For Immediate Release: July 15, 2010
Contact:
Keith P. McKeever | Public Relations | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
NEWCOMB, NY - Adirondack singer/songwriter and storyteller Chris Shaw will give a free concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 17 at the Adirondack Park Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) in the Town of Newcomb.
As a descendant of steamboat pilots, "pathfinders", and other rustic archetypes of the Adirondack region of New York State, Shaw is steeped in the lore of the American Northeast. He has done some steamboat piloting of his own, but it is in his professional role as a recording artist/performer that he carries forward the tradition of the great troubadour/storytellers who have enlivened parlors, taverns and roadsides since America's colonial times. Shaw's latest solo effort, http://www.chrisandbridget.com/store/recordings/adirondackserenade/ ,is a celebration of the musical styles and traditions of his native Adirondack Mountains. With the exception of two traditional songs, this is a collection of Shaw-penned ballads that reflect his devotion to and affection for the people of the mountains. In classic self-sufficient Adirondack style, Shaw wrote, played, sang, and produced nearly every track on the recording.
Shaw's fascination for Adirondack history inspired him to do extensive research into the French and Indian War era of the mid to late 1700s. Research revealed that his ancestors were among those who fought in the company of Robert Rogers, whose Rangers were the inspiration for today's Green Berets. Shaw's demonstration of the tools and techniques of the era has become a much sought-after program in schools throughout New York State. Shaw currently lives just south of the Adirondack Park in rural Rensselaer County with his wife and children.
The July 17 concert is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Adirondack Park Institute, the not-for-profit friends group that helps fund environmental education programs at the Paul Smiths and Newcomb VICs.
The mission of the Adirondack Park Agency is to protect the public and private resources of the Adirondack Park through the exercise of the powers and duties of the Agency as provided by law. For more information, call the APA at (518) 891-4050 or visit www.apa.state.ny.us.
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