Susie Burke and David Surette started playing music together 20 years ago, in 1988. At the time, the Seacoast folk scene was stirring with activity on a near nightly basis, revolving mainly around The Press Room in Portsmouth. A tightly knit group of regulars celebrated folk music with frequent hoots and collaborative jams, inviting participation from anyone with an instrument or a pair of vocal cords.

The local folk scene is still vibrant today, but it has changed. There is no central location for regular hootenannies, and skyrocketing rents have driven many musicians out of Portsmouth and into York County, Maine. Although Burke and Surette still perform regularly, they are not as plugged into the folk community as they once were. And, as parents of two daughters, they don’t make it into downtown Portsmouth as often as they used to.

“A migration over the bridge happened,” Burke said. “I feel like I don’t know the scene as well. I don’t know if the hoot scene is quite what it was.”

But, the couple has also seen a number of positive developments in recent years. A wider variety of venues currently offer participatory folk events, providing musical outlets almost every night of the week. Kelley’s Row plays host to an Irish and Celtic night every Tuesday in Dover, and The Stone Church in Newmarket holds a bluegrass jam that same night. Curt Bessette hosts a hoot night at Dover’s Biddy Mulligan’s every Wednesday, and Portsmouth’s Molly Malone’s offers an Irish and Celtic night on Thursdays. And, of course, The Press Room still hosts its popular hoots every Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon.

In addition, a new generation of folk and Americana artists has picked up steam on the Seacoast. Burke and Surette pointed to the work of singer-songwriters like Elsa Cross and Jon Nolan as examples. Irish folk music seems to be gaining popularity, and the Garrison Players Arts Center offers regular collaborative bluegrass jams and workshops in Rollinsford.
“I think there’s a lot of diversity now,” said Surette. “I think the scene’s really healthy and diverse.”  

Burke and Surette are doing their part to keep the local folk scene flourishing. The married couple celebrated the release of their second CD as a duo at The Stone Church on Jan. 26, and they will host the first installment of this year’s Cabin Fever Concert Series at Rollinsford’s Lower Mills at Salmon Falls on Saturday, Feb. 9. 

The new CD, “When the Small Birds Sweetly Sing,” features arrangements of 12 traditional folk songs, standards and covers. Burke and Surette put their own twist on English, Irish and French Canadian tunes, along with a range of covers that span the decades. “Now Is the Cool of the Day” was originally authored by Jean Ritchie in 1971, while Pete Sutherland’s “Richard Cote” was written just last year. The CD also includes a version of “I’m Not That Girl,” from Stephen Schwartz’s 2003 Broadway musical “Wicked,” as well as one instrumental tune with no lyrics. 

Burke’s lush voice gently quavers at the forefront of almost every song, while Surette sets the rhythm on guitar, mandolin, bouzouki and cittern. Burke also contributes some guitar work, and her husband pitches in with occasional harmony vocals. The disc also features several other New England instrumentalists, including Joyce Andersen on fiddle, Jeremiah McLane on accordion and Kent Allyn on bass, piano and backing vocals.

Burke and Surette produced and arranged the album themselves, recording at Thundering Sky Studio in their hometown of South Berwick, Maine. The CD was released by the independent label Madrina Music, also based in South Berwick. 
The track list on the new CD reflects the divergent interests of both musicians. While Surette is primarily interested in traditional folk music, Burke also harbors a love of pop standards and jazz.

“We both have kind of diverse musical interests. They don’t always line up,” Burke said.

Nevertheless, the pair’s musical rapport was almost instantaneous when they first met in a bar two decades ago.
“Dave and I met, actually, in the late ’80s in the Portsmouth folk scene playing at hoots together,” Burke said. “We hit it off musically really very easily.”

Although they were comfortable playing together from the get-go, Burke and Surette have continued to merge their styles over the years, resulting in a fit that sounds perfectly natural. In addition to releasing two CDs as a duo, Surette has performed on two of Burke’s solo albums, and Burke has contributed to two of Surette’s solo efforts.

“I think our style has developed and progressed as we work more together over the years, just in terms of arranging and being able to come up with things that fit our sound,” Surette said.

Unlike many singer-songwriter duos, Burke and Surette mostly perform music written by other musicians. Although they have written some original material together, “When the Small Birds Sweetly Sing” consists entirely of covers. Both musicians gravitate toward songs that express positive messages, and Burke especially connects with emotionally charged lyrics.

“I’m drawn to songs that speak to me emotionally, that really reach my heart,” she said. But she also enjoys instrumental numbers that are just fun to play. “It’s not all about sobbing in your beer. We have a great time and we want the audience to have a great time,” she said.

Audiences will be able to see Burke and Surette in action on Saturday night, when they join Jeremiah McLane for the first of three shows that comprise the Cabin Fever Concert Series. Now in its third year, the series has moved to a new location. In 2006 and 2007, the shows were held at Rollinsford’s Black Bean Café. Every show sold out both years, and hosts Burke and Surette decided to seek a slightly larger venue. They found their answer in the Lower Mill at Salmon Falls, located down the road and across the street from Black Bean, in the Elysium Arts Folk Club’s spacious studio.

Burke and Surette started the concert series as an outlet for musicians and fans to gather in the cold winter months and enjoy three intimate evenings of music.

“We started it just as an opportunity to be able to collaborate with our musical friends,” Burke said.

“The vibe is nice and relaxed and casual,” Surette added. 

Burke looks forward to sharing the spotlight with McLane on Feb. 9. The two share a love of jazz, and McLane’s accordion work reflects a range of influences. “He’s got great traditional chops, but he also has studied jazz piano,” Burke said.

For the second concert in the series, on March 15, Burke and Surette will split the bill with High Range, a bluegrass act consisting of Ellen Carlson, Matt Shipman and Todd Jones. A month later, on April 19, the couple accompany guitarist and singer Brooks Williams. All shows start at 8 p.m. in Suite 208, on the ground level of the Lower Mill. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at the door or by calling Elysium Arts at 603-743-4700.

For more information on Susie Burke and David Surette, visit www.burkesurette.com or www.myspace.com/burkesurette. For more on the Cabin Fever Concert Series, call Burke and Surette at 207-384-8151 or email them at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it