JD Simo
JD SIMO JD Simo’s talent has no boundaries. His love of music is just that – a love of ALL music – and he has mastered every genre he’s explored. His remarkable talent and versatility has led to recording sessions with artists including Beyoncé, Dolly Parton, Tommy Emmanuel, Jack White, Joe Bonamassa, The War and Treaty, Chris Isaak and Stevie Nicks. He’s also been blessed to share the stage with folks like the Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh and collaborate with BlackBerry Smoke, Luther Dickinson and Anson Funderburgh. As a further testament to the depth of his talent, the world of film came calling when JD was chosen to flesh out and perform every single guitar note on the soundtrack to Baz Lurhman’s film “Elvis”. Like many artists and creators during the COVID shutdown, JD found a liberating outlet through social media, releasing a relentless treasure of exploratory jams from “The House of Grease” . With each installment he reached a growing audience of roots music fans as well as guitar gearheads wanting the latest on that JD Simo rig rundown. While this tour will feature songs from his recently released album, Songs From the House of Grease, fans will also be rewarded as Simo digs deep into the inspiration he has found in everything from Afrobeat to Maxwell Street era Chicago Blues, from soulful funk jams to psyched out jazz-rock. Come early, stay late…the show will show will be presented in two sets.
RED WANTING BLUE – End of the Year Bash 2023!
The music industry is a destructive animal where even the fittest isn’t guaranteed unscathed survival. That means indie rock band Red Wanting Blue is rare indeed. A quarter-century of steady artistic growth is virtually unheard of in the volatile world of rock music, whether it’s an underground band struggling to find the key to success or a multi-million-selling supergroup buckling from the excesses of fame.Red Wanting Blue, formed in 1996 in Athens, Ohio, is comprised of Scott Terry on lead vocals, tenor guitar, and ukulele; Mark McCullough on bass, chapman stick, and vocals; Greg Rahm on guitar, keyboards, and vocals; Eric Hall on guitar, lap steel, and vocals; and Dean Anshutz on drums and percussion. Together the five musicians have forged a creative path that grows and expands with each successive recording. By gradually morphing from self-sufficient, independent outfit to skirting the mainstream without losing underground cred, Red Wanting Blue earned the right to enjoy the benefits of longevity. The band’s music followed suit. Take melodic heartland rock ‘n’ roll sprinkled with dashes of down-home Americana and dip it in the modern, metropolitan rock world. Then add muscle, from a robust rhythm section to the full-throttle vocals of frontman Scott Terry. The results are truly a music industry story worth telling.Special end of the year event – Must also have a ticket to the concert. “VIP Soundcheck Sit-In Upgrade Package” – Early entry into the venue – Access to Sit In to watch Red Wanting Blue’s Soundcheck at 5PM – One Signed Concert Poster – Early Access to Red Wanting Blue Merch – Very limited availability
RED WANTING BLUE – VIP Soundcheck Sit-In Upgrade Package
VIP Soundcheck Sit-In Upgrade PackageYOU MUST HAVE A TICKET TO THE CONCERT! Early entry into the venue Access to Sit In to watch Red Wanting Blue’s Soundcheck * 4:45 pm: VIP Arrival* 5:00 pm – 5:30 pm: Red Wanting Blue VIP Soundcheck One Signed Concert Poster Early Access to Red Wanting Blue Merch Very limited availability
Firefall & Atlanta Rhythm Section
Firefall & Atlanta Rhythm Section Sunday, November 5th at 7:30 P.M.FirefallFor founder Jock Bartley, Firefall is a 40 year labor of love. Their layered harmonies backed by driving rhythms transcends many genres from rock to country to AC and brought the band platinum and gold success with such hits as “You Are The Woman,” “Strange Way” and “Just Remember I Love You.” Other major Firefall radio hits include “Cinderella,” “Goodbye I Love You,” “Livin’ Ain’t Livin” and “Mexico.” Extensive touring with Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers, Chicago, America and many others.Atlanta Rhythm SectionFor Atlanta Rhythm Section have entertained audiences all over the world with their many Top 10 hits. Along with contemporaries Lynyrd Skynyrd, they carry the mantle of “Southern Rock,” but by performing more musically diverse hits with a softer, pop flavor, they have a sound all their own. With multiple gold and platinum albums to their credit, the band had top hits like “So Into You,” “Imaginary Lover,” “Champagne Jam,” “Doraville,” “I’m Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight,” “Do It Or Die” and “Spooky”.
Brian Henke’s Woodchoppers Ball
Brian Henke’s Woodchopper’s Ball 22nd Edition The Annual Woodchopper’s Ball gathers for one amazing night, once again at The Kent Stage on Saturday, November 11th at 7 P.M.! 2023 marks the 22nd annual offering of Brian Henke’s annual event honoring of finger-style guitar playing! Enjoy performances by… Michael Kelsey (Winner Guitarmageddon 2004) Gareth Pearson Tim Thompson (2 Time International Fingerstyle Guitar Champion) Helen Avakian and Dave Irwin (Red Door) Jesse Smith (International Fingerstyle Guitar Champion) The Night Travelers (National Banjo Champion and upright bassist Niki Portman, Both members are inducted in Country Music Hall of Fame) Patrick Woods (International Fingerstyle Guitar Finalist and 2nd Place Guitar Hero) Kelly Zullo and Brian Henke Himself! (National Fingerstyle Guitar Finalist)
The Clarks – Kent Stage Debut
The Clarks – Kent Stage debut Early on, The Clarks were once described as a bunch of out of tune country hicks. The band took irreverent offense to the comments, saying they were never country hicks. Eleven studio albums and a couple of guitar tuners later, The Clarks have struck again with Madly In Love At The End Of The World, a lively ride down a rural lane, laced with love, mourning, and questions about where it all goes from here. The band recorded the eleven song album in a converted A-frame church, which helped highlight a series of warm, rock and Alt-Country tunes. The four original members, Scott Blasey (vocals, acoustic guitar), Rob James (6 and 12-string electric guitars, vocals), Greg Joseph (bass, vocals) and David Minarik (drums, vocals) are joined by fellow touring mates Gary Jacob, Skip Sanders and Noah Minarik, tossing out some spanking pedal steel, Hammond organ and tasty guitar. “We’ve never had more fun composing and recording songs,” says bass player Greg Joseph. “With our storied recording history, it’s really heartening to know that music can still captivate the band as much as it has on this album.” With a highlight reel that includes the Late Show with David Letterman, The Simpsons, and others, The Clarks are enjoying their stage time together now more than ever. “It’s one big extended family,” says guitarist Rob James. “Dave’s son Noah plays on this album, and with us live, so saying that isn’t just a metaphor, it’s fact!” Singing and playing the songs of Madly In Love At The End Of The World has rekindled a fire in The Clarks’ sometimes broken, sometimes mended hearts.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band – Creole Christmas
Preservation Hall Jazz Band – Creole Christmas Celebrate the season as the Preservation Hall Jazz Band returns with A Creole Christmas concert, Join us as the band performs New Orleans classics as well as some of our best-loved holiday selections – with at twist! At a moment when musical streams are crossing with unprecedented frequency, it’s crucial to remember that throughout its history, New Orleans has been the point at which sounds and cultures from around the world converge, mingle, and resurface, transformed by the Crescent City’s inimitable spirit and joie de vivre. Nowhere is that idea more vividly embodied than in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which has held the torch of New Orleans music aloft for more than 50 years, all the while carrying it enthusiastically forward as a reminder that the history they were founded to preserve is a vibrantly living history. Preservation Hall Jazz Band BEN JAFFE – Bass (upright), Tuba, Percussion CHARLIE GABRIEL – Saxophone (tenor), Clarinet CLINT MAEDGEN – Saxophone (tenor), Percussion RONELL JOHNSON – Trombone WALTER HARRIS – Drums, Percussion KYLE ROUSSEL – Piano, Wurlitzer, Organ BRANDEN LEWIS – Trumpet
An Evening with Vienna Teng
An Evening with Vienna Teng “I was in a long-distance relationship with music for many years,” jokes singer-songwriter Vienna Teng. Long-distance, perhaps, but long-running. In 2002, Vienna released her debut album Waking Hour, landing her on NPR’s Weekend Edition, The Late Show with David Letterman, and the top of Amazon’s music charts. Four more albums followed, most recently Aims in 2013, as well as the music for The Fourth Messenger by playwright Tanya Shaffer. Together with Vienna’s captivating live performances and thoughtful online presence, her work has built a devoted following across generations and continents. Still, other pursuits have always beckoned. Vienna returned to academia in 2010 to study environmental sustainability, which led to a new career working on climate change, energy and waste issues. She also became a bonus parent to her partner’s two kids, and in early 2020 welcomed a newborn addition to the family – just in time for pandemic lockdown. “I learned a lot about what it means to hold two truths in your head at the same time, as the saying goes,” Vienna says of that period. Out of that idea emerged some of the most intricate and impassioned songwriting she’s ever done: a pair of songs called “We’ve Got You,” about leading and leaning on one’s community. When she performs it on stage – solo, live-looping her voice, keyboards and percussion to layer the two songs together – the audience response is electric. “We’ve Got You” also marks a new chapter of merging her musical and environmental vocations. In 2022, she launched a “music x climate action” community on Patreon, combining monthly livestream shows with Zoom climate action sessions, and hosting workshops between concerts that participants have described as “life-changing,” “rocket fuel,” and “the perfect antidote to despair.”Vienna Teng’s Climate Action Workshop”Vienna will also be leading a climate action workshop from 4:00pm – 6:00pm prior to the show, designed to help people find practical, impactful ways to advance climate solutions that match their interests and talents. For more information and to register for the workshop:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1214-climate-action-workshop-with-vienna-teng-kent-stage-tickets-720108161897?aff=venue “
An Acoustic Evening With Over The Rhine
One December, not long after Over the Rhine began recording and touring, we were invited to perform some seasonal songs on a public radio station in Cincinnati. It was Christmastime and apparently they thought we were up to the task. We worked up a few carols and traditional tunes and Karin even read a poem by Thomas Hardy called, The Oxen. It actually felt really good and conjured up an unusual mix of feelings from childhood: innocence, loss, wonder, joy, sadness. I think we were surprised. People must have tuned into the radio broadcast, because we began receiving inquiries as to whether we had recorded any of our Christmas songs. I don’t think we had considered it at the time, but any young, struggling songwriter is open to the suggestions of the marketplace, and people were persistent. In December of 1996 – can it really be over 25 years ago? – we recorded and released our first song cycle of some of the Christmas carols that still haunted us. We included a few original tunes and called our wintry mix The Darkest Night Of The Year. We played a special “darkest night” release concert on winter solstice in an old 1300-seat theater in Cincinnati. Every last seat was full. Folks began snatching up copies and seemed to agree that they hadn’t heard anything quite like it. We began playing concerts around the Midwest every December and found that the rooms were usually packed full of people who had bundled in out of the cold with prized compatriots. Hats and scarves abounded. If you stepped outside during intermission, you could make ghosts with your breath in the crisp night air. And it was dark – oh so dark: a time of year with its own music. A decade later, in 2006, we released our first full collection of original Christmas/holiday songs called Snow Angels. What is it about Christmas music and the undeniable gravitational pull it ex-erts on some songwriters? So many Christmas songs have already been written. I think we are genuinely curious about the ones that haven’t yet been written. We continued to tour every December and these special year-winding-down concerts began to feel like an annual tradition – gatherings of extended musical family, without whom, we’d be homeless.By the time we released our third holiday album of original songs, Blood Oranges In The Snow, in December of 2014, Karin suggested we had discovered a new genre of music: Reality Christmas. It’s true: if you’ve buried a loved one, or lost a job, or battled a chronic illness, that stuff doesn’t go away during the holidays. It can be a complicated season for many of us. And then there’s family. When Karin and I make the annual holiday pilgrimage home to visit family and pull into the drive-way and turn off the car, one of us inevitably looks over at the other and says, “Tie a rope around my waist, I’m goin’ in.” In 2023, more than 25 years after releasing our first holiday CD, we are still at it. This year, we will be leaning into some harmonies and making an intimate but hopefully holy ruckus. It won’t be all Christmas music: we’ll certainly mix in tunes from many of our records along the way. But hopefully it’s still true: hopefully you haven’t heard anything quite like it. Maybe a midnight snow will fall and turn each streetlight into its own private snow globe. Maybe, regardless of whatever reality Christmas brings, we’ll hear a faint echo of a song once rumored to have been sung by angels, a song of peace on earth, goodwill toward all… We’ve never heard anything quite like it. We hope you’ll join us, Linford Detweiler With Karin close by
An Evening with Madeleine Peyroux
Thirty years after her formative busking days Peyroux is the proud curator of nine beguiling albums and an accomplished performer with sell out worldwide tours under her belt. Her atmospheric version of Serge Gainsborough’s La Javanaise was used in the soundtrack of Oscar Winner The Shape of Water and her countless accolades include the coveted BBC International Artist Of The Year honor. Madeleine’s thirst for creative exploration is unfading and her willingness to face creative challenges remains as solid now as it was three decades ago. With endearing passion and great curiosity, the unstoppable genre-defying virtuoso continues her search for the good and examines life with the treasured William Congreve belief that Music has charms to soothe the savage beast. Madeleine might attribute her success to “mostly luck” but to the industry and loyal fans alike, it is the immense talent and utter dedication to her craft that shines through. “Peyroux is a tremendous talent and almost a total intuitive” reflects Larry Klein, “she has the capacity to get the magic. When she sings and plays her guitar, great things happen.” 2023 finds the prolific musician continuing her world tour around the 2021 release of Careless Love Deluxe Anniversary Edition. As part of Rounder’s 50th Anniversary celebrations, the label is offering a re-release Deluxe Edition of the 2004 album with additional live performance material to be released worldwide on 21 August 2021. Peyroux’ Careless Love Forever World Tour, begun in September of 2021 continues into 2023 with several more performances in the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South America. Madeleine is debuting her new symphony program with performances beginning in April in the US and extending through the summer into fall of 2023 with several more to be added to her 2024 touring season. This concert is with her quartet.