Brooklyn-based pianist and sound sculptor Marco Benevento has completed his third full-length studio album in as many years, Between the Needles and Nightfall, available May 11 through his label The Royal Potato Family.
Between the Needles and Nightfall was conceived at Trout Recording in Brooklyn, NY where engineer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Akron/Family) tracked Marco Benevento and his trio, featuring bassist Reed Mathis and drummer Andrew Barr, over three days. The material was drawn from fragments of melodies and song ideas that Benevento had been collecting throughout the year. To achieve the colors he envisioned for these compositions, Benevento recorded on a baby grand piano bolstered by guitar pick-ups, amplifiers and a myriad of pedals and circuit bent toys, while adding flourishes of Moog, Optigan, Mellotron and Farfisa.
Thursday, November 4, 2010. 9pm. $10 advance / $12 day of show. Advance tickets available online and at our local outlets.
Tony Joe White has accomplished much in the years since he emerged from his home in Louisiana's swamp country and the hardscrabble circuit of Texas honky-tonks. His music is part of America's soundtrack - sparse and elegant, filled with shadows, sadness and beauty. Nobody else writes songs like these - songs that evoke both the mysteries of the place were he was raised and the spirits that haunt us all in our most private, lonely moments.
Nobody sings them like White either. That dark baritone, scarred and sweet, brings these songs to life like none other. Even so, others have memorably interpreted his songs, from Brook Benton’s unforgettable take on “Rainy Night in Georgia” in 1970 to Tina Turner’s intensely soulful rendition of “Steamy Windows.” Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Dusty Springfield, Etta James - iconic artists in their own right
have honored “the Swamp Fox” by cutting his tunes. Others have joined White, with Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Michael McDonald, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams and Shelby Lynne among those who have paid tribute as guests on recent, theme-oriented projects such as The Heroines and Uncovered.
8pm. $15 advance / $17 day of show. Wednesday, October 27, 2010. Tickets still available!
As co-creator and former head writer of The Daily Show and Air America Radio co-founder, Lizz Winstead is one of the top political satirists in America. As a performer, Lizz brought her political wit to The Daily Show as a correspondent and later to the radio waves co-hosting Unfiltered, Air America Radio's mid-morning show, where she brought on board Hip Hop legend, Chuck D and political big brain Rachel Maddow.
Lizz's talents as a comedian and media visionary have been recognized by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly's 100 most Creative People issue and has brought numerous television appearances, including Comedy Central Presents, weekly segments on The Ed Show on MSNBC and The Joy Behar Show on Headline News and is blogging regularly at The Huffington Post.
Friday, October 22, 2010. 8pm. $15 advance / $17 day of show. Advance tickets available online and at our local outlets.
Tim O'Brien
In Tim O’Brien’s music, things come together. The uncanny intersection of traditional and contemporary elements in his songwriting, his tireless dedication to a vast and still-expanding array of instruments, and his ongoing commitment to place himself in as many unique and challenging musical scenarios as possible has made him a key figure in today’s thriving roots music scene - and well beyond it. O’Brien’s presence - be it as a bandleader, songwriter, mentor, instrumentalist, or vocalist - has been strongly felt not only in his own rich music, but in the many recordings of his songs by such artists as the Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks, Dierks Bentley, Nickel Creek, Kathy Mattea, the New Grass Revival, and the Seldom Scene, and in his recorded collaborations with Steve Martin, the Chieftains, and innumerable others. Most recently, O’Brien has been performing before capacity crowds in the band of Mark Knopfler, who described O’Brien as “a master of American folk music, Irish music, Scottish music - it doesn't matter; a fine songwriter
and one of my favorite singers.”
Bryan Sutton
For a variety of reasons, it’s harder than you might think for groups of musicians who’ve assembled for tours and special performances to preserve their unique chemistry on tape for fans and historians. Studio time and expense, multiple commitments and sheer logistics usually overwhelm the noblest archival impulses. Even artists who keep every clipping, poster and video cassette from their career usually can’t produce audio documents that capture fully and professionally what these special and sometimes historic gatherings actually sound like, which is funny considering that’s why they came together in the first place.
Friday, October 15, 2010. 9pm. $23 advance / $25 day of show.
Town Mountain Town Mountain is monumentally fun to listen to. This is the hard-driving, no nonsense, slammin' bluegrass that makes you whoop and holler and stomp your feet. Yet it's mixed with just enough slow country crooning to keep it balanced. Just enough outlaw swagger to give it a honkytonk edge. Just enough contemporary, alt-whatever elements to make it equally appealing to non-bluegrass fans. And it's mostly original music. Robert Greer, Jesse Langlais, and Phil Barker have all proven themselves to be prominent American songwriters worth keeping an eye on. Their contributions are showcased in the ever-changing set lists that make up the ever-growing Town Mountain song catalog. At any given show, you'll see the band move fluidly from the pounding rhythm of Jesse's "Shame on You", to the sweet harmonies of "Whiskey With Tears" (an original country ballad that would make George Jones proud), to a surprising cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire", then back to the pounding with Phil's politically charged "Ruination Line." The variety offered, and the energy with which it's executed has audiences consistently cheering for more. In fact, it's not uncommon to hear new fans claiming that they didn't know they liked bluegrass until they heard Town Mountain.
Jim Lauderdale is a multi-talented performer and songwriter, with successes in both country and bluegrass music. His roots stem from the Carolinas, yet his career has taken him all over the United States and abroad, making him an international recording artist with an ever-growing fan base. Jim won "Artist of the Year" and "Song of the Year" at the first "Honors and Awards Show" held by the Americana Music Association in 2002. Subsequently, he has hosted this same show for the last seven years.
Saturday, October 9, 2010. 9pm. $15.
