Halperin celebrates 30 years of blues

It was 30 years ago this month that blues guitarist and singer Bob Halperin played his first solo gig at The Press Room in downtown Portsmouth. He will celebrate those three decades of performance with an anniversary show on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 9 p.m.

Now a veteran staple of the Seacoast music scene, Halperin drove up from Cambridge, Mass., for his first Press Room gig in January 1979. He moved to Portsmouth permanently in the mid-’80s and has since played in more than half a dozen area bands, including Thingvalla, Homeless Bob and The Living Room Gypsies, The Bob Halperin Blues Band, The Working Band, Li’l Anne and Hot Cayenne and Late Great Scott. He remains active as a solo artist and as a member of his latest band Wooden Eye.

Halperin’s numerous gigs at The Press Room have also included performances with partners like Stanley Longstaff, Patty Larkin, Jerry Tillet, Cosy Sheridan, Charlie Archer, Tom Richter, Rockin’ Jake and Joel Cage. The show on Jan. 24 will include a mix of acoustic and electric music with a steady stream of guest collaborators sitting in throughout the night. 
The cover charge is $5. The Press Room is at 77 Daniel St., Portsmouth, 603-431-5186.

double bill at Rollinsford’s folk club

Two up-and-coming New England singer-songwriters will appear at The Elysium Arts Folk Club in Rollinsford on Sunday, Jan. 25, for an afternoon of original music beginning at 4 p.m. The show will feature Vermont-based fiddler Lissa Schneckenburger and Massachusetts-based multi-instrumentalist Audrey Ryan. Both young musicians grew up in rural Maine and now tour throughout the United States and Europe.

Schneckenburger is an indie folk artist who graduated from the New England Conservatory and now lives in Brattleboro, Vt. Her latest release “Song” is filled with traditional New England music, including work songs from Maine’s mill era—a fitting theme for the show in Rollinsford’s Salmon Falls Mills.

Ryan’s unique style earned her an Outstanding Singer/Songwriter nomination in the 2008 Boston Music Awards. The Somerville, Mass. resident is currently at work on her third album, a follow-up to 2007’s “Dishes & Pills.” She plays guitar, fiddle and other instruments and received her college education in Africa, Asia and Australia.

Tickets are $15 for adults or $5 for kids. The Elysium Arts Folk Club is located in the Lower Mills at Salmon Falls on Front Street in Rollinsford, 603-743-4700. Visit www.elysiumarts.com/folkclub.