SHOEFLY
JUST RELEASED & AVAILABLE NOW!
Six-Fifty
a brand new recording from ShoeFly
ShoeFly is old time song & dance. Rooted in the traditions of early country music, bluegrass and honky-tonk, ShoeFly is a lean & mean offshoot of Rhythm in Shoes.
An ensemble of dancers and musicians, a two-generation family band adding youth to experience, ShoeFly fills the stage with high energy sight and sound, bringing a party wherever they go.
AVAILABLE NOW FOR
FESTIVALS, CONCERTS, CLUBS
WORKSHOPS & DANCES
FULL ENSEMBLE
6 performers – including 3 dancers/precision clogging
ALSO AVAILABLE AS A QUARTET OR TRIO
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HEAR ShoeFly!
Selections from our new CD
Eight More Miles to Louisville
Just One Teardrop
A Year Ago Today
Things in Life
Chilly Winds
THE PLAYERS
The senior half of ShoeFly got their starts in the 1970s and have been active in the national music scene ever since.
Rick Good was a founding member of the notorious Hotmud Family, a co-director and performer with Rhythm in Shoes for twenty-three years and a 2010, Ohio Heritage Fellow. He is recognized and respected for his accomplished banjo playing, heartfelt singing and crafty songwriting. When not engaged in ShoeFly endeavors, Rick also picks with the Red Clay Ramblers.
Sharon Leahy danced and toured with the Green Grass Cloggers for several years, worked as a dancer in New York City through the 1980s, then moved to Ohio to co-direct and perform with Rhythm in Shoes for twenty-three years. Sharon’s love and understanding of old time dance and music is clearly seen and heard through her award-winning choreography, artful singing and driving rhythm on guitar and bass.
Paul Kovac is well known in the bluegrass and old time music scene for his expert guitar, banjo and mandolin playing, as well as his strong, soulful singing. A member of several bands over the last thirty years, Paul has played with Clear Fork, Hillbilly IDOL, and Critton Hollow String Band while accompanying such greats along the way as Bill Monroe, Chet Atkins, Hank Thompson and Hazel Dickens.
Leading the second generation of ShoeFly is…
Ben Cooper. Adept on guitar and fiddle as well as standup bass, Ben is the oldest son of Sharon and started touring with Rhythm in Shoes in the fall of 1997. He has been performing ever since, also playing with the Ohio Corndaddys and The Buvas when and wherever he can.
Emma Young has been part of the old time music community since before her first step. Her formal training began with Irish Step Dancing at the age of four. She soon moved on to tap and clogging, performing with her mom and dad, Sharon & Rick, in Rhythm in Shoes. An avid lover of old time music, Emma also plays clawhammer banjo and sings great harmony. Since moving to Southwest Louisiana, she has honed her skills as a studio backup vocalist and standup bassist.
SHOEFLY NEWS
When Emma came to town to see her new niece, Tallulah (born June 5, 2011), she put down some vocals and helped us finish our first ShoeFly CD, which is “in the can” and available now… Our regular Wednesday night old time jam at the Trolley Stop in Dayton will feature a special appearance on December 21st by ShoeFly and Good ‘n’ Young… Other appearances to come include concerts in Newark and Circleville Ohio and showcases at the Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, Tennessee, all in February of next year. See the CALENDAR page for details.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PAST
This summer, Sharon, Rick & Paul were on staff at Old-Time Music & Dance Week at the The Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College in, North Carolina… Last Labor Day weekend, the Wheatland Music Organization in Remus, Michigan held their annual Traditional Arts Weekend where the ShoeFly quartet (Rick, Sharon, Paul & Ben) performed and taught. Augmented by the presence of Paul’s talented wife, Laura, we covered everything from beginning to advanced clogging, harmony singing, stringed instrument playing and Boomwhackers… Earlier in the month, the quartet will took part in an evening of Old Time Music at the Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, Ohio. Also on the bill were Phil & Ann Case and The Corndrinkers… The following evening, the band moved to Circleville, Ohio and JR Hooks Cafe for an Americana Music Series concert… Almost too far back to remember now, our first big road trip took us to Merlefest in April, 2008 for a successful set of appearances at one of our country’s premeire festivals… Our hometown debut finally happened several weeks later in June at the Canal Street Tavern. That show had been scheduled for the previous winter but at the time the weatherman said snow and, lo and behold, he was right… The summer season also found us at the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival in July for a couple of well received sets… The Winter of ’09 found the ShoeFly trio at the Beachland Bar & Ballroom in Cleveland, opening for the Steep Canyon Rangers… Later, in the Spring, the whole ensemble performed in Illinois’ classic Sandwich Opera House… Last Summer, we battled the roar of the nearby helicopter ride at the Ohio State Fair and played a set of music right after Rick received his 2010 Ohio Heritage Fellowship Award… Recently we’ve been in the studio recording. It’s still a work in progress but we’ll be posting a preview of excerpts soon…
ShoeFly c/o Rick Good
P.O. Box 345
Spring Valley, OH 45370
email: shoefly.contact@gmail.com
phone: 937-862-7011