From I-395 in Northern Virginia, take Seminary Road exit West. Turn right
onto Beauregard Street (just past Southern Towers Apartments), turn right at the first
stoplight onto Fillmore Ave, and turn right again into church parking lot.
NOTE:
Purchases must be made 24 hours before
the show. Please print and bring your PayPal purchase
confirmation. Otherwise, just come and pay at the door.
Vance Gilbert burst onto the
singer/songwriter scene in the early 90's when buzz started spreading in the
folk clubs of Boston about an ex-multicultural arts teacher who was knocking
'em dead at open mics. Once word got to New York about this
Philadelphia-area born and raised performer, Shawn Colvin invited Gilbert to
be a special guest on her Fat City tour. Gilbert took audiences across the
country by storm. "With the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the
guitar playing of a god, it was enough to earn him that rarity: an encore
for an opener" wrote the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in its review of a show
from that tour.
Finishing a year and a half as support for George Carlin is the most recent
chapter in Gilbert's varied and successful performance history, leading up
to the creation and recording of Up On Rockfield. Up On Rockfield is indeed
Vance Gilbert's career-crowning achievement. This tour de force of borrowed
styles is classic Vance Gilbert original songwriting at its most timeless,
compelling best. Gilbert unflinchingly renders blame and absolution, trapped
hearts and free-riders, class and station, uncertainty and resolution, the
spiritual and the visceral, the forever and the now, all side by side in
song. His is a presentation steeped in deep humanism and bravery, stunning
artistry and soul, and unbridled joy. No great surprise to the learned
acoustic listener.
Beggars
Ride is Kate Maguire and Claudia SanSoucie, whose crisp harmonies and
interlaced guitar playing provide a perfect backdrop to their
straight-forward and honest original music. Claudia SanSoucie has
performed extensively in the Mid-Atlantic, including the Kennedy
Center’s Millennium Stage, and throughout Europe. Her song “The Enemy”
was selected for inclusion on the Baltimore Songwriter’s Association’s
juried CD “Songs from a Charmed City”. Kate Maguire has performed
regionally since moving to Baltimore in 2008. She won a Silver prize
in the 2010 Mid Atlantic Songwriting Competition for her song “Softer
Shade of Blue” from her EP “Leaving”. This song also was included on
the 2009 GoGirls MusicFest Compilation CD.
A
special afternoon opportunity for Performers and Fans,
alike:
A Performance Workshop with the incomparable VANCE
GILBERT
Vance will
offer-up his magic in a workshop:
Place:
Alexandria
concert location, Church of the Resurrection, 2280 North Beauregard Street,
Alexandria, Virginia 22311
Date:
September 19th
Time:
2:00 - 4:30 PM,
Price:
$45. ($40 for members or Prepaid by PayPal)
Notes by Scott, Focus Music President:
For those who haven't witnessed it, this workshop is MUST SEE even if
you aren't a performer. Of course, Vance a riot. But he is also
extremely knowledgeable and gifted in the way he looks at performance.
Believe me, you will never watch a concert the same way again.
And for performers: This workshop should be required before someone is
allowed to strum and sing in front of an audience. A lucky few will be
called to the stage and given the treatment by Vance. Amazingly, they
will be transformed, in front the rest of the class, into a more
polished, confident and competent version of themselves. And everyone
else benefits too, learning what to do and NOT to do the next time
they take the stage.
I've seen Vance give this workshop at least a half dozen times, and
every time I laugh, I discover new performers, and I learn something
new.
Joining
forces with founding Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member Les Thompson, Les’s
wife and fellow songwriter Stephanie Thompson, and WAMMIE-winning
singer/songwriter Lisa Taylor, Andrew's quartet shines in theaters and on
festival stages with their eclectic arrangements of Andrew's songs that fuse
oldtime with roots rock sounds, layered with rich vocal harmonies. Their
foundation is stellar songcraft, expert musicianship and arranging, and an
assimilation of many stylistic elements; "beyond Appalachian, beyond blues,
beyond folk".
“Their voices work superbly
together, frequently attaining a mesmeric panache that must be
thrilling to view in person. Beaucoup Blue is a versatile,
imaginative team that has something to say and say it with an
adventurous sense of personality from the bottom of their hearts.”
-- Sing Out! Magazine
“They
are one of the best and most exciting new acts to come along in
years. I love their sound and their songs.”
Minnesota-based Peter Mayer writes songs for a small
planet—songs about interconnectedness and the human journey; about the beauty
and the mystery of the world. Whimsical, humorous, and profound, his music
breaks the boundaries of "folk", and transcends to a realm beyond the everyday
love song, to a place of wonder at the very fact of life
itself. He has been touring full-time since 1995 and has recorded eight stellar
CDs.
"Peter Mayer is a magician...(his) universe is full of metaphor and meaning,
story and symbol — everything contains more than meets the eye."
-- Bill Reed, Colorado Springs Gazette
"His guitar work is breath-taking, his lyrics mind-spinning, his
singing soul-soothing and his feet-on-the-ground optimism nothing short of
healing."
--Marilyn Rea-Beyer, WUMB radio, Boston
"Peter Mayer makes it look easy – beautifully crafted songs that pose eternal
questions -- his arrangements make it sound like there is certainly more than
one man and his guitar in the XM Satellite Radio studios."
--Mary Sue Twohy, XM Radio
From I-95/495 Beltway in Northern Virginia, take exit
177A-177B toward US Route 1/Richmond Hwy, turn right at US-1 South; go
4.3 miles, turn left at Sherwood Hall Lane/State route 626; go 1/2
mile, turn right on Parkers Lane/State route 628, Turn right onto
Riverside Road.
From George
Washington Parkway: take parkway South of Beltway; Go 3.5 miles,
turn right on Collingwood Road. Go 1 mile and turn left at Riverside
Road. Church is on the left.
NOTE:
Purchases must be made 24 hours before
the show. Please print and bring your PayPal purchase
confirmation. Otherwise, just come and pay at the door.
“Well
beyond the ordinary...Soaring Harmonies.” -- The Washington Post
"Wildly Entertaining." --
The Gazette
"Thick with foreshadow and
subplots...like pressing Richard Shindell's next ideas through a
20-something cappuccino machine...You feel each song is a hit before
you've any idea what the hell is going on...Musical prowess, careful
writing, an engaging stage presence and dynamic vocals that blend or
stand alone." -- SingOut
"Her literate
songs artfully skirt the border between country and rock with a few
blues twists...a major talent...simplicity, sincerity, and
sophistication run rampant here." - BOSTON GLOBE
"Discovering this
country/folk artist is like finding a sparkling diamond in a pile of
coal.
Campbell rides the
ridge between country and folk so solidly that you almost feel it’s a
new musical form." - TOLEDO BLADE
Purchases must be made 24 hours before
the show. Please print and bring your PayPal purchase
confirmation. Otherwise, just come and pay at the door.
Vance Gilbert burst onto the
singer/songwriter scene in the early 90's when buzz started spreading in the
folk clubs of Boston about an ex-multicultural arts teacher who was knocking
'em dead at open mics. Once word got to New York about this
Philadelphia-area born and raised performer, Shawn Colvin invited Gilbert to
be a special guest on her Fat City tour. Gilbert took audiences across the
country by storm. "With the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the
guitar playing of a god, it was enough to earn him that rarity: an encore
for an opener" wrote the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in its review of a show
from that tour. 
VANCE's PERFORMANCE
"Her literate
songs artfully skirt the border between country and rock with a few
blues twists...a major talent...simplicity, sincerity, and
sophistication run rampant here." - BOSTON GLOBE