Fairies, Foes, & False Lovers: A Celtic Halloween

Baltimore returns to the roots of All Hallows’ Eve! Led by acclaimed singer Heather Lloyd (ilyaimy) and mandolinist Joel Michael-Schwartz, an all-star ensemble of musicians is bringing songs of ghosts, monsters, fae, witches, and, (of course), murder most foul to Creative Alliance. Heather and Joel share a love of old, macabre songs and their peculiar place in our lives and hearts and are eager to bring these haunting melodies to you during the spookiest time of year.

Joel Michael-Schwartz is an eclectic fixture of Baltimore music—a mandolinist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and songwriter who hops genres and expectations as a matter of course. He grew up listening to and learning celtic music, and the first album he fell in love with was Roberts and Barron’s Tales of the Supernatural, which makes his affinity for spooky songs a lifelong affair. Joel is Associate Director of the Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra, mandolin faculty at Goucher College, and regularly performs around the Baltimore/DC area. In 2022, in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he co-organized a series of benefit concerts at Creative Alliance, An Die Musik, and the Meyerhoff Symphony, and appeared in many other events for the same cause.

Heather Aubrey Lloyd has co-fronted Baltimore’s ilyAIMY for two decades. Traveling the country playing everything from bait shops to clothing-optional resorts, Lloyd’s collection of stories turned lyrics and became her first solo studio effort, A Message in the Mess. Each narrative is offered up in her passionate, “sing-me-the-phone-book” alto. Her finger-picked guitar says folk. Her lyrics show the influence of Baltimore’s slam poetry scene. Her hand percussion says world music. “Janis Joplin…and Joni Mitchell blended together,” says The Montgomery Caller. A Message in the Mess received the Director’s Award for Album of the Year from the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, and the awards haven’t stopped since: 2018 No Depression Magazine Songwriting Award Finalist, 2018 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival MOST WANTED Artist, 2018 National Women’s Music Festival Emerging Artist, 2017 Telluride Troubadour Top 4. She is a Grand Prize winner of the prestigious Bernard Ebb Songwriting Award (2019). Live shows are back, with Lloyd recently opening shows for Gretchen Peters and Gordon Lightfoot. Lloyd plans to release new music in 2023, featuring songs about mental health, the plight of refugees, and aging gracefully.

Artwork by Adam Gurzack