The me&thee coffeehouse kicks off our fall season with an extra special “Marblehead night” — both Jubilee Mule and the Raymond Gonzalez Band are headquartered in Marblehead!

Jubilee Mule consists of John Price – guitar, vocals, mandolin, percussion, Tim Rowell – banjo, vocals, Tim Baldanzi – mandolin, vocals, Ren Price – percussion, banjo uke, bass and Etienne Cremieux – fiddle.

Price, better known as jp, grew up in the South, singing Southern Baptist hymns and playing classical piano and folk guitar. Between an arts focused school, music lessons and church life, music was a large part of his daily experience (still is). After touring with a USO dance troupe and with the performance group “Up With People” through Europe, the U.S. and Japan, jp settled in Boston. Rowell has been playing banjo for more that 30 years. Having been heavily influenced as a young lad by Pete Seeger and a whole raft of wonderful musicians from the Hudson River Valley, Tim eventually discovered a deep affection for southern Appalachian string band music. Winner of several awards from the Lowell Banjo and Fiddle Contest (including first place in the Old-Time Banjo category in 2008), Tim also has a BA in music composition.

Baldanzi has been making music in the Boston area since 1992, initially with the rock bands The Cowpokes, i ginkgo, and Willie Bernstein. In 2001, he simultaneously got tired of lugging amplifiers around, got bitten by the old time music bug, and got laid off from his day-job. He spent his severance pay on a mandolin and began learning to play fiddle tunes on it. Before joining up with Jubilee Mule, he played with the old time band Little Rabbit. Teenager member of the band, Ren Price has a diverse taste in music ranging from classic rock, celtic and newgrass to classical and expresses it well when he plays uke or percussion with the band. Also an accomplished trumpet player, currently Ren is the bassist for the Marblehead High jazz band and he formerly played bass for the rock group Red Tape, in addition to his work in Jubilee Mule. Cremieux also has eclectic musical inspiration that cuts across multiple genres. He went from Suzuki school kid to Suzuki school dropout and owes more than he can say to the many mentors who have guided and influenced his journey. Etienne is as comfortable jamming bluegrass on his fiddle as he is shredding on a five-string electric violin. His high energy performance is full of fearless improvisation.

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Raymond Gonzalez has been a professional guitarist from the age of 16 and has performed in styles from classical to folk, blues and jazz to rock. He has traveled extensively from California to New England. Raymond began composing for solo guitar, piano, and small ensembles at a very young age, which ultimately led to a Master’s degree in Composition from the New England Conservatory of Music. He has written, recorded and produced multiple albums of original songs and solo guitar pieces. His very latest, Night Sky (2008) is a singer/songwriter offering but tunes from the blue fish (2006) and tunes from the blue fish II (2008) are both solo guitar projects. A song of Raymond’s was selected for When October Goes, a compilation released on Rounder Records. He also continues to compose and perform in the classical and modern music arena and premiered a piece for guitar and flute at the University of Massachusetts-Boston Faculty Composer’s Forum. With the release of his latest CD, Raymond has returned with new enthusiasm to the acoustic stage after a hiatus of some years spent teaching and composing. Last fall Raymond won a coveted showcase at the North East Regional Folk Alliance conference. According to Performing Songwriter magazine, “It’s hard to say which is better, his way with a six string or his way with a pen.” Dave Palmater of WUMB, calls Raymond “one of America’s finest guitarists and composers.” Raymond will be joined on stage by Eric MacDonald on mandolin and Pam Karas on fiddle.

Photo: Petrisse Briehl

Every time Jubilee Mule plays at the Cantab, they treat listeners to new material and fresh arrangements of traditional songs and tunes. This is not easy to do on a regular basis, but this quartet (sometimes quintet) has been doing it steadily now for over three years. One primary element of old time music is the hypnotic quality possible only when there’s cohesion among the players, and Jubilee Mule has it. This band also draws the largest crowds. It’s obvious they love what they do and, while they take it seriously, they also enjoy themselves. This, of course, is why it’s called “playing music” and not “working music”! Geoff Bartley

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It’s hard to say which is better, [Gonzalez]’s way with a six string or his way with a pen. Neil Fagan, Performing Songwriter Magazine

One of America’s finest guitarists and composers. Dave Palmater, WUMB Radio, Boston