Tracy Grammer

Oregon-based singer, fiddler, guitarist, and mandolin player Tracy Grammer last performed in Vancouver two years ago with her partner Dave Carter. His death from a heart attack a few months after that deprived folk music of one of its strongest new songwriters, but Carter's quirkily intelligent and evocative compositions continue to resonate in Grammer's solo interpretations. She's back in town this Friday (January 30), to play at the W.I.S.E. Hall, on a double bill with Vancouver quintet Cleia. Rising stars on the West Coast's Celtic scene, the latter celebrates the release of its new album This Side of Main, a mix of traditional Irish tunes and contemporary folksongs with rich harmonies.