Pianist will accompany duo By Dave Whitaker Staff Reporter Melanie Monsur, who will be appearing with the Washington Sis ters during the Flatwater Festival, also appeared with them in Lincoln earlier this year for Women’s Week ’89. Monsur generally accompanies the Washington Sisters on the piano, but also has the opportunity to per form a few of her own numbers. Monsur, the more serious member of the combined act, reflects this in her album, “DragonFly.” Her strength is on the piano; she plays in a wonderfully open improvisational style. She effortlessly swings from ethereal to somber, to a playful scam pering of notes, which she does in many of her instrumentals on side two of her album Monsur sings on side one of her album. Her voice, like her piano play ing, has an inviting quality - wistful at one moment and quite strong the next. In a few songs, her voice re sembles that of Carol King’s, but she is always distinctly Melanie Monsur. The album opens with a playful boogie-woogie number with a Bour bon Street trumpet romping around the background. The rest of the al bum is more introspective, with a minimum of accompaniment, with the focus always on Monsur and her piano. It’s hard to define her style, al though an obvious influence exists from blues, jazz, folk and just a little bit of light rock. Monsur pulls all of these together into an album that becomes more enjoyable and sounds richer with repeated play. Monsur will appear with the Washington Sisters at 7:45 p.m. Sat urday on the Main Stage at 13th and Q streets. Married couple fiddles, blows and strums By Mark Lage Staff Reporter The critically acclaimed Omaha-area musical duo of Debo rah Greenblattand David Seay will bring a mixture of traditional and original folk music, employing a wide variety of instruments, to the Flatwater Festival’s main stage. The pair performs folk, tradi tional, Irish, Cajun, Renaissance and bluegrass music on a list of instruments that includes fiddle, harmonica, hammered dulcimer, recorder (soprano and alto), penny whistle and banjo. They also per form some of their own original compositions, which Seay calls “definitely folk-influenced.” Besides creating original music together, Greenblatt and Seay are also married and have two sons. The family aspect of their lives influences both their creative work and their performances, Seay said. “When we play to a family crowd, we do more originals, be cause our two sons have influ enced what we’ve written,” Seay said. They also have special shows for senior citizens, adults, students of all ages and children. In fact, the duo’s Flatwater Festival perform ance last year took place on the children’s stage, Seay said. He said they have nothing spe cial planned for this year’s per formance, besides their usual vari ety of musical styles and instru ments. The two met in March 1978, when Seay’s band, Whole Wheat, placed an ad for a fiddle player, which Greenblatt, a prize-winning fiddler, answered, Seay said. Greenblatt and Seay were married four months after that and played in a couple of other bands together until, seven years ago, they de cided to perform and write as a duo, he said. In addition to her championship fiddling, Greenblatt plays the hammered dulcimer, limberjack, banjo and other instruments. She also has written three fiddle tune books, composed the score for the Emmy Gifford Children’s Theatre production of “The Return of Johnny Appleseed,” which she and Seay performed, and recorded the fiddle for the Wells Blue Bunny commercials. When Seay met her, she was playing in the Omaha Symphony, for which she received her formal training at Boston University, he said. In 1982 she received the Carl Carson Award, a yearly national award given by The National Tra ditional Country Music Associa tion for “perpetuating the art of old-time fiddling.” Seay said he specializes in har monica, but like Greenblatt, he also plays a variety of other instru ments, including penny whistle, tabor pipe, Sioux Flute, military Fife, and guitar. He is a private teacher of harmonica and penny whistle, and he also teaches song writing classes. Both Greenblatt and Seay are very active in the Omaha and Nebraska arts communities, in cluding involvement in The Met- 4 ropolitan Arts Council’s City Arts Program and The Nebraska Arts Council touring program. Seay said the duo has released a couple of homemade “basement tapes,’’ the most recent being “Gonna Gctcha Train,” released in 1987, which entirely consists of original music. Their tapes haven’t made it too far outside of Omaha, he said. Greenblatt and Seay are sched uled to perform Saturday, June 17 at 5:30p.m.,on the festival’s Main Stage. / At Cliffs we have a large selection of fine tobaccos, pipes, cigars, and accessories. Gifts for Father’s Day and special occassions. Call or stop in at our location at 140 N. 12th. After enjoying the Flatwater festivities, stop in and l have a cool one. ) _--r s -- 140 N. 12th 476-0119 FRESH MASTERPIECE \N SALADS r=n MOUNTAIN Tour da Vinci's now and order your favorite Mas- BIKE AT terpiece salad, made with the freshest ingredients DAVINCTS available, the freshest: lettuce, green pepper, Bike provided by: cucumber, tomato, ham, turkey, shrimp, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. It's the tastiest tour ever. Tour ■ da Vinci's now at one of five locations. Visit our tent at the Flatwater Festival. 44th & 0 St 4120 So. 48th St 745 So. 11th St 14th & Superior St 1246 “Q” St 475-4070 483-2881 477-6661435-6000475-1246 Gobble Gobble Gobble Gobble Gobble Gobble Gobble Gobble 3 9 •g Sandwiches • Entrees g. O Soups • Salads