PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND WILL NOW BE RESCHEDULED FOR A LATER DATE. When country music lovers talk about the greatest groups in the genre, Shenandoah is always at the forefront of any discussion. Fueled by Marty Raybon’s distinctive vocals and the band’s skilled musicianship, Shenandoah became well known for delivering such hits as “Two Dozen Roses”, “Church on Cumberland Road” and “Next to You, Next to Me” as well as such achingly beautiful classics as “I Want to be Loved Like That” and the Grammy winning “Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart” duet with Alison Krauss. Today that legacy continues as original members Raybon and Mike McGuire reunite to launch a new chapter in Shenandoah’s storied career. Shenandoah has recorded nine studio albums (3 certified gold) and placed 26 singles on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The boys from Muscle Shoals have left a potent legacy at country radio with over a dozen hit records.
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CANCELLED: SHENANDOAH
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SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY AND THE POOR FOOLS
Playing a wide range of music from Dylan, Mose Allison, Muddy Waters, NRBQ, Richard Thompson, Emmylou Harris, The Band, George Jones and more, The Poor Fools also dive into some of the Southside’s Asbury Jukes material–revisiting some classics as well as the underperformed deep tracks. “The Poor Fools tour is a chance for me to try out different material and some Jukes standards in an acoustic-ish form. In this incarnation, musicians such as Jeff Kazee, John Conte, John Putnam, Neal “The Dude” Pawley and I will all be singing, playing, and having some fun on stage. It will be a loose mix of songs, stories and banter between the musicians and–hopefully–the audience. With Lyon shaking up each night’s setlist for himself and his gang of multi-instrumentalist band members, these troubadours ride the rails of the runaway train known as Southside Johnny and The Poor Fools.
There will be a meet and greet for Gold Circle ticketholders at 6:30 PM.
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CANCELLED: NEXT STOP HARLEM! WITH THE MIMI JONES SEXTET
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Featuring the Mimi Jones Sextet, this mini musical theater piece blends arranged music based on the Harlem Renaissance and Jazz from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s with poetry and dialogue. Bassist/vocalist/ producer/label owner and now filmmaker Mimi Jones has reigned supreme, as a side woman to an impressive coterie of musicians and as a leader with her own Hot Tone Music record label. Mimi has toured extensively throughout the world and is recognized as a U.S. Jazz Ambassador. She has played with Kenny Barron, Frank Ocean, Dianne Reeves, Tia Fuller, Ingrid Jensen, Marc Cary, Toshi Reagon, Rachel Z, Terri Lyne Carrington’s Grammy Award winning Mosaic Project and more.
This event will include:
Mimi Jones on Bass/ Voice/ Director
ArcoIris Sandoval on piano
Russell Carter on bass
Tim Vaughn on trombone
Gabriel Murphy on alto sax
Nadje Nordhuis on trumpet
Joseph Wiggins Dancer/Choreographer -
Colin Hay
As the singer, guitarist, and main songwriter of Australia’s Men At Work, Colin Hay was responsible for penning several of the quirkiest pop hits of the early ’80s including “Overkill”, “(The Land) Down Under”, “It’s A Mistake” and “Who Can IT Be Now” Although forever associated with “the land down under”, Hay hailed from Scotland but relocated to Australia in 1967. After Men At Work’s rise, demise and a period of reflection, Hay embarked on a solo career, debuting in 1987 with Looking For Jack (the title of which supposedly referred to a brief encounter Hay had with actor Jack Nicholson). Hay continued to release critically acclaimed solo material with regularity throughout the 2000’s, including Wayfaring Sons, Peaks & Valleys, Topanga, 1998’s Transcendental Highway, 2007’s Are You Lookin’ at Me?, American Sunshine, 2011’s Gathering Mercury, which was followed in 2015 by Next Year People.
Hay contributed “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You” to the soundtrack of Garden State and has had roles in other cult movies such as Cosi and television shows such as Scrubs, The Larry Sanders Show, JAG, The Mick Molloy Show and What About Brian. Hay has also been a member of Ringo Starr’s eighth and tenth All-Starr Bands. In 2017 Hay recorded and released his 13th solo album, Fierce Mercy, an epic, cinematic step forward from the singer-songwriter who has become increasingly known for his wonderfully witty and intimate performances as well as his ever-present great voice and incisive song writing .
The range of artists who have chosen to cite him as a muse is vast and varied and include the likes of Metallica and The Lumineers, reflecting his continuing relevance and broad appeal.
Presented by UMT presents -
A Marvelous Night: The Music of Van Morrison
Legendary front man Rob Paparozzi (Original Blues Brothers Band, Blood Sweat ‘n Tears) and master song stylist Pat Guadagno (BobFest, The Candle Brothers) lead an all-star band on a musical journey through the lifework of one of the most influential and unusual artists of our time. Last year’s capacity crowd was mesmerized by an eclectic selection of Morrison’s mystical compositions, performed by an ensemble of Jersey musical nobility including: Steven Delopoulos (Burlap to Cashmere), Michael Ghegan (Michael Jackson, Cirque de Soleil), John Korba (Hall & Oates, Phoebe Snow, Rosanne Cash), Tom Labella (Bruce Springsteen), and Joe Bellia (Dave Mason, Allman Brothers). The whole crew is back for a transcendental evening of genre defying music. You will be healed!
Presented by Nearmor Productions
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The Doo Wop Project
From Bop to Pop! these five charismatic triple-threats from Broadway’s smash hits, Jersey Boys and Motown: The Musical, and their hot 5-piece band tear it up with street corner singing for a whole new generation! The show traces the evolution of Doo Wop from the classic sound of five guys singing tight harmonies on a street corner to the biggest hits on the radio today. DWP takes you on a journey from foundational tunes of groups like the Crests, Belmonts and Flamingos through their influence on the sounds of Smokey Robinson, The Temptations and The Four Seasons all the way to Michael Jackson, Jason Mraz and Amy Whitehouse.
The Doo Wop Project brings unparalleled authenticity of sound and vocal excellence to recreate — and in some cases entirely reimagine — some of the greatest music in American pop and rock history. Enjoy a night filled with harmonies and classic ‘60s hits such as Dion and the Belmonts’ I Wonder Why, Thurston Harris’ Little Bitty Pretty One, The Del-Vikings Come and Go With Me, The Capris’ Morse Code of Love and many more. Fun for the entire family, the show also includes doo-wop-inspired renditions of contemporary songs such as Amy Winehouse’s Valerie, Michael Jackson’s The Way You Make Me Feel and Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours.
Website: www.thedoowopproject.com
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Reduced Shakespeare Company’s All the Great Books (abridged)
Little Dickens. Short Longfellow. Reduced Proust… All the Great Books. As anyone named Cliff will tell you, Less is More. The Literary Canon explodes as the bad boys of abridgement again unleash comic outrage on an unsuspecting public. America’s best loved comedy troupe takes you on a 98 minute roller- coaster ride through its compact compendium of 89 of the world’s great books in All The Great Books (abridged). It’s 1.1 books per minute (on average). Confused by Confucius? Thrown by Thoreau? Wish Swift was faster? Aiming for an ace of Tennyson? Then hop aboard and buckle up as the three cultural guerrillas of the Reduced Shakespeare Company zip through everything you should have read in school but probably didn’t. It’s a blast of bibliography. You’ve seen their PBS special. You’ve heard them on National Public Radio. They are officially London’s longest-running comedy troupe, and have broken box-office records at the Kennedy Center, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and the Pittsburgh Public Theatre. What are you waiting for? Tempus fugit! Reductio ad absurdum.
In the spirit of Shakespeare himself, RSC shows contain some occasional bawdy language and mild innuendo. All children (and parents) are different, so we’ve chosen to rate our shows PG- 13: Pretty Good If You’re Thirteen.
What the Critics Say…
“Inspired lunatics! Funny, funny show… Brilliant!”
~ The Charlotte Observer
“Raucously funny! Inspired, crazed ridiculousness!” ~ The Buffalo News
“Literature’s greatest hits condensed into a 90-minute roller-coaster ride of hilarity.” ~ The Atlanta Journal Constitution
“Verbally dexterous and physically agile. The show darts from satire to silliness to sophisticated irreverence.” ~ The Boston Globe
“…come see how three accomplished performers can turn your literary ignorance into a polished evening’s entertainment.” ~ The Seattle Times
“Intertextuality can rarely have felt so frantic or so funny.” ~ The Scotsman, Edinburgh
Website: www.reducedshakespeare.com
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L.A. Theatre Work’s The Mountaintop
On the evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated outside room 306 of The Lorraine Motel in Memphis. What happened inside room 306 the night before the killing is a mystery. In her internationally acclaimed play, The Mountaintop, playwright Katori Hall fantasizes what may have transpired in the overnight hours between the legendary civil rights leader and a seemingly inconsequential hotel maid.
Winner of the prestigious Olivier Award for Best New Play, The Mountaintop is rife with humor and political jabs, while giving us a glimpse at the human side of Martin Luther King Jr. Hours after his famed final speech, punctuated by the immortal line, “I’ve been to the mountaintop,” the celebrated Reverend reveals his hopes, regrets, and fears, creating a masterful bridge between mortality and immortality. In 2018, America and the world marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr., yet, struggles to resolve racial tension remain a challenge for communities everywhere.
The Mountaintop premiered in London in 2009 and subsequently ran on Broadway starring Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson.
The Mountaintop contains some mature language.
“It is a relationship that is breathtaking, hilarious, and heart-stopping in its exchanges, and in its speedy ability to reveal character and pull the audience into the ring.”
– The Independent, London
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Under the leadership of Producing Director, Susan Albert Loewenberg, L.A. Theatre Works (LATW) has been the foremost radio theater company in the United States for four decades. L.A. Theatre Works is broadcast weekly in America on public radio stations, daily in China on the Radio Beijing Network, streamed online at www.latw.org and programs are aired internationally on the BBC, CBC, and many other English language networks. LATW has single-handedly brought the finest recorded dramatic literature into the homes of millions. On the road, LATW has delighted audiences with its unique live radio theater style performances in over 300 small towns and major cities, including New York, Boston, San Francisco, Washington and Chicago, Beijing and Shanghai. An L.A. Theatre Works performance is immediate, spontaneous, and features a first-rate cast, live sound effects, and a connection to the audience rarely felt in a traditional theater setting. This theater… is an event.
More information: www.latw.org
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Wailin’ Jennys
The Wailin Jennys are Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse three distinct voices that together make an achingly perfect vocal sound.
Starting as a happy accident of solo singer/songwriters getting together for a one-time-only performance at a tiny guitar shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Wailin’ Jennys have grown over the years into one of today’s most beloved international folk acts. Founding members Moody and Mehta along with New York-based Masse continue to create some of the most exciting music on the folk-roots scene, stepping up their musical game with each critically lauded recording and thrilling audiences with their renowned live performances.
In 2004, The Wailin’ Jennys released their first full-length album 40 Days to great critical acclaim, netting a 2005 Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year. Bolstered by their frequent appearances on Garrison Keillor’s public radio show A Prairie Home Companion, The Jennys exploded onto the roots music scene, performing at packed venues across the Canada, the U.S. and throughout the world.
The Jennys’ sophomore album, 2006’s Firecracker, served as a powerful follow-up to their career-making debut. Artistically, the record found The Jennys stepping out of the folk realm and into the world of alt-country, pop and rock. Garnering much attention, it was nominated for a Juno Award and won a 2007 Folk Alliance Award for Contemporary Release of the Year. Firecracker had legs, spending over 56 weeks on the Billboard charts.
The trio’s 2009 release, Live at Mauch Chunk Opera House, also spent over a year on the Billboard bluegrass charts. That landmark live album bottled the lightning of The Jennys’ live performances with show-stopping harmonies, impressive instrumental prowess, breathtaking songs and, of course, witty stage banter.
For their latest album, 2011’s Juno-winning Bright Morning Stars, The Wailin’ Jennys joined the ranks of Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris and recorded with award-winning producer Mark Howard. Co-produced by frequent Jennys collaborator and Juno Award-nominated David Travers-Smith, the album combines fresh and innovative sounds with the band’s signature harmonies — a perfect mix of Americana, pop and traditional folk that is destined to be a modern classic.
Although known primarily as an acoustic outfit, The Wailin’ Jennys have a diverse musical background that has shaped their musical sensibilities. Soprano Ruth Moody (vocals, guitar, accordion, banjo, bodhrán) is a classically trained vocalist and pianist with a burgeoning solo career. She made a splash in 2010 with the Juno-nominated The Garden which was followed up with 2013’s gorgeous These Wilder Things. She’s an accomplished, versatile singer of traditional and Celtic music and as the former lead singer of Juno-nominated roots band Scruj MacDuhk. Mezzo Nicky Mehta (vocals, guitar, harmonica, drums, ukulele), a classically trained dancer raised on ’70s a.m. radio and heavily influenced by alternative pop, was nominated for a Canadian Indie Music Award for her striking debut solo album, 2002’s Weather Vane. In July 2009 she became the proud mother to twin boys, Beck and Finn. Alto Heather Masse (vocals, upright bass) is a Jazz Voice graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, who has performed in Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing, Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings and is a regular guest on A Prairie Home Companion. She has also toured with her own band, supporting her 2009 Red House release Bird Song. Her latest, 2013’s Lock My Heart, is an inspired album of jazz standards and originals with legendary pianist Dick Hyman.
With their varying backgrounds, each of the Jennys is unique in their individual expression. Together they forge a unified folk-pop sound — all delivered with the irresistible vocal power of three.
”…perhaps more beautiful than ever. The Wailin’ Jennys are the darlings of the North American roots music arena.” Greg Quill, The Toronto Star
“Like three little birds singing softly
and sweetly in the early morn, the harmony of the Wailin’ Jennys
pleasantly rises from the speakers and greets the listener with a
refreshing start to the day.” David McPherson, Exclaim!Website: http://www.thewailinjennys.com/
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Rockin’ Road to Dublin
Rockin’ Road to Dublin returns to Pollak Theatre in 2018 by popular demand! Created by the 2009 World Champion of Irish Dance Scott Doherty (Riverdance & Lord of the Dance) and worldwide touring Irish musician Chris Smith, Rockin’ Road is the new generation of Irish music and dance. RRTD is a breathtaking display of classic Irish tunes accented by rock ‘n’ roll riffs, electrifying dancers and a dynamic light show. Enjoy the thrilling sights and sounds as daring performers execute rapid-fire leaps, twirls and footwork, and nimble fiddlers square off with driving electric guitar chords and pulse-pounding drum beats. Fans say, “Rockin’ Road to Dublin not only combines Riverdance and Lord of the Dance perfectly, but actually surpasses them!”
“The artists were unbelievable. The dancers took my breath away. I didn’t want it to end!” ~Patron