Ari wrote a book!

Big news! Ari wrote a book! A chapbook, to be precise! Of poetry! It’s out now and you can order it here. Local Boston-area book launch has been postponed but will be rescheduled soon. Check back here for updates.

“This chapbook offers an intimate look into the cosmos of family and motherhood. It moves symphonically across generations, charting how we are shaped by the losses, calamities, and tender daily realities of past and future generations. Many poems exist in the space between mother and child: the mother tries to narrativize the world for the child or enters transformative windows of play, where the world is remade because of the child’s perspective and presence. A spoon becomes a satellite, a truck becomes a god, a hand becomes a rotating planet, reality becomes a dream.” —Sara Daniele Rivera, author of The Blue Mimes

Practice when the baby practices

I've got some Joni in my head which feels appropriate as daffodil and allium bulbs are poking their noses out of the earth and our kids just keep on growing. Our duo's feet remain firmly planted in the season of occasional performance, but we think that makes each event even more special. Speaking of which, we are excited to announce a concert happening this summer as part of the Boston Public Library's Concerts in the Courtyard series. Boston-area folks, mark your calendars for Friday, July 7, 12:30-1:30 at the gorgeous McKim courtyard of the BPL's main branch.

For those of you farther afield, join me, Ari, for Fiddle Hell Online, April 13-16. FHO will have many live workshops (I'll be teaching two of them!), concerts (I'll be playing at one of them!) and jam sessions on Zoom. Check it out here.

And speaking of seasons going round and round, a poem of mine was recently published which tells the story of four generations on our mother's side. Read it here.

That's all for now. We've got some other concert plans in the works. Watch this space, or follow us on instagram to stay in the know.

In all things blooming,
Ari&Mia

fall festival

Here is some photographic evidence of a truly wonderful concert experience we enjoyed a few months ago. Thanks to Sandisfield Arts Center for having us—it felt amazing to make music for real humans again!

Speaking of concerts, we have one coming up on Saturday, September 24 at 2pm for all northeastern locals. It's part of a fall festival at Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens which, in our humble opinion, is one of the most beautiful places in Massachusetts. Ari has visited a few times for their glorious spring Bloomfest and we cannot believe our luck that we get to play a concert amidst their autumnal beauty. Come early for the food trucks, petting zoo, and scenery, and stay for the music. Reserve your tickets here.

It's been a year but we're still here

It's been nearly a year since we last updated this space, which goes to show how much parenting + the pandemic has affected our professional lives. We are certainly immersed in these young kid years (Ari's second baby is due this summer), but we are excited about recording and releasing an EP at some point in 2023. Though things move slowly, plans are in motion. Stay tuned—we haven't forgotten about music, art, and all of you who support and enjoy what we do.

On that note, it's another one-concert summer. If you're in the western MA area, come find us in Sandisfield on June 11. Click here for more info .

In other creative news, Ari has spent much of the pandemic writing poetry, turning some of these poems into songs (to be featured on our next album) and also becoming published! Five of her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in various publications and she is finishing up her first chapbook. Read "In Charge of Birds" published in March in Pangyrus. This poem will appear in her chapbook and has already been turned into a song which we will record on our 2023 EP. Follow us on instagram to stay in the know on EP updates and forthcoming poems.

As ever, thank you for all you do to support local music and arts.

Wishing everyone a summer of fresh picked flowers and moments in the sunshine,

Ari&Mia

Concerts are back—we've got one in July

Hello fellow humans,

Ari here—I think we've made it through pandemic winter?! Lettuce and kale are sprouting in my new raised bed, the patio is full of pansies in pots, and every cherry blossom makes me happy. My little one and I put a bird feeder in our yard yesterday and the birds found it this morning. As I was making breakfast, I heard cries of delight: "Ooh Mommy! Bird eat!"

Mia and I are thrilled to be playing one live music event this summer (could be more, so stay tuned). We'll be at Monadnock Music on July 10 (rain date July 11) at 5pm. The concert is FREE, outdoors, socially distanced, and open to all. This will be the first live concert we have played since February 2020 and now that we are fully vaccinated, we can't wait to spend much of the summer outdoors and with PEOPLE. We hope you'll bring a picnic and come celebrate with us.

In other live concert news, piano-phenom Miki Sawada is currently touring Massachusetts as part of her Gather Hear project, playing works by Florence Price, Franz Liszt, and premiering my latest piece, "Before I Die.” She’s at various venues around the state through the end of May. Go here to find out more.

Onward,
Ari (and Mia)

Bandcamp, in-person camp, and more

Hello dear humans,

Despite living on opposite sides of our state, we've managed to form a pod-of-sorts and spend some time with each other and our little humans, although we can't say this is conducive to playing music. But there is light at the end of that tunnel, and we are looking forward to teaching at at least one socially-distanced in person camp this summer with the potential for other music-sharing opportunities. Please stay tuned.

Also, we've finally gotten with the program and have made our music available on Bandcamp. This means that if you’re not a Spotify user, you can still hear our music and even download it for your very own. AND this Friday, March 5, Bandcamp will waive their revenue share so that all money spent goes directly to artists! This is a very wonderful thing. If you're thinking of downloading ours or any artist's music from Bandcamp, do it on Friday.

We've just begun a newsletter feature called Ari & Mia Recommend which features non-music activities/ideas/entertainment. So if you're into things like reading, sewing, podcasting, etc, sign up below for our mailing list and you’ll get access to our current favorite things.

In music, art, and all things beautiful,
A&M

Hello from our perch in this strange new world

Ari here, writing during a certain small human’s nap time. Not long before Covid-19 changed the face of the performing industry (let alone the world), I was asked by a dear friend, Casper ter Kuile, to write a song based on a chapter from his brand new book, The Power of Ritual. The song is based on the final chapter of the book which is all about transcendence. I ruminated on motherhood, transience, and the bigger picture, and managed to finish the song just before Mia and I went on tour with Lucy Wise in late February, 2020. The melody for the verses is based partially on the third movement from Charles Ives's Concord Sonata, called "The Alcotts." My song is called "Illuminated" and in a brief moment of downtime, Mia, Lucy, and I managed to record it. You can listen here. The recording quality isn't the best, but hopefully it'll get you excited for a day when we can get back into a studio.

We aren’t sure the next time we will perform in person, and don’t currently have anything planned for the virtual halls of the internet (although please stay tuned), but we are offering this song to say we are still here, loving and missing music right along with the rest of you.

New video!

We’re thrilled to share this new video of our song “Sweet Morning,” filmed by Sean Trischka and featured today in TheBoot.com’s Guest Room Sessions.

Read all about it here.

IT'S HERE!!!

Hooray!! “Sew the City” is out today and you can pick up your copy here or wherever you buy or listen to music.

We are really excited about this album—it was a true labor of love and we had the best time recording it in July at a beautiful old farmhouse in Parsonsfield, Maine. We spent 4 days recording, cooking, watching Blue Planet, and squealing with glee as Ari felt her baby kick in utero for the first time. The album pays tribute to both our grandmothers ("Til I Die" and "Sew the City"); there's a song about a made-up mythological woman ("Nostalgia"); and we even cover a Joni Mitchell song ("The Fiddle and the Drum"). It is an homage to strong, wise women and we hope you love it as much as we loved creating it.

Deep gratitude to everyone who made this possible: Ariel Bernstein, engineer and percussionist extraordinaire; Dan Cardinal for his mastering skills; Stevie Lewis for her incredible artistry; and Kat Waterman for her photography and graphic design.

Tomorrow, tune into WGBH’s Live at the Library with Brian O'Donovan at 4pm to hear us play and talk about songs from the album.

And on Monday we hit the road for a two week tour of the Canadian Maritimes, baby in tow.

Full album premiering now on Billboard

“Sew the City” is out on Friday, March 1, but you can hear the whole thing in the meantime. Enormous thanks to Billboard for the write-up and exclusive premiere! Listen here.

The album is also currently available for preorder on iTunes.

Oh, Canada

Happy 2019 all!

In November, we welcomed Ari’s sweet baby boy into our lives and soon, onto the road. Check our calendar page for details on our upcoming Home Routes tour in Nova Scotia followed by dates in the northeast and midwest this spring.

See you out there,

A&M

Next up: Lizard Lounge FRIDAY 11/16

Still reveling in the magic of a certain gal's wedding, we are here to tell you that our last show before maternity leave hibernation is THIS FRIDAY, 8:30pm at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA! We are so excited to be opening for the stellar band Cold Chocolate. More info can be found here.

Maine show rescheduled

We’ve sadly had to postpone our concert in Denmark, Maine, originally scheduled for November 3. New date (likely spring 2019) will be announced shortly. Stay tuned!

Happy fall!

We're delighted to report that we've recorded a new album which will be born into the world early in 2019, just a few months after Ari's baby arrives.

We're really excited about both the album and the baby and, if that wasn't enough, Mia's nuptials coming in October. Needless to say, it's going to be a busy fall. Despite these major life events, we do have FOUR concerts before we disappear for the winter (#maternityleave):
 

October 4, 6:30pm  |  Groton, MA  |  Lawrence Academy  | free concert!

October 28, 3pm • Boston, MA • Local Behavior Festival @ City Winery

November 3, 7:30pm  |  Denmark, ME  |  Denmark Arts Center

November 16, 8pm  |  Cambridge, MA  |  Lizard Lounge  opening for Cold Chocolate

Stay tuned to learn when and where you can pick up a copy of the new album! In the meantime we wish you a smooth transition into the new season.

Love, A & M

This is us playing at Falcon Ridge's Emerging Artist Showcase in August. Thanks to Jake Jacobson for the photo.

3 things we are excited about

1) New videos coming soon! This photo was taken yesterday at our video shoot of two new songs, which will also be on our new album. We head into the studio in two weeks.

2) We'll be performing at Summer BCMfest's evening concert on Sunday, July 8 at 7pm. Stay for the amazing Matt & Shannon Heaton who play at 8pm. Get your tickets here! 

3) We are also thrilled to be a part of this year's Emerging Artist Showcase at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival on August 3. 

Summer 2018!

Hello from A&M Boston HQ porch paradise! We had the most wonderful time at Folk College last weekend and are excited for summer. Highlights will include performing in the evening Summer BCMfest concert on July 8, teaching together at Berkshire Summer Strings, and....recording a new album! Stay tuned for more info including how to preorder the album and other ways to get involved. Besides that, we'll be teaching, performing, and traveling separately and getting ready for big life events coming this fall. 

See you out there!
A&M

April: NY and DC

Hello from A&M headquarters in Boston where the crocuses are sneaking their purple bodies out of the ground and also, it's snowing. 

We are excited for spring to actually arrive, which we think it will by the time we hit the road during the third week in April. If you live on Long Island or in the DC area, check out our upcoming shows!

4/19  •  Huntington, NY • Hard Luck Cafe • with Roger Street Friedman

4/20 • Glen Echo, MD • Friday Night Dance with Owen Morrison, guitar

4/21 • Baltimore, MD • Four Hour Day Lutherie

4/22 • Takoma Park, MD • House Concert • RSVP and location info: program@fsgw.org

Up next: Folk Alliance International

Finally, for the first time ever, we've gotten our act together and are going to FAI. We're honored to be recipients of a First Timers Scholarship and can't wait to hear all sorts of new folk sounds, meet people, and share our music. If you're also gonna be there, let us know! We've got a few private showcases, and they are:

Wednesday, February 14th, 2018
Camp Ned, Singer-Songwriter Heaven (656) 12:30 AM to 1:00 AM

Thursday, February 15th, 2018
Access Film Music RED (630) 3:20 PM to 3:40 PM 

Friday, February 16th, 2018
Access Film Music ORANGE (730) 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM 

Saturday, February 17th, 2018
Access Film Music GREEN (629) 2:30 PM to 2:55 PM 

Sew the City

Here is a brand new video of an original song, filmed and recorded live at our recent show in Ashland, Oregon. Despite it being new to our repertoire, Ari wrote it in 2011 after the death of both our maternal grandparents. They lived in the suburbs of Chicago near where Ari went to college. She had dinner with them at least once a week for four years and usually arrived back on campus with a paper bag full of bialys and bananas. This song is for our Nana. (We recommend you listen with headphones—it will be easier to hear the cello). 

Huge thanks to Michael at Seven Channel Sound for recording and videoing.