Tag Archive for: Folk

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An Evening with Kathy Mattea

Kathy Mattea

Kathy Mattea In Concert

Sunday, June 9, 2024, 7 pm

The Regent Theatre

7 Medford Street St

Arlington, MA 02474

 

FOR TICKETS, CLICK HERE

 

 

Hailed by The Washington Post as “one of Nashville’s finest song interpreters,” Kathy Mattea has enjoyed much success and acclaim during her 35-year career in Country, Bluegrass, and Folk music, including 2 Grammy wins, 4 CMA Awards, four #1 country singles, and five gold albums (plus a platinum Greatest Hits collection). Her latest album is “Pretty Bird,” produced by her old friend, roots music wizard Tim O’Brien. The wide-ranging collection of songs chronicles a period of rededication to singing, digging back in with a vocal coach and emerging with a poignant and eclectic CD. In addition to creating and recording music and performing live on tour, Kathy is increasingly involved with public broadcasting, consulting and contributing on screen in Ken Burns’ 2019 documentary for PBS “Country Music,” and recently replacing founder Larry Groce as the host of the long-running NPR show “Mountain Stage.”

Latest Recording

On September 7th, 2018, CMA Award-winning vocalist Kathy Mattea released Pretty Bird, her first new album in six years. A sublime acoustic collection including a number of smartly chosen and heartfelt covers, the record marks something of a new era in Mattea’s 30-plus-year career. Over the past several years her deep, rich singing voice has experienced significant changes that could have put a permanent end to her performing, but after extensive vocal training she has emerged from what she refers to as her “dark night of the soul” with a duskier instrument. That newly trained but still memorable voice, which gave country fans such hits as “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” and “Love at the Five and Dime,” is at the very heart of one of the year’s most affecting LPs.

“This album has led me, slowly and unexpectedly, into new nooks and crannies of singing,” Mattea tells Rolling Stone Country. “Songs showed up in random ways… and became part of our musical landscape during regular Thursday jam sessions in my living room. It’s a very eclectic collection, and for me, each song has a very specific reason for being here, showing me some new point of view about singing along the way.”

One of country music’s most successful artists of the past several decades, Mattea, a two-time Grammy winner, has always approached her material, even the most mainstream country, with an eclecticism and sense of deeper meaning. Those elements are vibrantly evident on “I Can’t Stand Up Alone,” the first track to premiere from the upcoming collection, which was produced by Mattea’s longtime friend and frequent collaborator Tim O’Brien. Written by country-gospel legend Martha Carson in the Fifties, Mattea’s soulful version is a sparkling mélange of those genres, with touches of blues and Appalachian mountain music. The uplifting tune serves as a fitting tribute to singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester, who died in 2014, and whose version inspired this one.

Kathy Mattea In Concert, Sunday, June 9, 2024, 7 pm, The Regent Theatre,

7 Medford Street St, Arlington, MA 02474

 

FOR TICKETS, CLICK HERE

 

For more Last Dance Productions events, click here.

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The Jim Kweskin Extravaganza

Maria Muldaur, Jim Kweskin, Geoff Muldaur

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.

February 4, 2024, 2:00 P.M. at The Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St. Arlington, MA 02474

Tickets Here.

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.  Tickets Here.

More Last Dance Productions events here.

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On A Winter’s Night Returns

On A Winter's Night
On A Winter’s Night 2024 @ Regent Theatre, Jan 27 @ 8:00 pm

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 the 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. A raspy yet deeply elegant voice frames the words that tumble from his mouth. Like John Hammond and Richie Havens, Eberhardt continues carrying the torch for traditional and contemporary folk music through solid 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 the 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 can 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 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. She has been featured on shows worldwide, 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.

You’ll undoubtedly be warm On This Winter’s Night.  Tickets Click Here.

More Last Dance Productions events here.

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Patty Larkin w/Crys Matthews In Concert to Benefit A Healing Garden

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.

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Kathy Mattea and Suzy Bogguss: Together Again

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

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