LOTS OF THINKING // LOTS OF GROUP SHOWS
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In spring I’ll have a new record out, so these days I’m waking up every morning, popping my brain on, and working away on release prep tasks. Trust me that these aren’t interesting enough to share.
But all work no play, etcetera - so thankfully this fall also features a bouquet of collaborative, celebratory group shows, which is the best possible antidote for long desk days! Details as follows.
LUCINDA // For the last couple years the excellent folks at Signature Sounds have been putting on a series of shows celebrating the work of various influential songwriters. I’ve gotten to be a part of several of them and they’re so satisfying…a deep dive into the catalog of a master, filtered through the sensibilities of a group of singers backed by a great house band. This show celebrates the body of work Lucinda Williams has blessed us all with, and I can’t wait to stew in these amazing songs along with Ali McGuirk, Evelyn Harris, Lisa Bastoni, Mark Erelli, and the Deep River Ramblers at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls, Sunday October 13. When the email went out asking us all to choose favorite songs, everyone’s list was comically long - so many classics, so little time! Come see what everybody chose.
KATE // Two summers ago we were stunned to lose Kate Lorenz, a beloved member of the band Rusty Belle and of our music community, suddenly and way too young. Last year her brother Matt, who performs as The Suitcase Junket, rounded up a stageful of folks who loved Kate for a celebration of her songs and her life, and it was deep medicine for all of us. Next week we’ll do it again at the Stone Church in Brattleboro, VT on Saturday, October 19. The show is called Sparkletown, in honor of one of the sparkliest people any of us has ever known, and will include Matt, Winterpills, Zak Trojano, Caitlin Canty, Session Americana featuring Yours Truly, and many more. There’s no more apt way to celebrate Kate’s life than this convergence of songs, fellowship and joy.
EARFULL // The longstanding Earfull series puts literary readings and music performance side by side in one show. For this one on Tuesday, October 22 we’ll be at The Burren in Somerville, MA, where I’ve spent many hours of my life, given that it was the closest bar to my house when I lived in Somerville for many years. I’ll play songs as will Naomi Westwater, and we’ll hear readings from Marianne Leone and J. Courtney Sullivan. Looking forward to bouncing my songs off of all these folks’ work, as well as enjoying their sets while working through a Guinness or two.
SMITHER // I played at Chris Smither’s 60th birthday party, which I’m absolutely positive was not 20 years ago, but they say we’re celebrating his 80th this year, so I’m choosing to blame a wrinkle in the time-space continuum. Smither is a true living legend, a gentleman, a rascal, a raconteur, a walking encyclopedia, and the author of many decades’ worth of killer songs. We’ll gather to play a few of them at the Iron Horse in Northampton on Sunday, November 10, with the birthday boy in-house, seated on a throne, literal or metaphorical, TBD. Peter Mulvey, Pamela Means, Vance Gilbert, Tim Gearan, The Suitcase Junket, Betty Soo, David Goodrich, and more will all be on hand to help propel the festivities.
I’ll hope to see some of you Northeasterners at one of these special shows, and in the meantime my prefrontal cortex and I will be cooking up plans to come visit some of you in other time zones next spring with a brand new record in tow. More on all of this soon, and for now I hope fall is sweeping you up in its melodramatic glory. *kd
PS I’ve already been alerted to the fact that my brain is on backwards. Honestly, it explains so much.
UPCOMING SHOWS:
OCT 13 - LUCINDA WILLIAMS TRIBUTE, SHEA THEATER, TURNERS FALLS MA Tix
OCT 19 - SPARKLETOWN II, STONE CHURCH, BRATTLEBORO VT Tix
OCT 22 - EARFULL, THE BURREN, SOMERVILLE MA Tix
NOV 10 - CHRIS SMITHER BIRTHDAY SHOW, IRON HORSE, NORTHAMPTON MA Tix