Fairport Convention and In Transit play Bodles

Chester — The British group Fairport Convention will play at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, June 9, at Bodles Opera House at 39 Main St. in Chester. Fairport Convention, which got its start in 1967 in an English church, has nearly 40 years of memories and music. The group was given a lifetime achievement in 2002 by the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Once dubbed “the British Jefferson Airplane,” Fairport was in the forefront of folk rock, and performed a mix of contemporary originals, as well as tunes by Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and other American folk singer-songwriters. The group, which once included such folk-rock luminaries as Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny, now includes Chris Leslie on vocals, violin, bouzouki, mandolin, and bouzar (a guitar-like instrument that sounds like a bouzouki); Simon Nicol on vocals and acoustic guitar; and Ric Sanders on violin. Over the decades, the group has recorded with and played for everyone from Jethro Tull and The Band, to Art Garfunkel and Mary Chapin Carpenter. They bring a refined folk-rock repertoire to their concerts. For more information, visit www.fairportconvention.com. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. For tickets, at $25, call 469-4595 or visit www.bodles.com. In Transit will provide classic rock and originals at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 10. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. The admission of $17.95 includes both dinner and show.