Friction Farm is a modern folk duo consisting of husband and wife Aidan Quinn and Christine Stay. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHARON GOLDMAN METUCHEN — The upcoming installment of the Schoolhouse Songwriter Series will be a family affair.
The original music events typically take on a round-robin setup, but the July 18 show will stray from that to feature two duos — father-son act Beaucoup Blue and husband-and-wife team Friction Farm. Borough singer-songwriter Sharon Goldman serves as the host for the series.
“I’m thrilled to present two of my favorite duo acts at the summer edition of the Schoolhouse Songwriter Series. It will be a twist on the round-robin format that we typically do, but I know the audience is going to love them,” Goldman said. “It has been an amazing journey to work with the Metuchen Arts Council and the Borough Improvement League over the past year and create a space for the kind of intimate, acoustic songwriter show that I love.”
David and Adrian Mowry are the father-andson team from Philadelphia that comprises Beaucoup Blue. Goldman’s love shines through in the concert events, and her handpicked performers run the gamut to please a variety of tastes and ages.
This fifth installment of the series will offer up blues and Americana sounds from David and Adrian Mowry, the guys in Philadelphia-based Beaucoup Blue. The nationally touring act has received numerous awards, including grand prize in the Billboard Magazine International Songwriting Competition and grand prize at the Telluride Blues & Brews Acoustic Competition, as well as reaching the Top 40 on Americana Music Association’s Americana, Roots, & Folk radio charts.
While the musical match-up is well traveled, the father and son seem as excited as those in the borough about their coming to Metuchen.
“We are so happy to be playing to a town that welcomes independent artists,” Adrian said. “It is a pleasure and an honor to bring our music to Metuchen — we hope this adds to the quality and spirit of a great community.”
Aidan Quinn and Christine Stay of Friction Farm are equally enthused about the evening of song.
“We are excited to be heading to Metuchen — summer and New Jersey just seem to go together,” Stay said, adding, “We love that this duo of duos is a family affair — a married couple [and] a father and son. Hopefully the audience will be filled with families too.”
The folk-pop partnership from Greenville, South Carolina, has opened for major acts like Tori Amos, Ben Folds and The Kennedys, among others.
During a year of traveling, the couple turned their mutual love of reading into a project that had them reading and discussing a book, and then writing a song.
The undertaking inspired their songwriting, which combines storytelling, social commentary and humor to strike chords that resonate within listeners.
Sponsored by the Metuchen Arts Council and hosted by the Borough Improvement League at the historic Old Franklin Schoolhouse, the candlelit concert will feature refreshments, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own beer or wine to enjoy.
The doors open at 7:30 p.m., with music starting at 8 p.m. The cost is $10 for adults, and $5 for kids under 12.