Hungrytown to open series at Open Book Coffeehouse

The Open Book Coffeehouse will begin its eighth consecutive season of showcasing live, acoustic music on Saturday, September 15, with the singer/songwriter duo Hungrytown. This folk duo creates traditional folk music that's beautifully crafted, with arresting harmonies and expert musicianship.

HUNGRYTOWN, which is the musical and married duo of Ken Anderson and Rebecca Hall, have been making music full time since swapping their midtown New York cubicles for the hills of New England in 2004. Since then, the couple has been touring extensively, and has released two CDs, the self-titled Hungrytown (2008) and Any Forgotten Thing (2011), both of which receive high critical acclaim and much airplay in North America, Europe and Australia.

Before Hungrytown, Rebecca made two well-received CDs under her own name (with help from Ken behind the scenes), Rebecca Hall Sings! (2000) and Sunday Afternoon (2002). Rebecca learned to sing in church when she was five years old, and had developed into a skilled interpreter of jazz and blues standards by the time she was in her 20s. Her discovery of roots music coincided with the reissue of the Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music in 1997, and inspired her to write her own material. She soon developed a reputation for creating simple, melodic and achingly beautiful songs, weaving modern themes into traditional song structures. “Hall’s original compositions hark back to the earliest traditions of acoustic Americana, tracing a sepia-tinged line from the Carter Family to the contemporary lo-fi classicism of Gillian Welch,” wrote Steve Bennet of Acoustic Magazine.

Ken is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist as well as a talented producer and arranger. He learned to play drums and organ as a child, and has since moved on to bass, guitar, mandolin, banjo and harmonica. He also has a remarkable gift for musical harmony, and is responsible for Hungrytown’s luxuriant vocal stylings. Having produced all of their recorded works, his artistry has been singled out for praise: “Anderson has a knack for crafting rich arrangements that don’t clutter things up,” writes Casey Rea of Seven Days (VT) magazine. When not touring with Rebecca, Ken is often upstairs in their home studio, called Song Catcher Recording, working with other songwriters and instrumentalists.

Hungrytown tours both the United States and abroad. Their recent overseas travels have included the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland. On their home turf, Rebecca and Ken tour the country in the notorious Blue Meanie. This remarkable, fuel efficient, solar-paneled and, well, blue customized camper van was designed by Ken to serve as a fully-equipped, four-season home, office, studio and Conestoga wagon for their instruments and sound system–all in under 22 feet!

Enjoy the relaxing, warm atmosphere of friendly people, good music, hot coffee and homebaked goodies. Admission to the coffeehouse is $10 per person, with a special admission price of $5 for students. The Open Book Coffeehouse is located in the community room of the Canton Public Library at 786 Washington Street, Canton, and is made possible by the Friends of the Library. Parking is to the left when facing the library from Washington Street. Enter by the "Special Events" door to the left of the columns, midway into the parking area. The doors open at 6:45 and the music starts at 7:30. For more information, visit the Open Book Coffeehouse website at http://town.canton.ma.us/library/coffeehouse, send an email to openbookcoffeehouse@verizon.net or call 781-828-6606.