The Lowell Folk Festival strives to present the very finest traditional artists from across the country. Festival stages reverberate with the sounds of traditional music more often heard in homes, social clubs, dance halls, and annual celebrations.
You’re invited now to place Lowell Folk Festival 2013 on your calendar. The dates are Friday, July 26 to Sunday, July 28 in downtown Lowell.
Last Dance Productions is thrilled to be part of the production team for the festival.
Carolyn Waters…Socially Conscious Soul…
“Carolyn’s music is hypnotic, in a deeply soulful groove. You’ve heard it said that pure music seems to “flow” through a great singer? Go hear Carolyn to experience the real thing” – Pete and Maura Kennedy, The Kennedys.
Carolyn Waters is a performing singing/songwriter who fuses blues/roots/folk and other musical genres into a unique unforgettable blend of songs and sounds.
As a young girl growing up in Philadelphia, Carolyn Waters sang alone in her bedroom or out loud in the house when she was sure it was empty. It wasn’t by choice, but as the result of thoughtless teasing she got from her family. Even in her church choir, a place where many singers first get noticed and make early names for themselves, she mouthed the words to avoid embarrassment. She, however, never lost her love and passion for music and spent endless hours moving up and down the radio dial, and listening to albums from her parent’s collection.
A life changing event about a decade ago pushed Carolyn to take a voice lesson. This time she wasn’t teased. She was taken notice of, supported, and given a start in folk music, which highlights included opening for Judy Collins, Tom Rush, and Kate Campbell among others.
Oh, and have we mentioned the blues?
“Carolyn Waters is a force of nature. Some people are simply created to sing and bless those who listen, Carolyn is one of those people”. Rev. Robert Jones, Sr. Acclaimed Blues/Roots Musician/Blues Historian – September 2013
Carolyn can belt out barrelhouse and juke joint blues, or fuse them with a pinch of Gospel and roots. She has been featured in the Boston Blues Society’s Ladies Sing the Blues Events where she shared the stage with the late great Shirley Lewis “Regal Queen of the Blues”, Lydia Warren, Lisa Marie and the wonderful Diane Blue to name a few.
Recently Carolyn joined forces with Satoru Nakagawa, a Japanese-born blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and member of the Tokyo Tramps to record her first all blues ep. This powerful duo merged the Delta slide with soulful singing and produced a deep blues experience.
“Carolyn’s voice is amazing, captivating, compelling—any superlative will fit. I don’t believe I have heard such a rich, velvety, and yes—bluesy—voice locally in years” – Karen Nugent, Boston Blues Society – May 2010
Performing solo, and with various accompanying musicians ranging from an incredible single guitarist to fronting her new dynamic Carolyn Waters Band, she can and has performed at all sizes and types of venues including clubs, festivals, galas, coffeehouses, vigils, and intimate-private functions in New England, New York, Maryland and Virginia.
“Carolyn’s songs are personal and have an emotional quality that moves the soul. Her easy natural style communicates immediately with your heart. Her performance is calm but powerful, putting you at ease and making you feel that all is right with the world. I look forward to hearing Carolyn perform her wonderful creations in the future. The best is yet to come”. Charles Williams, Principal, Phillip Glass’ Einstein On The Beach (2012-13 World Tour)
A benefit for Folk New England.
The Lowell Folk Festival. There’s so much to eat, play and discover at this year’s 29th Annual Lowell Folk Festival! This year’s festival features five stages of traditional music, authentic crafts demonstrations, ethnic foods, art and children’s activities.
The Festival is always the last full weekend in July. We look forward to seeing you July 24-26, 2015 in downtown Lowell!
A Tribute to Todd Rundgren, Gary Backstrom’s Road to Utopia, comes to the Regent Theatre, 7 Medford Street, Arlington, MA on Friday, June 7, at 8 pm. Tickets here.
Todd Rundgren
Considered by many to be the “Ultimate Rock Cult Hero” Todd Rundgren has maintained a legion of fans through four decades. Todd’s searing guitar work reached a nationwide audience in his role as lead guitarist for the blues-psychedelic band Nazz. He wrote and arranged almost all of the work that went into the three albums the group produced.
His first big solo success was in 1971 with “We Gotta Get You a Woman” and in 1973 from the double album “Something/Anything?” He scored big on the charts with “I Saw the Light” and a revision of a Nazz song, “Hello, It’s Me.”
Rundgren has scored huge as a music producer, most notably on Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” opus. In the late 1970s and through the 1980s Todd formed the group Utopia, each member an accomplished musician and vocalist. He has also been called on by films and TV for his musical scores and sometimes tours with Ringo Starr as a member of his All-Star Band.
Gary Backstrom
Gary is the founder and frontman of the acclaimed Jam Band “Jiggle The Handle.” The Gary Backstrom Band is a Boston-based Band that mixes Soul, R&B, Funk, Rock and Latin grooves blended into a unique sound. Their sound features exciting, unpredictable improvisation that can only be heard in the best live acts on the scene today. Gary is considered “one of the most underrated, fluid, and melodic players in the Northeast.”
Some of the proceeds from this concert will go to
The project brings personalized iPods to people living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, helping them reconnect with the world through the music they love.
This will be a quite the night for a great cause.
33rd Lowell Folk Festival
The Lowell Folk Festival continues to provide the finest in traditional music, craft, foodways and more in downtown Lowell. This annual celebration is the best in traditional folk music, artisan crafts and ethnic foods, and will be returning to downtown Lowell with a full lineup beginning with the traditional parade of nations from Lowell’s City Hall Plaza to Boarding House Park. The free festival offers something for people of all ages all within the heart of Lowell National Historical Park.
Susan Cattaneo – Live-Stream
This show will be performed live at MMAS’s Black Box Theater in Mansfield, Mass., streamed to ShowTix4U. No Audience allowed in the theater.
Susan Cattaneo is one of Boston’s most respected songwriters. A powerful singer and sophisticated writer, Susan blends rock, folk and blues with a healthy dose of country. Call it New England Americana with a twang. She is a three-time nominee for Best Americana Artist at the Boston Music Awards.
Her latest album The Hammer and The Heart charted #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and yielded a #1 song on folk radio and a top 10 album of 2017. She is a three-time Kerrville Folk Finalist and a winner of the Connecticut Folk Festival. She’s been a Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist and a finalist in The Independent Music Awards, The International Acoustic Music Awards, the Philadelphia Songwriters Project and the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. Susan has been teaching Songwriting at the Berklee College of Music for twenty years.
She has opened for or shared the stage with Bill Kirchen, Mark Erelli, Jon Cleary, David Wilcox, Rose Cousins, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ellis Paul, Paula Cole, Huey Lewis and The News, Amy Grant, Melissa Ferrick, and The Pousette-Dart Band.
Click Here for More Info and Tickets.
Karla Bonoff has been described as one of the finest singer/songwriters of her generation. That description is not hyperbole. Bonoff has enjoyed critical acclaim, commercial success, enduring popularity, and the unwavering respect of her peers. Karla has seen her songs become hits for Bonnie Raitt, Wynonna Judd, and Linda Ronstadt. Many of Bonoff’s ballads are classics. Karla has continued to record and tour extensively, playing sold-out shows worldwide.
Hearing Karla’s moving vocals on her rich, expressive songs is like standing beneath a sparkling waterfall–refreshing, exhilarating, and restorative. Experiencing them live can be transformative. Fans and critics agree that Bonoff’s songs, as are her recordings, are timeless. Many prefer her versions, live with instrumentation that is clean and spare, giving Bonoff’s voice room to work its emotional magic.
“Long before Alanis and Jewel, there was a breed of singer/songwriters whose earthly anthems of soul-searching, heartache and joy touched souls in a way few can muster today. Billboard Magazine.
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