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Bonfield, Ebel pursue love of music

By BILL BERRY
of The Gazette
Here's what legendary folk singer/songwriter Tom Paxton had to say about a recent performance by guitarist Ken Bonfield and electric violinist Joe Ebel:
"I glanced around the room to see if mine was the only jaw dropping. It wasn't …played with fire and taste. Beautiful."

The pair have been hopping all over the country in support of their Ivy Lane Music release "kadotume," They'll be on Ebel's home turf a couple of times in coming weeks, including a show at The Rising Star Mill in Nelsonville at 7:30 o'clock Saturday night. They'll share the stage with several other performers that night as part of the annual benefit concert for the mill.

They'll have the stage to themselves in a Saturday, Oct. 9, show at the Jensen Center in Amherst.

Ebel is well known in central Wisconsin circles, having played in seminal rock bands of the '60s, '70s and '80s like the Rejects and Daddy Whiskers. After those associations, Ebel performed as a sit-in at numerous live shows around the area, easily ranging from blues to rock to country.

He and Bonfield, based in Massachusetts, found themselves on the same path last year as expatriates from the workday world who decided to pursue their true love, music. For his part, Ebel spent 30 years in office environments before taking the leap of faith late last year.

In an interview earlier this year, Ebel said this about his decision: "I realized I don't know how much time I've got left. Who knows when I'll be able to do it? My two sons are grown now."

A chance encounter at the 1998 National Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, Tenn., led to joint performances, which led to the CD released earlier this year.

Their live performances and the CD have drawn rave reviews. They'd performed in acoustic venues, folk festivals and concert series around the country.

The music is classified as chamber folk, a term that seems to want to meld elements of new age and folk.

A listen to the CD shows many other influences acting on the music. Put it this way: Anyone with even a middlin' interest in music will find something to like about Bonfield and Ebel's material.

The two share diverse musical backgrounds that include classical violin studies and performances in Madrigal choirs.

Here's how the two sum up their goal as performers:

"Our joy as performers is to entertain people, get them laughing, tapping their feet and swaying their bodies in time to the music. And, more importantly, our intent is to knock our listeners off-center enough to leave them with a powerful emotional memory, one they can draw strength and joy from for months to come."

To learn more about Bonfield and Ebel and to hear samples from their new CD, check out Bonfield's web site at www.songs.com/ken.



	Bonfield, Ebel pursue love of music By BILL BERRY of The Gazette Here's what legendary folk singer/songwriter Tom Paxton had to say about a recent performance by guitarist Ken Bonfield and electric violinist Joe Ebel: "I glanced around the room to see if mine was the only jaw dropping. It wasn't …played with fire and taste. Beautiful." The pair have been hopping all over the country in support of their Ivy Lane Music release "kadotume," They'll be on Ebel's home turf a couple of times in coming weeks, including a show at The Rising Star Mill in Nelsonville at 7:30 o'clock Saturday night. They'll share the stage with several other performers that night as part of the annual benefit concert for the mill. They'll have the stage to themselves in a Saturday, Oct. 9, show at the Jensen Center in Amherst. Ebel is well known in central Wisconsin circles, having played in seminal rock bands of the '60s, '70s and '80s like the Rejects and Daddy Whiskers. After those associations, Ebel performed as a sit-in at numerous live shows around the area, easily ranging from blues to rock to country. He and Bonfield, based in Massachusetts, found themselves on the same path last year as expatriates from the workday world who decided to pursue their true love, music. For his part, Ebel spent 30 years in office environments before taking the leap of faith late last year. In an interview earlier this year, Ebel said this about his decision: "I realized I don't know how much time I've got left. Who knows when I'll be able to do it? My two sons are grown now." A chance encounter at the 1998 National Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, Tenn., led to joint performances, which led to the CD released earlier this year. Their live performances and the CD have drawn rave reviews. They'd performed in acoustic venues, folk festivals and concert series around the country. The music is classified as chamber folk, a term that seems to want to meld elements of new age and folk. A listen to the CD shows many other influences acting on the music. Put it this way: Anyone with even a middlin' interest in music will find something to like about Bonfield and Ebel's material. The two share diverse musical backgrounds that include classical violin studies and performances in Madrigal choirs. Here's how the two sum up their goal as performers: "Our joy as performers is to entertain people, get them laughing, tapping their feet and swaying their bodies in time to the music. And, more importantly, our intent is to knock our listeners off-center enough to leave them with a powerful emotional memory, one they can draw strength and joy from for months to come." To learn more about Bonfield and Ebel and to hear samples from their new CD, check out Bonfield's web site at www.songs.com/ken.