Rene Braun and Stan Davis - Slavic Mahalo Blues

Imagine stepping into a venue where Eastern European storytelling, Hawaiian warmth, and Delta blues grit collide. That’s the atmosphere Rene Braun and Stan Davis create with Slavic Mahalo Blues—a performance that feels like a cultural crossroads jam session in a dream. Rene Braun’s musical journey began in Soviet-era Czechoslovakia. Blacklisted in his home country, he escaped and came to Maine as a refugee. Rene fell in love with Hawaiian Ukulele music. His music combines his Slavic roots, dry Maine humor, and the lilt of the Islands. Stan Davis’s grandparents escaped pogroms in nearby Ukraine in the 1890s. He came to Maine in the Back to the land movement of the 70s, and has played solo and in many collaborations ever since. Stan’s evolution in music took him from the music of his ancestors to folk music and the Delta Blues, from Cab Calloway to Robert Johnson. His songwriting and performing focuses on the small and important details of everyday life, from life’s journeys to the hazards of housework.
Together they synthesize these very different musical traditions into a uniquely American blend of world cultures, mixed with the warm connection of two musicians who love learning from each other and connecting with audiences. Please join us for an evening of musical discoveries and healing joy.