Saturday May 10, 2014
8:00pm
VANCE GILBERT
with special guest HONOR FINNEGAN

$25 ($22 for members)

  Click HERE to order tickets online

Who else would name their most recent album "Old White Men", and actually have recorded a groundbreaking, heartbreaking title song to back it up?

That’d be Vance Gilbert.

This latest release has received raves based solely on the material folks have heard live over the past 2 years. The soul aching title cut, the winsome "Boy on A Train", and the comic tour de force "My Bad" are all present. Plus nine other killer songs that make up a great portion of his current, ever evolving live showeaking of the live show, artists as varied as Arlo Guthrie, Anita Baker, and the late George Carlin have in recent years requested Vance to be added to their evenings.

Vance Gilbert burst onto the singer/songwriter scene in the early 90's when the buzz spread through the folk clubs of the Northeast about an ex-multicultural arts teacher who was knocking them dead at open mics. Word got out about this Philadelphia-area born and raised performer, and Shawn Colvin invited Gilbert to be a special guest on her 1992 Fat City tour. Gilbert took audiences across North America by storm.  Gilbert's three albums for the Rounder/Philo label - Edgewise (1994), Fugitives (1995), and Shaking Off Gravity (1998) - are all essential additions to the American singer-songwriter collection. With guests as varied as Tuck and Patti, Jonatha Brooke, Patty Larkin, Vinx, and Jane Siberry, all three albums found significant niches on NAC (New Adult Contemporary) and Non-Commercial A3 radio.

These discs were followed by the self-released Somerville Live (2000), One Thru Fourteen (2002), Side Of The Road (2003) - a duo album with Ellis Paul,  and Angels, Castles, Covers (2006), "Gilbert's choice of an album of covers seems both fitting and fearless. …he displays his vocal virtuosity with some unexpected choices from the late 20th century songbook. From the sounds of Motown, through the R&B of Al Green to classic Joni Mitchell and Shawn Colvin…He makes each and every tune sound fresh and new," writes Roberta Schwartz of FAME.

Gilbert then launched into a year and a half as support for George Carlin, leading up to the creation and recording of Up On Rockfield (2008), a landmark album noted for being written in the styles of some of his favorite songwriters. Of this disk Vintage Guitar proclaimed that “His fervor for composing is as powerful as a Colorado thunderstorm...accomplishing the seemingly impossible...Up On Rockfield should be on your must hear list.”

And now Old White Men makes album number ten in Vance’s ever growing, glowing catalogue.  Vance continues to refine his unlikely union of humor, virtuosity, and the unexpected.

"...the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god..."

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"He is that rare performer for whom people lean forward in their seats

as eagerly between songs as they do during them"

Boston Globe 

 * * *

Honor Finnegan will open the evening. Hoinor is the Susan Boyle of quirky indie folk, only hotter. Her songs are humorous then heartbreaking with melodies that soar Based in New York City, she has been making a splash in the northeastern regional folk scene with her original songs and ukulele playing. Combining elements of musical theatre, comedy, traditional folk, and poetry, Honor is cooler than the other side of the pillow.

Honor Finnegan was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago and learned to appreciate a variety of people and music living in a mostly African American neighborhood and sitting in the back seat of her single mothers car listening to the radio for long periods of time. When Honor was 11 her dream of being an actress came true when she was cast in the 1st National Tour of “Annie”.

Honor eventually outgrew the Annie thing and went back to Chicago, spending her early adult life studying Improv with Del Close who created “Honor Finnegan vs. the Brain of the Galaxy” to try and help the poor waif get somewhere in life.

In 1991 Honor moved to Ireland. While living in Ireland, Honor sang with jazz bands, blues bands, big bands and traditional Irish bands including DeDannan for about a day. Honor moved to New York in 1998 where she became a a regular attendee at the late great Jack Hardy's songwriter's exchange. Honor was chosen as a Kerrville New Folk Winner 2013 and a Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist 2012.

"Honor Finnegan's clever songs, powerful voice, and endearing stage presence
have made her standout on the fertile NYC folk scene. Don't miss her!" 
John Platt, "Sunday Breakfast," WFUV, New York

"I am honored to be compared to Honor Finnegan! I LOVE her!"
Christine Lavin