- Categories
-
Tags
60's British 80's Acoustic Amy Speace Antje archie fisher Barry Goudreau Beatles Bill Staines Bluegrass blues Bob Dylan Carolyn Waters Catie Curtis Chad and Jeremy Classic Rock Club 47 coffeehouse country Country Music Dan Fogelberg Dance Danielle Dar Williams Denny Laine festival fiddle Fishing Folk folk alliance folk new england Folk Rock garden Gary Backstrom gloucester guthrie Hayley Reardon hayley Reardon concert dedham healing jez lowe Karla Bonoff keelaghan Kerri Powers Brendan Hogan last waltz Les Sampou les sampou rock folk Live Music lorraine hammond Lowell maine Marina Evans music in common Neil Young new bedford New england folk music archives Passim Patty Larkin Paul Simon Peter and Gordon Peter Yarrow Peter. Paul and Mary Piano Puff Regent Theatre rev tor Richmond rock Rock Music singer Singer Songwriter songwriter Steely Dan the band The Last Waltz Live The Sea The Sea Todd Rundgren Tom Rush waltham waterfront Wings Winter
![Carole Wise / Cold Chocolate @ Rose Garden Coffeehouse](https://lastdanceproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Carole-Wise-Cold-Chocolate-350x350-1-300x300.jpg)
Carole Wise and Cold Chocolate
Our split bill features Maine singer-songwriter Carole Wise, the winner of our 2022 Rose Garden Performing Songwriter Competition, and Cold Chocolate, the Boston-based folk/bluegrass fusion duo of Ethan Robbins and Ariel Bernstein.
Carole Wise is a singer/songwriter from Brunswick Maine. Her music is sweet and soulful, drawing on a lifelong passion for education, the beauty of the natural world, and the adventures of finding truth through life’s challenges.
Carole Wise’s new album, THE LONG WAY HOME, is a compilation of lyric and melody that grew from its creative seed: a calling of the heart. Listeners will connect their own life journeys home – to a physical space, self or new beginnings – in Carole’s songs of gratitude and courage. Themes of nature, social justice, emotions and feelings infuse her songs with meaning: “The album is about our human journey and each song, a chosen path. On what journey will our paths cross?”
Cold Chocolate is a genre-bending Americana band that fuses folk, funk, and bluegrass to create a unique sound all their own. Featuring Ethan Robbins on guitar, Ariel Bernstein on percussion, and backed by some of the root’s music scene’s finest players, this group from Boston is impressing audiences throughout New England and beyond. Punctuated by tight harmonies and skillful musicianship, and with a focus on songwriting, Cold Chocolate has quickly gained recognition for their original music and high-energy shows. The band has shared bills with Leftover Salmon and David Grisman, and regularly performs at venues and music festivals up and down the East Coast.
For more Last Dance Productions Events, click here.
![On A Winter's Night @ Regent Theatre](https://lastdanceproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Lucy-Kaplansky-300x251.jpg)
Patty Larkin, John Gorka, Cliff Eberhardt, Lucy Kaplansky
Presenting the Reunion Tour of “On A Winter’s Night” from veteran singer-songwriters that remain among the brightest stars of the singer/songwriter movement for the past three decades. In 1994 Christine Lavin gathered them together, along with folk and Americana artists to showcase music of the Winter Season on the now-classic On A Winter’s Night CD, followed by several years of touring collaborations. These artists have released dozens of recordings and toured steadily through the decades, with fond memories of their touring days together. The winter season is again celebrated by these unique and popular performers, back together by popular demand.
![Peter Asher In Concert @ An Unlikely Story](https://lastdanceproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Peter-Asher-Joe-Carduci-Photographer-240x300.jpg)
PETER ASHER: A MUSICAL MEMOIR OF THE 60S AND BEYOND
Entertainment legend Peter Asher–whose voice, as one half of Peter & Gordon, “literally soared through Carnegie Hall” (Fox News)– brings his 4 piece ensemble to the event space of Plainville’s An Unlikely Story for a JUST ADDED 2 p.m. live performance in the book store’s first ever concert event.
“…as Mr. Asher regaled a delighted audience with stories… he conjured history in the making, before it was set in stone.” – Stephen Holden, New York Times
“…the exuberant Mr. Asher knew anyone who rocked and everyone who mattered.” –Wall Street Journal
“An all-around charming and delightful fellow — he reminisces about his whole career and it is highly entertaining” – Steve Martin
“Everybody should go and see it — I’ve seen it myself twice” – Linda Ronstadt
“The Man, The Myth, The Legend! …and a true friend! Great wit and music. A true storyteller! What more could you possibly want? Don’t miss this!”–Hans Zimmer
We first came to know him through the global smash “World Without Love” as one half of the British Invasion duo Peter & Gordon. He returns–now a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire– in “Peter Asher: A Musical Memoir of the 60s and Beyond” which brings a multimedia experience to the stage of An Unlikely Story., hosted by the two-time Grammy winner for Producer of the Year. Peter Asher moved effortlessly from his role with Peter & Gordon to Music Executive with the Beatles’ Apple Records, then famously- (as in cover of Rolling Stone magazine level famous)- to Producer and Manager, handling the careers of James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and a host of others. Books abound, documentaries with half-truths (and worse) are all too common, but, now, finally, Mr. Asher tells first hand his tales from the eye of the cultural hurricane in this intimate evening in Plainville, Massachusetts.
For more Last Dance Productions Events, click here.
![Patty Larkin In Concert w/ Crys Matthews @ Maxwell Auditorium](https://lastdanceproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Untitled-design-300x251.png)
![A Healing Garden Benefit: Jamie Walker & Friends with The Gravel Project featuring Jen Kearney @ Regent Theatre](https://lastdanceproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/healing-photo-300x169.jpg)
Presented by Patio Records
Laurie Young (vocals, trumpet) brings the role of the goddess to the forefront and co-fronts the band
Joe Donnelly (drums) of the Del Fuegos, Swinging Steaks, and Wall of Grass
Pat Dreier (Keyboards, vocals) of the Lines and the Drive
Dave Weden (guitar/banjo) and Clayton Young (bass, vocals) of John Cate and the Van Gough Brothers
Dennis Semprebon (drums and percussion) of Craig Carter and the Hurricanes
Brad Kohl (saxophone) of Hot Acoustics and Group Therapy
![The Kennedys @ The Rose Garden Coffeehouse](https://lastdanceproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/The-Kennedys-300x218.jpg)
The Kennedys, Songwriting duo Pete and Maura Kennedy make a strong return to the studio and stage after three years of weekly live-streamed lockdown-era concerts. They took the opportunity to explore classic songwriting in-depth, performing over a thousand songs during the pandemic. That vast overview strengthened and refined their own writing and laid the foundation for this new collection of original, socially-conscious songs.
“After such a deep dive into American roots music, we felt like we had a new set of writing tools. We were ready to create this body of work, and there’s just SO much to write about,” says Maura. “During our five-year hiatus from writing and recording, America changed in massive ways, divisive ways that have shaken our whole foundation. That has to be addressed by creative artists, those of us who have a voice to speak for others. Our love of the great things about this country, things that are under threat, is the reason we decided to make “Headwinds” the title track of the CD. Political and social headwinds are making it hard to get back “home’ to our greatness as a nation. We want to push back in a positive way against those winds.”
In addition to singing and writing, Pete and Maura are multi-instrumentalists. The thirteen songs are cast in a soundscape that draws from the classic canon of American roots, in keeping with the theme of getting back “home” as a nation. Acoustic and electric guitars, a vintage steel guitar, a gospel-inflected piano/organ mix, and even a slide ukulele all add colors to a song bag of sounds that have drawn us together during hard times. Pete and Maura believe that those sounds still have the power to pull us through again.
The Kennedys began their writing and touring life three decades ago as members of Nanci Griffith’s Blue Moon Orchestra, developing their own sound as a frequent support act on Nanci’s tours across America, Ireland, Scotland and England. Collaborations with Nanci continued, culminating in Pete and Maura producing her final album, “Intersections.” Along the way, they hosted a nationwide radio program, “The Dharma Cafe” on Sirius/XM, wrote and released sixteen CDs of original music, and have been core artists on folk radio, expanding their audience further with the inception of the AAA and Americana formats.
More Last Dance Productions events here.
Presenting the Reunion Tour of “On A Winter’s Night” from veteran singer-songwriters that remain among the brightest stars of the singer/songwriter movement for the past three decades. In 1994 Christine Lavin gathered them together, along with folk and Americana artists to showcase music of the Winter Season on the now-classic On A Winter’s Night CD, followed by several years of touring collaborations. These artists have released dozens of recordings and toured steadily through the decades, with fond memories of their touring days together. The winter season is again celebrated by these unique and popular performers, back together by popular demand.
One of the most original songsmiths currently on tour, Eberhardt is a highly intelligent, articulate artist whose penetrating and profound lyrics are sometimes overshadowed by his extraordinary guitar playing. Upon close listening, the Philadelphia-born singer’s gift for the English language is abundantly clear. The words that tumble from his mouth are framed by a raspy yet deeply elegant voice. Like John Hammond and Richie Havens, Eberhardt continues to carry the torch for traditional and contemporary folk music through his strong live shows. Whether he’s out on tour solo or with a small band, Eberhardt’s guitar playing, singing, and original folk songs and blues make for a compelling, thought-filled, emotional roller coaster of a concert.
Hailed by Rolling Stone as “the leading singer/songwriter of the New Folk movement,” John Gorka is perhaps the quintessential singer-songwriter of the 90’s folk scene. Originally from New Jersey, John served an apprenticeship at Godfrey Daniels coffeehouse in Bethlehem, PA, then the Greenwich Village Fast Folk scene. Winning the prestigious New Folk award at the Kerrville Folk Festival, in 1984, he was then signed to Red House Records on which he released his landmark first of 17 recordings, I Know. Boston Globe penned Gorka “for the sophisticated intelligence and the provocative originality of his songs.” Recent accolades include 2016’s Indie Acoustic Project’s Best Singer/Songwriter CD of the Year for Before Beginning (Red House Records). 2018 brought his latest release, and 14th of his career, True In Time (Compass Records). True In Time (Compass Records).
On A Winter’s Night
“A truly gifted performer…full of enchanting songs” (New York Times). Blending country, folk and pop styles, Lucy has the unique ability to make every song sound fresh, whether singing her own sweet originals, covering country classics by June Carter Cash and Gram Parsons, or singing pop favorites by Lennon/McCartney and Nick Lowe. Lucy’s iconic voice has been featured in film and on television, including commercials like Chevrolet’s iconic “Heartbeat of America” jingle. A Billboard-charting singer and one of the top-selling artists on Red House Records, she has topped the folk and Americana radio charts and has been featured on shows throughout the world from NPR’s Weekend and Morning Editions to BBC Radio to CBS Sunday Morning. One of the most in-demand harmony singers, Lucy has sung on countless records, performing with Suzanne Vega, Bryan Ferry, Nanci Griffith, and Shawn Colvin.
She redefines the boundaries of folk-urban pop music with her inventive guitar wizardry and uncompromising lyrics and vocals. Acoustic Guitar Magazine hails her, “soundscape experiments” while Rolling Stone praises her, “evocative and sonic shading.” She has been described as, “riveting” (Chicago Tribune), “hypnotic” (Entertainment Weekly), and a “drop-dead brilliant” performer (Performing Songwriter). Recently an Artist-in-Residence at Berklee College of Music – and now on the faculty at Fine Arts Work Center – Larkin reflects, “I have been energized by the poets, writers, and artists I have met while teaching, and find myself on a journey to break down some of the predictable pathways that songs can travel.” Bird in a Cage, her 14th CD now available, puts poems from ten notable poets to song, including US Poet Laureates William Carlos Williams, Stanley Kunitz, Kay Ryan, Robert Pinsky, and Billy Collins, for a new and haunting collection that pulses with the magic of lyricism. Poems are made to be shared aloud, and with Bird, Patty takes up that tradition and sets it aglow.
You’ll undoubtedly be warm On This Winter’s Night.
More Last Dance Productions events here.
![The Jim Kweskin Extravaganza @ Regent Theatre](https://lastdanceproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Photo-4-Maria-Muldaur-Jim-Kweskin-Geoff-Muldaur-300x133.jpg)
The Jim Kweskin Extravaganza is a live concert that will honor and celebrate Jim’s legacy and his contributions to the music industry over the past 60-plus years.
Jim Kweskin is the founder of the legendary 1960s Jim Kweskin Jug Band with Fritz Richmond, Geoff Muldaur, Maria Muldaur, Mel Lyman, and Bruno Wolfe. During the five years they were together, they successfully transformed the sounds of pre-World War II rural music into a springboard for their good-humored performances. Their imitators were legion, including a San Francisco jug band that became the Grateful Dead, a Los Angeles jug band that became the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and a New York jug band that became the Lovin’ Spoonful. No other group attained their unique blend of youthful energy and antiquarian expertise, tight musicianship, loose camaraderie, and infectious swing.
The concert will feature songs from Jim’s soon-to-be-released recording on StorySound Records, Never Too Late: Jim Kweskin, Duets with My Friends, which will be released on Friday, January 26, 2024. The show will also feature artists and songs from Jim’s storied career, including the renowned and influential Jim Kweskin Jug Band.
Scheduled to appear along with Jim Kweskin, are Maria Muldaur, Geoff Muldaur, Samoa Wilson, Annie Raines, Paul Rishell, Juli Crockett, Suzy Thompson, and Matthew Berlin. Additional artists appearing will be announced soon.
More Last Dance Productions events here.
![Danielle Miraglia @ The Mass Arts Center](https://lastdanceproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/410f2724-13cf-4e71-a62c-c779fdca1a4c-300x158.jpg)
Danielle Miraglia comes armed with a strong steady thumb on an old Gibson and an infectious stomp-box rhythm with tunes ranging from heart-felt to socially conscious that will move both your heart and hips. Her latest “Bright Shining Stars” debuted at #15 on the Billboard Blues Charts. Cascade Blues Association calls it “… tough as rawhide, but smooth as blended whiskey.” Released Oct 2020 with Vizztone Label Group, it’s a solo acoustic folk/blues record that highlights the one-woman-band live sound she’s honed over the years, featuring guest appearances by talented friends Laurence Scudder, Peter Parcek and Richard “Rosy” Rosenblatt. It includes originals as well as a collection of songs she covers at live shows, paying homage to influences like Big Bill Broonzy, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and more, plus the title track “Bright Shining Stars,” written by her husband, Tom Bianchi.
For More Last Dance Productions events, click here.
![Vance Gilbert In Concert @ The Rose Garden Coffeehouse](https://lastdanceproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC06845_EXP3-2023050162901-300x200.jpg)
Vance Gilbert is a versatile and influential acoustic singer-songwriter, performer, and coach. He has released 14 albums and performed at prestigious festivals and venues, and he’s performed at the Rose Garden probably a half-dozen times over the years. His latest album, “The Mother Of Trouble”, showcases his storytelling skills and diverse musical influences. Vance is the perfect musician to inspire our trio of songwriters participating that night in our 32nd Performing Songwriter Competition.
“If Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens had a love child, with Rodney Dangerfield as the midwife, the results might be something close to the great Vance Gilbert”, says Richmond Magazine.
Vance’s new album, “The Mother Of Trouble”, features Grammy winner Lori McKenna on background vocals, Juno award recipient and Bonnie Raitt Grammy hit song co-writer Joey Landreth on guitars, and Americana-Roots master mandolinist Joe K. Walsh. With 4 bullies, 4 deaths (3 of them murders), 3 moms, 2 accidents, 2 Black people, 2 dogs, 1 dog ball, 1 gay kid, and 1 missed flight thanks to gas station sushi, this album benefits from the gifts of time and experience honing songwriting skills that put this most vital of acoustic storytellers at the top of the game.
Oh, and Management wants to make sure to tell you that this is the 14th release for this acoustic stalwart.
30 years into his career, the songwriter’s influence can be felt all over the contemporary Folk and Americana realm as he has helped pave the way for many of the BIPOC artists who have followed.
For more Last Dance Productions events, click here.