First Church and Parish - Dedham

First Church Friday Folk Coffeehouse presents its third concert of the 2024-2025 season featuring Chris Baird and Laura Ridarelli: Roots Rock, Folk, and Irish Music Duo at First Church and Parish Dedham, 670 High Street, Dedham on Friday, January 17, 2025 at 7:30 pm in the Parish House Auditorium. There will be refreshments for purchase. Tickets are $15 and are available online and at the door.  Doors open at 7:00 pm.
 
This performance features Chris Baird on guitar, harmonica, and vocals and Laura Ridarelli on fiddle. Both Chris and Laura hail from out of state, but they call Dedham home as they reside in Riverdale.  Chris has lived in the Boston area since 1992, working as a freelance musician in bars, restaurants, and other performance venues for the last 35 plus years.  Laura is a music teacher for local High School Orchestras.  She has been Irish fiddling for over 20 years, under the training of her mentor P.V. O'Donnell. Laura moved to the Boston area in 2007 where she has played in numerous Irish sessions and folk groups.

Together, Chris and Laura perform a mix of originals, cover songs, and instrumentals ranging from Roots Rock to American and Irish Folk music. They are highly influenced by Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Tom Petty, Gillian Welch, Jorma Kaukonen, Steve Earle, Paul Brady, The Pogues, Doc Watson, Neil Young, Grateful Dead, and many more.  The performance will be a combination of Chris’s memorable original songs, finger picking melodies, singing harmonies between harmonica and fiddle, and foot stomping Irish fiddle tunes.

First Church and Parish Dedham Unitarian Universalist was first gathered in 1638 and is located in Dedham Center at 670 High Street. Its lively music program includes choir at Sunday services, the Parish Players theater troupe, and the First Friday Jazz & Classical Concerts, in addition to our Friday Folk Coffeehouse events.