Kevin T McEneaney
Sep 11, 2021
At Stissing Center The Lucky Five Become Six
If you spent Friday evening at The Stissing Center in Pine Plains, then you must have felt lucky because the performance of The Lucky 5 was hot, even intoxicating, as they blended, sang, and melded their instruments through the paces of Old Timey, Funk Bossa Nova, French ballades, Swing with a jazzy edge, humous Bluegrass, Whacked-out Polka, Bertolt Brecht, Billie Holiday, and uncategor
izable rambles. They were immersed in sounds and traditions of the past hundred years yet made it all sound new and contemporary. They are amazingly tight band!
Located in the Berkshires around Great Barrington, Kip Beacco (guitar, vocals) and Matt Downing (bass) were the heart of noted The Hunger Mountain Boys and played with other successful groups like Lauren Ambrose & The Leisure Class, and traveled, performing and recording with artists such as Peter Gabriel, Tony Bennett, Neko Case, Iris Dement, Bobby Previte, Del McCoury, and Jim Lauderdale.
Matt Schreiber, Jonathan Talbot, Carolyn Dufraine, Tom Parker, Matt Downing, Kip Beacco
They have a new focus with the addition of Jonathan Talbott (violin), Tom Parker (drums), and young Carolyn Dufraine from Westfield, MA (vocals, trombone), who is the fresh heartbeat of the ensemble. Matt Schreiber (accordion) from Rhinebeck joined them to enhance their folk-gypsy timbre.