Mad Agnes farewell tour swings through Morris Township on Saturday
Posted by Kevin Coughlin on October 20, 2010 · Leave a Comment
You can still jump on the Mad Agnes bandwagon. But you had better hurry.
On Saturday the popular trio will play one of its last local gigs, at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship.
“We’ve had a great run,” said Margo Hennebach, who is eager to explore life next spring, after a fourth and final tour of England brings down the curtain on Mad Agnes after 10 years, four albums and one DVD. “Our fans are distraught. We feel their pain. I’m waiting to see what the void will bring. I’m willing to take that risk.”
The Mads’ arsenal includes a cappella vocals, guitars, bass, mandolin, keyboards and, in the words of the Boston Herald, “funny showmanship…agile, rambunctious harmonies and intense beauty.”
‘Peace Like a River,’ by Adrienne Jones, performed by Mad Agnes
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They are packing it in because Adrienne Jones, who shares most of the songwriting duties with Margo, has bought a 1799 home in Connecticut and longs to fix it up, Margo said. Touring would leave little time for this old house.
Agnes’ third leg–pardon the image–will stay connected. Mark Saunders is married to Margo and they anticipate dusting off their duo routine now and again.
Mark also runs a recording studio in Connecticut. Margo practices something called the Feldenkrais Method, a form of movement therapy that she credits with helping to “find my voice.” Adrienne teaches Reiki, another alternative healing art.
Margo concedes it may be hard to kick the touring habit–Mad Agnes is her third trio with Adrienne, stretching back through Madwoman in the Attic and Idle Rumors.
“Parts of it were really wondrous,” said Margo, who grew up in Short Hills. “We have friends from all over the world. People greet us, and roll out the welcome wagon. I’ll miss that. We got really close to our fans. We talk about universal truths in our music. We really appreciate that.”
MAD AGNES: Margo Hennebach, Adrienne Jones, Mark Saunders. Their farewell tours stops at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship on Saturday.
Margo’s appreciation was deepened by her work as a musical therapist for cancer patients; she has a degree in music therapy from the Guildhall School of Music in London. Her artistic sensibilities were honed in the Hoboken music scene of the mid-80s. She backed up Shawn Colvin and Richard Shindell as part of her folk education.
Over the years, Mad Agnes has charmed fans in Morristown at First Night Morris County, and at The Minstrel in Morris Township.
A high point for the trio came in 2007, at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention in England.
“We played for 75 minutes before 25,000 people and got to hang out with Richard Thompson,” Margo said. “It was just incredible. At the CD table afterward there was a long line of people. It was awesome.”
Any regrets from life with Mad Agnes?
“We never got to share a stage with Matt Angus.”
The discomforts of touring, meanwhile, already are fading from memory.
“That’s one of the good things about growing older,” Margo joked.
Yet she is pretty sure Saturday night will be memorable.
“It’s like a victory lap, with a brand new CD,” called Hush. “We’re going out in style.”
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $20 for adults, $10 for kids. Free babysitting will be available. Tickets are available at www.madagnes.com, by calling (973) 945-5174 or via email at muf.events@gmail.com. The Morristown Unitarian Fellowship is at 21 Normandy Heights Road in Morris Township.
