Tim O’Brien & Jan Fabricius AND Chris Smither
Tim O’Brien with Jan Fabricius Born in Wheeling, West Virginia on March 16, 1954, Grammy winning singer songwriter and multi instrumentalist Tim O’Brien grew up singing in church and in school. Gaining attention in the 1980’s with Colorado’s Hot Rize, O’Brien scored a country hit with Kathy Mattea’s cover of his song Walk The Way The Wind Blows in 1986. Soon artists like Nickel Creek and Garth Brooks also covered his songs. Collaborators include his sister Mollie O’Brien, old time musician Dirk Powell and songwriter Darrell Scott, as well as Steve Earle, Bill Frisell, Mark Knopfler and Sturgill Simpson. O’Brien formed his own record label, Howdy Skies Records, in 1999, and launched the digital download label Short Order Sessions (SOS) with his partner Jan Fabricius in 2015. O’Brien says his most recent recording “He Walked On” is about “what you need to do to survive in America”. Covering work, racial issues, and modern technology, its eight originals and five covers offer an expansive portrayal of the nation from its beginnings to the present day, Personnel includes long time band mates Mike Bub (bass), Shad Cobb (fiddle) and Jan Fabricius (mandolin and vocal), along with drummer Pete Abbott, bassist Edgar Meyer, guitarist Bo Ramsey, and gospel singer Odessa Settles. Other notable O’Brien recordings like the bluegrass Dylan covers of “Red On Blonde” and the Celtic-Appalachian fusion of “The Crossing” led to Grammy winning CD’s “Fiddler’s Green” (2005) and “The Earls of Leicester” (2014). 2017’s Where the River Meets the Road paid tribute to the music of his native West Virginia. Tim O’Brien performs in a duet setting with his partner Jan Fabricius on harmony vocals. Featuring his solid guitar, fiddle, and mandolin, the shows cover a range of original compositions and traditional arrangements mixed with stories and Tim’s self-deprecating humor.Chris Smither More From The Levee is the 18th album from iconic bluesman Chris Smither. Deemed one of the absolute best singer songwriters in the world (Associated Press), the album is a brilliant continuation of Smithers 50 year retrospective album, Still On The Levee(2014). Reconnecting with his roots, Smither recorded the career spanning double album in New Orleans at the fabled Music Shed. What resulted were 24 fresh reimagined takes from Smithers vast career with help from some very special guests including the legendary Allen Toussaint and Loudon Wainwright III. With his fingers as supple as his voice, Smither effortlessly delivered the other half of his signature sound on Still on the Levee: the back porch feel of intricate acoustic blues picking accompanied by his own boot heel on wood rhythms. More From The Levee contains ten of these extra gems including fan favorites Drive You Home Again, Caveman, and a brand new Smither original titled What I Do. Fans from around the world continue to fill concert venue after concert venue eager for the galvanizing ride of a Chris Smither concert. Reviewers including the Associated Press, NPR, MOJO, and The New York Times agree that Chris remains a significant songwriter and an electrifying guitarist as he draws deeply from folk and blues, modern poets and philosophers. More From The Levee continues to showcase Chris Smithers extraordinary effect; that strength compounds strength, leaving the listener feeling touched by grace, or an almost otherworldly wisdom.
John McCutcheon
John McCutcheon The Washington Post described John as folk music’s “Rustic Renaissance Man,” a moniker flawed only by its understatement. “Calling John McCutcheon a ‘folksinger’ is like saying Deion Sanders is just a football player…” (Dallas Morning News). Besides his usual circuit of major concert halls and theaters, John is equally at home in an elementary school auditorium, a festival stage or at a farm rally. He is a whirlwind of energy packing five lifetimes into one. In the past few years alone he has headlined over a dozen different festivals in North America (including repeated performances at the National Storytelling Festival), recorded an original composition for Virginia Public Television involving over 500 musicians, toured Australia for the sixth time, toured Chile in support of a women’s health initiative, appeared in a Woody Guthrie tribute concert in New York City, gave a featured concert at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, taught performance art skills at a North Carolina college, given symphony pops concerts across America, served as President of the fastest-growing Local in the Musicians Union and performed a special concert at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This is all in his “spare time.” His “real job,” he’s quick to point out, is father to two grown sons. But it is in live performance that John feels most at home. It is what has brought his music into the lives and homes of one of the broadest audiences any folk musician has ever enjoyed. People of every generation and background seem to feel at home in a concert hall when John McCutcheon takes the stage, with what critics describe as “little feats of magic,” “breathtaking in their ease and grace…,” and “like a conversation with an illuminating old friend.” Whether in print, on record, or on stage, few people communicate with the versatility, charm, wit or pure talent of John McCutcheon.
An Evening with Martin Sexton
Martin Sexton Martin Sexton released his tenth studio album this year and is touring with what Rolling Stone calls his “soul-marinated voice,” acoustic guitar, and a suitcase full of heartfelt songs. The latest release (2020 Vision) is produced by three-time Grammy-nominee John Alagia with John Mayer guesting on guitar. Headlining venues from The Fillmore to Carnegie Hall, Sexton has influenced a generation of contemporary artists. His songs have appeared in television series such as Scrubs, Parenthood, Masters of Sex and in numerous films, though it’s his incendiary live show, honest lyrics, and vocal prowess that keep fans coming back for a new experience every time. Sexton’s stated mission continues to be unity through music with a commitment to sharing peace and harmony through song.
JONAH KOSLEN * TOMMY DOBECK * DANIEL PECCHIO – Songs & Stories From The First Three MSB Albums
Fri. Oct. 21 @ 8pmJONAH KOSLEN * TOMMY DOBECK * DANIEL PECCHIO Jonah Koslen, Tommy Dobeck, and Daniel Pecchio have been making music together since they met as founding members of the Michael Stanley Band. Each has made their mark, coming from the talent-rich Northeast Ohio, both nationally and internationally. Their musical careers crisscross through the decades as longtime friends and fellow bandmates. They have often contributed to each other’s music endeavors, never failing to please their longtime fans. For the first time ever, they are joining together to share songs and stories from those iconic first three MSB albums!JONAH KOSLENBeachwood native & current California resident Jonah Koslen has been active in the national music scene as a composer, producer, and performer, since 1973. As an original member of The Michael Stanley Band, Jonah wrote and recorded some of MSB”s most loved songs, “Waste a Little Time On Me”, “Strike Up The Band”, “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Mind” and “Ladies Choice”. Jonah contributed lead guitar, lead and background vocals, and arrangements to the first three MSB albums, “You Break It…You Bought It”, “Ladies Choice”, “Stagepass”, and numerous compilations.After MSB Jonah formed Breathless, and its two nationally released albums included the classic tracks “Takin’ It Back” and “Walk Right In”. In the 1980s, Jonah formed Jonah Koslen and the Heroes, recording two albums, “Aces” and “Orange”. In the early 90s, Jonah reunited with Michael Stanley to help write and produce the Ghost Poets CD. Jonah has been regularly appearing live for over 50 years and has been a featured headliner in the recent Michael Stanley Celebration shows, paying homage to his lifelong friend. Jonah’s recordings with MSB, Breathless, solo works and compilations are available at JonahKoslenMerch.com.TOMMY DOBECKA lifelong Cleveland area resident, Tommy Dobeck’s signature drumming style has been prominent in the Northeast Ohio music scene for over 6 decades, beginning in 1972 with the very popular local band Circus and its hit “Stop, Wait, And Listen”, which was released nationally on Metromedia Records. Having the unique distinction of being Michael Stanley’s primary studio and concert drummer since 1974,DANIEL PECCHIODaniel Pecchio has been creating and playing music for seven decades. Born in Youngstown Ohio, Daniel’s big break came with Glass Harp in 1969. The trio recorded their first three albums for Decca records, releasing four more albums including, Live at Carnegie Hall, throughout the following decades.In 1974, Daniel joined Jonah Koslen and Michael Stanley as founding members of the Michael Stanley Band, recording the band’s first four albums. Daniel took a detour in 1980, leaving MSB to become a race car driver and later, race car constructor until returning to the music scene in the mid 1980’s.Daniel has lived in Chagrin Falls for the 47 years and plans on moving to Nashville, where he will join his son Ted, a Grammy nominated musician, and his family.Daniel plans to continue making music into his eighth decade and beyond, including working with his mates in Glass Harp and MSB.
Tab Benoit and special guest: Lightnin’ Malcolm
Tab Benoit is a Grammy nominated singer, songwriter and guitarist who has built a remarkable 30+ year career on the foundation of his gritty and soulful Delta swamp blues, acquiring a devoted legion of fans along the way, as well as 5 Blues Music Awards, including BB King Entertainer of the Year (twice) and an induction into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He has recorded and/or performed with Junior Wells, George Porter Jr, Dr. John, Willie Nelson, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Billy Joe Shaver, Maria Muldaur, James Cotton, Cyril Neville, Kenny Aronoff, Allen Toussaint, Kim Wilson, Jimmy Thackery, Charlie Musslewhite, Kenny Neal, Chris Layton, Ivan Neville, Jimmy Hall, Jim Lauderdale, Anders Osborne, and Alvin Youngblood Hart to name a few. Tab’s accomplishments as a musician are matched only by his devotion to the environmental health of his native Louisiana wetlands. Benoit is the founder and driving force behind Voice of the Wetlands, an organization working to preserve the coastal waters of his home state. In 2010, he received the Governor’s Award for Conservationist of the Year from the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. Benoit also starred in the iMax motion picture Hurricane on the Bayou, a documentary of Hurricane Katrina’s effects and a call to protect and restore the wetlands.
Duwayne Burnside
Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Duwayne Burnside is one of 14 children born to legendary North Mississippi musician R.L. Burnside and his wife, Alice. He has been a frequent performer with the North Mississippi Allstars since the early 1990s, when that group, fronted by Luther and Cody Dickinson, formed. The young Burnside learned his first few guitar licks and chords from his father, but proved a quick study and soon began playing with local club owner Junior Kimbrough and the Soul Blues Boys. He recorded for Hightone and Fat Possum Records with his father’s group before moving to Memphis, where he opened his own club, Burnside Kitchen and Grill, near Highway 61. In 1998, Duwayne traveled to Los Angeles to record his first album, Live at the Mint, as Duwayne Burnside & the Mississippi Mafia. After returning to Memphis, he decided to take a break from the bar business and settled back home in Holly Springs. In 2001, he joined the North Mississippi Allstars on-stage for the first time in Birmingham, Alabama, and that led to incessant touring with the band. He recorded with them on their third album, Polaris, and is featured on two of the group’s EP’s. In 2004, he opened another version of the Burnside Blues Cafe in Holly Springs and formed a new band that fused soul blues with hill country blues. His albums under his own name include Live at the Mint (1998) and Under Pressure (2005), both for B.C. Records. An album celebrating his father’s life and music remains in the works. One of the last things he asked his father to do — R.L. Burnside passed at age 80 in 2005 — was sing with him at the massive, popular Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee. Burnside continues to tour, helping to keep the North County, Mississippi hill-style blues flourishing.
Watkins Family Hour with special guest Margaret Glaspy
Watkins Family Hourwith Special Guest: Margaret Glaspy Watkins Family Hour is a collaborative musical project founded by musicians and siblings Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins and traditionally held at beloved Los Angeles club Largo. Since the first Watkins Family Hour show in 2002, the duo has released three studio albums, debuting with their self-titled album in 2015, following with Brother Sister in 2020 and, most recently, releasing Vol. II in August 2022. Sean and Sara recorded Vol. II at Los Angeles’s East West Studios in early 2022 alongside a stacked roster of longtime and new Family Hour collaborators, including Fiona Apple, Jackson Browne, Madison Cunningham, Lucius, Jon Brion and more. As with their debut, the band will tour in support of Vol. II, bringing the Watkins Family Hour experiences to stages far and wide. As both Sean and Sara continue to work on their own solo music, as well as with their other bands like Nickel Creek and I’m With Her, Watkins Family Hour remains an invaluable resource and respite for them both, offering a familiar but ever-evolving space to test new ideas, meet new collaborators and, most importantly, have a good time doing what they love. On Margaret Glaspy’s long-awaited second album, Devotion, this highly acclaimed young artist reaffirms her status as one of the most sharp-eyed singer-songwriters of her generation while managing to audaciously reinvent her sound. She fearlessly defies expectations — and the results are exhilarating.Coming home after nearly three years on the road in support of her 2016 debut album Emotions and Math and the 2018 follow-up EP Born Yesterday, Glaspy was eager to challenge herself as an artist and start to make a new album with a clean aesthetic slate. Her bold experimentation has paid off, with tunes that are her most melodically confident, rhythmically compelling, and often incredibly romantic. The arrangements are unexpectedly lush at times, especially on the torchy “Heartbreak,” and often boast an impressive groove, on such tracks as “You’ve Got My Number” and the title song, “Devotion.” Glaspy announces her radical approach at the very start of Devotion, where digitally altered voices serve as the prelude to “Killing What Keeps Us Alive,” and she fills the album with surprising sonic touches, right up to the haunting electronics-and-voice soundscape of album closer “Consequence.”Glaspy toured throughout the USA, Canada, Europe, China and Australia behind Emotions & Math, including dates with Wilco and The Lumineers among others – she also appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk, CBS Saturday Morning and CONAN. Finding herself in her Brooklyn apartment after all of her travels, Glaspy admits, “It was such a shift for me that I didn’t know what to do with myself when I closed that chapter. I was feeling pretty shy. I like to be alone and I had constantly been around people for two or three years straight. I took a long breath, reorienting myself, trying to find my in to get inspired and to get excited about making records again.”
JONAH KOSLEN * TOMMY DOBECK * DANIEL PECCHIO – Songs & Stories From The First Three MSB Albums
JONAH KOSLEN * TOMMY DOBECK * DANIEL PECCHIO Jonah Koslen, Tommy Dobeck, and Daniel Pecchio have been making music together since they met as founding members of the Michael Stanley Band. Each has made their mark, coming from the talent-rich Northeast Ohio, both nationally and internationally. Their musical careers crisscross through the decades as longtime friends and fellow bandmates. They have often contributed to each other’s music endeavors, never failing to please their longtime fans. For the first time ever, they are joining together to share songs and stories from those iconic first three MSB albums!JONAH KOSLENBeachwood native and current California resident Jonah Koslen has been active in the national music scene as a composer, a producer, and a performer, since 1973. As the original member of The Michael Stanley Band, Jonah wrote and recorded some of MSB”s most loved songs, “Waste a Little Time On Me”, “Strike Up The Band”, “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Mind” and “Ladies Choice”. Jonah contributed lead guitar, lead and background vocals, and arrangements to the first three MSB albums, “You Break It…You Bought It”, “Ladies Choice”, “Stagepass”, and numerous compilations.After MSB Jonah formed Breathless, and its two nationally released albums included the classic tracks “Takin’ It Back” and “Walk Right In”. In the 1980s, Jonah formed Jonah Koslen and the Heroes, recording two albums, “Aces” and “Orange”. In the early 90s, Jonah reunited with Michael Stanley to help write and produce the Ghost Poets CD. Jonah has been regularly appearing live for over 50 years and has been a featured headliner in all of the recent Michael Stanley Celebration shows, paying homage to his lifelong friend. Jonah’s recordings with MSB, Breathless, solo works and compilations are available at JonahKoslenMerch.com.TOMMY DOBECKA lifelong Cleveland area resident, Tommy Dobeck’s signature drumming style has been prominent in the Northeast Ohio music scene for over 6 decades, beginning in 1972 with the very popular local band Circus and its regional hit “Stop, Wait, And Listen”, which was released nationally on Metromedia Records. Having the unique distinction of being Michael Stanley’s primary studio and concert drummer since 1974, DANIEL PECCHIODaniel Pecchio has been creating and playing music for seven decades. Born in Youngstown Ohio, Daniel’s big break came with Glass Harp in 1969. The trio recorded their first three albums for Decca records, releasing four more albums including, Live at Carnegie Hall, throughout the following decades.In 1974, Daniel joined Jonah Koslen and Michael Stanley as founding members of the Michael Stanley Band, recording the band’s first four albums. Daniel took a detour in 1980, leaving MSB to become a race car driver and later, race car constructor until returning to the music scene in the mid 1980’s.Daniel has lived in Chagrin Falls for the past 47 years and plans on moving to Nashville, where he will join his son Ted, a Grammy nominated musician, and his family.Daniel plans to continue making music into his eighth decade and beyond, including working with his mates in Glass Harp and MSB.
Steve Kimock & Friends
Steve Kimock Steve Kimock is regarded as one of the great guitar improvisers of his generation inspiring music fans with his signature sound voiced through electric, acoustic, lap and pedal steel guitars for over four decades. His ability to articulate crystal-clear tone, melody and emotion into intricately woven music crafted with technical brilliance is matchless, and his unparalleled ability to embrace and capture his audiences musically is the stuff of legend. A pioneer of the ‘jam band’ scene and the West Coast sound, no one niche has ever confined him. Instead, through the years, he’s explored various sounds and styles based on what’s moved him at the time, whether it’s blues or jazz; funk or folk; psychedelic or boogie; gypsy or prog-rock; traditional American or world fusion. With a reputation as a blazing psychedelic guitarist versatile enough to touch almost all aspects of American music, Kimock continues to evolve creatively and elevate audiences worldwide. After more than 40 years on stage, Kimock is more committed than ever to the spirit of musical diversity and diving deep into his Rock roots. Many classic tunes and tones of his youth that forged his sound and his attitude as a musician will be unearthed with the same spirit that has fed his desire to pursue an authentic relationship with the guitar since the day he realized his calling. Dubbed “The Guitar Monk” by Relix magazine, Kimock is driven by the knowledge that there is always more to discover – that and the fact that he loves guitar too much to do anything else. Like all of us, he’s sick of this pandemic and plans to return to the stage with guns blazing. If you’re a fan of Steve Kimock, you won’t want to miss this side of the artist with his foot on the gas.
Jon McLaughlin – indiana anniversary tour with Kris Allen
Jon McLaughlin Everything in Jon McLaughlin’s life makes its way into his music, whether he’s conscious of it or not. The artist, raised in Indiana and based in Nashville, brings all of his experiences and beliefs into each song he creates. Jon has released six full-length albums since his 2007 debut, Indiana, on Island Def Jam, revealing a true evolution in both his piano playing and singing. As with everything he does, Jon’s goal is to create connections. He wants to translate his experiences and ideas into music that reaches fans everywhere. His passion for music and playing is evident in each note he plays.Kris AllenOn New Year’s Day in 2013, Kris Allen and his then-pregnant wife Katy were in ahead-on collision that left the singer/songwriter/guitarist with a career-threatening shattered wrist. In the two years that followed, he underwent three surgeries, re-learned how to play guitar (despite regaining just 30 percent movement in the damaged wrist), recorded his third album, and toured relentlessly – including a two-month-long stint that started just one week after his accident. The American Idol season 8 winner ultimately retreated from the whirlwind and immersed himself in a songwriting spell that yielded more than 70 new tracks. Culled from the collection ofsongs, Allen’s fourth full-length album Letting You In finds the Nashville-based artist delivering his most intimate and dynamic work to date.The follow-up to 2014’s Horizons, Letting You In builds off the soulful musicality Allen first showcased with his platinum-selling 2009 single “Live Like We’re Dying,” But with its sophisticated songcraft and vulnerable lyrics, Letting You In reaches a new depth of feeling that infuses each track with undeniable emotional power.“Looking back, I think I tired to put off dealing with my feelings around the accident for as long as I could,” says Allen. “But in the past year I’ve realized how much it allaffected me, and that definitely came out in the writing of this album. Along with rebuilding his guitar skills, Allen revamped his approach to songwritingand soon saw a resurgence in his creativity. “When I’ve made albums in the past, there’ve always been other artists and songwriters that I was using as reference points,” says Allen,earliest inspirations. “But this time I shut myself off from all that, and just focused on making music that was completely true to me.”