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Event
Bill Staines at Cellar Stage
Jessica Smucker opens.
Anyone not familiar with the music of Bill Staines is in for a special treat. For over forty years, Bill has traveled back and forth across North America, singing his songs and delighting audiences at festivals, folksong societies, colleges, concerts, clubs and coffeehouses. A New England native, Bill became involved with the Boston-Cambridge folk scene in the early 1960's and, for a time, emceed the Sunday hootenanny at the renowned Club 47 in Cambridge. Bill quickly became a popular performer in the Boston area. In 1971, after one of his performances, a reviewer for The Phoenix stated that Bill was "simply Boston's best performer." A decade later, both in 1980 and 1981, the annual Reader's Poll of The Boston Globe selected him as a "favorite performer."
In 1991, Bill entered his forth decade as a folk performer with an international reputation as an artist. Singing mostly his own songs, he has become one of the most popular singers on the folk music circuit today and averages around 200 concert dates a year. Bill weaves a magical blend of wit and gentle humor into his performances, and as one reviewer wrote, "he has a sense of timing to match the best stand-up comic." His music is a slice of Americana, reflecting with the same ease, his feelings about the prairie people of the Midwest or the adventurers of the Yukon.
"Any new song that can live comfortably beside the well-worn songs of folk tradition has a good chance of surviving the test of time. Such, we believe, are the songs of Bill Staines" ~ Charles "Sandy" Paton, Folk Legacy Records.
Jessica Smucker writes what could be considered "dark pop" songs: catchy melodies in minor keys, lyrics that masterfully infuse sad stories with tiny flecks of humor and hope. She performs in diverse configurations and contexts, but her songs have a consistent melodic edge. "Woven with a sort of defiant sadness, a square-jawed resilience" (Fly Magazine), her compositions often start down a familiar road but, through a series of subtle twists and curves, deliver the listener to an unexpected destination. Unflinching in her dealings with controversial themes - God, sex, social justice, and the movement of all three through an intimate personal narrative - Jessica delivers lyrics that will trip your mind. In the four years since she started working as a musician, Smucker has garnered numerous honors, including first place in the 2010 SolarFest songwriting contest (Tinmouth, VT) and 2nd place in the 2010 Susquehanna Music and Arts Festival songwriting contest (Havre de Grace, MD). She was a finalist in the 2010 Indiegrrl songwriting contest. Her poems and essays have been published in turnrow, The Spoon River Poetry Review, Potomac Review, The Dirty Goat, The Mennonite and A Cappella: Mennonite Voices in Poetry (Univ. of Iowa Press, 2003).
Doors open at 7:00 pm. General admission seating.
**THIS EVENT HAS A STRICT REFUND POLICY. No refunds will be processed by Brown Paper Tickets more than 12 hours after the time of purchase without the authorization of the producer.**
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LocationThe Cellar Stage at Faith Community United Methodist Church of Hamilton
5315 Harford Road
Baltimore, MD 21214
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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