 plays guitar, old-time banjo, fiddle, and piano, but is best known for his truly soulful vocal talent. He is a stunning singer and quite an up and coming songwriter who is well known in the traditional music community. He has also recently released a book of his collected poems and drawings (1987-2006).
Coming from Alabama, Mark became enchanted with the grit and reality of roots music when he started to play guitar. Dabbling initially in Celtic, Folk and Bluegrass, he soon found his heart's desire in the infectious rhythms and lovely melodies of Appalachian string band music (and yes, he is distantly related to the incredible Weems String Band family, who recorded a few sides in the late twenties).
In 1999, Mark moved to Durham, North Carolina in order to get closer to the music he loves. A UPS driver for seven years, he has recently become a full-time musician in order to better pursue his artistic dreams. He currently performs with Little Windows, The Stillhouse Bottom Band and the Weems-Gerrard Band.
In 2000, along with A.C. Bushnell, Alan Julich and Bobb Head, he founded the popular triangle area string band, The Stillhouse Bottom Band, a group that has done a lot to rejuvenate old-time music in the area, by means of their musical diversity and creativity, high energy, and entertaining stage performances. Stillhouse Bottom plays an eclectic mix of old-time Appalachian string-band, traditional style bluegrass, and honky-tonk country music.
In 2004, Mark and Alice Gerrard discovered their mutual interest in traditional country music, and the Weems-Gerrard Band was born. They enjoy singing killer, country harmony duets, many of which they are writing themselves while covering classic honky-tonk numbers as well. Their songs and harmonies stand on their own, but they also have with them a mighty fine band, which adds even more life and character to their songs.Their first recording, Foolish Lover's Waltz, was released at the end of 2005.
In 2005, Mark and Julee realized quickly that the harmonic blending of their vocal tones was quite unique. Together they perform as a duet called Little Windows. In February 2006, they released their first recording together, entitled Just Beyond Me. It carries a strong Appalachian theme with some Old Time gospel songs as well as two songs composed by Mark himself.
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Hand-made – The Stillhouse Bottom Band (2000)
Bustin' It Up – The Stillhouse Bottom Band (2002)
Without Guile – Solo Project (2004)
Thanks A Lot – The Stillhouse Bottom Band (2005)
Foolish Lover's Waltz – The Weems-Gerrard Band (2005)
Just Beyond Me – Mark Weems And Julee Glaub (2006)
A Handful Of Collected Poems And Drawings (2006)
"Gail and I sat spell bound for several hours in a crowded tent at last June's Mt. Airy Festival listening to Mark warble the old songs."
–Tom Watts, The Cook Shack Concert Series, Union Grove, NC
"I will never forget hearing his golden voice wafting through the summer evening breeze at a festival ... I was stilled in my tracks. Mark Weems has quickly become my very favorite male vocalist on the planet. His voice carries a rare tone and possesses an unusual depth, which makes each delivery of his song an event not to be missed. When Mark sings it is truly a sacred moment."
– Julee Glaub
"Mark is totally immersed in his song and dance music tradition, and this is reflected in his skillful banjo playing and sin
ging. He sings from the heart and is plainly 'in tune' with the tradition. – Aidan O'Hara, Irish author and song collector
"Mark Weems combines a beautiful, unmistakable voice with a talent for phrasing unlike anyone singing country music today. He has really done his homework by finding the great old songs, and his original numbers look to be the great old songs of the future."
– Joe Newberry, member of Big Medicine
"Soulful and heartfelt-two essential qualities that in my opinion, a singer must have. Mark has them to a T. He is a voice to be reckoned with."
– Alice Gerrard
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 , a native of North Carolina, studied literature and music at Wake Forest University, before following her longstanding interest in Irish culture to work with the poor in Dublin. Her meaningful experiences with the people of Ireland led her to a keener interest in the culture and in particular to their traditional music. For nearly seven years, she continued her work in Dublin while sitting at the feet of master players and singers and absorbing everything. She credits the combination of material from the Traditional Music Archive, from older singers, and her experiences in working with poor and working people in Dublin, as her major inspirations to her ballad singing.
Upon returning home, she became involved in the Irish music scene here in the States and has quickly become recognized as one of the best traditional Irish singers in the U.S. She lived in the Northeast for seven years in order to be closer to the heartbeat of Irish music in America. Her first CD, Fields Faraway (2001), included members of the band Séad whom she still performs with from time to time...Brian Conway, Brendan Dolan, and Jerry O'Sullivan. More recently she has expanded her interest to include traditional North Carolina music and in 2004 released her second CD, Blue Waltz, a collection which explores the connections between Irish and Appalachian music. The project was produced by Vermonter Pete Sutherland, with whom she often performs in the Northeast. She recently returned to North Carolina to be closer to her roots and to join two worlds that are deeply connected and part of her own soul as well. She is currently touring in a duo with Mark Weems, called Little Windows.
In 2005, Mark Weems and Julee realized quickly that the harmonic blending of their vocal tones was quite unique. Together they perform as a duet called Little Windows. They have just released their first recording together in February 2006, Just Beyond Me. It carries a strong Appalachian theme with some Old Time gospel songs as well as two songs composed by Mark himself.
Julee's approach to music downplays the entertainment aspect of music, incorporates her view of nature and human experience, and focuses on the spiritual and emotional wealth that traditional music has to offer to the world. She lives in Durham, NC and performs and teaches nationally and in Britain and Europe. For more information, visit www.juleeglaub.com.
Teaching:
Julee teaches traditional singing privately and publicly. She is in great demand as a teacher and has been on the staff of the Irish Arts Week in the Catskills of New York, the Alaska Fiddle Camp, the Schloss Mittersill Arts Conference in Austria, the Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College in N.C and various camps and festivals throughout the U.S. for the past years. She has developed her own cultural enrichment programs for lower and middle school ages and enjoys teaching all ages and passing on the torch of traditional song.
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Guest Artist on Mike Casey's The Pleasures of Hope (Wizmak, 1995)
Awakening Records Compilation II (Awakening, 1998)
Traditional Irish Song (1999)
Fields Faraway (2001)
Guest Artist on Aoife Clancy's Silvery Moon (Appleseed, 2003)
Blue Waltz (2004)
Best of Backporch Music WUNC - Volume VII (2004),
The Ulster Project of Atlanta Compilation (2005)
Just Beyond Me – Mark Weems And Julee Glaub (2006)
Julee Glaub's relaxed, thoughtful and at times contemplative delivery, is in sharp contrast to the tremendous energy and dynamism she has applied to the study of song on both sides of the Atlantic, and her long apprenticeship in mastering styles and knowledge of the songs she sings. We're all the better for hearing her, and she joins that select group about whom I say, that if I were a song, I'd want Julee Glaub to sing me. – Aidan O'Hara, Ireland, Irish Music Magazine
"Songbird" is a term that was often used in the 18th and 19th Centuries to describe the rare female vocalist whose singing is as natural and pleasing as the singing of a songbird. As I listen to Julee move seamlessly from the Appalachian music of her native North Carolina to the music of her Celtic roots, I realize she truly is a "songbird."
– Bobby Horton, Birmingham, AL
When I first heard Julee Glaub sing, I was amazed at how her voice sounded equally at home singing Celtic, Old Time or Gospel songs.
-– Robbie O'Connell, Boston, MA
The combination of the power that comes from having lived near the music's sources and her clear, sweet but commanding voice stills audiences whenever she sings. She possesses a reverence and passion for the music and provides proof of the continuing viability of the tradition. – Mardi Tuminaro, Irish Arts Center, NYC
What is interesting to me as a follower of Julee's music is the profound influence her Southern origins have on her presentation and her singing, which brings a subtle but unique quality to her artistry. Julee's voice is unmistakable in a relatively vast arena of women's voices presenting similar material. Her singing can move the most veteran listener, bringing a new depth of feeling to the ballad tradition. I remember the first time I heard Julee perform. She began to sing a ballad, which started out in a predictable fashion, but her phrasing and ornamentation left me moved and eager for more. I celebrate Julee's place in Irish song not as a native Irish singer, but rather, a Southern American with a rightful claim to interpret the music of the Celts who settled and influenced the mountains and valleys of her origin.
– Gene Hogan Bender, a voice from the audience
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