Manitou Music Festival welcomes Trina Hamlin to The Leelanau School
From staff reports
On Wednesday, August 18 at 8 p.m. Singer/Songwriter Trina Hamlin and the Canadian Folk Duo The Laws will perform outdoors on The Leelanau School graduation green, located at the private school just north of Glen Arbor. Rain location is The Leelanau School Student Center.
Trina Hamlin combines gentle understanding with raw emotion in a way that is, quite simply, captivating from the first note.
With a rich, powerful voice, Hamlin reveals a rare confluence of Midwestern innocence, contemplative focus, and raw passion while adding a disarmingly sharp wit in her stage banter. She seamlessly moves from guitar to piano with self-accompaniment on harmonica leaving many who have seen her wondering what she can’t do. Regarded as one of the best harmonica players around, in her performance Hamlin presents a driving, sensuous rhythm reawakening audiences to the art of the instrument. In the current climate of “sounds like” artists and “heard it before” lyrics, Trina offers an intelligent and refreshing musical experience. Her unique combination of ballads, folk-rock and blues has earned her a steady national following.
Trina tours full-time throughout the United States and Europe. Additionally, she is a much sought after harmonica player and percussionist, accompanying numerous nationally recognized singer/songwriters in the studio and live on stage. With unapologetic emotional freedom, Trina’s songs have the unique power to mirror and evoke the obvious and unspoken realities of life and being in love.
The Laws: Chatham, Ontario-born John Law had a lifelong interest in music, but his exposure to it as a child was limited. His father had a Roger Miller greatest hits album, and a Johnny Cash album, and that was all. But John learned every nuance of both records on his black acoustic, and he became infatuated with the guitar after being inspired by his sixth grade teacher, who often entertained the class with Bob Dylan tunes played on “a big ol’ electric Gretsch guitar,” according to John. “That did it for me; that hooked me. I just wanted to play guitar after that.”
Born in Kingston, Ontario, Michele Law, though growing up doing “a lot of harmony singing” with her sisters at home, was about as far from music as she could get when she met John; she was a hospital fundraiser, and she played no instruments at all. “John taught me to play guitar; we’d have friends over to jam and it was all guitar players.” So I said, “Maybe you should teach me how to play bass.” Then I found out that I’m the third chick bass player in my family! When we were at home alone, John would play and sing songs and I would sing harmony with him we instantly had this incredible vocal blend and it was just so … easy between us. Fast forward to 2009 … now with 8 years of touring throughout Canada, the United States and Australia, and 5 CDs, Ontario-based The Laws have been called “the best duo out of Canada since Ian and Sylvia.”, won the 2007 Chris Austin Songwriting contest, secured a writing deal in Nashville and have been featured on CMT, Entertainment Tonight Canada and as “rising stars” on the upcoming PBS special, Legends and Lyrics.
This is the Manitou Music Festival’s 20th season of exciting and diverse concerts in beautiful Leelanau County, featuring jazz, classical, blues, folk, country, celtic, bluegrass and world music in some of Michigan’s most idyllic settings.
Please Visit the Festival website for information and tickets: www.manitoumusicfestival.com. All Tickets are $15 (Children 18 and under are FREE.) Tickets may be purchased at concert venues, or by calling the Glen Arbor Art Association (231) 334-6112 or Lake Street Studios (231) 334-3179. The Manitou Music Festival is a presentation of the Glen Arbor Art Association, a nonprofit (501(c) 3) organization.