Editor's pick: Folk concert

Folk music at the Western Hotel

Sat., July 16 at 8:30 p.m. Free. The Western Hotel, Callicoon, NY. 570/224-4539

Janet Burgan and Paul Clements, representing the American and English folk traditions respectively, will appear in concert at the Western Hotel, each performing a solo set.

Though her songs, some of which she writes herself, tend to be rooted in the country tradition, Burgan has an extensive musical background and she explores a variety of idioms in her writing and performances. She is trained in piano and trombone as well as voice and has performed in musical theatre in Boston.

Currently a resident of Equinunk, PA, she has been performing on the country-folk music circuit for some years, has appeared in locales ranging from Los Angeles to Chicago and New York and has issued several CDs. Critic Joe Del Priore of The Hudson Current said of her: “She is nothing less than a vocal lava flow, sweeping over a room.”

Since coming to this area in 1999, Burgan has made appearances at numerous local festivals and events, as well as continuing to perform at venues in New York City. This year she received a grant from the Puffin Foundation underwriting her appearances at local benefit and charitable events.

Paul Clements is a singer and accomplished guitar player who writes his own music and has been performing in the New York area for many years. Burgan says he was one of the first, if not the first musician who asked her to sit in with him when she came to New York City in the mid eighties and she describes his guitar playing as “angelic.”

The free concert is sponsored by St. James Episcopal Church of Callicoon as a gift to the community. Donations to help offset expenses will be accepted at the door.