When they first got together as a group in 1992, the three fellows in Folkstrings realized that they had a lot in common.
First, the trio — mandolinist Andy Revutsky and guitarists Bill Hider and Terry Hill — shared an appreciation for the so-called “folk revival” music of the 1960s and early-70s.
After comparing biographies, however, it became clear that back in 1969 when that music was so vibrant, Hider and Hill lived three blocks from each other, and Revutsky worked a mile from Terry. They all traveled in the same circles, ate in the same restaurants and drank in the same bars, never meeting until a jam session brought them together in 1992.
“And now we play together, folk music from the 1960s and 1970s with a little bluegrass, gospel and blues mixed in,” said guitarist Bill Hider.
At Redhouse Friday
Folkstrings perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday Oct. 26, at the Redhouse, 201 S. West St., at the corner of West Fayette Street, on the outskirts of Armory Square, downtown. Admission costs $12. For information, dial 425-0405.
At the Redhouse the trio will play songs by artists such as Peter Paul & Mary, Tom Paxton, The Kingston Trio, Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, plus a handful of spirituals.
The Folkstrings’ reach exceeds the usual restrictive definition of folk music, however, as the trio covers material by rockers such as Johnny Rivers and Flower Power songwriters such as Donovan Leitch and Janis Ian.
The threesome has released two CDs, “Thirty Years Too Late” and “Live at The Redhouse.” Featured tracks include Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” Leitch’s “Colours,” Rivers’ “Midnight Special” and The Weavers’ “Bury Me beneath the Willow.”
On Friday the group will showcase material from an upcoming disc, “Folkstrings, Songs of Faith.”
Fairs and fund-raisers
Folkstrings perform at festivals, fairs, private parties and political fund-raisers.
The trio has played its acoustic music at the Carrier Dome, the New York State Fair and the Onondaga County’s OnCenter Convention Center in downtown Syracuse, and has made appearances as far away as Elkins, W. Va. and Dublin, Ireland.
“We’ve also been known to hop around the Central New York folk music and bluegrass jam scene,” Hider said.
For trio info, visit folkstrings.net.
For venue info, click on theredhouse.org.
