With a nod to Colrain’s Scotch-Irish heritage and performance by a Colrain native, the Colrain Historical Society is planning a fundraising concert at the Shelburne Community Center Saturday, October 20, at 7 p.m. Taking the stage with acoustic guitar and Scotch-Irish traditional music will be Ikey’s Crossing, locally known as Martha Hollister Aschmann and her husband, James. The duo have performed the popular program across upstate New York and in Canada.
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| James and Martha |
Martha’s brother Kevin Hollister will provide some levity as emcee. The Historical Society welcomes support from Stoneman Brewery, West County Winery, Pine Hill Orchards and Catamount Country Store.
Seats for the event will be limited to a capacity of 125. Tickets available soon will be on a sliding scale, $10-$20. Contact Belden for more info: belden37@verizon.net
Tickets are available at:
- Hager's Farm Market
- Catamount Country Store
- Boswell's Books
- Nany Dole Books & Ephemera
Some background on the performers:
After spending his boyhood in the New York City area, James Aschmann went to DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. There he was in the ‘Men of Note’, a 12-member singing group affiliated with the College of Music. He was also in three plays at the college theater, two of which were musicals. Martha Hollister grew up in the Berkshire Hills of Northwestern Massachusetts. After earning a BFA degree in Art from Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, she married James in March 1975. The following year the couple purchased a farm in Ellisburg. In addition to operating their farm, Martha and James raised three children and are now the proud grandparents of five.
Starting in the early 1980s, for over 30 years James sang in a duo with John McFadden. They played at various places around the North Country, most prominently for many years at the Irish Fest in Watertown. After retiring from farming in 2011, the Aschmanns have finally been able to devote more time to music and art. In 2015 they started their own duo: ‘Ikeys Crossing’. So far the main emphasis has been on Irish and Scottish music but they intend to expand their repertoire in the future.
Recently James expounded on their music:
“As a boy, music was constantly in our home. My mother is a classically trained pianist; my father, a dedicated singer, was in 13 Broadway shows during the late 1950s and early 60s. My godfather, Charles Rule, was a Broadway actor and singer for approximately 45 years. Though definitely benefiting from sporadic instruction on singing from my father and godfather, I truly believe that most of my appreciation for music and love of singing occurred through osmosis. Thanks to my parents, I was inundated with good music throughout my childhood, thus enriching virtually every day of my entire life.”
“Music was also part of Martha’s family life. Her father played piano and organ; she and her five siblings all sang in the church choir. Martha’s parents got her first guitar using green stamps! During high school and college she played and sang mostly music that was popular at the time. During the next several decades, primarily occupied with farming and children, Martha still managed to play guitar and sing on a casual basis although her main focus was elsewhere. For her 60th birthday our children and I got her a very nice guitar. Since then she has been inspired to play and sing regularly. We get great joy making music together and feel the momentum building.”
