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Belinda Carlisle Belinda Carlisle sang hits like "We Got the Beat" and "Our Lips Are Sealed" with her band The Go-‐Gos in the 1980s. Wme I hit 14, I'd gone really wild," Carlisle later said. "I ran away from home, smoked pot, dropped acid ... You name it, I'd try it." Belinda Jo Kurczeski became Belinda Carlisle aHer joining the 1970s punk scene in Los Angeles. She formed The Go-‐Gos with three girlfriends, and they released their first album, Beauty and the Beat, in 1982. With hits "We Got the Beat" and "Our Lips Are Sealed," The Go-‐Gos dominated the charts. Carlisle followed up with successful solo albums, but her drug use held her back in the 1990s. Carlisle fell in love with the 1970s punk scene in Los Angeles, passing up college for life as a musician. She first adopted the stage name Donna Rhea, singing backup vocals for a string of local punk bands. She then went by DoV Danger, playing the drums for an early version of the punk band the Germs. When she leH the Germs, she changed her name once and for all to Belinda Carlisle and formed a new all-‐female band, the Go-‐Go's, with girlfriends Jane Weidlin, Margot Olaverra and Elissa Bello (Charlo_e Caffey joined later). Early Life Musician. Born August 17, 1958, as Belinda Jo Kurczeski to Walt and Joanne Kurczeski in Hollywood, California. Belinda's father abandoned the family when she was 5 years old. Her mother remarried, and the family's lower middle-‐class household eventually expanded to include seven children. As a youth, Belinda was oHen tasked with babysiVng her three younger brothers and three younger sisters. She soon rebelled against her strict upbringing and the responsibility of her childhood. "By the The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org Go-‐Go's Fame The Go-‐Go's released their debut album, Beauty and the Beat, in 1982. The record reached the top spot on the Billboard album chart, staying there for six weeks before going double plaWnum. The Go-‐Go's became the first all-‐female band ever to hit No. 1 on the charts by wriWng and playing their own songs. Throughout the early 1980s, the Go-‐Go's remained one of the most popular media | marketing contact: [email protected] bands in America, with hit songs like "We Got the Beat" and "Our Lips Are Sealed" dominaWng radio airwaves and MTV video play. The Go-‐Go's were eager to prove that they could do anything their male counterparts could do, and that applied to the hard-‐ living side of the rock star scene as well. "I remember thinking to myself: OK, I'm young and I'm a musician," Carlisle later recalled. "People are going to have certain expectaWons of me. They're going to think I'm a flake, they're going to think I'm a drug addict and they're going to think I'm irresponsible—so I might as well become all those things." She se_led on cocaine as her drug of choice—a substance, she said, that "always made me feel be_er no ma_er what else was bothering me." Carlisle wasn't the only member of the Go-‐Go's to succumb to addicWon; three of the band's five members developed serious drug problems, sending drugs by FedEx to their locaWons when they went on tour. reminders of her days as an addict. "God, smells are so weird! Every so oHen, I'll come across a smell that smells exactly like the hallway of my coke dealer in Marina Del Rey, which is odd," she told an interviewer. "But you know what? Those kinds of triggers can also serve as a good thing, because it reminds you of how painful it all was and it kind of keeps you from wanWng to go back there." Going Solo Carlisle's romanWc life was equally chaoWc. By the Wme she turned 25 years old, she had been engaged five different Wmes (but never married) and had high-‐profile flings that included INXS frontman Michael Hutchence. Personality conflicts and spiraling drug use took a toll on the band, and the Go-‐Go's broke up in 1985. A year later, Carlisle married Morgan Mason, a former aide to President Ronald Reagan, and reinvented herself as a solo pop star. Her first solo album, Belinda, went gold. Her second album, Heaven on Earth, topped the charts and boasted hit singles like "Heaven is a Place on Earth," "I Get Weak," and "Circle in the Sand." Carlisle experienced a new feeling of accomplishment when she gave birth to son James in 1992. Two years later, the family moved to France, where Carlisle conWnued to record solo albums. But all was not perfect for the pop star. Her cocaine use never stopped and, two days aHer her 40th birthday in 1998, Carlisle's record company informed her that they were dropping her from the label. This didn't stop Carlisle from her pa_ern of drug abuse. At the age of 42, she posed naked for Playboy magazine in an a_empt to vitalize her career, but her drug abuse conWnued to hold her back professionally. Finally, in 2005 Carlisle kicked her drug habit through a combinaWon of yoga and Alcoholics Anonymous. Comeback In 2007, Carlisle released the French-‐language album Voila, her first solo album in 10 years. She was scheduled to take part in a Go-‐Go's reunion tour in 2010, but the tour had to be canceled aHer guitarist Jane Weidlin hurt her leg. That same year, Carlisle released her tell-‐all memoir, Lips Unsealed, which became a bestseller. She has also managed to stay sober, despite the many The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] Charlie Daniels Band “Few individuals have symbolized the South in popular culture as directly and indelibly as Charlie Daniels.” -‐Encyclopedia of Southern Culture around the fire at 4-‐H Club and scout camps, helped elect an American President, and been popularized on a variety of radio formats. Charlie Daniels is partly Western and partly Southern. His signature “bullrider” hat and belt buckle, his lifestyle on the Twin Pines Ranch (a boyhood dream come true), his love of horses, cowboy lore and the heroes of championship rodeo, Western movies, and Louis L'Amour novels, idenWfy him as a Westerner. The son of a lumberjack and a Southerner by birth, his music -‐ rock, country, bluegrass, blues, gospel -‐ is quintessenWally Southern. Like so many great American success stories, The Charlie Daniels saga begins in rural obscurity. Born in 1936 in Wilmington, North Carolina, he was raised on a musical diet that included Pentecostal gospel, local bluegrass bands, and the rhythm & blues and country music emanaWng respecWvely from Nashville's 50,000-‐wa_ megabroadcasters WLAC and WSM. In fact, even his bent for all things Western is Southern, because his aVre, his lifestyle and his interests are historically emblemaWc of Southern working class solidarity with the “lone cowboy” individualism of the American West. It hasn't been so much a style of music, but more the values consistently reflected in several styles that has connected Charlie Daniels with millions of fans. For decades, he has steadfastly refused to label his music as anything other than “CDB music,” music that is now sung The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org He graduated from high school in 1955 and soon enlisted in the rock .n' roll revoluWon ignited by Mississippian Elvis Aaron Presley. Already skilled on guitar, fiddle and mandolin, Daniels formed a rock .n' roll band and hit the road. While en route to California in 1959 the group paused in Texas to record “Jaguar,” an instrumental produced by the Bob Johnston, which was picked up for naWonal distribuWon by Epic. It was also the beginning for a long associaWon with Johnston. The two wrote “It Hurts Me,” which became the B side of a 1964 Presley media | marketing contact: [email protected] hit. In 1969, at the urging of Johnston, Daniels moved to middle Tennessee to find work as a session guitarist in Nashville. Among his more notable sessions were the Bob Dylan albums of 1969-‐70 Nashville Skyline, New Morning, and Self Portrait. Daniels produced the Youngbloods albums of 1969-‐70 Elephant Mountain and Ride the Wind, toured Europe with Leonard Cohen and performed on records with arWsts as different as Al Kooper and Marty Robbins. B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eugene Fodor, Woody Herman, and Bobby Jones and the New Life Singers. “I used to say, .I'm not an outlaw; I'm an outcast,'” says the Grammy Award winning star. “When it gets right down to the ni_y gri_y, I've just tried to be who I am. I've never followed trends or fads. I couldn't even if I tried. I can't be them; I can't be anybody but me.” When you hear a classic Charlie Daniels Band performance like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” you hear music that knows Daniels broke through as a record maker, himself, with 1973's no clear genre. Is it a folk tale? A southern boogie? A country Honey In the Rock and its hit hippie song “Uneasy Rider.” His fiddle tune? An electric rock anthem? The answer is, “yes” to all rebel anthems “Long Haired Country Boy” and “ The South's of that and more. And the same goes for “In America,” “Uneasy Gonna Do It” propelled his 1975 collecWon Fire On the Mountain Rider,” “ The South's Gonna Do It,” “Long Haired Country Boy,” to Double PlaWnum status. “SWll in Saigon,” “ The Legend of Wooley Swamp,” and the rest of a catalog that spans 50 years of record making and represents Following sWnts with Capitol and Kama Sutra, Epic Records signed more than 20 million in sales. him to its rock roster in New York in 1976. The contract, reportedly worth $3 million, was the largest ever given to a His resume includes recording sessions with arWsts as diverse as Nashville act up to that Wme. In the summer of 1979 Daniels Bob Dylan, Fla_ & Scruggs, Pete Seeger, Mark O'Connor, Leonard rewarded the company's faith by delivering “ The Devil Went Cohen and Ringo Starr. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Down to Georgia,” which became a PlaWnum single, topped both Presley and Tammy Wyne_e. This touring legend has been country and pop charts, won a Grammy Award, became an documented by ABC Newsmagazine 20/20. internaWonal phenomenon, earned three Country Music AssociaWon trophies, became a cornerstone of the Urban In April 1998, top stars and two former Presidents paid tribute to Cowboy movie soundtrack and propelled Daniel's Million Mile Daniels when he was named the recipient of the Pioneer Award ReflecWons album to Triple PlaWnum sales levels. at the Academy of Country Music's annual naWonally televised ceremonies “In his Wme he's played everything from rock to jazz, The album's Wtle was a reference to a milestone in The Charlie folk to western swing, and honkytonk to award-‐winning gospel”, Daniels Band's legendary coast to coast tours. Including two former President Jimmy Carter said. “In Charlie's own words, .Let drummers, twin guitars, and a flamenco dancer, the CDB oHen there be harmony, let there be fun and 12 notes of music to toured more than 250 days a year and by this Wme had logged make us all one.'.” more than a million miles on the road. On the Million Mile ReflecWons Tour, transported in a convoy of busses and gleaming “Charlie's love of music is only surpassed by his love of people, black tractor-‐trailer rigs -‐ a show that stopped traffic all over the especially the American people,” former President Gerald Ford country -‐ the band now included a full horn secWon, back-‐up said. “He's traveled this land from coast to coast singing about singers, a troupe of clog dancers and someWmes a gospel choir. the things that concern the American people. The Academy of By 1981, the Charlie Daniels Band had twice been voted the Country Music's Pioneer Award is presented to a supremely Academy of Country Music's Touring Band of the Year. talented compassionate and proud American, and a fair to middlin' golfer, too!” Daniels' annual Volunteer Jam concerts, world-‐famous musical extravaganzas that served as a prototype for many of today's On Saturday night, January 19th, 2008, Charlie's life long dream annual day-‐long music marathons, always featured a variety of became a reality. He was inducted as a full-‐fledged member into current stars and heritage arWsts and are considered by the Grand Ole Opry. “It is an honor that I can't begin to historians as his most impressive contribuWon to Southern music. arWculate, there is no way I can express what it means to me”, Among the arWsts “Jam Daddy” has hosted at 16 of these mega says Daniels. musical samplers are Roy Acuff, Don Henley, Tanya Tucker, Amy Grant, Leon Russell, Billy Ray Cyrus, the Ni_y Gri_y Dirt Band, James Brown, Duane Eddy, Pat Boone, The Outlaws, Dwight Yoakam, Steppenwolf, Bill Monroe, Exile, The Judds, Orleans, Willie Nelson, the Allman Brothers, Link Wray, Ted Nugent, Billy Joel, the Marshall Tucker Band, Solomon Burke, Li_le Richard, B. The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] Clint Black “To me, it’s only a ‘comeback’ in that I’m puVng out something new,” says the award-‐winning singer-‐songwriter. “As someone who has never stopped working, I don’t see me as having gone away, as I tour extensively, write and produce for television, films as well as other arWsts." During his hiatus Black was courted by the majors (labels). All of them wanted him to sing other writers’ songs, but Black insisted on wriWng his own, as well as to being his own producer. “I really don’t want to conform to what other people think I should be doing with my music,” he says, bearing no ill will to major music corporaWons. “Instead, I’ll take my chances just being me. So I ended up just walking away from those opportuniWes. Our journey took us to Thirty Tigers Records, where I really feel I can be myself.” (Thirty Tigers also distributes music by such independent spirits as Marty Stuart, Shooter Jennings, Jason Isbell, Lucinda Williams, The Eli Young Band, Pat Green, Aaron Watson, The Ave_ Brothers, Chase Rice, Billy Joe Shaver, Sturgill Simpson, Bruce Robison, Jessi Colter, etc.) The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org Black’s On Purpose compiles a strikingly diverse group of his self-‐ produced songs. His ballads “Only One Way to Live,” “Stay Gone,” “Breathing Air” and “ The Last Day” have never cut deeper, while his spirited “Beer” and “Be_er and Worse” are among the most upbeat songs he has ever craHed. “ Time For That,” “Doing It Now For Love” and “SummerWme Song” are catchy examples of how groove-‐soaked his music can be. The lilWng “You SWll Get to Me” marks Black’s third duet with his wife, actress Lisa Hartman Black. “Calling It News” is a wry, topical statement. “ The Trouble” is colored by Australian slang. These new songs conWnue a stellar career. To date, Clint Black has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and racked up 57 charted singles, 31 top-‐10 hits and 22 number-‐one smashes. Recordings such as “A Be_er Man,” “Killin’ Time,” “Like the Rain”, “When I Said I Do" and “Nothin’ But the Taillights” have led to honors from from the Country Music AssociaWon, The Academy of Country Music, The Grammys, and the American Music Awards, as well as membership in the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. media | marketing contact: [email protected] Raised in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, Clint Black is the youngest of four brothers. He began performing with brother, Kevin at the family’s backyard barbecues. AHer high school, he worked construcWon for a year and spent 10 years on the local nightclub circuit. He audiWoned for a Nashville recording contract in 1988. The following year, he led a movement of young talent that transformed country music into a mulW-‐million dollar industry in the 1990s. the films Flicka 2 and Flicka: Country Pride, the la_er with his wife and daughter. In 2013, the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain began markeWng an album of Black’s hits, which conWnues to sell strongly and in early 2015, he collaborated with Joe Nichols on a Superstar Duets NBC-‐TV special for the Academy of Country Music. In the past, Black has produced records for arWsts such as Buddy Jewell and Carolina Rain. Clint’s love of finding and recording “I don’t really feel like I was leading a change in country music,” new talent led to his latest venture, Chideo’s online “Clint Black he remarks. “It just felt like big success to me. I would hear things Dream Recording Session Contest,” the winner of which will be like, ‘So-‐and-‐so is going to record, and they’re using their own produced by the star. The aim of this endeavor is to bring band because you did.’ Or, ‘So-‐and-‐so wants to write more of a_enWon to Chideo.com and to raise funds to find a cure for Re_ their own songs, because you did.’ But I don’t feel like I changed Syndrome, a neuron-‐disorder afflicWng up to ten thousand anything, other than contribuWng my work to the big picture. children each year. He is the honorary chair for the InternaWonal That’s my humble assessment of it. It’s hard to look at myself and Re_ Syndrome FoundaWon’s “Research to Reality: Funding see the impact I’ve had. I do know that my songs have touched a Process,” and his 2015 contest has led to his own primeWme TV lot of people.” special, highlighWng the charity and the finalists. He married fellow Houstonian, and actress Lisa Hartman in 1991, their daughter Lily Pearl was born in 2001, and the family subsequently relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville. Black took on new challenges in addiWon to producing records, touring and wriWng songs by becoming an actor and a video director. He has founded several song publishing companies. He has been a musician recording and playing live with Kenny Loggins, Toto, Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffe_ and others. His vocal collaborators have included MarWna McBride, Wynonna, Roy Rogers, The Pointer Sisters, Waylon Jennings, Bruce Hornsby, Eric Idle and Steve Wariner. Among his songwriWng partners have been Wariner, Merle Haggard, Michael McDonald, Marty Stuart, Bill Anderson and Jimmy Buffe_. In 2004, he scaled the top of the charts by trading lines with Buffe_, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney on the Hank Williams classic “Hey Good Looking.’” He contributed “ The Great Mississippi Flood" to the 2005 post-‐ Katrina charity album Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now. He released albums in 2004, 2005 and 2007. But his interest in releasing new music wained when his record label closed its doors in 2008. “We had great success at Equity breaking Li_le Big Town as a plaWnum act, but aHer the group decided to leave us for a bigger company, Equity closed its doors. Since then, I had interest from major companies to sign deals, but declined”. “I love producing, and being in the studio. That joy drove the Chideo contest. About a year ago, I came up with the idea for the talent contest for their website and they figured out how they could make it work. As a way to give opportunity to new arWsts while bringing a_enWon to this devastaWng disorder, it has far exceeded my greatest hopes. We never know which event will get us past the threshold of discovering a cure for Re_ Syndrome, so we push hard for donaWons and opportuniWes like these!” In the midst of this, Clint Black has been craHing On Purpose. During his years away from releasing records, he says he has accumulated a large backlog of songs. “For almost every album I have made, I had two or three albums worth of material wri_en,” he comments. “I’ve always had an abundance of songs, probably 30 to choose from for the 10 that I would need to make the best album. For this one, I probably had more like 40 songs to narrow down.” The new album is dedicated to his father, who died in late 2012. “My dad was a huge country fan and is the first reason I listen to country music. He is probably the reason I’m a songwriter today. He was my introducWon to "who’s behind the music". I grew up wanWng to be the writer behind the song. That really all started with him. Clint Black has hardly been idle since then. He’s wri_en and produced songs for Hasbro’s children’s shows, competed for his charity on Celebrity ApprenWce, and in 2010 and 2012 starred in The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] Felix Cavaliere Felix Cavaliere was born Nov. 29, 1942 in Pelham NY. His mother was a pharmacist and his father was a denWst. His mother wanted only the best for her only son, and had dreams of him becoming a classical pianist. To reach this goal, Felix was instructed in piano 3 Wmes a week from the Wme he was 6 years old unWl his mother passed away when he was 14. Felix's musical influences started to take hold in the form of idolizing the music of Ray Charles among others. He started his first band called The Stereos while in his teens during which Wme he began to perfect his vocal abiliWes. He also discovered the Hammond organ around this Wme and was mesmerized by it's sound. The Hammond later became Felix's own "trademark sound" along with his unique and soulful voice. Felix was encouraged to a_end Syracuse University where he studied Medicine. But rather than study, he conWnued singing and playing in his band. He leH Syracuse aHer two years to form The Escorts. He then moved to New York City receiving his first professional job as a backup musician for Sandy Sco? and later Joey Dee and the Starlighters. The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org Early in 1965, Felix formed the Young Rascals along with Dino Danelli, Eddie BrigaG and Gene Cornish. On October 28, 1965 The Rascals performed at The Phone Booth, a club in the "discotheque district" of Manha_an's East Side. Their high-‐ energy set a_racted the a_enWon of Sid Bernstein, and the group was signed with AtlanGc Records. Before they knew it, they began releasing records. From 1965 through 1969, the Rascals were one of the best selling groups on the Pop charts featuring Felix-‐sung hits such as "Good Lovin'," "Groovin'," "A Girl Like You," "A BeauGful Morning," and "People Got to Be Free." As the hecWc sixWes evolved so did the Rascals' sound, from blue-‐eyed soul (a term coined to describe The Rascals) to pop psychedelia and jazz fusion. Felix sang lead on most of the tracks, while Eddie sang lead on their ballads. The Rascals' biggest hit, "People Got to Be Free," was co-‐wri_en by Felix and Eddie as an impassioned response to the assassinaWons of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Rev. MarWn Luther King, Jr. It topped the charts for five weeks in 1968 and inspired a follow-‐up single, "A Ray of Hope." At this juncture, the Rascals began focusing on albums instead of singles. Their more experimental, elongated approach resulted in media | marketing contact: [email protected] records like Freedom Suite, a double album from 1969. By the early SevenWes, the Rascals had evolved into an impressionisWc jazz-‐rock ouzit and moved from AtlanWc to Columbia Records. The band conWnued to record sans BrigaW and Cornish from 1971-‐1972 with the release of their final album Island Of Real. PrenGce holding down bass and vocals, the sound remains true to the source and leader’s vision. Felix Cavaliere lives in Nashville, Tennessee where he conWnues to record, write and produce, when not perform to adoring audiences throughout the world. Felix's first solo album was simply enWtled Felix Cavaliere. Released in 1974, it was a collaboraWve effort with Todd Rundgren offering some great tracks and two singles “A High Price To Pay” backed with “Mountain Man” and “EverlasGng Love” backed with “Future Train.” 1975 found the release of the LP, Des$ny and the single "Never Felt Love Before” backed with “Love Came." Ex Rascal Dino Danelli along with and Lesley West and Buzz Feiten are featured on the album. By 1977 Felix joined the group Treasure and released an album of the same name. Felix was back as a solo with the 1979 Castles In The Air LP. Three singles came from this album "Castles In The Air” backed with “Outside Your Window," "Only A Lonely Heart Sees” backed with “You Turned Me Around," and "Good To Have Love Back” backed with “Dancin' The Night Away." There was a fair bit of a "disco feel" to some of the songs here, but, hey, it was 1979!! The album featured Luther Vandross on background vocals as well as the return of ex-‐Rascal brothers Eddie & David BrigaG. 1994 had the release of Dreams In MoGon. This concept/themed album illustrates the hopes, dreams, ups and downs of love. Felix's daughters ChrisGna, Laura and Aria Cavaliere sing backup along with helming as co-‐producer with Felix. The single for this CD was Don Was "If Not For You” backed with “Stay In Love." In 1995 Felix was invited on to a rare trip around the U.S. and Japan, touring with Ringo Starr and his Third All-‐Starr Band, which featured Mark Farner, Billy Preston, Mark Rivera, Randy Bachman and Zak Starkey. Felix is featured singing "People Got To Be Free" on the Blockbuster Exclusive CD, recorded live in Japan. A pleasant Wme was guaranteed to all. In 1997, Felix Cavaliere along with the former members of the Rascals were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, the highest recogniWon a band or musician can receive. Felix is in good company with Hall Of Fame inductees Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Chuck Berry among other greats! Felix conWnues to ride high on the wave of rock superstardom and his group Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals is reputed to he one of the ho_est rock bands touring today. With Mike Severs on guitar and vocals, Vinnie Santoro on drums and vocals and Mark The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] Gaelic Storm AHer nearly two decades and more than 3,000 live shows, Gaelic Storm — the chart-‐topping, mulWnaWonal CelWc band — is looking sharper than ever with their latest release, Matching Sweaters. The new album mixes tradiWonal Irish music with modern influences, creaWng a sound that's as wide-‐ranging as the band's own audience. From bluegrass fans and country cowboys to Deadheads, rock & rollers and CelWc fanaWcs, Gaelic Storm has built one of the most diverse fan bases in modern music. Matching Sweaters helps explain the broad appeal. Rooted in the songwriWng of founding members Patrick Murphy and Steve Twigger, the album moves from drinking songs ("Another Stupid Drinking Song") to energeWc instrumentals ("The Narwhaling Cheesehead") to rootsy pop/rockers ("Whiskeyed Up and Womaned Out"), gluing everything together with the spark and spirit of a band that's spent close to 20 years on the road. Those live shows date all the way back to the mid-‐1990s, when Gaelic Storm kicked off its career as a pub band in Santa Monica, California. By the end of the decade, the musicians had appeared in the blockbuster film "Titanic" (where they performed "Irish Party in Third Class") and laid the groundwork for a career that would eventually find them topping the Billboard World Chart five Wmes, making appearances at mainstream music fesWvals such as Summerfest, Telluride and The Rock Boat Cruise, and regularly headlining the largest Irish FesWvals across the country, all the while gaining a reputaWon as a genre-‐bending Irish band whose songs mix CelWc tradiWons with something new and unexpected. Now, with the band's 20th anniversary on the horizon, they're puVng even more emphasis on those newer direcWons. "We'll push the envelope, then reel it back in, then push it again," says Murphy. "There's a lot of variety here, and that's why we can play country fesWvals, bluegrass fesWvals and rock "We're a touring band," says percussionist Ryan Lacey, who fesWvals, and sWll fit in perfectly with each one. We wanted joined the lineup in 2003. "That's how this band works. Matching Matching Sweaters to reflect that range, so people could buy the Sweaters is one of the most complete albums we've done so far, CD and hear everything we're able to do in concert." because it taps into every facet of our live show." The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] When it came Wme to write Matching Sweaters' 12 songs, Murphy and Twigger teamed up with longWme friend and co-‐ writer Steve Wehmeyer. Together, the three found inspiraWon in everything from old Irish newspapers ("The Rustling Goat Gang," whose details were gleaned from an arWcle about a vanishing goat herd from Waterford) to bits of conversaWon overheard in local pubs ("Paddy's Rubber Arm"). In addiWon to wriWng new songs, the musicians have conWnued to play new markets every year, taking the chance to stretch their boundaries — and widen their audience — whenever possible. It helps keep them on their toes. "Playing for a new crowd is great," says Twigger. "It takes you back to those early days, where you've got something to prove. We could just do Irish fesWvals, but why not play a crossover show where 90% of the audience doesn't know you, and you have to make them know you? That's what makes your band good." Matching Sweaters follows in that hardworking tradiWon, dishing up all the ingredients fans have come to expect from Gaelic Storm — the drinking songs, sea shanWes, furiously strummed instrumentals and sing-‐along melodies — while spiking the mix with newer flavors. Eat it up, but make sure to save some room! There's plenty more where this came from. The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] John Mayall For over 50 years, John Mayall has served as a pioneer of blues music, rightly earning him the Wtle, "The Godfather of BriWsh Blues." In 2013, John signed with producer Eric Corne's label, Forty Below Records, and has since been experiencing a true arWsWc and career renaissance. Care" comes on the heels of Mayall's internaWonally acclaimed, "A Special Life" in released in 2014. "I'd easily put this one among Mayall's best efforts -‐ and that includes 'Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton,' 'A Hard Road' and 'Blues from Laurel Canyon!'" (about.com) This revival conWnues with the release of a brilliant new studio album Wtled Find a Way to Care, produced by John and Eric at famed House of Blues Studios in Encino, California. About the new album, Corne says, "I really wanted to feature John's keyboard playing on this record. He's truly one of the most lyrical, economical and underrated keyboardists around. We also wanted to change things up a bit aHer the success of "A Special Life" and the addiWon of a horn secWon on several tracks was a really fun way to do that. As good as the last album was, I think this one is even be_er." Earlier this year, John and Forty Below thrilled the blues world with the release of the historical Bluesbreakers album, "Live In 1967," featuring the three original members of Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. "Sunken treasure doesn't get much be_er" (Classic Rock Magazine). A second set is slated for a 2016 release. On the new album, John adds harmonica on two songs, as well as a classic guitar track reminiscent of Hubert Sumlin or Muddy Waters on the la_er's legendary "Long Distance Call." He is joined by his killer touring band: Rocky Athas (guitar), Greg Rzab (bass) and Jay Davenport (drums). The release of "Find a Way to The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org As 2013 came to a close, and with his 80th birthday mere weeks away, the godfather of BriWsh blues quietly entered a North Hollywood Studio with his band, special guest C.J. Chenier and co-‐producer/engineer Eric Corne. He walked out with one of the finest and most personal records of his career, A Special Life. John Mayall was born on the 29th of November 1933 and grew up in a village not too far from Manchester, England. It was here as a teenager that he first became a_racted to the jazz and blues media | marketing contact: [email protected] 78s in his father's record collecWon. IniWally it was all about guitarists such as Eddie Lang, Lonnie Johnson, Brownie McGhee, Josh White and Leadbelly. However once he heard the sounds of boogie woogie piano giants Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis, his desire to play in that style was all he could think of. At the age of 14 when he went to Manchester's Junior School of Art, he had access to a piano for the first Wme and he began to learn the basics of this exciWng music. He also found Wme to conWnue learning the guitar and a couple of years later, the harmonica, inspired by Sonny Terry, Sonny Boy Williamson and Li_le Walter. AHer his two years at art school, he joined the art department of a major department store while starWng to build up his own record collecWon that was to be his source of inspiraWon to play the blues. At age eighteen when he was due for NaWonal Service he spent three years in the Royal Engineers as an office clerk in the south of England and in Korea all the Wme playing whenever he got a chance. As no-‐one seemed to be interested in this type of music, John felt pre_y much of an outsider throughout his twenWes unWl 1962 when the news broke in the BriWsh music magazine Melody Maker that Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies had opened a club in Ealing devoted to blues music. AHer Britain's ten year tradiWonal jazz boom had about run its course, a new generaWon was ready for something new. Out came the amplifiers, guitars and harmonicas and out came young enthusiasts from all over the country eager to sit in and form their own groups. live album enWtled The Turning Point, from which his song, "Room To Move" was desWned to become a rock classic. He received a gold record for this album. A_racted by the West Coast climate and culture, John then made his permanent move from England to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles and began forming bands with American musicians. Throughout the '70s, John became further revered for his many jazz/rock/blues innovaWons featuring such notable performers as Blue Mitchell, Red Holloway, Larry Taylor, and Harvey Mandel. In 1982, moWvated by nostalgia and fond memories, John decided to re-‐form the original Bluesbreakers. Mick Fleetwood was unavailable at the Wme so John hired drummer Colin Allen to join with John McVie and Mick Taylor for a couple of tours and a video concert film enWtled Blues Alive. Featured greats were Albert King, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and E_a James. By the Wme Mick and John had returned to their respecWve careers, public reacWon had convinced Mayall that he should honor his driving blues roots. In Los Angeles, he selected his choices for a new incarnaWon of the Bluesbreakers. Officially launched in 1984, it included future stars in their own right, guitarists Coco Montoya and Walter Trout. Throughout the eighWes and nineWes, John's popularity went from strength to strength with a succession of dynamic albums such as Behind The Iron Curtain, Chicago Line, A Sense of Place, and the Grammy-‐nominated Wake Up Call that featured guest arWsts Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Albert Collins and Mick Taylor. This was all the encouragement thirty-‐year old John needed and, giving up his graphic design job, he moved from Manchester to London and began puVng musicians together under the banner of the Bluesbreakers. Although things were rough at first, the music quickly took off thanks to the popularity of the Rolling Stones, Georgie Fame, Manfred Mann, The Animals and Spencer Davis with a young Steve Winwood. John also backed blues greats John Lee Hooker, T-‐Bone Walker, and Sonny Boy Williamson on their first English club tours. In 1993, Texas guitarist Buddy WhiVngton joined the Bluesbreakers and for the next ten years energized the band with his unique and fiery ideas. Making his recording debut on Mayall's Spinning Coin album, he proved to be more than equal to following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessors. Other modern classics followed. Blues For the Lost Days and Padlock On The Blues, the la_er co-‐produced by John and his wife Maggie, featured a rare collaboraWon with his close friend John Lee Hooker. On Along For The Ride, Mayall re-‐teamed with a number of his former mates, including Peter Green, Mick Taylor, AHer a couple of years and many personnel changes, Eric Clapton Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, as well as ZZ Top's Billy quit the Yardbirds and John quickly offered him the job as his Gibbons, Steve Miller, Billy Preston, Steve Cropper, OWs Rush, new guitarist. Although John had previously released a couple of Gary Moore and Jeff Healey. The younger generaWon was well singles and a live LP for Decca, the now classic collaboraWon represented by teenage guitar sensaWons Shannon Curfman and between Eric and John resulted in the all-‐Wme best-‐selling classic Jonny Lang. In 2002, Stories debuted the Billboard blues charts at album, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers featuring Eric Clapton. #1. However, by the Wme it was entering the charts, Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce had leH to form Cream. So began a succession At a 70th Birthday celebraWon in aid of UNICEF in Liverpool, a of future stars who would define their roots under John's concert was filmed, recorded and released as a DVD and double leadership before leaving to form their own groups. Peter Green, CD in December 2003. Along with the Bluesbreakers, it featured John McVie and Mick Fleetwood became Fleetwood Mac. Andy old friends Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Chris Barber. The BBC Fraser formed Free, and Mick Taylor joined the Rolling Stones. also aired an hour-‐long documentary on John's life and career In 1969, with his popularity blossoming in the USA, John caused enWtled The Godfather of BriWsh Blues and to coincide with the somewhat of a sWr with the release of a drummer-‐less acousWc release of Road Dogs in 2005, John was awarded an OBE by The The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] Queen's Honours list. In the Spring of 2007, John Mayall's 56th album release, In The Palace Of The King, was an enWre studio album that honored and paid tribute to the music of Mayall's long-‐Wme hero of the blues, Freddie King. All garnered great reviews, criWcal and popular acclaim and represent Mayall's ongoing mastery of the blues and his conWnuing importance in contemporary music. to go along with covers of Jimmy Rogers, Albert King, Sonny Landreth, Jimmy McCracklin, Eddie Taylor, as well as a new song by band members Greg Rzab and Rocky Athas. The album, "A Special Life", was released May 13 to rave reviews on Corne's Forty Below Records with extensive tours of North America, Europe and The UK all set to commemorate John's 80th Birthday CelebraWon Tour. In addiWon, over the last ten years, Mayall released live recordings on his own online label, Private Stash Records. (Some sWll available from his website johnmayall.com. They included Time Capsule (containing historic 1957-‐62 live tapes), UK Tour 2K, (from a 2000 BriWsh tour), Boogie Woogie Man, (a selecWon of solo performances), Cookin' Down Under, (a live DVD from Australia) and No Days Off, (another BriWsh live show). By October 2008, the years of heavy touring were beginning to take their toll on John and he reluctantly announced his decision to take an indefinite break and permanently reWre the name "Bluesbreakers." It was a sad occasion to say farewell to Buddy and the guys aHer twenty years of great music and camaraderie but things had reached another turning point. This caused quite a sWr in blues circles and led to rumors about total reWrement. Happily for the fans, early in 2009 Eagle Records called upon John to come up with a new album. Feeling much revived aHer months away from music, he put together a new band for the project. A few years ago, Buddy WhiVngton had introduced John to a fellow Texas guitarist, Rocky Athas and he recalled how impressed he'd been at the Wme. Luckily he answered the call and was eager to come on board for the proposed album. With the need for a rhythm secWon of dynamic strength, John turned to bassist Greg Rzab who recommended his fellow Chicagoan Jay Davenport on drums. Finally, the three guys were put together with keyboardist Tom Canning and within two days of meeWng up in Los Angeles, the album Tough was in the can. It had taken all of three days in the studio and ever since its release and a growing schedule of world tours, a new era was born. The next couple of years saw John and the band tour extensively. A leaner four piece line-‐up gave John more room to stretch out as an instrumentalist and the band's chemistry hit new heights. AHer being invited to do a guest spot on Walter Trout's latest album, John met engineer/producer Eric Corne. John was so impressed that he asked Eric to record his new album "A Special Life" Greg, Jay and Rocky flew in for the sessions which took less than a week to record and the end result is one of John's best albums ever, with it's deep devoWon to blues and roots music. Accordion legend C.J.Chenier makes a powerhouse guest appearance on a couple of tracks, including one previously recorded by his father, CliHon Chenier. The album also includes three new songs penned by John and a reworked Mayall classic The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] KANSAS KANSAS has spent more than four decades as a part of the soundtrack of the lives of mulWple generaWons of music lovers. The band’s first public statement appeared on their self-‐Wtled album in 1974. "From the beginning, we considered ourselves and our music different and we hope we will always remain so." Li_le did this legendary rock group realize that back in the early ‘70s, what seemed to be “different," was actually ahead of its Wme. This "garage band" from Topeka released their debut album in 1974 aHer being discovered by Wally Gold, who worked for Don Kirshner. The band has produced eight gold albums, three sextuple-‐ PlaWnum albums (LeJoverture, Point of Know Return, Best of KANSAS), one plaWnum live album (Two for the Show), and a million-‐selling gold single, ‘Dust in the Wind.’ KANSAS appeared on the Billboard charts for over 200 weeks throughout the ‘70's and ‘80's and played to sold-‐out arenas and stadiums throughout North America, Europe and Japan. ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ was the #2 most played track on classic rock radio in 1995 and went to #1 in 1997. The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org In 1998, KANSAS released an orchestral album; "Always Never the Same," recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London. They followed with an orchestral tour accompanied by top-‐caliber symphony orchestras. In 2000 KANSAS went back into the studio with original band member and songwriter Kerry Livgren to produce Somewhere to Elsewhere, the first album featuring all six of the original players in 20 years! The ten new songs were wri_en by Kerry Livgren and recorded in his studio in Topeka, KS. Players included: Phil Ehart, Billy Greer, Dave Hope, Kerry Livgren, Robby Steinhardt, Steve Walsh and Richard Williams. KANSAS in 2002, released a state-‐of-‐the-‐art DVD using the latest technology in film, audio and visual design, enWtled Device-‐Voice-‐ Drum. The DVD was the driving force behind the 2002/2003 tour. Sony Music released a boxed set in 2004 Wtled Sail On which featured unique KANSAS cuts as well as vintage video footage on the included DVD disc. In 2006, Kansas, released the two-‐disc (one CD/one DVD) anthology Works In Progress. Material was taken from a decade's media | marketing contact: [email protected] worth of studio and live albums and home videos -‐-‐ 1992's Live At The Whisky, 1995's Freaks Of Nature, 1998's Always Never The Same and 2002's Device Voice Drum. In 2009, in their hometown of Topeka, KANSAS celebrated their 35th Anniversary with a symphonic concert, accompanied by the Washburn University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Larry Baird. The DVD release There's Know Place Like Home captured this unique live performance and featured special guests Kerry Livgren and Steve Morse with spectacular lighWng and high-‐ resoluWon clarity. Available on both DVD and Blu-‐Ray, There’s Know Place Like Home includes favorites such as ‘Dust In The Wind,’ ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ and ‘Point of Know Return’ as well as a sampling from each album in their discography, with a special symphonic touch. Inspired by their 35th Anniversary DVD There's Know Place Like Home KANSAS conducted their ‘Collegiate Symphony Tour’ from 2010-‐2012 performing their hits accompanied by various college and university symphonies throughout the United States to help raise funds and awareness for collegiate music programs. In 2011, this tour lead to a special collaboraWon with the US Army Orchestra culminaWng in the ‘Carry On Concert’ honoring America’s veterans on Veteran’s Day 11/11/11 at DAR ConsWtuWon Hall in Washington, DC. Coinciding with the celebraWon of their 40th anniversary, the band KANSAS, was inducted into both the Kansas Hall of Fame and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame as recogniWon for their achievements from both their naWve state and adopted home state. The band, which is currently comprised of original drummer Phil Ehart, bassist/vocalist Billy Greer, keyboardist David Manion, vocalist/keyboardist Ronnie Pla_, violinist/guitarist David Ragsdale, and original guitarist Richard Williams, conWnues to perform in front of large and enthusiasWc audiences around the world. Along with touring, KANSAS conWnues to remain a fixture of Classic Rock radio and has reached a whole new audience through their unmistakable presence on the popular video games Rock Band and Guitar Hero, and through their songs inclusion in various television shows such as Supernatural, and South Park, and with films Old School, and Anchorman. The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] Mark Farner Mark Farner is the heart and soul of the band Grand Funk Railroad, having wri_en and/or sung their most famous songs from the majority of their '70s hits: "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)," "Bad Time," "Footstompin' Music," "Rock & Roll Soul," the number one remake of the Li_le Eva classic "The Loco-‐ MoWon" (which is everything creaWvely that a remake should be), a cover of "Some Kind of Wonderful," along with a mulWtude of well-‐known album tracks, including "Hooked on Love," "Mean Mistreater," "Heartbreaker," to riveWng versions of the Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and Traffic's "Feelin' Alright." band around it, put the hundred dollar bills on the outside and have about 50 or 60 one-‐dollar bills on the inside, just a big wad. This is an album that they put out...the old manager Jim Atherton that managed the Pack was in cahoots with him on this. Jim's my friend today and I don't begrudge that those guys tried to make some money off us. At the Wme, we hated their guts, but now bygones are bygones, friends are friends, love always finds it's way back to the heart even though you may be temporarily disliking someone. If you really love 'em you'll be back together with 'em, you know?" He was born in Flint, MI, in 1948, the second-‐oldest of four children, to Be_y and Delton Farner. His first recorded work of note was with Terry Knight & the Pack on Lucky Eleven Records, distributed by Cameo/Parkway. In an interview on Visual Radio-‐ Television taped August 31, 2001, at the Mohegan Sun Casino in ConnecWcut, Farner reminisced when he was shown a copy of Monumental Funk. The authorized biography of Mark Farner, From Grand Funk to Grace, was published in 2002 by Collectors Guide Publishing in Canada. As Farner said it has "the facts, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Of his biographer, Beatles Undercover author Kristofer Engelhardt, Farner says "He's thorough . . . a very thorough guy. He should've been a P.I." The first 200 pages cover Farner's life from the loss of his father at age nine to how he developed as a musician. There are details on his marriages, his children and grandchildren, work with Terry Knight during their Wme together in the Pack, as well as Knight's management of the group and the eventual split and lawsuit. In a very bold "This is a bootleg . . . it's Pack music . . . OWs Ellis who owned Lucky Eleven Records...who did the deal with Cameo/ Parkway...he always had the 'Michigan bankroll' with the rubber The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] move for a biography, Farner's views on poliWcs, religion, and his philosophy on life in general -‐-‐ which his biographer said are "more to the right than Ted Nugent" -‐-‐ give a very sharp picture of an individual who is passionate about his ideals, a man who sWcks to his guns. Engelhardt spoke with All Media Guide in February of 2002 and stated: "The man is definitely a dichotomy. But he is a very good soul at heart." The man who has stood on-‐stage in front of millions is completely charming when you stand in his presence, not the imposing larger than life image one might expect from the guy who fronted a group which, next to the Beach Boys, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Aerosmith, and the Doors, is one of America's most important and influenWal popular bands. Before an August 2001 performance, Farner, along with younger brother Rick Farner, and current members of the Mark Farner Band gathered together to pray, joining hands with their road manager and dedicaWng their performance with a loud "All for Jesus." Farner's stage presence in 2001 was as on target and powerful as when he appeared at the Boston Garden with Grand Funk Railroad in the '70s, and with other versions of the Mark Farner Band on the road in the '80s and '90s. In the book, Engelhardt said the song "I'm Your Captain" "could just as well have been an unknowing plea from Mark to be closer to home and released from the oppression of Terry Knight." But it could also be viewed as an anthem of the bandleader as his manager, ghosts from the past, and band members push the ship this way and that. Farner's vision is what the public has come to expect when they see Grand Funk Railroad in performance, and the trio's legacy goes beyond their selling out Shea Stadium quicker than the Beatles or the mammoth billboard that adorned Manha_an. When you consider that Farner's band gave a plazorm to legendary blues arWst Freddie King during the height of their fame, bringing him to an audience who may never have known his music and immortalizing him in the song "We're an American Band" (the number one hit credited only to drummer Brewer), it is easy to see their influence was far greater than the criWcs of the day ever cared to admit. "We're an American Band" is a song that never would have charted or sounded as it does without Farner's intro and the catalog established by his unique singing and passionate songwriWng. Wet Willie, Humble Pie, and Mo_ the Hoople were also groups who benefited by performing with the enormously popular GFR, while many a garage band cut their chops on the bar chords of "Heartbreaker" or a_empted to discover the musical nuances of "I'm Your Captain." The man who was one of the biggest-‐selling rock arWsts of the '70s has his own website, www.markfarner.com, which conWnues to spread the gospel of his music and his faith. ~ Joe Viglione, Rovi Grand Funk Railroad has had reunions, but band business gets complex as Wme marches on. Grand Funk without Farner is like Creedence Clearwater Revisited, which has the guitarist from the Cars but no John Fogerty. "All the king's horses and all the king's men" . . . somehow it's just not the same. Don Brewer and Mel Schacher were part of Flint in 1978 but choose to use the name Grand Funk touring in the new millennium (as they are two-‐ thirds of the corporaWon). Even with the name, they do not have the marquee value of the original singer. In the 1990s, Farner created Lismark CommunicaWons with former Freedom Reader editor Steve Lisuk, re-‐releasing his solo AtlanWc albums and some of his criWcally acclaimed ChrisWan music on his own imprint, LisMark Records. They also have the rights to the aforemenWoned Flint album released by Craig Frost, Mel Schacher, and Don Brewer with performances by Todd Rundgren and Frank Zappa. They are keeping the legacy alive by re-‐releasing as much music perWnent to Farner's career as possible. His 2002 CD single, "Red, White and Blue," features a version of "Closer to Home" with brother Rick Farner and the singer on acousWc guitars. Lismark also has a set of discs of the Pack and Mark Farner rariWes that are companion pieces to the Capitol Records Grand Funk box set. The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] Melvin Seals & Jerry Garcia Band Jerry Garcia moved fluidly between duos, trios, and larger bands from the early 1960s, all the way to the end of his life in 1995. Each new endeavor had Jerry jumping between instruments and roles with a ceaseless passion for revoluWonary forms, interesWng sounds, and the next opportunity to effect rapid change on an ever-‐evolving art form. a heapin’ helpin’ of the wizard’s magic on Hammond B-‐3 Organ and keyboards. Along with backing vocals, the result is a most saWsfying blend of natural organic grooves that challenges genre boundaries. Their chemistry is the focus from which they create a spontaneous and high art where the sky is the limit musically. They offer an exciWng, oHen psychedelic musical journey that changes nightly and keeps the audience dancing and smiling (and Melvin Seals has been a powerful presence in the music industry some staring in amazement) for hours. for over 30 years with a long-‐established reputaWon as a performer, recording arWst and producer. Melvin is most revered In addiWon to the oHen played staples, the band has recently for his powerful, high-‐spirited, Hammond B-‐3 organ, and been exploring the back catalog and performing a ton of super keyboards in the Jerry Garcia Band. Melvin spun his B-‐3 magic rare tunes, some of which The Jerry Garcia Band played only a with the Jerry Garcia Band for 18 years and in doing so helped few Wmes over all those years. pioneer and define what has now become “Jam Band Music”. From blues to funk to rock to jazz, Melvin Seals serves up a tasty Adding his rock-‐gospel-‐soul-‐rhythm and blues touch with his mix with a li_le R&B and gospel thrown in to spice things up. funky style of playing, no wonder Jerry nicknamed him “Master of the Universe”. Melvin conWnues to treat music lovers to his Melvin and JGB brings an intuiWve, expressive style, soul, unique brand of melodic flavor with JGB. spontaneity and remarkable chops to the table. With acousWc and electric ingredients and unique combinaWons of Dave Hebert’s guitar and vocals, Pete Lavezzoli’s hearty drums, John-‐ Paul McLean on bass and Shirley Starks on vocals and, of course, The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] Mipso Trio When Mipso’s 2013 debut, Dark Holler Pop, rose to #8 on Billboard’s Bluegrass charts, the success surprised a lot of people – Mipso’s four members included. “Well, we didn’t know so many people would buy it,” laughs mandolin player Jacob Sharp, “and we definitely didn’t know we were a bluegrass band.” The Everybodyfields) more naWve to 1970s pop. Add imaginaWve songwriWng and a group cohesion gained from two years of near-‐ constant touring, and the resulWng sound is powerfully rhythmic, lyrically sharp, and woven with beauWful four-‐part harmonies. Before forming Mipso, Jacob Sharp (mandolin), Joseph Terrell (guitar), Wood Robinson (bass), and Libby Rodenbough (fiddle) Since then, Mipso has performed over 300 shows and welcomed were just classmates at UNC-‐Chapel Hill, where the experience of frequent collaborator Libby Rodenbough’s voice and fiddle to the singing together in harmony drew them together. The sound of fold – and has conWnued to grow as musicians and songwriters, their blended voices remains one of the band’s hallmarks. Since while drawing conWnual inspiraWon from their rich North those college jam sessions, the four have entered a new phase of Carolina roots. Their new album, Old Time Reverie – produced by life, one where the work of making music – and the work of living Mandolin Orange’s Andrew Marlin – is a reflecWon of that – has become a more complicated affair. Many of the songs on musical and personal growth: a gripping, mature sophomore Old Time Reverie grapple with the moral ambiguity that comes release that finds the quartet expanding their sonic resources with keeping hope in a difficult world and making sense of its while doubling down on their experimentaWon with string band contradicWons. tradiWon. These songs, aHer all, were born in the South and reflect its While the instrumentaWon on the acclaimed Dark Holler Pop modern day complexity. “Our progressive college town shares a embraced North Carolina’s bluegrass heritage head-‐on, Old Time county with lots of old tobacco barns and farms and churches Reverie finds Mipso shiHing their focus away from bluegrass, from the eighteenth century," guitarist Joseph Terrell said. introducing new instruments and textures to create a disWnctly "We've chosen to sWck around in this place where we're rooted, different sound. Clawhammer banjo out of 1920s early country to reckon with and learn from its contradicWons.” music meets atmospheric electric organ (played by Josh Oliver of The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] At Wmes, the task seems doomed: “Everyone Knows” grapples with a world that is essenWally “cold and dark,” “Mama” explores the enduring scars of loss; “Marianne” follows an interracial couple’s struggle to love one another against their community’s disapproval. But if Old Time Reverie conjures a dark vision of the world, it also meditates on points of radiance. Even the wary narrator in “Father’s House” can see “a light on the porch.” The album closer “Four Train,” too, is a crinkled smile at the end of a weary day, describing love as “like a stain that won’t come out” or “like a flame that won’t burn out” – or perhaps as both. In both theme and temperament, the album finds an interplay between the sunrise and the twilight – a tug-‐of-‐war that’s itself an old-‐Wme tradiWon. From “Eliza,” a lively waltz-‐Wme romp, to “Bad Penny,” a surrealist dream sequence with an Abe Lincoln cameo, the album revels in the seesaw spectrum of experience and memory, where technicolor carnival hues blend with grown-‐ up sadness and the whispers of ghosts. Mipso’s color pale_e, like its soundscape, is radically inclusive. “We come from a place where tradiWonal music is a living, changing thing,” fiddle player Libby Rodenbough said. “So we feel like having an ear for all kinds of stuff is not only true to ourselves, it’s a nod to the tradiWon.” Call it what you will – to listen is to understand: it’s either unlike anything you’ve heard before or effortlessly familiar. By digging deeper and expanding further, Mipso have created their own dark daydream of Southern Americana: Their Old Time Reverie. The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] Solas 2016 marks the 20th Anniversary of the quintessenWal Irish-‐ American band, Solas. Formed in 1996, in a manner befiVng their name (Gaelic for "light”), Solas burst onto the Irish music scene and instantly became a beacon – an incandescent ensemble that found contemporary relevance in Wmeless tradiWons. accordion, vocals) and newest member, the dynamic Moira Smiley (vocals, banjo), Solas is musically at the top of their game and conWnues to be the standard bearer not only for great Irish music, but great music in any genre. Indeed, it can be convincingly argued that no band has done more than Solas to prove that CelWc music today is a truly Eleven albums later, with numerous awards to their credit, and universal musical language, like jazz, classical, rock, or bluegrass. more miles traveled touring the world to count, Solas will mark The band’s sound is explosive yet seducWvely personal; Wmelessly this milestone with a exciWng new recording project and tour, All melodic yet rippling with modern muscle. It can bring edgy urban These Years. It is a celebraWon of a band that, from its incepWon, hipness to ancient reels, and make songs by Tom Waits and Bob captured the musical world’s a_enWon and went on to become Dylan feel like they’ve been aging for centuries in the sweet old one of the most influenWal groups in the history of Irish music. casks of CelWc tradiWon. Through fresh and unexpected ALL THESE YEARS sees Solas reuniWng with all the members of arrangements of age-‐old tunes, compelling and topical originals the band, past and present, to record new material and embark and covers, and unparalleled musicianship, Solas conWnues to on a year long world tour. define the path for the CelWc music world and drive the genre forward. Anchored by founding members Seamus Egan (flute, tenor banjo, mandolin, whistles, guitars, bodhran) and Winifred Horan Solas' All These Years demonstrates the evoluWon of a band the (violins, vocals), who form the backbone of the uniquely New York Times hailed for their “. . . unbridled vitality” and The definable Solas sound, long Wme members Eamon McElholm Boston Globe declared to be “the finest celWc ensemble this (guitars, keyboards, vocals) and Mick McAuley (bu_on country has ever produced." The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected] The Machine Plays Pink Floyd “The Machine duplicates the sound and hits of Pink Floyd with chilling accuracy.” -‐ Ma_ Diehl, Rolling Stone Magazine The Machine, America's top Pink Floyd show, has forged a 20 year reputaWon of excellence, extending the legacy of Pink Floyd, while creaWng another legacy all their own. Over the years, The Machine has touched the hearts and souls of many, selling out theaters, large clubs and casinos across North and Central America, Europe and Asia. They have also appeared at renowned music fesWvals such as Bonnaroo, Riverbend, Gathering of the Vibes, Buffalo's Artpark, and Germany's Rock of Ages. The New York based band focuses on making every show an authenWc Floydian experience for their fans. Known for performing a diverse mix of The Floyd's extensive repertoire (complete with faithful rendiWons of popular hits as well as obscure gems), The Machine's stellar musicianship, dramaWc lighWng and video, and their passionate delivery sets them above and beyond the rest. and elaborate stage displays conWnues in the spirit of the later Floyd lineups of the 1980’s. The band is also known for recreaWng enWre albums as a part of their show, accepWng requests from fans, and for taking an A to Z approach in which one song is played for every le_er of the alphabet. AddiWonally, the quartet has been sharing the stage with full symphony orchestras, including the Atlanta, Detroit, Pi_sburgh and San Diego Symphonies. In 2004, Two Nights at the Keswick was released as a DVD/CD, archiving the band’s bi-‐annual residency at this historic Philadelphia venue. Their next release, Unplugged (2006) captures a special acousWc performance at B.B. King’s in NYC featuring rare Syd Barre_ solo material and deep cuts from early Floyd albums. Live In Amsterdam, a stunning concert DVD filmed at the Pepsi Stage, was released in August of 2008. The band: Joe Pascarell, lead guitar, lead vocals, Sco? Chasolen, keyboards, vocals, Ryan Ball, bass, vocals, Tahrah Cohen, drums. In the classic tradiWon, The Machine explores collecWve improvisaWon paralleling and even rivaling that of an early 1970’s Pink Floyd mentality. Their use of expanded theatrical elements The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street | Beverly | MA | 01915 | thecabot.org media | marketing contact: [email protected]
