About Hey Mavis
For more than eleven years, Northcoast Americana band Hey Mavis has been weaving a musical tapestry and igniting a following of dedicated fans. With heartfelt vocals, honest songwriting, blazing instrumental solos, and an undeniable onstage musical chemistry, this quartet is the definition of great Americana music.
Banjoist/songwriter Laurie Michelle Caner and violinist/fiddler Eddie Caner formed Hey Mavis while serving as artists-in-residence in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Producer Don Dixon (REM/Smithereens/Red Clay Ramblers) “discovered” the group on a local Christmas compilation CD and went on to produce their first two albums, both of which hit the top 10 on the national Folk DJ-L radio charts and amassed favorable reviews across the globe. Hey Mavis’s third release, produced by Yonder Mountain String Band’s Adam Aijala, features guitar playing by Aijala as well as a title track co-written by Chuck Auerbach, who has written lyrics to several Black Keys songs.
Hey Mavis has appeared on NPR’s Mountain Stage, NPR’s Whad'ya Know?, PBS’s Applause and PBS's Songs from the Center. The group has performed standing-room-only shows at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival as well as nine consecutive sell-out concerts in their hometown of Akron Ohio. In 2018, Melissa Etheridge hand-picked Hey Mavis to be one of the headliners for her music cruise.
Hey Mavis's latest release, Silver Ribbon Dream—Songs & Stories of the Ohio & Erie Canal, is a book/CD of original songs by Hey Mavis songwriter Laurie Michelle Caner with illustrations by nationally-acclaimed artist Leandra Drumm. Funded by John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, reviews have ranged from "unconventionally beautiful" to "startlingly original." Hey Mavis has scheduled performances of the work in cities throughout the East and Midwest through 2020, including appearances with several symphony orchestras. Concerts featuring the work include an exhibition of Drumm's artwork alongside featured stories, history, and technology of the canal.
Band Members
Laurie Michelle Caner (vocals, banjo, songwriting) is a homeschooling mom, a songwriter, and Ms. May in the 2015 Banjo Babes Calendar. She has been hailed as a role model for mothers who strive to honor their own artistic vision while continuing to raise a healthy family. Her banjo playing is of curious origin, but beautifully serves as a foundation for her lyrics. Laurie’s songwriting tells the story of life—with all of it’s beauty, heartache, disappointment and joy—weaving a musical tapestry that speaks the truth of love, life and the human condition.
Eddie Caner (violin, viola profunda) spent a dozen years performing as a sideman in national touring bands and orchestras, including Page & Plant, Luciano Pavarotti, Smokey Robinson, and Natalie Cole. Eddie always amazes the audience with his Hendrix-like tone and precision—he can soar beautifully over Laurie’s vocals or play a raucous, dirgy groove. He was once labeled by the legendary music critic Jane Scott as “the most versatile musician on the planet”. Eddie spends his free time as a physics instructor at Case Western Reserve University.
Bryan Thomas (bass) is a versatile and nationally well-respected musician. He studied Cuban music in Havana with Carlos Del Puerto, served as Ohio Arts Council guest artist-in-residence and toured as bassist with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Bryan steals the show every time Hey Mavis performs. His playing is a wonderful body-rhythm-bass conversation, accented by his homemade “Chank-o-matic 6000”, a vintage, weathered tambourine affixed to a stand and pedal. Bryan currently holds the position of Bass Professor at Kent State University and is a sought-after clinician.
Anthony Taddeo is a drummer, composer and Out of the Drawer Percussion (ODP) performing artist. Anthony graduated with honors from The Newschool for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City and has performed with a wide variety of artists from all genres of music, including Melanie Charles, Nitzan Gavrieli, Rachel Brotman, and Tony & Grammy winner Steve Kazee.
"With seven words, you took me there, I was standing exactly where you stood, and I knew the emotions that flooded your heart."
~Hey Mavis Fan
Hey Mavis has had the privilege of performing at venues such as:
Emmens Auditorium (Muncie (Indiana) Symphony Orchestra)
Melissa Etheridge Cruise (main stage headliner)
Telluride Bluegrass Festival (Telluride, CO)
Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival (headliner at The Little Theater)
Cain Park (Cleveland, OH--main stage headliner)
LC Pavilion (Columbus, OH)
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts (headliner)
The State Theater (Cleveland, OH)
The Kent Stage (main stage headliner)
Lock 3 (Akron, OH)
The Sportsmen's Tavern (Buffalo, NY)
The Abilene (Rochester, NY)
The Rongovian Embassy (Trumansburg, NY)
Culture Center Theater (Charleston, WV)
Hamilton Center for the Arts (Hamilton, OH)
Fairfield Community Arts Center (Fairfield, OH)
Paw Paw Festival (Athens, OH)
Turtle Hill Folk Festival (Rochester, NY)
Eastman House (Rochester, NY)
Tuscora Park (w/ Tuscarawas Philharmonic Orchestra)
The Historic Taos Inn (Taos, NM)
Adelphia Music Hall (Marietta, OH)
Lancaster Music Festival (Lancaster, OH)
Jefferson Barracks (St. Louis, MO)
The House of Blues (Cleveland, OH)
Myer's Memorial Bandshell (Ashland, OH)
Hoover Auditorium and Pavilion (Lakeside, OH)
The Beachland Ballroom (Cleveland, OH)
Cuyahoga Valley National Park House Concert Series
Mill Creek Concert Series (Youngstown, OH)
Human Rights Coalition Annual Gala (Cleveland, OH)
First Night Akron (Akron, OH)
Akron Firestone Auditorium w/ the Firestone H.S. Orchestra (Akron, OH)
Brookstock (Cleveland, OH)
