Mad Agnes

Artist Information

Biography

VIEW A 10 SONG, 9 MINUTE VIDEO COMPILATION AT http://madagnes.com/videopg1.html

Fresh from their first annual tour of England where they were artists at Fairport's Cropredy Convention (Fairport Convention's 40th anniverary bash), Mad Agnes, a CT-based trio, is joyously impossible to pigeonhole; they go through genres like Imelda Marcos goes through shoes. Their harmony-driven performance offers an eclectic mix of contemporary singer-songwriter material with influences of classical, Celtic, folk/rock, PDQ Bach, and a fringe of street theatre. Their presence is charming and disarming, their harmonies “tight as jeans from the dryer” (Valley Advocate). Margo Hennebach, Adrienne Jones and Mark Saunders trade off playing guitars, bass, keyboard and mandolin with grace and finesse. They are also very nice people.

Past performances include Kerrville Folk Festival, Uncle Calvin's, and Live Oak Coffeehouse Concerts (TX), Fairport's Cropredy Convention (UK), Mountain Stage New Songs Festival (WV), The Forksville Folk Festival, Sellersville Theatre, Bethlehem Musikfest and Godfrey Daniels (PA), WFMT's Live Stage (IL), The Ark (MI), Cedarburg Cultural Center (WI), The Bitter End and The Towne Crier (NY), Sinrise Civic Theater (FL), Main Stage NERFA 2004.

"Mad Agnes is a must if you're a fan of beautiful intricate harmonies." Susanne Millsaps, KRCL Salt Lake City, UT

"[They] cast an enticing spell..." Rich Warren, Sing Out! Magazine
Watch excerpts of a Mad Agnes live performance with high speed access. (10 song compilation with a playtime of 9 minutes)
Go to http://www.madagnes.com/videopg1.html

Not surprisingly, each has arrived at the trio from a long list of solo accomplishments. The music of classically trained Margo Hennebach has been described as “contemporary and timeless” by the Star Gazette, and “captivating” by Sing Out Magazine. A finalist in songwriting competitions, including Kerrville and Napa Valley, Margo has a BM in Piano from Oberlin Conservatory and a masters degree in Music Therapy from the Guildhall School of Music in London, and is a Feldenkrais Practitioner. Jones is a self-taught fingerstyle & rhythm guitarist and bassist, a finalist in four national songwriting competitions, a member of Actors Equity Association, and a Reiki Practitioner. Of her CD release, Talking River, Dirty Linen magazine praised her “expressive ability to wrap meaning around a lyric with the simple rise or fall of a note.” Mad Agnes also features Hartford Conservatory graduate Saunders on vocals, acoustic, electric, National steel and bass guitars. His virtuoso guitar work recalls the inventiveness of Richard Thompson, while providing "understated ballast with his voice and lead guitar--his delicate arpeggio picking...and fiery fills and runs,” says Acoustic Guitar magazine.

They've been called genre-bending -- with classical, rock and old-world backgrounds they play everything from contemporary original to madrigals, to Celtic traditionals, to harmony-driven folk pop. Their third CD, Revenants, is a leap forward from their last, highly acclaimed CD, Magic Hour, featuring guest artists, drummer Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull) and guitarist Jeff Pevar (Crosby, Stills, and Nash, CPR), and was mixed and mastered by four-time Emmy winner Jim Chapdelaine (Phoebe Snow, Big Al Anderson) in West Hartford, CT. The song list represents all three members' contributions, including, for the first time, three instrumentals by Saunders (guitars, mandolin). Together the collection presents an intimate scrapbook of the band's passages and triumphs.

Instrumentation

VIEW A 10 SONG, 9 MINUTE VIDEO COMPILATION AT http://madagnes.com/videopg1.html

Margo Hennebach
Vocals, piano, synth, guitars, bass

Adrienne Jones
Vocals, guitars, bass

Mark Saunders
Vocals, acoustic, electric and National steel guitars, mandolin, bass

Discography

MAD AGNES
Revenants (2006-7)
Who's Mad Agnes? DVD (2005)
Magic Hour (2003)
Live at UH (2002)

HENNEBACH & SAUNDERS
Comfort & Joy (2000) PrimeCD
Big Love (1998) PrimeCD

MARGO HENNEBACH
Michaelean (1996) PrimeCD
Margo Hennebach (1994) PrimeCD

ADRIENNE JONES
There Is No Rose (2002)
Voice In The Mirror (2002)
Talking River (1999)
All My Days & Nights (1995)

Official Website

http://www.madagnes.com

Audio

• Compilation from a live performance 5 songs in 7 minutes
  Listen  
• Black Crow
  Listen  
• Green
  Listen  
• Perfect Planet
  Listen  
• Comfort and Joy
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Black Crow
• Green
• Perfect Planet

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Dirty Linen Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  “Their music is at once intricate, precise, mesmerizing, whimsical, eclectically intelectual... but,...“Their music is at once intricate, precise, mesmerizing, whimsical, eclectically intelectual... but, above all, utterly human. With warmth and humor, they envelop the listeners, inviting them to share in the moment.”
  Read the entire review at www.madagnes.com/quotes.html

• Acoustic Guitar [+ Show ]
  

  "With ethereal three-part harmonies, quirky lyrics, and superb guitar work...it all adds up to a fla..."With ethereal three-part harmonies, quirky lyrics, and superb guitar work...it all adds up to a flawless CD with a unique sound."
  

• Boston Herald [+ Show ]
  

  “This trio brims with experience and sophisticated musical gifts... funny showmanship and the most a...“This trio brims with experience and sophisticated musical gifts... funny showmanship and the most agile, ambunctious harmonies. The beauty can be intense.”

• SING OUT Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  "Margo Hennebach, Adrienne Jones and Mark Saunders cast an enticing spell. The synergy or their harm..."Margo Hennebach, Adrienne Jones and Mark Saunders cast an enticing spell. The synergy or their harmonies creates a sum greater than it's parts. Mad Agnes manages to be smooth and edgy at the same time, a rare feat."

• Stone Soup Coffeehouse [+ Show ]
  

  “Their harmonies were extraordinary and tight, their attack was nothing less than fierce, their voic...“Their harmonies were extraordinary and tight, their attack was nothing less than fierce, their voices were wonderful and the instrumental work was terrific... precision that was never at the cost of passion. I'm not entirely sure it's folk music, but I do know it’s sensational.”

• Dirty Linen
  

  “A refreshing adventure for those who enjoy well-sung and well-written acoustic music.”

• Singer Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  “If you’ve been struggling to find a link back to that addictive sound of progressive/alternative fo...“If you’ve been struggling to find a link back to that addictive sound of progressive/alternative folk groups like Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention and Renaissance, listen up...Mad Agnes recreates with authenticity many of the musical qualities that adored us to those aforementioned groups. It’s definitely magic.”
  

• WFUV [+ Show ]
  

  “Mad Agnes isn't really mad at all. They know exactly what they're doing: crafting clever and beauti...“Mad Agnes isn't really mad at all. They know exactly what they're doing: crafting clever and beautiful songs and singing them flawlessly.”

• WWUH
  

  “ethereal harmonies, lovely melodies and achingly lovely tension between ancient and modern music”

Setlist

One extended set of 55-75 minutes or two 45 minute sets of original music by Hennebach, Jones or the band with a couple rearranged traditionals and/or a couple from other contemporary singer/songwriters that we like.

Basic Requirements

Calendar