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Songwriter Series Helping To Restore Historic Manor

Don Palma
/
Palace Events

Musicians and music fans will join together to support a local landmark with a new music series beginning October 1. The Duncan Manor Songwriter Series will support restoration of the Italianate-style mansion near Towanda. 

Karen Bridges, co-leader of the band Stone & Snow, put together the series of seven unplugged, intimate house concerts in the parlor of the manor featuring local and regional songwriters.

"It's a piece of history and I think I'm a history nerd in that way," said Bridges. "The space itself is probably built for music. It's a wonderful space inside acoustically."

Bridges told GLT's Mike McCurdy during Sound Ideas that the series came about after her band Stone & Snow played a couple of concerts at the manor.  A Colorado transplant, manor owner Dave Howell jumped at the opportunity. 

Credit Karen Bridges

"There's a lot of original music out there," said Howell. "When Karen approached us we listened to their stuff and were super excited to hear people writing their own music. That was big for us."

A portion of the series will benefit the Duncan Manor 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. Howell says some of the big items on the to-do list include chimneys, the roof, and porches. 

"It just seemed to made sense for me to help organize and bring some more artists in there that I know would sound great in there, who are accomplished songwriters, some local, some out of Illinois," said Bridges. 

Bridges's band Stone & Snow play in February. She's also scheduled to sing back up with Nick Africano, playing the manor on March 4.

Bridges said there is also a visual art component coming together to accompany the songwriter series at the manor.