Mad Agnes on New Salem Old Home Day
This is a free concert, a capstone to New Salem Old Home Day, made possible by a grant from the New Salem Cultural Council as a gift to the residents and friends of the Town. We suggest coming early, or going through the ticket purchase process (there is no charge) to reserve your seat in advance; it is possible we will reach the hall’s audience capacity and advance “sales” will be given priority. Doors open at 3:30PM; advance sales will be held until 3:50.
Setting the standard high, Mad Agnes offers great harmonies, a sense of humor and a theatrical flair.
Marrianne Jackson, Director, Forksville Folk Festival, PA
Three-part harmonies as tight as jeans from the dryer.
Rob Weir, The Advocate
- Margo Hennebach – piano, keyboards, vocals
- Adrienne Jones – guitar, bass, vocals
- Mark Saunders – mandolin, guitar, vocals
Folk, classical or Celtic? Soaring harmonies, incisive lyrics or giggly repartee? Mad Agnes has been delightfully impossible to pigeonhole. This hasn’t kept the genre-bending trio from winning hearts on two continents and collectively amassing a body of work which comprises twelve CDs, a concert DVD, three tour T-shirts and a cracking set of action figures.
Mad Agnes is Margo Hennebach, Adrienne Jones and Mark Saunders. Each member arrived at the trio from a staggering list of solo accomplishments, including songwriting competitions, recordings, and the ability to sleep on any surface. Multi-instrumentalists all, Hennebach is classically trained in piano, Jones is self-taught on guitar and bass, and Saunders adds color with a vintage mandolin and subtle electronic processing on his guitar. The sound can be full as a concert hall or delicate as three voices singing a cappella.
Hennebach and Jones write most of the songs, which they arrange in a purely fair and Democratic fashion. Choosing from among their bundle of instruments and adding their signature three-part harmonies, the resulting sound is captivating, uplifting and rare.
Mad Agnes weaves contemporary folk with a nod to Celtic, an element of vocal improv and top-notch arrangements into an exciting, inclusive performance. Their 5th original CD, Likely Story — An Eclectic Collection of Songs for the Soul, charted #10/#16 Feb/Mar 2024 on FAI Folk Chart Top Albums of the Month.
Their current iteration sees them using only one microphone, around which they form and re-form, early-radio style. This encourages more playfulness and connection, as they transport and tickle audiences with robust harmonies, incisive songwriting and well crafted instrumentation, using guitars, mandolin, percussion, an inventive keyboard, and three-part harmonies. Mad Agnes continues to play for long-time fans and they’re excited to be creating new ones as well. In short, they exemplify three voices, one soul, and forty years of harmony and mayhem.
Previous Engagements
Mad Agnes has performed internationally at venues ranging from listening rooms to festivals, including The Kerrville Folk Festival (TX), Mountain Stage New Songs Festival (WV), The Greenwich Village Folk Festival (NY), The Birchmere (VA), The Forksville Folk Festival, The Sellersville Theatre, Bethlehem Musikfest and Godfrey Daniels (PA), The Bitter End and the Towne Crier (NY), Old Settlers Inn (KS), WFMT’s Live Stage (IL), Cedarburg Cultural Center (WI), Sunrise Civic Center Theater (FL), University of Hartford and Cheney Hall (CT), The Ark (MI), First Nights in Morristown (NJ), Northampton (MA), and Worcester (MA), Cropredy Festival (England), Swanage Folk Festival (England) and Fylde Folk Festival (England), plus private events and a gaggle of house concerts.
- Mad Agnes’ website