The Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford continues its spring Folk and World Music Concert Series with Transatlantic Celtic Trio, Bellwether.

Bellwether is an exciting new international folk trio. Collectively hailing from Orkney in Scotland, Somerset in England and Boston in the USA, their sound brings a fresh perspective to traditional music while simultaneously remaining entirely folkie. Stoking the embers sparked by pioneers of the previous generation’s folk revival Louise Bichan, Alex Cumming and Eric McDonald coalesce their talents to create a rich and savory feast of three part harmony and dynamic multi-instrumentalism. Crystal clear voices swirl above driving fiddle, sparky accordion and dynamic guitar lines, culminating in a tapestry that reaches from dulcit to all out raucous, and everywhere in between. Cumming’s strong piano playing is featured often, and creative arrangements are rounded out with the occasional sounds of banjo and mandolin, performed by Bichan and McDonald respectively.

This unlikely trio converged in Boston, and through a mutual desire to expand musical horizons, found common ground. For three trained musicians steeped in folk traditions, common ground is a license, and Bellwether took it. The thing most apparent in their music is a willingness to play together, to collaborate with each other. It's simply about being together playing music, and this carries over into their live performances, making it at home in almost any scenario; intimiate enough to feel at home at a house concert or at the local pub, yet big enough to fill a festival stage or a concert hall.