Thursday, August 28th - 8:00 - $15 (Also Every Other Thursday in August
A BERKSHIRE LIVING TREASURE!
LOCAL CHILDREN'S TREASURE PLAYS GROWN UP MUSIC!
David Grover is once again setting up shop at Club Helsinki in August. Grover, who is best known as a children's performer, will be playing his adult show every week in August. After many years in both the Rock and Roll and Classical music worlds, David formed "Shenandoah", an acoustic country-rock band, which joined singer Arlo Guthrie in 1975. From 1975 to 1981 David was Arlo's lead guitarist and arranger, traveling throughout all 50 states and around the world. In this capacity, he played with such musical greats as John Denver, Willie Nelson, Richie Havens, Country Joe McDonald, and Pete Seeger. David also arranged and performed on many of Arlo's albums. When he took a break from the road to raise his daughter, and to concentrate on songwriting. he found himself falling in love with playing for children and families. That eventually become the main thrust of his musical career. However, every once in a while, Grover likes to return to his roots. The nights will feature a mixed bag of 60’s and 70’s folk, rock & roll, and country. Grover's adult show is a refreshing and charming evening of songs that can be enjoyed again and again. Don't miss it.
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Friday, August 29th - 9:00 - $12
BROOKLYN BASED WHACKABILLY BAND!
The DEFiBULATORs have emerged as one of the most engaging live acts from the thriving roots scene in Brooklyn, NY, melding raw soul, rockabilly, and bluegrass with the quirky camaraderie of a vaudevillian jug band. Their shows are irresistibly infectious and rowdy, as they wield an arsenal of guitars, banjos, fiddles, and junkyard percussion, with clever arrangements and relentless energy. The DEFiBULATORs jump-start new life into vintage country music and deliver a unique sound that's anything but old timey. Razor sharp harmonies illuminate gritty and witty tunes that spin tales of deception, debauchery, depleted bank accounts, fanaticism, vintage firearms, biological anomalies, airline intoxication, and of course, the Apocalypse. The DEFiBULATORs have emerged as one of the most engaging live acts from the thriving roots scene in Brooklyn, NY, melding raw soul, rockabilly, and bluegrass with the quirky camaraderie of a vaudevillian jug band. Their shows are irresistibly infectious and rowdy, as they wield an arsenal of guitars, banjos, fiddles, and junkyard percussion, with clever arrangements and relentless energy. The DEFiBULATORs jump-start new life into vintage country music and deliver a unique sound that's anything but old timey. Razor sharp harmonies illuminate gritty and witty tunes that spin tales of deception, debauchery, depleted bank accounts, fanaticism, vintage firearms, biological anomalies, airline intoxication, and of course, the Apocalypse.
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TWO SHOWS!
Saturday, August 30th - 8:00 & 10:30 - $15
THE NYC NEO-BURLESQUE SCENE COMES TO THE BERKSHIRES!
HOSTED BY: ALBERT CADABRA
DANCERS: LEGS MALONE, RUNAROUND SUE, & GAL FRIDAY
New York City's own Sugar Shack Burlesque brings you an evening to remember! Co-producers and performers RunAround Sue and Legs Malone present an evening of burlesque and side show with some very special guests direct from the Big Apple. Sugar Shack Burlesque has been keeping it sweet since 2006, throwing parties and creating intriguing and fun events at a variety of venues including New York City's The Slipper Room, Lotus, The Kraine Street Theater, Jalopy Speakeasy, and Brooklyn's own Galapagos Art Space. Their more outrageous shows include rollerskating go-go girls, fire dancers and aerial artists suspended from the ceiling. The ladies regularly produce NYC's ONLY burlesque dance party at the famed East Village haunt Niagara where burlesque stars both established and rising perform the first Wednesday of every month. From classic to comedic acts, these ladies encompass a wonderful slice of the vibrant neo-burlesque scene in New York City. Come on out and see what the buzz is all about!
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Sunday, August 31st - 8:00 - No Cover
TRIBUTE CONCERT SERIES!
Once again, Club Helsinki has assembled a great group of local musicians to pay tribute to one of their heroes. The series has included Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons, Johnnny Cash, and Guns N' Roses. This edition it will be the songs of Bruce Springsteen. As always, the evening will be produced and hosted by Rob Sanzone and will feature sets by by Phil Beach, Seth Rogovoy & The Grove Street Band, Vashti Poor, Little Johnny's Lunch Money and John Clarke & Friends. Entry is free of charge, but reserved seats are available with a dinner reservation only.
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Thursday, September 4th - 8:00 - $15
UNIQUE BLUES BLEND
FEATURING CHRIS WOOD OF MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD
Oliver and Chris Wood grew up in Boulder, Colorado. Sons of a Poet and a Microbiologist, they both took up music. Oliver moved to Atlanta and became a southerner. Chris moved to New York City and became a Yankee. Now, after years of musical and geographical separation they have reunited. While in Atlanta, Oliver soaked up the roots of blues, the soul of the south, and found he had a talent for writing and singing songs. His band, King Johnson (named after Freddy King and Robert Johnson) toured mostly in the southern states. Meanwhile, Chris was living in Manhattan playing everything from free jazz to rock and roll. This is where he met his band mates to form Medeski Martin & Wood. Now The Wood Brothers have begun a collaboration that combines their shared childhood influences with everything they've learned since leaving home. Their music has a rootsy feel that blends blues, folk, and rock music in a guitar/bass duo. The brothers’ new album, "Loaded" produced by John Medeski, was released on Blue Note Records, April 1, 2008.
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Friday, September 5th - 9:00 - $15
UNIQUE ORIGINAL SONGS & MUSIC
With Jean Bratman & Mike Esposito
Marc Black is a colorful singer/songwriter and an accomplished fingerstyle guitarist. He recently created international news with a youtube video (30,000 hits) of his musical confrontation with Martha Stewart; his ritual of visiting his local coffee shop just recently inspired a tune 'Ooh, I Love My Coffee'. which made it hit of the week on internet radio, Meermusic.com. He was also featured at last year's Sundance Film Festival performing songs off his 'Stroke of Genius' CD. And, just this month, he wrote and recorded an inspiring video and song for Barack Obama. entitled,"Step Up, America." In the words of Paul Winter, "His songs are great and his singing is superb." Accompanying Marc on bass, bicycle wheel and theramin, will be his longtime co-hort, Mike Esposito. And on vocals, magical chanteuse Jean Bratman.
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Friday, September 5th - 9:00 - $18
A NEW TAKE ON OLD TIME MUSIC
THE DUHKS HAVE BEEN FORCED TO CANCEL THIS SHOW. A RESCHEDULE WILL BE POSTED AS SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. WE ARE VERY SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.
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Saturday, September 6th - 9:00 - $35
BAYOU DANCE MUSIC - A ZYDECO LEGEND!!
"Buckwheat leads one of the best party bands in America; he can pump out zydeco two-beats or shift into rolling 12-bar blues, steaming all the way."
- The New York Times -
To say that Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural Jr has influences the dance music genre known as Zydeco is, at the very least, an understatement. Born in 1947 in Lafayette, LA, the son of a zydeco accordionist, Buckwheat grew up steeped in a Creole culture that spoke French and danced to the Zydeco, a hybrid musical genre that blends Afro-Caribbean rhythms with blues, soul, rock, country and the French-rooted Cajun music of the Creoles' Cajun neighbors. He also absorbed Lafayette's prodigious output of blues and Gulf Coast "swamp pop." By the mid-'70s, South Louisiana began to experience a grassroots cultural renaissance as zydeco and Cajun music gained appreciation as treasured cultural resources. As the demand for zydeco grew, Dural was offered a gig playing organ and piano with the King of Zydeco, the late, great Clifton Chenier. Buck (as he is also known) worked hard and learned all he could. After three years of touring, recording and accordion apprenticeship, he left in 1979 to lead his own group, Buckwheat Zydeco and the Ils Sont Partis Band. Like Chenier, Buckwheat has continued to blend traditional Creole zydeco with the latest black-contemporary styles, drawing on all of his rich and varied musical experience. After years on the road, Buckwheat's stamp on the genre is a permanent one. He is the first zydeco artist signed to a major record label, the first zydeco artist to perform on a national television show, the first zydeco artist to release a children's album, the first zydeco artist to launch his own record label, and the first zydeco artist to win an Emmy award. The music combines soulful original tunes, inspired playing and singing, and the trademark exuberance that's made Dural the world's best-loved zydeco artist, and has earned Buckwheat Zydeco fame as "the world's greatest party band."
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Video!
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Sunday, September 7th - 8:00 - $20
HOMEGROWN RIOTOUS AMERICANA!
"The Felice Brothers: 'Young, Broke, and American' - They are so much the real deal." - NPR
"Scruffy and scratched Americana that recalls Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and early Springsteen." - Time Out
Simone, Ian and James Felice are the three eldest boys from a family of seven, born carpenter’s sons in the wilds of New York’s Catskill Mountains. Less than a year ago, the Brothers adopted a runaway dice-thrower and chancer, a 19 year old called Christmas. They convinced him to quit his job and the motley quartet forsook all else but song and moved their Sunday BBQ sing-alongs from their dad’s upstate house out onto the streets and subways of NYC. After months of toil, living in a 1987 special education bus, with arrests, and genuine panhandler fun, a free-lance music writer named Gabe Soria (Mojo, Vice) stumbled upon the boys singing and barking their wares at a farmers market in Brooklyn and one thing led to another. Now the Felice Brothers and blood brother Christmas all live, tour, sing, write and gamble together on their little bus. Their distinct brand of songwriting and the lawless sound they’ve forged has earned them comparisons to Woodie Guthrie, a young Springsteen to the Scorsese film Gangs of New York. The boys now travel the world performing homegrown and gritty Americana on the city stages as if they were hosting a sing-along on their own front porch surrounded by family and friends or playing the backroom of a dusty tavern.
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Video!
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Friday, September 12th - 9:00 - $12
ROOTS & COUNTRY - THE RETURN OF A LOCAL FAVORITE!
"On his new CD, Mill River, his third, Sky Smeed really hits his stride. He's always been a good songwriter and an effective vocalist, but this time out, Smeed attacks the baker's dozen tracks, eleven which are self-penned, with the sort of ferocity and aggression that, frankly, we didn't even know he had inside. His majestic melodies, and the arrangements are both rootsy and dynamic." -Seth Rogovoy , Berkshire Living Magazine, WAMC Northeast Public Radio Network
"Mill River is a rollicking bunch of songs, with Smeed stretching emotionally, compositionally, and hitting every mark full stride." Paul Rapp, Metroland
Born and raised in an old schoolhouse outside of Chanute Kansas, Sky Smeed began taking piano lessons at age five. Some years later after becoming tired of the piano, he picked up a guitar his sister gave him and taught himself how to play. He then began to write songs influenced by the old country music and the gravel roads he grew up with. Chanute Kansas is a small town and there's not much musical opportunity. In 2001, one week after graduating high school, Sky moved to Western Massachusetts. Settling outside of Great Barrington, he worked a variety of odd jobs, from running chainsaws to waiting tables. In December 2000, Sky recorded his first album, Flying High, at Guilty Dog Studios in Plymouth, MA. It was recorded in six days. His next CD, The Front Steps, was recorded at Pilot Recording Studios in New York City and took 5 days to record. The most Recent one, Mill River, was recorded at the studios of Signature Sounds Record Label, is his best work to date. Sky Smeed, is an artist approaching his prime and is a real treat to see and hear.
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Saturday, September 13th - 9:00 - $18
BLUES GUITAR GENIUS!
"MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE, ANYWHERE, POWERS REPRESENTS THE FUTURE OF THE BLUES". - Billboard Magazine
Five time Blues Music Award nominee Michael Powers is without a doubt a true master of the blues. To witness a Michael Powers show is to see a man that has become one with his guitar, making it part of his soul. Music has been in his blood and under his skin from the day he was born. At age 7, His mother Doris noticed that Michael walked around with a broom pretending it was a guitar every time the Rock It Hour would be on television. Doris bought him a guitar by cashing in a book of saving stamps. Doris was convinced that her son had a special talent and imposed a strict musical routine. Every day, Michael had to listen to records and play along with them. Doris' words "Michael turn the record over" still echo in his ears. It would prove to be a strong influence as Doris' favorites included Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, Jimmy Reed, Billie Holiday, and John Lee Hooker. Expect to be blown away!
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Friday, September 19th - 9:00 - $12
HONKY TONK & CAJUN MUSIC FROM NYC!
In an ideal world, country radio would sound more like the Doc Marshalls. With influences ranging from traditionalists such as Buck Owens and Johnny Cash to innovators like Gram Parsons and Dwight Yoakam, this New York City-based five-piece delivers an honest, unflinching honky tonk sound. Not content to remain within the confines of a typical roots band, they also boast a raucous set of Cajun breakdowns and Zydeco shuffles. Led by Texas-raised Acadian Nick Beaudoing, the Doc Marshalls have quickly forged a reputation for their wildly energetic live shows. Anchored by the fiddling wizardry of Mat Kane and the breakneck accompaniment of Beaudoing's Cajun accordion, their unique Louisiana grooves have infiltrated the halls of countless alternative rock venues where roots music is seldom heard. Whether performing Bakersfield-style shuffles or traditional Cajun French two-steps, they are determined to make converts of even the most country-shy souls.
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Friday, September 26th - 9:00 - $25
Founding Member Of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
A broad spectrum of music Americana, with a bit of "the old country" music thrown in for good measure, has made John McEuen known as America's instrumental poet. His musical impressions from over 30 years of worldwide travels are brought to the stage with performing expertise that sets him apart from others, and focuses on acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, and mandolin. A founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in summer of 1966, after 21 years began to broaden his artistic pursuits. Multi-instrumentalist McEuen ventured into varied musical genres, taking his music and other talents to different formats including television specials, film scoring, unusual award winning CDs and concert production while keeping up an active road schedule both solo and (as of 2002) again with his lifetime partners in music. Onstage, McEuen incorporates his vintage instruments which he has taken to international venues, with instrumental wizardry that keeps the audience entranced His love for the history of acoustic music and his joy at being onstage is evident to all those who see him and hear him, there's never a dull moment when McEuen is on!
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Saturday, September 27th - 9:00 - $10
DELCTABLE DUB SKA MUSIC!
Mother Fletcher is a new band that has risen from the collaboration of members of two of Columbia County's favorite bands. With three quarters of Citizen Band and on half of Two Gun Man, Mother Fletcher combines the punk rock ska sound of CB with the Roots Rock of TGM. The result is a delectable ska sound that can shake up any dance floor. The Band Features Josh Miesmer on guitar and lead vocals, Rob Williams on drums and effects, Gabe Shaftlein on bass, Azouke Gregory-Sanon on percussion, Jonathan Talbot on guitar, violin, and harmonium ahd Julian Seidenberg on effects, keys, trumpet and some of the best beatboxing you have ever heard.
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TWO SHOWS!
Saturday, October 4th - 8:00 & 10:30 - $15
THE NYC NEO-BURLESQUE SCENE COMES TO THE BERKSHIRES!
HOSTED BY: SETH HERZOG
DANCERS: LEGS MALONE, RUNAROUND SUE, & LITTLE BROOKLYN
New York City's own Sugar Shack Burlesque brings you an evening to remember! Co-producers and performers RunAround Sue and Legs Malone present an evening of burlesque and side show with some very special guests direct from the Big Apple. Sugar Shack Burlesque has been keeping it sweet since 2006, throwing parties and creating intriguing and fun events at a variety of venues including New York City's The Slipper Room, Lotus, The Kraine Street Theater, Jalopy Speakeasy, and Brooklyn's own Galapagos Art Space. Their more outrageous shows include rollerskating go-go girls, fire dancers and aerial artists suspended from the ceiling. The ladies regularly produce NYC's ONLY burlesque dance party at the famed East Village haunt Niagara where burlesque stars both established and rising perform the first Wednesday of every month. From classic to comedic acts, these ladies encompass a wonderful slice of the vibrant neo-burlesque scene in New York City. Come on out and see what the buzz is all about!
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Sunday, October 5th - 8:00 - $15
CD RELEASE PARTY - "ANOTHER SPIN"
WITH HIS BAND
Singer-songwriter, one-man-band Adam Michael Rothberg is new to the Boston area, but not new to the music world. Adam was named one of the 2008 Northeast Regional Finalists in the Mountain Stage NewSong contest. Berkshire Living’s August 2008 issue calls Adam “the Berkshire’s answer to Paul McCartney….ANOTHER SPIN is at once a testament to Rothberg’s love affair with music and his love affair with love, and suggests that distinguishing between the two isn’t always so easy." In July 2008, The Boston Weekly Dig had this to say: “He's toured with Joan Baez, produced Dar Williams and performed with the best of the local folk scene, but now it's Rothberg's turn to step out of the folk shadows, and the result, Another Spin, is lyrical poetry and multi-instrumental duty. (He plays the guitar, piano, udu, mandolin, percussion and the Turkish oud!)” Adam’s clever, bittersweet, and nostalgic lyrics, are showcased on his latest release, “Another Spin” supporting his vocal talents as well as skillful playing on just about every instrument on the CD. As with his first album, “All the Whispering,” Rothberg wrote, performed, produced, and engineered “Another Spin.” While The styles on the album reflect influences including The Beatles, Randy Newman, Mark Knopfler, Elvis Costello, and Wilco, but the music is unique and 100% Adam.
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Wednesday, October 15th - 8:00 - $20
ALTERNATIVE POP HERO
Jonathan Richman has been writing songs, making records and performing live for most of his life, winning fans and making friends around the world with his guileless honesty and playfully catchy compositions. He's revered by countless fellow artists, and has built a remarkably loyal international audience through his tireless touring. His deceptively straightforward songs embody timeless qualities of humanity, optimism, emotional insight and a boundless sense of humor, untainted by cynicism or transient notions of hipness. In the early '70s, Boston's Richman founded the influential proto-punk band the Modern Lovers whose self-titled debut featured favorites "Roadrunner" and "Pablo Picasso." An acoustic Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers scored a European hit with the 1977 instrumental "Egyptian Reggae." Richman then went solo and critically acclaimed pop records followed, as did idiosyncratic excursions into country and Latin music. Lately, he has added a major new audience to his fiercely loyal cult following with his star turn in the hit "There's Something About Mary" and frequent performances on late-night television. Modern love never sounded so good. Please enjoy.
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TWO SHOWS!
Saturday, November 1st - 8:00 & 10:30 - $15
THE NYC NEO-BURLESQUE SCENE COMES TO THE BERKSHIRES!
HOSTED BY: NELSON LUGO
DANCERS: LEGS MALONE,RUNAROUND SUE,
RUBIE FIZZ & BONNIE VOY'AGE
New York City's own Sugar Shack Burlesque brings you an evening to remember! Co-producers and performers RunAround Sue and Legs Malone present an evening of burlesque and side show with some very special guests direct from the Big Apple. Sugar Shack Burlesque has been keeping it sweet since 2006, throwing parties and creating intriguing and fun events at a variety of venues including New York City's The Slipper Room, Lotus, The Kraine Street Theater, Jalopy Speakeasy, and Brooklyn's own Galapagos Art Space. Their more outrageous shows include rollerskating go-go girls, fire dancers and aerial artists suspended from the ceiling. The ladies regularly produce NYC's ONLY burlesque dance party at the famed East Village haunt Niagara where burlesque stars both established and rising perform the first Wednesday of every month. From classic to comedic acts, these ladies encompass a wonderful slice of the vibrant neo-burlesque scene in New York City. Come on out and see what the buzz is all about!
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Sunday, November 2nd - 8:00 - $20
ALL FEMALE CLASSICAL PIANO TRIO
The most sought-after trio in the world, the Grammy-nominated Eroica Trio thrills audiences with flawless technical virtuosity, irresistible enthusiasm and sensual elegance. Whether playing the great standards of the piano trio repertoire or daring contemporary works, the three young women who make up this celebrated ensemble electrify the concert stage with their performances of depth and precision. The Trio won the prestigious 1991 Naumburg Award, resulting in a highly successful Lincoln Center debut and has since toured the United States, Europe, and Asia. While maintaining their demanding concert schedule, the Eroica Trio has released seven critically lauded recordings for Angel/EMI Classics Records, garnering multiple Grammy®nominations. The Eroica Trio is on the vanguard of a new generation of artists who are changing the face of classical music. One of the first all-female chamber ensembles to reach the top echelon of its field, the Eroica Trio is helping to break an age-old gender barrier. In an attempt to bust up another barrier, this tour will feature venues not accustomed to classical music, like Helsinki, in the hopes of an informal setting that will bring the music to a whole new audience.
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Friday, November 7th - 9:00 - $12
THE NEXT GREAT WESTER SWING TRIO
"Shotgun Party steps into the swing-trio wake, as if the Hot Club of Cowtown rear-ended the Damnations. Slap-bass man Christopher Crepps most recently thumped for the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, but it's the divine teaming of fiddler Katy Rose Cox (ex-Uncle Fucker) and singer/guitarist/composer Jenny Parrott that makes this roots-rock outfit crackle. Parrott reveals a marvelous feel for back-porch poetry in her lyrics; with good-humor titles like "Haunted House Bear," "Devil Town," and "Pickled Eggs," they'll appeal to Southern Culture on the Skids fans." - AUSTIN CHRONICLE 7/31/08
" Unheralded opening trio Shotgun Party blew the house away with a set of Texas swing that had one foot among the tumbleweeds and the other in outer space. Singer Jenny Parrot has an arresting, brassy voice with a permanent, fluttering vibrato, and a stage presence that was just art-school enough to let you know somebody up there’s a-thinkin’. Kind of like a two-step Björk, without the annoyance factor. Fiddler Kay Rose Cox gets virtuoso honors for the night; her solos were hair-raising, heroic statements. Shotgun Party will be back, and when they are, go." - Paul Rapp, Review at Metroland after Helsinki show with The Blue Ribbon Boys
Shotgun Party puts on a truly American music show. They swing early jazz right on into dance hall country… with rapturous results. The majority of songs are original, with melodies and lyrics that share stories: urban, bucolic, lively and lonesome. Christopher Crepps (formerly of the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, and Thelonious Monk disciple) keeps it real, hot and low on the upright bass; Katy Rose Cox (formerly of Uncle F*cker, Brooklyn Brown Grass, & the Maybelles) roars delightful on the fiddle; and introducing Jenny Parrott who sings and plays guitar as one who grew up seaside. From all three coasts (New England, California, and Texas) this trio scours through and plays with all the rhythms, modes and melodies this continent has to offer, with a twinge of bizarreness that accommodates any wide-open journey.
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Video!
Sunday, November 23rd - 8:00 - $30
SINGER/SONGWRITER/BASSIST
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
"Startlingly original. Her music is spare, yet striking. Her voice is ripe, supple, strong and impossible to ignore." - Billboard Magazine
"Her music is exuberant... she conveyed the fervor of someone reaching out with an almost frenzied joy to sieze the strands of a confusing life and weave them into a coherent life-affirming vision." - The New York Times
Singer, songwriter, bassist, and published auther, has made a career of being unique. When it comes to categories, she pretty much defies them all. For a while she referred to her sound as 'funkabilly.' Then the label 'Afro-Celtic' was given to her by an astute critic, and it stuck like crazy glue. "It doesn't quite fit anymore, it's not quite enough, is it?" Laura laughs, "If you can think of something better, go for it!" Quite a task, considering how many musical influences are liberally sprinkled throughout Laura's music. "I didn't set out to be unique," she insists. "I think I was defined by my limitations. I didn't have the attention span to sit there and get every nuance of jazz, blues, swing, bluegrass, or Celtic music. I would have to strive forever to copy it, and I would be just that -- a copy. I'm an amalgam of all these things -- I've got African blood, European blood, Indian blood, and it all comes out in the music. My body seems to have a memory for things I haven't quite experienced. And I have a lot of curiosity about it -- what slave owner raped what slave, what slave mixed with which Indian to get me here. I guess I'll never know, but I get glimpses of it that show up in my music." As if to make it more confusing, Laura's latest release NeGrass is an acoustic collection of traditional and original field hollers, Negro spirituals and folk songs that add a new wringle to an already amazingly textured body of work.
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