the other five of us are healthy and working together to create, well, something. Here’s how that is going.
We have a movement artist, a painter, and three musicians. For one section of the show we are performing this Sunday we’ve decided on an art form where we pass a token between us, one after another (and sometimes to a group). The idea is for each artist to improvise in their medium given what the artist before them came up with in another medium.
This set of videos shows our second attempt at this performance game.
Who, uh oh, passes the token to me (Gary McGraw). Fortunately, I was unable to film myself playing the violin. (Though you can find some video on Rhine’s blog Blame it on Sally.)
Now that Matt Savage has joined us on the piano, we have five players. This is an interesting experiment that we’re having fun with.
Ready…
Set…
Go…
We are also performing some classical music. Here is some Vivaldi being worked up. Sogol will dance to this once we figure it out.
What happens when you convene an eclectic group of artists with a vague plan to “make something” involving music, dance, drawing, and possibly opera? Well who knows. We haven’t been able to find out yet as one of the dancers came to Italy with COVID (everyone tested on arrival) and spread it to two others in our group before proper quarantine set in. The biggest impact involved our fearless leader and chief convener Shooka taking to her bed.
The upshot on Sunday about three hours after landing in Italy was a hastily constructed spettacolo involving Bach, improvisational movement art to unplanned spontaneous music, and Where’s Aubrey in Miagliano, Italy. Amazingly, the people who came to see us actually enjoyed themselves.
We fittingly call ourselves, Into the Unknown.
Instruments fly from Germany
Giant guitar case travels well
Sogol plays Bach to open the show
The audience mostly avoided the actual amphitheater seats, instead opting for the shade
We shifted the “stage” to face the shade loving audience.
“Backstage” with a dobro
By far the most interesting part of the show was when the musicians played whatever occurred to them (us?) as the dancers moved to the improvisational music and the artist drew what she heard and saw. We divided that piece into eight parts defined by the artist. We also asked the audience to participate by drawing as well.
Movement art
Sogol and Dani and April
Where’s Aubrey performs with a kluged up sound system
Paparazzi
Sure
Ultimately, we all had a good time at our first performance (one of three planned so far). Benvenuto in Italia.
