Please note that we don't send tickets in the mail. You can pick up your tickets at the Stone Church on the day of the show.
Friday May 9th 10pm $8adv/$10dos CLUB D'ELF Morrocan soaked dub-jazz
Club d'Elf coalesced in public for the first time in early 1998 when bassist/composer Mike Rivard (a/k/a Micro Vard) was given the opportunity to host an every-other Thursday night at Cambridge's ultra-hip Lizard Lounge. An in-demand session and live bassist with such local and national acts as Morphine, the Story, Jon Brion, Paula Cole, Aimee Mann and Guster, he had a long list of friends and contacts to call upon to guest with the band. For the core of the group, he drew from several groups in which he was affiliated: Hypnosonics (led by Mark Sandman), Mat Maneri's House of Brown, and Indo-jazz group Natraj. The original concept was to have a "house band" (consisting of Rivard, drummers Jay Hilt or Erik Kerr, tabla player Jerry Leake, and sampler player Jere Faison) play composed grooves upon which guests would improvise, so that every show was a different remix of the tunes. Boston/Cambridge lacked the kind of improv scene that embraced jazz, dub, electronica, rock and world music such as existed in NYC at venues like Tonic (where the band soon found its Manhattan home). Word got around that something new was going on in town and a devoted following began to develop.
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Saturday May 10th 8 pm $8adv/$10dos TRUFFLE
Truffle is David Bailey (bass, vocals), Ned Chase (mandolin, guitar, lap steel & vocals), Mike Gendron (drums), and Dave Gerard (vocals, electric & resonator guitars). Both Dave and Ned have been creating music together since 1986. They have performed in all but ten states across the U.S., playing as many as 275 shows in one year. Mike (still the rookie) joined the band with years of experience in 1996; the only lineup change in the band’s history. Truffle has achieved widespread popularity by headlining many respected venues as well as sharing the stage with international acts as Little Feat, Phish, The Band, Dave Matthew’s Band, David Lindley, The Radiators, and Blues Traveler to name only a few.
Sunday May 11th 7pm $12adv/$15dos PIETA BROWN & CARRIE RODRIGUEZ Mother's Day Show Featuring Two Rising New Folk Stars
It is a voice that demands attention without rattling the cage - soft, seductive, bearing the flickering, genteel ghost of a Southern drawl. You lean into it to get closer, to catch the drift, and quickly discover that this aural voice functions as something of a stealth vehicle for a substantial writer’s voice that’s lean, elegant and - above all - utterly devoid of pretense.
Thursday May 15th 9 pm $10adv/$12dos TOUBAB KREWE High-energy global fusion
Blending Malian, American, and "Dirty South" influences into a genre all its own, Toubab Krewe "has set a new standard for fusions of rock 'n' roll and West African music," says Banning Eyre at Afropop Worldwide. Members of the group developed their unique sound over the course of numerous extended trips to West Africa, where they immersed themselves in the local culture and studied and performed with masters such as Lamine Soumano, Vieux Kante, Madou Dembele, and Koungbanan Conde. The magnetic instrumental quintet formed in early 2005 and has attracted a diverse and devoted national following, captivating crowds everywhere from the Bonnaroo Music Festival and the Blue Note to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The band's energetic performances and acclaimed self-titled debut have won them praise from the New York Times, Global Rhythm, and Afropop Worldwide.
Friday May 16th 7pm $18adv/$20dos Seacoast Concert for a Cure Presents BELLEVUE CADILLAC Jazz, gospel, blues and soul, swing on top of rock and roll
Bellevue Cadillac is celebrating its 14th year playing various stages around the world. you've heard bellevue's music in major motion pictures like Shallow Hal, and the tv shows The Sopranos, Las Vegas, Ed, Sex and the City, Touched by an Angel, Brimstone, and Good and Evil. Bellevue Cadillac performances have been seen on Access Hollywood, CNN Showbiz, Hard Copy, and VH1. To date, Bellevue Cadillac has songs on 17 compilation cds with such artists as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Prima, Louis Jordan, Sammy Davis Jr., Peggy Lee, Brian Setzer, Joe Jackson,Cab Calloway, Mel Torme,Rita Coolidge, Eva Cassidy, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and others. The reviews have been raves in Rolling Stone, Jazziz, Blues Review, and People magazines. Bellevue Cadillac has appeared with Jack Nicholson, Bill Murray, Joe Pesci,Aerosmith, kenny Rogers, Matt Damon, Tara Reid, Shannen Elizibeth, the New England Patriots, and The Boston Red Sox Allstar Game. They've played ith Ray Charles,James Brown, Tito Puente, Patty Austin, Kool and the Gang, Ruth Brown, Percy Sledge, Keith Richards and Bo diddley. Surely, their place in history as the band that turned down the JFK Jr secret wedding had to start somewhere. The Bellevue Cadillac sound, "Jazz, Gospel, Blues and Soul, Swings on top of Rock & Roll" had to have a beginning, and that was 1991
Saturday May 17th 7pm $15adv/$18dos KELLY JOE PHELPS Soulful, Rootsy Songsmith
"The analytical side of this music links Delta blues with free jazz and jazz-folk, in compositions and arrangements as tied to the spacious melodicism of Joni Mitchell as to the well-grounded improvisations of blues masters like Mississippi Fred McDowell. The intuitive side contradicts all categories in performances that are never the same twice. Mr. Phelps may have growled and moaned like a postage-stamp bluesman in his performance last Wednesday, but his croon also invoked the light phrasing of Paul Simon; his playing may have echoed heroes like Bukka White, but it also rode on vapors of Bach and Mr. Phelps's fellow American experimentalist Bill Frisell. Mr. Phelps connects to the blues as poetry; his own lyrics, as in "River Rat Jimmy," the song that gave him the title to his latest album, "Shine Eyed Mister Zen," are highly metaphorical and as nonlinear as his playing. Performing the folk standard "Black Waterside," he focused on the fairy tale language, his airy playing conjuring a pocket of supernatural space. On gospel songs, he manipulated his fretboard to create eerie harmonics as he slipped from a mumble to a falsetto, as if to follow the soul beyond the physical realm..." -New York Times
Saturday May 17th 10pm $8adv/$10dos GUVNA DUB SESSIONS deep, dark, dynamic dub
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. so was the case with boston's legendary reggae outfit john brown's body who found a kindred spirit in bass player scott palmer who left this earth too early but not before blessing the band with love, music and this recording. featuring: Scott Palmer-Bass Tommy Benedetti-Drums, beer bottles Johnny Trama - Guitar Mike Keenan - Guitar Nate Richardson - Guitar Steve DiGregorio - Keyboards
Sunday May 18th $20 BLACK BEAR MOON Workshop & Concert Combo
The Black Bear Moon Rhythm Ensemble is a group of talented percussionists and performers from the White Mountain Region of New Hampshire, combining their skills to present and perform a unique selection of traditional West African rhythms and songs. With contagious rhythms and electrifying drumming, the Black Bear Moon Rhythm Ensemble showcases not only the talents of the musicians but the dynamism of the highly evolved musical form that is the drum music of West Africa. Their lively and energizing performances have audiences up on their feet, while the group’s dedication to the preservation of the traditional musical form adds depth and meaning to their efforts.
Sunday May 18th 2pm $15 BLACK BEAR MOON West African Music Workshop
Over the years, the BBM Music and Cultural Project has offered countless workshops and classes focusing on the musical traditions of West Africa. Having traveled to places like Guinea and Ghana, West Africa, to study with master musicians and local artists steeped in the rich traditions of their place, director Dave Kobrenski strives to arrange programs of group and individual study that are based in knowledge and founded in a deep respect for tradition. We invite you to take part in our special programs that emphasize not only the study of drum, but building community in our local areas as well!
Sunday May 18th 7pm $8adv/$10dos BLACK BEAR MOON Traditional West African Drumming & Flute Performance
Thursday May 22nd 9pm $8adv/$10dos RUBBLEBUCKET ORCHESTRA Psychadelic Afro-beat Rock from members of JBB
"Rubblebucket Orchestra are one of the most exciting groups to come out of Boston in recent memory..." - Seven Days Rubblebucket is a ten-piece psychedelic poly-rock band feat. trumpeter/composer Alex Toth and vocalist/saxophonist Kalmia Traver (both members of cutting edge nationally renowned reggae band John Brown’s Body). Four piece horn section, alluring lead vocals, and a harp-like West African stringed instrument called an N’goni. Their vibe is like Bjork meets Fela Kuti meets James Brown. "The result is a genre-mashing maelstrom of hot-blooded West African funk rhythms and scorching soul melodies unlike anything that’s come before it." - Dan Bolles, Seven Days.
Friday May 23rd 9 pm $17adv/$20dos JOHNNY A Blues Guitar Superhero
"This demands to be heard...his guitar creates dense musical shadings, conveying nostalgia, regret, hope, and intrigue." -Jazz Times
Saturday May 24th 7pm $15adv/$18dos JERRY PORTNOY DUO Blues Harp Master from Muddy Water's and Eric Clapton's Bands
Jerry Portnoy was born in 1943 and grew up in the blues rich atmosphere of Chicago's famous Maxwell Street Market during the golden age of Chicago Blues. He began his professional career in the late 60's and since that time has performed, live and on television, to more people in more places than any other blues harmonica player.
Thursday May 29th 9pm $8adv/$10dos GREAT AMERICAN TAXI w/VINCE HERMAN Leftover Salmon Frontman
n the mountains of Colorado, where the air is clean and city noise is nonexistent, you will find an environment in stark contrast with life on the road as a musician. Vince Herman, who has spent 15 years as founder/front man for Leftover Salmon (LoS), has been counteracting countless long nights on tour by taking advantage of the luxuries of living in Colorado. In the tiny and very quiet mountain town of Nederland, Vince has developed his next major invention. He is working on a totally new solo record that will feature several amazing cameos, and has signed with Mountain High Music to begin another national tour in support of the new album.
Friday May 30th 9pm $8adv/$10dos DUB IS A WEAPON Dub Reggae
With almost six years, hundreds of shows, and thousands of miles behind them, Dub Is A Weapon has truly earned the title of the hardest working band in dub business. What started out as little more then a recording project in a Brooklyn loft has now turned into a full-fledged sonic assault force with, "bass and drum coming so hard and dangerous you can see the competition's bloodstains." (Village Voice) Appearances alongside such notable artists as Matisyahu, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Femi Kuti, the Benevento/Russo Duo, Antibalas, Easy Star All-Stars, Steel Pulse, the Slackers, the Wailers, John Brown's Body, Charlie Hunter, Mad Professor, Ice T, and Jah Wobble have helped them to convert legions of music fans with their, "chassis-rattling dub beats that defy the laws of rhythm maintenance." (Chicago Reader)
Saturday May 31st 9pm $15 PETE FRANCIS Of famed jam group Dispatch!
Pete Francis' music has soul. In his songs, a poetic tension exists between textured imagery and pure improvised rock and roll. A Pete Francis record feels like a ride from New York City to the coast of Maine. Sometimes his songs are weightless abstractions. Sometimes they tell the story of experience. Francis spent years as a member of the renowned independent band, Dispatch, writing such fan favorites as May Day, Two Coins, and Ride a Tear. Dispatch recently became the first independent band to headline and sell out three nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City. His latest release, Iron Sea And The Cavalry, belongs in a classic jukebox that holds only your favorite records. The songs on this album will launch you into thoughts of sweet reverie and memories of your first live rock concert. This record is like catching a foul ball and returning it to the concession stand for a free freeze-pop. Enjoy
Friday June 6th 7pm $15adv/$18dos ANGEL BAND A Truly Joyful Sound
Angel Band is the result of some of the best area musicians getting together to jam on a regular basis at a small cafe in Wilmington, Delaware. These weekly jams came together originally because David Bromberg wanted to explore the possibility of bringing live, creative music back to a downtown that had once been thriving musically. The expectation was modest, but the results weren't. Week after week, the players came from further and further away, until some of the area's finest musicians could be found sitting in on any given night. The simple fact that Angel Band grew out of this informal musical endeavor gave further endorsement to the idea that the best music comes naturally when great players gather. David's wife, Nancy Josephson, came to the jams occasionally and found the opportunity to sing whenever others might be there to join in. Eventually, accidentally, there was Angel Band, and as the players and the singers moved to and fro, Nancy began thinking about something more permanent. She felt that there was enough fun and spirit in the project to look a bit deeper for something that would continue to grow and evolve. So an effort was made to find singers and players that would commit to building a cohesive band over the long run. To that end, Jen Schonwald joined Angel Band in early 2006, followed by Kathleen Weber later in the year. As 2006 progressed, and the cohesion and stability that Nancy was looking for took hold, she began to devote more time to writing - and as a result, Angel Band has added several self-penned tunes to an ever-growing repertoire. Nancy and Bobby Tangrea are proving to be a very productive writing team when they're not writing individually and the band continues to produce new music at an accelerated pace. 2007 looks to be a period of exciting change as more and more of this new music finds its way into the live shows and onto a much anticipated second Angel Band CD, slated to begin recording in February. Look for Angel Band again to provide support on The David Bromberg Big Band reunion tours in February and November, as well as a full schedule of summer festival activity.
Saturday June 7th 9pm $20adv/$25dos RUSTIC OVERTONES Portland Rock Heroes
The band’s new music reflects not only the band’s newfound independence, but also their greater maturity. “We’ve always drawn from our experiences while writing our songs,” says Gutter. “It’s great to be back together and do that again. But we’ve also become better musicians and refined our own styles of writing and performing over these past five years, and we’d all heard each other’s work, which raised the bar a little for us all. There was more of a challenge, like, ‘I need to be as good as these guys have been.’ And there was a little more hunger again, going back to the days when we’d put everything in our lives aside and have three dollars a day to eat on, just so we could go on the road and play our music. Getting back to that feeling, with somewhat more developed taste and musicianship, has been really good.” Dave Gutter, lead vocals, guitar Spencer Albee, keyboards Dave Noyes, trombone Ryan Zoidis, alto sax Jason Ward, baritone sax Jon Roods, bass Tony McNaboe, drums
Thursday June 12th 9pm $5adv/$8dos ZACH DEPUTY Rootsy, soulful new age jam
CLICK FOR HIGH RES Hailing from the South Carolina coast, Zach Deputy has infused his earthy blues, roots-rock and soul with hip-hop beats, dance hall rhythms and a bit of the tropical humidity of Calypso and reggae. Maybe it is a natural result of living and performing along the Southeast’s beaches for the last four or five years, maybe it is a conscious desire to spice up the intuitive simplicity of his native, regional R&B with the exotic rhythms of the islands. It could even be Zach’s family roots in Puerto Rico and St. Croix. Either way, the result is an original sound as comfortable and accessible as worn flip-flops, open and inviting like a seaside cabana and full of flavor surprises like a New Orleans gumbo. "A lot of bands come through here, and rarely do they get the response that Zach Deputy received from our staff and from the people who came to see the other bands on the bill." -Howie Schnee, Sullivan Hall / CEG Music (New York, NY
Friday June 13th 8pm $35adv/$40dos RICHIE HAVENS An Iconic Performer
Richie Havens is gifted with one of the most recognizable voices in popular music. His fiery, poignant, always soulful singing style has remained unique and ageless since he first emerged from the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960’s. It’s a voice that has inspired and electrified audiences from the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair in 1969, to the Clinton Presidential Inauguration in 1993 -coming full circle with the 30th Woodstock Anniversary celebration, "A Day In The Garden", in 1999. For over three decades, Richie has used his music to convey messages of brotherhood and personal freedom. With more than twenty-five albums released and a touring schedule that would kill many a younger man, he continues to view his calling as a higher one. As he told The Denver Post, "I really sing songs that move me. I’m not in show business, I’m in the communications business. That’s what it’s about for me".
Friday June 20th 9 pm $8adv/$10dos PEACHEATERS The Allman Brothers Experience
From Ain't Wastin' Time No More to Whippin' Post the Peacheaters dig deep into the Allman Brothers' 3 + decades of music and deliver an experience that keeps the vibe alive. Tapers are always welcome. "The best Allmans tribute band you will see." - Carter Alan, WZLX-Boston's legendary DJ "The Peacheaters roar through Allman Brother's favorites..." - Steve Morse, The Boston Globe Band members include: Alec Antobenedetto (drums-vocals), John Bennett (lead vocals-guitars), Rick Calcagni (bass-vocals), Jim Sullivan (keyboards) and AJ Vallee (drums-percussion)
Monday June 23rd 8pm $15adv/$18dos JOSE GONZALEZ Genuine Solo Troubadour The music of José González is hardly reminiscent of fireworks and confetti, but still that’s exactly how his last album was received – all over the world. His low-voiced, serious and introverted music has almost been hugged to death by everything from the indie crowd to your grandmother. José himself is more than anything surprised. Now it’s time for the album In Our Nature. José’s music rests on a foundation that has been built from long-term work, starting many years ago. As far back as six months before the commercial Veneer was being praised by a unanimous European press. You could compare the construction of his music with the research he was doing when Veneer was released, at which time he was educating himself to become a researcher in biochemistry at the university of Gothenburg. He attacks his music almost in the same way: patiently, methodically and with great interest in finding unexpected angles. The work with In Our Nature was to a great extent about bringing out different approaches. ............................................................................................
The music of José González is hardly reminiscent of fireworks and confetti, but still that’s exactly how his last album was received – all over the world. His low-voiced, serious and introverted music has almost been hugged to death by everything from the indie crowd to your grandmother. José himself is more than anything surprised. Now it’s time for the album In Our Nature. José’s music rests on a foundation that has been built from long-term work, starting many years ago. As far back as six months before the commercial Veneer was being praised by a unanimous European press. You could compare the construction of his music with the research he was doing when Veneer was released, at which time he was educating himself to become a researcher in biochemistry at the university of Gothenburg. He attacks his music almost in the same way: patiently, methodically and with great interest in finding unexpected angles. The work with In Our Nature was to a great extent about bringing out different approaches.
Thursday June 26th 9pm $8adv/$10dos SAM KININGER BAND Funk Sax Madman
With his sharp staccato sound, Kininger's forte is a crisp brand of funk. In his world, there is no time to hang out in a laidback groove. Instead, he and his musical cohorts consistently attack the beat with precision. The result is an infinitely danceable collection of driving rhythms. - Brian Ferdman, Jambands.com
Friday June 27th 9 pm $10adv/12dos GRANOLA FUNK EXPRESS Granola. Funk. Boo-ya.
Fiday July 11th 9pm $20 JOHN EDDIE Who the hell is John Eddie?
On the roller coaster of his career so far, John Eddie has had enough big breaks, hard luck, new beginnings, false starts, serious adventure and big fun to inspire a boxed set's worth of country songs. He's had the sort of life - often hard-scrabble, occasionally charmed -- that other artists only imagine, or have someone else write about for them. John has managed to document a lot of this on Who The Hell Is John Eddie?, his debut disc for Lost Highway, along with details of assorted dreams, wishes, romances, and regrets. He really has spent endless days and nights on the road, playing the "shit-hole bars" he so hilariously and accurately recalls. And he's endured the heckling of alcohol-fueled patrons wanting to hear Skynyrd and Petty and demanding to know, Who The Hell Is John Eddie?.
Friday July 25th 9pm $12adv/$15dos AKROBATIK A Hip Hop Party Featuring Sons Of Kalal, Nachilus, & Burnt MD
Akrobatik jumps through hoops for nobody. As a decade-in-the making stalwart of independent hip-hop’s realest echelon, he backslaps chat room rap phonies spawning in his wake. And when he sails through the mainstream with his daily gig on Boston’s jiggy JAM’N 94.5, he does it on his own terms. In Ak’s words, he’s an MC who went to private school but will publicly execute you. Akrobatik’s varsity rhyme career hatched in 1998, when his first single, "Ruff Enuff," dropped on Boston’s Detonator Records, which was also home to Outsidaz franchise Pacewon, Bronx alt-hop legend C-Rayz Walz and Stronghold ace Breeze Evahflowin.
