Leach Library to Host ‘Songs of Old New Hampshire’

On Thursday, June 19, at 7:00 p.m., the Leach Library will host an evening of songs from New Hampshire’s past, presented by Jeff Warner. Jeff Warner is a leading interpreter of traditional music. He has performed widely, from large festivals in the UK to clubs, festivals, and schools across America. Mr. Warner plays concertina, banjo, guitar and several “pocket” instruments, including bones and spoons. He has toured nationally for the Smithsonian Institution and has recorded for Flying Fish/Rounder Records and other labels. In this program, Warner offers the songs and stories that, in the words of Carl Sandburg, tell us “where we came from and what brought us along”. Drawing heavily on the repertoire of traditional singer Lena Bourne Fish (1873-1945) of Jaffrey and Temple, New Hampshire, these ballads, love songs and comic pieces reveal the experiences and emotions of daily life in the days before movies, sound recordings, and for some, books. Audience members will hear songs from the lumber camps, the decks of sailing ships, and the textile mills, all which offer views of pre-industrial New England. The event is free and open to the public, and will be held in the library’s lower-level meeting room. Seating is limited to the first 90 people. Light refreshments will be served.