Patty Larkin Crys Matthews

Patty Larkin w/ Very Special Guest, Crys Matthews, April 29th
To benefit the Mary Eagan Garden at Children’s Hospital Boston at Waltham, MA.

The concert takes place at Maxwell Auditorium, Lexington, MA.

Info and Tickets here.

Patty Larkin is a visionary of sound and wonder, a real deal version of artistry made of equal parts guitar wizardry, vocals shot through with soul and inventive lyrics that ripple across the terrain of the heart. Described as riveting (Chicago Tribune), hypnotic (Entertainment Weekly), and a drop-dead brilliant performer (Performing Songwriter), Patty has captured audiences for over 30 years with an imagination, enchantment, and technical artistry that has redefined the boundaries of the guitar driven singer songwriter.

Already being hailed as the next Woody Guthrie, Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. A powerful lyricist whose songs of compassionate dissent reflect her lived experience as what she lightheartedly calls “the poster-child for intersectionality,” Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation called Matthews’s gift “a reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides.”

For more Last Dance Productions, click here.

On A Winter's Night

On A Winter’s Night with Patty Larkin, John Gorka, Cliff Eberhardt, Lucy Kaplansky

he Regent Theatre,  7 Medford St, Arlington, MA 02474,  781-646-4849

Saturday, February 18, 2023, 8pm

Information Here.

On A Winter's Night

On A Winter’s Night

 

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.

CLIFF EBERHARDT

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.

JOHN GORKA

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).

LUCY KAPLANSKY

“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.

PATTY LARKIN

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.

More Info here.

See more Last Dance Productions events here.

Barry Goudreau

Announcing a new show on October 1, 2022! The Engine Room will be headlining at The Regent Theatre (7 Medford St, Arlington, MA). Proceeds will benefit The Healing Gardens, an organization building healing gardens at hospital treatment centers throughout North America. Also on the bill The Gravel Project and Sara Jean Kelly.

Tickets Click Here.

As a former member of the multi-platinum selling band Boston, Barry played on their first two albums, Boston, and Don’t Look Back. When released, Boston, was the fastest selling debut album of all time. Both albums landed on the top of the, Billboard POP Charts, with Boston, reaching #3 and Don’t Look Back, reaching #1. Barry’s musical career continued after BOSTON, going on to form Orion the Hunter, RTZ, and releasing two records with Brad Delp.

Goudreau recently announced the release of his new CD, “The Road,” from his band Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room. Barry’s blues/rock ensemble includes his former RTZ bandmates Brian Maes on lead vocals and keyboards and Tim Archibald on bass. Both Maes and Archibald were members of Peter Wolf’s House Party Five, playing on two of his records and touring the world extensively. Also in the band is “Old” Tony DePietro on drums and Mary Beth Maes, Terri O’Soro, and Joanie Cicatelli on background vocals. Expect some favorites like “Smokin” and “Long Time” in their live set, alongside songs from the new CD as well as tracks from “Full Steam Ahead,” the 2017 release from Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room.

 

Patio Records is dedicated to the mission of building healing gardens at hospital treatment centers. Here are the projects we’ve been involved with to date.

What a great show for a great cause.

Tickets Click Here. 

For more concerts by Last Dance Productions, click here.

See you at a show soon.

Live Music Is Better!

 

Kathy Mattea and Suzy Bogguss

Kathy Mattea and Suzy Bogguss: Together Again

Friday, June 3 at 8 pm,

Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St, Arlington, MA 02474

Tickets: 781-646-4849 or Click Here

Kathy Mattea and Suzy Bogguss have carved out careers in popular music with country chart hits spanning two decades. Suzy’s “Outbound Plane,” “Aces,” and “Someday Soon” are among the many songs beloved by country music fans around the world, as are “Where’ve You Been?”, “455 Rocket” and “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” from Kathy’s deep well of material.

Since their early days in Nashville, friends had only found a few opportunities to collaborate musically, notably with “Teach Your Children,” their Grammy-nominated track from 1994’s “Red, Hot + Country” compilation. For years, their many fans have clamored for this pairing.

Now, sporting new material developed for the tour, armed with two careers worth of stories and more hits than they can fit.  Kathy & Suzy are “Together At Last”!

Kathy Mattea and Suzy Bogguss

Photo by Doug Crider

Kathy Mattea

The unmistakable voice of Grammy Award winner Kathy Mattea explores music’s most basic human essence through timeless melodies and uplifting narratives. Singer, musician, songwriter, public speaker, activist: Mattea’s music and message have taken her to venues across America from Maine to Alaska, and overseas from England to Morocco, from college campuses to capitol buildings, and from festivals to concert halls.

Mattea’s music has spoken to millions of people during her 20-plus years as a singer, songwriter, and recording artist.

Suzy Bogguss

Suzy is an American country music singer and songwriter. She began her career in the 1980s as a solo singer. In the 1990s, six of her songs were Top 10 hits, three albums were certified gold, and one album received a platinum certification. She won Top New Female Vocalist from the Academy of Country Music and the Horizon Award from the Country Music Association.

Tickets: 781-646-4849 or On Line Here

Todd Rundgren

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 Backstrom

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 Alzheimer’s Music Project

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.

Tickets Here.