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Event
A Tribute to the Music of Blind Willie Johnson Benefiting Neighborhood Service Organization
Six of Michigan's best roots and blues artists joined together for an evening celebrating the music of Blind Willie Johnson. The performance will benefit Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO).
The artists performing include Joel Mabus, Shari Kane and Dave Steele, Jo Serrapere and John Devine, Lac La Belle, Danny Kroha and Rollie Tussing.
Joel made his first record for a small Michigan label in 1977 with mandolin legend Frank Wakefield guesting. Three years later he signed with Flying Fish Records for a two-record deal. In 1986 he was one of the first indie folksingers to start his own label (Fossil Records), even before the advent of the home studio and compact disc, which makes the practice so common today.
Mabus has toured widely and makes his living at music, though he is flying under the radar of American pop culture. Whether you label him folk, Americana , or a singer-songwriter, Mabus remains a one-off, walking that lonesome valley, making and marking his way as a working artist outside the confines of the usual music business.
As an acoustic blues duo, Shari Kane and Dave Steele throw a four handed guitar party of original and time-honored blues, gospel, swing and ragtime. Steeped in Daves smoky vocals, percussive rhythm and innovative lead lines, Sharis crisp picking style, rootsy leads, and stinging slidework, their music has been described as street swing and stomp blues, - like a testament to sounds once heard on the streets of Harlem, the juke joints of Mississippi, or from the jug bands of Memphis.
Jo Serrapere (sarah-pear), a songwriter from Detroit, Michigan, started playing guitar at 23 when seeking out lessons from Delta
Blues guitarist, Shari Kane. Shortly thereafter, Jo began writing her own songs while completing her college studies in clinical psychology. She now plays at music venues throughout the United States.Whether recreating old songs from the Mississippi Delta or performing songs in her own confessional style, Jos music stands original while always reflecting her love of American roots music. Her eclectic writing and performance fuses elements of various modern and traditional folk music, old-time and electric blues, roots rock, garage surf,swing and alt-country.
John Devine, also a Detroit native, attended Masters classes in classical guitar at Miami University. He went on to explore traditional blues styles and develop a love for the race records of the 1920s and 30s. John performed as a solo blues artist and songwriter before teaming up with Jo in 1998. He continues to explore other forms of American roots music and teach his craft.
Lac La Belle is an acoustic duo from Detroit, Michigan. Made up of multi-instrumentalists Jennie Knaggs & Nick Schillace, Lac La Belle is influenced by early Americana, blending history with the present to create stories that capture the human experience via accordion, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, organ, harmonizing vocals, and finger-picking resonator guitar.
What sets this acoustic duo apart is their utilization of their varied experiences; Schillace has a separate career performing his instrumental guitar pieces, and he wrote the first academic work on the recordings of John Fahey; Knaggs has history with New Music compositions and improvisations, including her vocal work in Matthew Barneys film River of Fundament. This with their separate experiences learning folk and blues in Appalachia, American roots binds the duos compositions with a heavy thread.
Danny Kroha is a singer, songwriter, guitar player, record producer, and performer who has been working and performing in Detroit since the 1980s. In the last thirty years, he has been a member of 8 bands, including the influential blues-punk group the Gories (singer and rhythm guitarist) and the minimalist, performance art garage trio the Demolition Doll Rods. Danny has recorded albums and singles which have been released by various record labels in the U.S. and Europe. His tours have taken him across the U.S., through Europe and to Brazil. His work has been extensively written about, including his first solo full-length album, Angels Watching Over Me, released in 2015, featuring traditional gospel, blues, and folk songs performed on a range of instruments including mouth harp, diddley bow, and slide guitar.
Award winning guitarist, educator and performer Rollie Tussing has performed in concert halls, major music festivals and sidewalks all over the United States and parts of Europe.
His raggedy brand of music is informed by the era of 78 rpm records, juke-joints, and street performers. He composes a lot of his own songs and has a knack for re-working an old obscure tune, finding beauty in the forgotten scratches, pops and grooves of his esoteric record collection.
After winning the National Slide Guitar Competition in 2001 Rollie moved with his wife to Portland Oregon. He spent the next decade touring, performing, writing songs and playing with some of the best regional and touring musicians the West Coast offered. In 2007 along with The Don of Division Street and Scott McDougall he formed Rollie Tussing & the Diminished Seven. The band enjoyed many enduring residencies in some of Portlands finest venues as well as a devoted following.
NSO provides services that have impacted countless children, youth, adults, seniors, families, and communities since 1955. NSOs empowering programs and services provide assistance for: older adults with mental illness; children, youth, and adults with developmental disabilities; youth leadership and advocacy training; year-round workforce development for youth, young adults and their parents; homeless recovery services; housing development; community outreach for psychiatric emergencies; call hotline for emergency shelter and housing resources in Detroit; training; and volunteer opportunities for individuals, groups, and organizations.
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LocationTrinity House Theatre (View)
38840 West Six Mile
Livonia, MI 48152
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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