Véronneau is an acoustic, song-based group playing Latin Jazz, Gypsy Swing and much more. Equally at home in an intimate jazz club, world music or folk festival, Véronneau are audience favorites performing in English, French and Spanish. Lynn Véronneau lights up the stage, engaging the audience with her vocal interpretations. The acoustic guitars of Ken Avis and David Rosenblatt and percussion of Pete Walby provide the rhythm, harmony and energy to propel the music from Brazilian samba, to French chanson to standards of The American Songbook.
Together they bring fluidity and playfulness to the tunes. The multi-national band performs music inspired by jazz from around the world. Pieces such as "Blue Skies," "La Mer," and "Like the Gentle Rain” reflect their distinctive original sound, authentic but never conventional.
Zee Avi (Indie) Saturday, Feb. 25th, 2012 9:30 P.M., $15
In the two years since her self-titled debut was joint-released on Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records and Ian Montone’s Monotone Label, Zee Avi’s very free spirit has wandered from major music festivals (SXSW, Outside Lands, Bonnaroo) to huge tours (Lilith Fair) back to her homeland of Sarawak, Borneo Island, where she recently picked up an International Youth Icon Award.
For a little perspective, just four years ago, Avi was a former art student in Kuala Lumpur who posted a song on YouTube to catch up with a friend and was quite surprised to find herself the toast of the Internet when thousands of strangers discovered her effortlessly stunning voice. Literal overnight success can easily poison young minds, but Avi is no ordinary mind — while critics were comparing her chilled-out, jazzy, ukulele-based songs to Billie Holiday and Cat Power she was continuing to make visual art and remaining her buoyant, whimsical self. “I’m 25 going on 12 and a half on a good day,” she laughs, flipping through a notebook filled with colorful drawings and lengthy notes.
Richard Buckner
w/ Sam Pugh, Andrew Grimm (Indie/Folk) Monday, February 27th, 2012 8:00 P.M., $20
VIDEO: “Amanda Barker” Since 2006's Meadow, fans of Richard Buckner have been clamoring for new material and wondering what was keeping their hero from releasing the new songs he would perform on the road. Well, it's a long story!
First, there was the score to a film that never happened. Then there was a brief brush with the law over a headless corpse in a burned-out car that had all eyes in Buckner's small hometown in upstate New York turned toward him and his long-suffering truck. Shortly after a move to a safer, less popular corpse dumping ground, the death of his tape machine led to yet another reboot. After Richard called in pedal steel and percussion players and put new mixes on his laptop, his new "safer" place was burglarized. Goodbye, laptop.
Buckner says: "Eventually, the recording machine was resuscitated and some of the material was recovered. Cracks were patched. Parts were redundantly re-invented. Commas were moved. Insinuations were re-insinuated until the last percussive breaths of those final OCD utterances were expelled like the final heaves of bile, wept-out long after the climactic drama had faded to a somber, blurry moment of truth and voila!, the record was done, or, let us be clear, abandoned like the charred shell of a car with a nice stereo."
The Honeycutters (Americana/Bluegrass) Thursday, March 1st, 2012 8 P.M., $10
In a world that is becoming increasingly digitalized and impersonal, the Honeycutters are building a reputation based on live performance and songs that tend to stick with you.
Singer/songwriter Amanda Anne Platt has been hailed as "one of the best songwriters coming out of WNC these days" by WNCW programming director Martin Anderson, and her voice has been described as "perfectly unadorned" and "recklessly beautiful". Lead guitarist and Producer Peter James compliments Platt's vocals with seamless harmonies and tasteful instrumentation. Tal Taylor on mandolin, Ian Harrod on bass, and Richard Faulk on the drums effortlessly round out the Honeycutters sound, creating an original brand of americana that has proved equally appealing to both the musician and the music lover, the country and the city, and the old and the young.
Recommended if you like: BR549, Elizabeth Cook, Jamey Johnson, Chris Knight
After leading several popular ‘80s cult bands in and around his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, Chuck Mead landed on Nashville’s Lower Broadway where he co-founded the famed ‘90s Alternative Country quintet BR549.
The band’s seven albums, three Grammy nominations and the Country Music Association Award for Best Overseas Touring Act would build an indelible bridge between authentic American Roots music and millions of fans worldwide. With BR on hiatus, Chuck formed The Hillbilly All-Stars featuring members of The Mavericks, co-produced popular tribute albums to Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, guest-lectured at Vanderbilt University, and became a staff writer at one of Nashville’s top song publishers. In 2009, he released his acclaimed solo debut album, Journeyman’s Wager, and toured clubs, concert halls and international Rock, Country and Rockabilly festivals with his band The Grassy Knoll Boys.
As Music Director for the Broadway smash Million Dollar Quartet, Chuck began crafting the music arrangements during the show’s original Daytona and Seattle workshop productions, supervised the musical performances for its 2008 Chicago opening, created new music material for the show’s Tony-winning Broadway run, produced the original cast album, and oversaw the music for its smash 2011 premiere at London’s Noël Coward Theatre.
Recommended if you like: Gillian Welch, The Civil Wars, Justin Townes Earle
A performance by The Milk Carton Kids is a quiet and intricate affair. Kenneth Pattengale & Joey Ryan have enjoyed intently listening audiences across the country and abroad in their respective solo careers, but an even greater sense of urgency and demand of attention is palpable now that they’ve come together as The Milk Carton Kids. Their songs are written together, but you won’t know there is more than one author. Their history together spans only one short year, but you won’t know that either. They stand close together when they play, facing each other and using microphones instead of plugging their guitars in. And if they looked more alike, they’d fool you that they were brothers.
Jim Avett (Americana/Classic Country) Sunday,March 4, 2012 7:30 P.M., $12
Recommended if you like: Hank Williams, George Jones
Jim Avett is the son of a Methodist minister and a classical pianist who grew up in a home full of love and music, a home where he learned the importance of hard work and honest living. He and his wife instilled these same values in their children, tempered with a lot of fun, and of course, music. Jim's guitar was an ever present instrument, and there was always singing.
As much as he enjoyed writing and performing his music, Jim put his family first and spent 35 years runniing his welding company, building bridges along much of the east coast in order to provide for them. After retiring from welding, he returned to music and recorded Jim Avett and Family, a collection of gospel music, with his children, Bonnie, Scott and Seth, in 2008. Soon after, in 2010, he released Tribes, a collection of original tunes ranging from soulful love ballads like the title track to the more lighthearted, "Fight with a Bottle of Booze".
In Second Chance, Jim's latest offering, the influences of classic country and early rock and roll are apparent. Once again, he draws on life experiences to write songs about love ("Pictures in the Attic"), boyhood memories ("Willard"), and loss ("Holy Ground").
One comes away from a Jim Avett performance with the feeling that this is an honest man sharing his life and his love of music. It's like spending the evening on the front porch singing and talking with a good friend.
The Black Lillies
w/ Jen Van Meter, The McTell Brothers (Authentic Country) Thursday, March 8, 2012 8 P.M., $15
Recommended if you like: Randy Travis, Dan Tyminski, Steel Wheels
Those familiar with the background of Black Lillies frontman Cruz Contreras are often struck with a single question when the man opens his mouth to sing:
Why?
Why, given the rich baritone that can range from languid to intense, from reverently hushed to brashly bombastic, did it take so long?
Obviously, he’s no stranger to music. He is the man who loaned out his initials to Robinella and the CCstringband, which flirted with national fame a few years ago with a hit (“Man Over”) on Country Music Television and an appearance on “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” in 2003. Maybe it took a while for him to find his voice – not the literal one, the one that makes you think of Randy Travis or Dan Tyminski or even the great Ralph Stanley in his prime. We’re talking about that other voice – the one steeped in regret, seasoned with pain and tempered in the fires of hard times.
You see, Cruz almost gave it all up. After records on Sony and Dualtone, Robinella and the CCstringband split – figuratively and literally. Cruz lost his wife, his home, his way. It’s a funny thing, though, the way music takes hold of a man. He spent the summer of 2008 driving a truck, and by the end of that year had the skeleton of an album ready to go.
Whiskey Angel was born from the ashes of one career, and shortly after its release, the East Tennessee music scene learned quickly that Cruz was as much of a bandleader as his ex-wife was when he stood in her shadow. In fact, Whiskey Angel made you forget there was ever anything for Cruz Contreras before The Black Lillies – the band that he brought together to record an entire album over the course of a weekend in his living room.
The Roadhouse Clams
w/ Karen Collins and the Backroads Band (Alt-Country) Friday, March 9th, 2012 8 pm, $12
Recommended if you like: Johnny Cash, Ween, Rolling Stones, Southern Culture on the Skids
The Roadhouse Clams are a way of life. Their bourbon-infused, redneck rock & roll ignited a swamp boogie passion from Tilghman to Tokyo, blending backroad blues with old-school country and topping it off with sinfully twisted lyrics that sing about everything from UFOs landing in trailer parks to love songs like “I Like You Better When You’ve Been Drinking”.
Outram (Rock) Saturday, March 10th, 2012 8 P.M., $10
Outram started back in 2008, stopping in the summer of 2010, than returning in 2011 with members, Fredrik Lunkvist-Drums, Brandon Bailey-Bass, and Brandon Kaiser-Guitar/vocals.
This is one of the area's best up and coming bands - a great testament to the talent developing locally.
Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors find themselves in the midst of a creative revival of popular music in Nashville, where artists like Kings of Leon, Jack White, Mat Kearney, and a legion of other national acts have re-invented the reputation of Nashville as a hotbed of music beyond the realm of Country.
Holcomb and his band have found their own unique niche in this scene, with their 2008 LP, Passenger Seat, and their 2009 EP, Live Forever, both debuting at #2 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts. They’ve also had multiple TV placements on shows like NBC’s Parenthood, Oprah, Army Wives, The Cleaner, and others, proving that Holcomb’s career has stretched far beyond the TN state limits where he was born and raised.
Drymill Road (Bluegrass) Friday, March 16, 2012 8 P.M., $12
Drymill Road is an americana bluegrass band playing high energy and heartfelt original material featuring the songwriting of Sean Loomis. The band also offers its own renditions of popular covers.
Drymill Road was formed by band leader Sean Loomis in 2008. Originally a trio, the band included current members, Sean Loomis on Vocals and Guitar and Dave Hurt on Bass, both of whom are masters of their instruments and, graduates of the Shenandoah University Music program.
In October 2009 the band recruited Doug Ross on mandolin and Robert Mabe on Banjo. Both of whom are heavily influenced by traditional music.
As a four piece band, Drymill Road has a rich full sound, using each instrument as a voice, the band takes you on a wild harmonic journey.
McAdoo (Rock) Saturday, March 17th, 2012 8:00 P.M., $12
Driving riffs and melodic vocals with beats that roam you through the countryside, but that's not the point, here is a band born from dirt with a sound that only experience can provide. Currently calling Maryland's Eastern Shore their home, with roots throughout the mid-atlantic region comes "McAdoo".
Bitch (Folk/Rock) Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 8:00 P.M., $15 Advance/$20 Day of
Bitch's musical journey has taken her from classical-violin training in the suburbs to experimental flicks in NYC. After leaving the outskirts of Detroit for the artier charms of Chicago—Bitch's unconventional and outspoken approach to performance caught the attention of a number of indie luminaries. She took fiddling lessons with Andrew Bird, serendipitously stumbled upon future co-conspirator, Animal at acting school, moved to New York to make their own 'theater' (Bitch and Animal) and recorded and toured with Ani DiFranco (who released Bitch and Animal's records on Righteous Babe). This association yielded an international following, introducing the world to Bitch’s left-of-center and controversial brand of performance.
Naked Blue (Pop/Singer-Songwriter) Friday, March 23rd, 2011 8 pm, $15
Recommended if you like: Sheryl Crow, Aimee Mann, Jonatha Brooke
Borrowing from the Americana tradition, but firmly grounded with a pleasing pop sensibility, the performing songwriter team, Jen and Scott Smith, and their band, Naked Blue, have become a mainstay on the folk/pop scene.
They met in a music store in Baltimore in 1989, quit their day jobs together in 1991 and have been writing, recording & performing music ever since. The strength of their songwriting is evident in the way they have continued to trasition between full band performances at venues like DAR Constitution Hall & Webster Hall and acoustic shows at small intimate venues & house concerts.
Recommended if you like: Hank Williams, George Jones
"Arty Hill is currently setting the bar for male country singers." - John Conquest, 3rd Coast Music Magazine
"Some call this music modern honky tonk. Heck, this is the way country music should sound, period." - Elmore Magazine
From Baltimore, MD to Central Texas, Arty Hill is packing the bars and dance floors with his unique brand of Modern Honky Tonk. He sings with an "'everyman' quality…reminiscent of Johnny Cash." (Vintage Guitar Magazine).
His songs - marrying the soul of classic country with the wry storytelling of Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt - have been recorded by Rockabilly Queen Bee Marti Brom, Austin’s Texas Sapphires, the Grammy-nominated Kenny and Amanda Smith Band, and award-winning Alt-Country pioneers Jason & the Scorchers. And with his recordings topping the FAR chart, it's no wonder Rambles.net calls him "a country songwriter of the first order."His latest recording, "Another Lost Highway," is an epic combination of bluegrass, Texas shuffles, big rockers and ballads. "From 'Victoria's Secret Is Safe With Me' to 'Halfway House' to 'Blackwater Wildlife,' Arty Hill and band deliver 12 radio-ready tunes that eclipse anything else being released today under the 'country' label. Bruce Price (KNON, Dallas, TX)
Pearl and the Beard is three voices, one cello, one guitar, one glockenspiel, one melodica, several drums, ninety-six teeth, and one soul.
Their live show is like nothing you’ve ever experienced. The band captivates their audience from first note to last, leaving fans and press alike completely engrossed in the world they’ve created with their soaring and sensual songs.
From subway platform to park to field to brightly lit venue stage, Pearl and the Beard takes over whatever space they occupy, including the people occupying it with them, prompting The Wall Street Journal to comment “…as Pearl and the Beard joyfully belted... to a growing crowd on the [subway] platform… commuters missed their trains to stay and listen, unsure what was happening—only that it was a New York moment not to be missed.”
Like all families, Kopecky Family Band beats with the same heart and writes in the same blood. The Family began creating music together in Nashville, Tennessee in the Fall of 2007. What started as late night talks about life and dreams gradually flowed into eccentric and beautiful music that has propelled this band into the forefront of the fast-moving Nashville music scene.
Leading the family are singers Gabe and Kelsey, along with Steven (lead guitar), Corey (bass), Markus (cello), Benjamin (violin), and David (drums). The emotion of their music is raw and vulnerable whilst maintaining an unmistakable power and presence. The sounds created by the booming and orchestral septet challenge the listener’s ear while still offering simply melodies to sing along with.
The Joe Krown Trio featuring: Joe Krown (Hammond B-3) Walter Wolfman Washington (guitar & vocals) Russell Batiste (drums & background vocals)
(New Orleans Jazz/Blues) Saturday, March 31st, 2012 2 Shows, 7:30 and 9:30 $30
Joe Krown, Walter Wolfman Washington & Russell Batiste started playing together in March 2007, performing every Sunday at a local New Orleans nightclub, the Maple Leaf Bar.
The combination of the soulful vocals of Walter with the big sound of the Hammond B-3 (on which Joe also plays all of the bass parts) and the masterful drumming skills of Russell Batiste Jr. has developed it's own unique sound.
"A killer collaboration between three of New Orleans greatest players!" Jan Ramsey, - offBEAT Magazine.
Recommended if you like: Tab Benoit, Ronnie Earl, Walter Trout
Wow. This is going to be special.
Whether Jimmy Thackery headlines a festival in South Dakota or jams for hours in one of numerous blues bars that dot the musical landscape, he'll always unleash an intense volley of rockin' blues guitar guaranteed to leave crowds emotionally spent.
His double edged guitar dynamics allow him to fire off tracer missiles, bend a note so it will fit under a limbo bar, run off dive bomber riffs, and find space within the trembling of one stinging note. "I put all my senses on hold and find the zone and follow what's inside. There's an electricity from your mind to your heart to your fingers. You just try and remember to breathe."
Jonny Corndawg
w/ Shovels and Rope, Robert Ellis (Country/Indie) Thursday, April 5, 2012 8 P.M., $20
Recommended if you like: Merle Haggard, Deer Tick, Billy Joe Shaver
Jonny Corndawg is a country singer, not a singer-songwriter. Born in Montana, raised in rural Virginia, Corndawg has been touring on his motorcycle since he dropped out of school in 2001. He's played shows in every U.S. state, Canada and eleven European countries, Australia, Argentina and India.
In addition to pursuing the lost art of the Real Deal, Corndawg is an airbrushing, leather-working, marathon-running, truck-driving American. Born and Bred.
Rebecca Loebe may best be best known for her appearance on NBC's The Voice, but people in the singer/songwriter scene have know about her for years. The folk-singing Berklee College of Music graduate is no stranger to paying dues. For the past four years, she's traveled through 35 states playing shows in every conceivable venue. She jams on her dad's old guitar and funded her last album with donations from fans. Adam Levine of Maroon 5 told her on the Voice, "“I love listening to you sing, in a genuine way…”
San Diego singer/songwriter Jenn Grinels doesn’t simply impress critics, she floors them:
"Grinels began to sing and the whole room stopped breathing ... the words fell from her mouth like gems. A woman in the corner of the cafe cried."\ - Southeast Missourian
"Grinels’ natural strength and talent guarantees superstardom in her future" - The MCLA Beacon
Peppino D’Agostino doesn’t just play the guitar. He composes, arranges, collaborates, improvises and has even been known to sing a song here and there in both English and Italian. But what he does create on the guitar makes the difference between simply playing and truly making music apparent in the most wonderful ways.
D’Agostino has been hailed as “a guitarist’s guitarist” by Acoustic Guitar magazine as well as “a giant of the acoustic guitar” (San Diego Reader), and holds many top guitar awards, but the San Francisco Chronicle encapsulated the essential difference that distinguishes D’Agostino’s music when it dubbed him “a poet.”
That poetic eloquence, grace and magic suffuses Nine White Kites, his first album of new compositions for the guitar in a decade (during which time he’s done much else wonderful with his musical talents). The set of 11 songs and two bonus tracks launches with the soaring fingerpicking of the title track, leading the listener through a tour de force showcase of D’Agostino’s mastery and artistry.
Patrick Sweany (Folk/Rock/Americana) Thursday, April 12th, 2012 8 P.M., $12
Recommended if you like: Hank Williams, George Jones
"If there was any justice in this old world, Patrick Sweany would already be a big star! Since deserving doesn’t seem to have much to do with anything, it’s up to us to treat ourselves to Pat’s new recordings. Quite simply, he’s just the best… and I’ve been a fan for a long time. Dig it yourself and tell a friend!" - Jorma Kaukonen (Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane)
"Patrick speaks the truth in his songs." - Dan Auerbach (Black Keys)
Patrick Sweany likes the spaces in between.
On a given night (or on a given album) he'll swing through blues, folk, soul, bluegrass, maybe some classic 50s rock, or a punk speedball. He's a musical omnivore, devouring every popular music sound of the last 70 years, and mixing 'em all together seamlessly into his own stew. Yet, the one thing that most people notice about Patrick isn't his ability to copy - it's his authenticity.
Melvin Taylor (Blues) Saturday, Aoril 14th, 2012 2 Shows - 7:30 and 9:30 P.M. $22
Melvin Taylor was born in 1959 in Jackson, Mississippi. His musical roots however have always been in Chicago, where he moved with his music-loving, guitar playing family when he was just three years old. Melvin started playing guitar himself at a very young age and was inspired and influenced by some of the world's greatest blues players - many of whom lived in or near his Chicago neighborhood.
By the time he was a teenager, Melvin's incredible ability and unique style was already grabbing attention on Maxwell Street. And indeed when Joe Willie Pinetop' Perkins needed a great guitarist to play his European tour, he invited Melvin to join the Legendary Blues Band. Melvin made an immediate impact on the European circuit, and while he was in France, he cut two albums - Blues on the Run in 1982, and Plays the Blues for You in 1984.
Following his return to the United States, Melvin recorded four additional CDs through Evidence Music - Bang That Bell in 1999, Dirty Pool in 2002, Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band in 2003, and Rendezvous With the Blues in 2004.
American Aquarium (Folk/Rock/Americana) Tuesday, April 17th, 2012 8 P.M., $15
Hailing from Raleigh, NC, American Aquarium’s southern musical perspective is a blend of honest songwriting, an unwavering work ethic, and a genuine love of rock & roll. Whether you call it alt-country, Americana, or roots rock, one thing is for certain: Their music is a fresh voice that borrows from many forms of the American songbook.
25-year old songwriter and band leader, BJ Barham, brings songs to the five other band mates who breathe life into a performance that is equal parts Springsteen-esque rock bravado, old-school country lyrical heartbreak, and indie-rock introspection. From the college coeds to tattooed bikers and hipsters, the band has demonstrated their ability to cross boundaries.
With 5 years, 5 albums, and over 700 shows under their belts, American Aquarium is the continuance of the road warrior meets studio craftsman ethic that has long been a part of the rock & roll and country music cultures. They are a band and crew that spend their lives between a van with no air-conditioning and stages all across the country. Their collaboration forms a wholly new and polished version of what Americana might start to look like in the years to come.
The Erin Bode Group creates music forged from the Americana of its members' midwestern roots, infused with jazz grooves and made magic by Bode's bell-like voice.
Sophisticated arrangements and attention to phrasing, both vocal and instrumental, further distinguish the band's fresh sound. Their most recent release, Photograph, was released in November 2010.
Beyond a mere change of style or genre, "Photograph" represents the evolution of a band that began its earliest days as a jazz ensemble just a few short years ago, thru infusions of pop and world music influences on their sophomore effort, culminating in a new collection of songs that are equal parts refined song craftsmanship just as much as they are an homage to the best in pop music of the last 40 years.
The songs on "Photograph" are at once radio-friendly and instantly-singable. They are exuberant and joyful with lyrics introspective, mature and hopeful. This record is exceptional visual storytelling.
They say, "the journey is the thing". Erin Bode and her band have been on quite an expedition while working on, "Photograph" and they have some breathtaking postcards to share with you. You'll thank them for the road trip.
Deanna Bogart (Blues/Jazz/R&B) 2 Night Stand Thursday and Friday April 19th and 20th, 2012 8 P.M. each night, $25
Recommended if you like: Jerry Lee Lewis, Marcia Ball, Carole King
Down Beat magazine describes Deanna Bogart as "an extravagant entertainer"-- and entertaining is what Bogart does best.
The Maryland-based blues and boogie pianist / saxophonist combines the energy of 1930's style boogie piano blues with contemporary blues sounds emanating from places like New Orleans, Chicago and Memphis. "The goal when we play live," says Bogart, "is to create a fusion of all these different musical styles with the blues and boogie genuinely at the core."
One of the region's best live acts.
Toy Soldiers (Rock) Saturday, April 21st, 2012 8 P.M., $15
Toy Soldiers is: Ron Gallo - Singing, Guitar, Harmonica Dominic Billett - Drums, Singing Matt Kelly - Guitar, Lap Steel, Singing Bill McCloskey - Bass Luke Leidy - Keys
Toy Soldiers was born in the fall of 2007 as a duo between Ron Gallo and drummer Mike Baurer. The release of their first album “Whisper Down the Lane”, described as a “gritty, dirty collection of liquor-fueled Americana music. Shifting flawlessly from roots, to blues, to country, to rockabilly…an undeniable barn-burner” marked the beginning of the “big-band era” of Toy Soldiers, which Gallo was joined by upwards of 11 members at times.
In the fall of 2010, inspired by a disastrous tour, Gallo stepped back and reformed the band to a solid core lineup consisting of Lancaster, PA based musicians Dominic Billett (Drums), Matt Kelly (Guitar), Bill McCloskey (Bass) and Luke Leidy (Keys).
Since then, the band was nominated in three categories and won an Independent Music Award for their song “Throw Me Down”, toured behind and released a brand new EP titled “Get Through the Time”, and recorded a split EP in Nashville with good friend and songwriter Jordan Hull released in 2011.
In January 2012, they are going into the studio with Producer/Engineer Bill Moriarty (Dr. Dog, Man Man) to make their next full-length record.
Callaghan (Folk/Indie) Sunday, April 22, 2012 7 P.M., $10
Recommended if you like: Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareilles
In the Summer of 2010 British singer-songwriter Callaghan packed up her life in London and moved to Atlanta to work with one of her musical heroes - Grammy Nominee Shawn Mullins. Mullins had heard her music through MySpace.
After being knocked out by her voice and songs, he offered to produce the young singer’s first album. Speaking about her, Mullins says simply: “The world needs more singer-songwriters like Callaghan. Her voice is original and pure and she truly shines through as the real deal”
Performing on piano and guitar, Callaghan combines sounds from Americana, Folk and Pop and a vocal which earns frequent comparisons with artists like Sarah McLachlan and Norah Jones. Her songs chronicle stories and moments from her own life and from others she knows or imagines. You’ll recognise times you have experienced in her thoughtful lyrics and haunting vocals, and her catchy melodies will have you tapping your feet and singing along. Since making Georgia her home, Callaghan has been selling out shows at local venues like Eddie’s Attic and The Crimson Moon.
She’s also been on the road opening Shawn’s tour across the USA, performing in more than 25 states and earning TV and radio appearances.
Her debut album ‘Life in Full Colour’ is now on limited release to show audiences and will get it’s full release in Spring 2012. The record kicks off with ‘Best Year’, an upbeat, optimistic song about her decision to take a chance and move to America. For a free download of ‘Best Year’ and to see the video which shows Callaghan on tour across the USA please visit www.callaghansongs.com
Chris Knight
w/ Dave Majerowicz (Folk/Country) Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 8:00 P.M., $25
Chris Knight pulls no punches. He weaves tales that have no way out and no happy conclusions. They challenge the listener to not be what his characters have become. And unlike other country-pop stars, not only are all the songs his own, they are heart-wrenchingly filled with emotion.
Recommended if you like: Erykah Badu, Anita O'Day, Bobby McFerrin
Originally from Rochester, New York, Paris-based vocalist Victoria Rummler has a clear, sensual voice that runs the gamut of notes and emotions. Her musical journey began in the car, harmonizing with her dad and siblings on long drives. Piano lessons quickly followed, leading to clarinet, dance, theater, the Williams College Ephlats, a cabaret group in Munich, Germany, and the release of her latest album, "am I am," a playful jazz-pop exploration of standards and original tunes.
Pianist Nico Morelli, from southern Italy, is highly sought-after both as a soloist and accompanist for the biggest names in European jazz. His many recordings include "Unfolkettable," a blend of hard bop with the "tarantella" style from his native region, Apulia.
“Vicki and Nico” have performed as a duo throughout Europe and the USA. Together, they swing through a selection of standards and compositions with astonishing agility, inventiveness and wit.
Join the Whoopie Queen Cyndy Bragg, Laurie Forster, The Stand-up Sommelier (aka The Wine Coach) and the rest of this all female comedy troupe for a hilarious night where you can wine a little and laugh alot!
Fresh off their sold out show at the DC IMPROV these ladies have an edgy and fun take on love and sex, as well as the comedy of everyday life. Whether you are single, married with children or just not sure, this show will be tons of fun! In between comics there will be trivia questions and lots of amazing prizes.
Join us for a night that will have you stitches...in between sips of wine that is!
Tien is a Los Angeles-based singer songwriter whose music incorporates folk, soul, rock, blues, and bossa nova. While studying philosophy at USC, Tien began developing a following as a member of the L.A. indie-rock group, Dayplayer.
Born and raised in Easton, Maryland, Tien also supports and performs for various causes such as Invisible Children and the American Cancer Society. In 2010, Tien released his first full-band CD, entitled Starboard Sessions, and his second album is in the works.
Tom Principato Band (Blues) Saturday, May 12th, 2012 8pm, $22 2 Shows - 7:30 and 9:30pm
More often than not, the settings for the oft-told stories about legendary music performances are typically small, intimate jazz and blues clubs. The stories themselves are part of the music scene’s mythology; interlaced in what becomes the legacy of any great musician who develops a reputation as one of the best in their business.
Tom Principato is regarded in that way in his hometown of Washington D.C., and the legendary performances in that city’s small venues that created his reputation are well documented on his website. There are pictures of Principato with his friend and frequent playing partner, the great Danny Gatton, before Gatton’s untimely death in 1994. There are also pictures of him with a who’s who of Blues legends; Stevie Ray Vaughan in Baltimore in 1984 and B.B. King in D.C. during the same time period.
We are happy to present Tom and his band for what is sure to be another sold out show, in the type of setting you rarely get to see him in any more.
Guitarist Charlie Hunter is a musician on a journey. Never to be satisfied with a ravishingly successful recording career spanning 17 albums, he has continued to explore his own musical tastes, following the currents of his musical self. Continuing the evolution of his style and sound, Public Domain is Charlie Hunter's solo take on 11 bona fide classic tunes that have been around long enough for their copyrights, but not their charms, to have expired. His first solo album in 10 years, the material chosen for Public Domain, all of it close to Hunter's heart, is woven into the fabric of our collective cultural history.
Since the debut of Charlie Hunter Trio in '93, Hunter has recorded 17 albums and worked with Miles Perkins, Les Claypool, John Ellis, Bobby Previte, Leon Parker, Mos Def, Norah Jones, Adam Cruz, and John Mayer to name just a few.
