Biographies

Cavanaugh and Kavanaugh (paragraph 1 - 134 word count - download Summary Bio in PDF format)
Cavanaugh & Kavanaugh perform original songs and tunes on guitars, mandolin, fiddle, mountain dulcimer, banjo and more. Much of the traditional music Deb and Dick perform is in the Irish and Southern Old Time tradition. Life partners, as well as musical partners, who coincidentally share the same last name, they enjoy performing together and sharing their stories and songs with an audience. A subtle blend of ethnicity, humor and more, they bring their varied experiences to life on the stage. Caffe Lena has described them as follows: “this … duo, who just happen to share the same last name in pronunciation if not spelling, have been a long time part of the Capital District music scene…talented multi-instrumentalists (banjo, guitar, piano, mandolin, dulcimer, limberjack) who share a commitment to music as a way of life.”

Deb Cavanaugh (paragraph 2 - 123 word count - download Deb's Bio in PDF format)
Deb Cavanaugh, an artist/educator, singer/songwriter, teacher in alternative education and a fascinating folk artist, makes music a part of everything she does. She performs her own music, as well as a full range of folk material, and plays a variety of instruments, including mandolin, dulcimer, guitar and limber jack. She incorporates her extensive travel around the U.S. and her experience with many styles of music from classical voice to rock and roll into her songs and performances. Having been the recipient of a "Meet the Composers" grant, she developed a songwriting workshop for young people and has taught and continues to teach that workshop in various summer camps, libraries and schools. Deb was recently a semi-finalist in the annual national JPFolks lyric contest.

Dick Kavanaugh began playing music as a teenager. His interests have centered on folk music with a political twist. He was introduced to folk music at Caffe Lena in the 60s and soon became a fixture there. His first serious musical endeavor began when he joined up with "Old Songs", a group dedicated to the preservation of traditional music. He plays guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and pennywhistle. Dick also writes fiddle and banjo tunes, and is very knowledgeable about the history and construction of those and other instruments. His commitment to "the folk process" is obvious in his teaching style. His complete respect for and openness to all people, regardless of their struggles, is equally obvious in his interactions with young people.         

(total word count - 379 download Full Biography in PDF format)

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Press Coverage

Here's a profile of us, "Live in the Clubs," from The Daily Gazette, 11-7-07, Page D8
"Folk duo Cavanaugh and Kavanaugh blend genre’s past with its present..."
Download the article and photos in PDF format.

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