In the Summer of 2010 Callaghan packed up her life in London and moved to Atlanta to record with Grammy nominee Shawn Mullins. Mullins had heard her music online. After being knocked out by her voice and songs, he agreed to produce her debut album.

Her music blends the sounds of Folk, Americana and Pop. Her rich and haunting vocals are regularly compared to Sarah McLachlan and Emmy Lou Harris.

In the UK she was a regular at London’s top singer-songwriter venues, The National Theatre and the Ivy Club. Since making her home in the USA, she has played shows and festivals in 21 states, opened Shawn Mullins’ US tour, secured TV and Radio appearances and been in the studio recording her debut album, Life in Full Color. 

Raleigh singer-songwriter Bruce Benedict will open the concert at 7 pm.  Bruce fronts the IndyRock band Ebeneezer & the Hymnasters and has recently written the score for Burning Coal’s production of Jude the Obscure, Parts 1 & 2.  Bruce will be performing some of the songs written for but not included in Jude.

Estimated run time: 2 hours.

Best Year by Callaghan

The Mallarmé Chamber Players is a flexible ensemble of professional musicians based in Durham, North Carolina, whose mission is to enrich the lives of the community through outstanding chamber music. The ensemble distinguishes itself by its innovative educational programs, its commitment to creative collaboration with other organizations, its creation of significant new work and its dedication to serve a diverse population.

Nosferatu, a classic silent horror film with a brand new musical score by Eric Schwartz – will be screened as part of Burning Coal’s MusiCoal series. The score will be performed live by Mallarmé Chamber Players as the film is shown. The music is a compilation of North Carolinian composer, Eric Schwartz’s horror-themed experimental chamber works, music culled from the history of the horror film score, traditional sources and the work of other contemporary composers. This eclectic film/live music performance will be scary, funny and sometimes just plain weird, and will serve as the perfect Halloween theatrical experience.

Estimated run time: 2 hours.

Craicdown performs acoustic roots music with a high-energy, rock inspired flare. The band’s diverse repertoire features songs and instrumental pieces varying in style from  Americana to reggae-sounding vocals, and from Celtic jigs and reels to the music of Brazil. Craicdown draws from both traditional sources as well as writing much of their own material.

The ensemble includes Triangle area musicians Rob Sharer on guitar, flute, fiddle and vocals; David DiGiuseppe on accordion and Irish cittern; and Jim Roberts on percussion. The band’s name is a play on the English and Irish term craic, which means fun, amusement and a good time.Craicdown has recently released their debut CD titled “Roads,” which journeys into the wellspring of Americana and world music.

Michael Pearsall: Lead Vocals, Guitar Evan Field: Lead Guitars, Backing Vocals, Piano Chris Rafetto: Bass, Backing Vocals, Piano Brian Shanley: Drums, Percussion In its young career Northern Virginia / LA-based Honor By August has already played arena stages, had its music broadcast to millions and won the Grand Prize in Billboard’s World Song Contest. “Now widely considered one of the most promising new talents on the East Coast,” (Washington Post) Honor By August makes music characterized by “distinctive, inviting vocals and anthemic, reverb-drenched guitars” (MetroMusicScene.com) and built on “award-winning songwriting, strong vocals, catchy melodies, and dynamic live performance” (OnTap Magazine). Their music has been broadcast to millions many times over though popular outlets like ESPN, and they have worked with Grammy-winning producers, mixers, and engineers including Jack Joseph Puig (U2, Snow Patrol, Rolling Stones), Paul David Hager (Goo Goo Dolls), Jeff Juliano (John Mayer, Lifehouse, Jason Mraz), Jim Ebert (Butch Walker, Meredith Brooks) and Toby Wright (Third Eye Blind). Honor By August has played to single crowds as large as 20,000 from arena shows at the Verizon Center, McDonough Arena and Innsbrook Pavilion, to headlining multiple shows at one of the nation’s premier theaters, the 9:30 Club (DC), to performances at notable national venues like the Bowery Ballroom (NYC), The Roxy (LA), the Blender Theater, Mercury Lounge and Knitting Factory main stage in NYC, Viper Room (LA), Ram’s Head Live (MD), Middle East main stage (MA), Toad’s Place (VA), Cain’s Ballroom (OK), House of Blues Cleveland (OH) and many, many others across the country.

Guitarist Ed Stephenson returns with the Paco Band for their second straight year at Burning Coal. The group performs nuevo flamenco music, as well as Spanish and Spanish-influenced songs.

Estimated run time: 2 hours.

The Porta-Bellows Accordion Band currently consists of eight accordionists and a singer from the Triangle area. The band provides a unique entertainment experience with a repertoire of old favorites, folk, ethnic, Cajun, and other entertaining music.
Some of the band’s more recent performances in the Triangle Area include programs for Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, and Oktoberfest. In addition, the Porta-Bellows have performed at the Carrboro Music Festival, Lake Ellen Regatta and Arts Festival, and several street fairs in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. The band welcomes new members, some of whom have dusted off long-silent accordions from past playing days, and enjoy introducing new audiences to the sometimes lively, sometimes soulful music of the accordion.

Estimated run time: 2 hours.

Liz Janes’ music-story and life-story involve a Great American Novelesque chain of living leading up to the Liz of 2010. Shorthand version: On a beat-up Sears guitar she was writing lullabies and gospel songs behind locked door, her first ever songs, the nascent brain children of a soon-to-be accomplished and busy songlady. Then one fateful day she snuck off and set said songs to 4-track. Liz made the “mistake” of giving one of her lo-fi cassette recordings to Mike Kaufmann (future husband, future Asthmatic Kitty A&R dude, future Future Rapper) who played her songs to a new pal in Brooklyn, Sufjan Stevens. Shortly thereafter Sufjan produced, arranged and recorded her debut, Done Gone Fire (2001). Since then she has played with Odawas and Bedroom Walls, labelmates Castanets and Rafter. She recorded and/or toured with Douglas Armour, Black Heart Procession, Sufjan, Soul-Junk, and Jandek. Her newest album, Say Goodbye (2010), is an intensely personal, truth-filled, new kind of pop music. Aided and abetted by Rafter Roberts’ mad skills, the resulting piece of music is a warm, human, ornate new thing,lyrics paired down to the most minimal of philosophic wonderings/wanderings.

Estimated run time: 2 hours.

This ain’t bluegrass.
What started in 2007 around a party and a bottle of whiskey, Cletus Got Shot has become a force to behold .  With their fast-paced, knee-slapping, drum-lacking songs, it’s hard to really pinpoint where in the musical genre they fit in.  The upright bass and mandolin may make them appear as just another bluegrass band, but once those boys take the stage, it’s clear to anyone within earshot that they are something much more.  Their songs range from emotional and heart-wrenching ballads to protests to calls to action.  They have taken the political-folk portions of Woody Guthrie, the protest styles of bands like Rage Against the Machine, the anti-conformist preachings of Black Flag, and somehow have found a common ground between them. Though it may be a common ground that most could never have dared to imagine, it is that unique sound that continues to gather fans, as well as keep their old fans coming back for more, singing along at the top of their lungs.

Estimated run time: 2 hours.