Today and tonight signify Friday, July 3.
Fiddler, banjo man at Cellar Door tonight
PORT TOWNSEND — American songsters Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons, in town for the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, are appearing at the Cellar Door, 940 Water St., tonight.
With a well-rosined fiddle and an old banjo, the duo traces the backroads of pre-war American music. Hunter and Seamons have been playing together for almost five years, the last three of which sent them to the Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival, where they learned at the feet of the elders of the acoustic blues tradition.
The pair found an affinity in the many branches that tied into the blues, and created this duo as a way to explore these branches. Their album “Take Yo Time” taps into the jug bands of Gus Cannon and the Memphis Sheiks and country bluesmen Robert Johnson and Blind Willie McTell; they also touch on English ballads like “House Carpenter,” Appalachian murder ballads like “Tom Dooley” and even the early jazz compositions of Duke Ellington.
Tonight’s show starts at 8 p.m. with a $5 cover charge at the door; seating is limited. For details phone the Cellar Door at 360-385-6959.
Novelist’s debut
SEQUIM — North Coast: A Contemporary Love Story is a “testament about the kind of love — especially between two women — that grows and deepens over time,” writes local author Alice McCracken.
McCracken has published this debut novel under the name Dorothy Rice Bennett, a nom de plume she adopted years ago.
In this story Valerie, an aspiring artist, has fled San Francisco following the death of her longtime partner and begun a new life in remote Eureka, Calif.
When she advertises for a housemate, the one who responds is tall, blue-eyed Gina — a woman with more mental baggage than personal belongings.
Why, Val wonders, would the highly educated Gina be working in Eureka as a part-time waitress?
North Coast is self-published through Outskirts Press and available in paperback for $16.95; it can be purchased by special order at local bookstores or via Amazon and other online portals.
As for the author, McCracken is a woman who began crafting stories in grade school.
Having earned four college degrees, she had two careers: as a family therapist and a journalist.
Once married and the mother of an adopted daughter, she now lives in the Sequim area with her partner and two toy poodles.
For more information or to contact the author, visit www.outskirtspress.com and search for “North Coast.”
Outdoor music
A lawn chair, a picnic blanket and a picnic go well with what the Sequim and Port Angeles libraries are offering this summer: live music, out of doors and free.
The annual “Summertime Music!” series starts next Friday, July 10 on the stage behind the Sequim branch, 630 N. Sequim Ave.
Here’s the lineup of the four Friday concerts to start there at 6 p.m.
■ July 10: Joy In Mudville, with Tongue & Groove and Deadwood Revival founders Jason Mogi and Kim Trenerry, stir up folk, rock, country, blues, funk, and some Grateful Dead for the series’ first show.
■ July 24: Witherow, featuring sweethearts Abby Mae Latson and Dillan Witherow, bring their brand of acoustic rock to the stage.
■ Aug. 14: Fat Chance, the foursome specializing in classic rock ’n’ roll and originals for more than 30 years now, arrives.
■ Aug. 28: Ranger and the Re-Arrangers bring the spirit of a Paris cafe and the energy of a Gypsy campsite to Sequim. This nine-year-old band’s repertoire includes swing standards, traditional Gypsy melodies, the music of Django Reinhardt and Ranger’s originals.
Another set of concerts will take place outside the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St. Each will start at 6 p.m. on three Thursdays:
■ July 30: Cort Armstrong and Blue Rooster play Appalachian-style mountain blues.
■ Aug. 13: Ranger and the Re-Arrangers bring their hot club and Gypsy jazz.
■ Aug. 27: Whozyamama dishes up traditional Cajun music.