2nd SHIFT Concert: Wesley Stace

doors open 7:30, concert begins at 8PM

wesleystace.com

You might have first become aware of Wesley Stace as we first did, from the many albums he released under the Dylanesque moniker “John Wesley Harding.” Since switching back to his birth name, he’s continued to make literate and refined folk music, while diversifying his creative output.

Whether he’s curating his offbeat variety show Cabinet of Wonders in a hip New York city club, writing his next novel, or sharing his expertise teaching at Princeton or Swarthmore, his singular voice and writer’s eye for detail always shines through.

We can’t think of a better way to close out our fall 2023 2nd Shift series than by welcoming a true musical titan.

2nd SHIFT Concert: Jake Blount

doors open 7:30, concert begins at 8PM

jakeblount.com

Jake Blount is an award-winning musician and scholar based in Providence, RI. He’s the 2020 recipient of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize—yes, THAT Steve Martin—a two-time winner of the Appalachian String Band Music Festival “Clifftop,” and a specialist in the early folk music of Black Americans. He’s justifiably won a lot of accolades by skillfully reminding us of where “American roots music” comes from, but he also understands that traditions thrive by continuing to look ahead. His latest release, 2022’s The New Faith, is an Afrofuturist concept album that reimagines and recontextualizes traditional Black religious music in the imagined aftermath of a climate crisis.

Though he typically performs accompanied by other musicians, this performance, we are lucky to have the relatively rare chance to see him in a special intimate, solo format.

2nd SHIFT Concert: Anna Tivel

doors open 7:30, concert begins at 8PM

annativel.com

In today’s clickbait world, it’s often the bombast and bluster that grabs our attention, or at least temporarily distracts us. Anna Tivel is committed to walking a more subtle path, capturing our imagination with intricate, quiet songs, like finely-wrought short stories set to music. The imagery is never predictable, but the humanity on display in the songs you’ll hear will resonate deeply. Hers are songs that explore our neighborhoods and our neighbors, songs that see the kinds of people and stories that so many overlook.

She’s got a lot of fans, not the least of which is our curator Mark Erelli. Get ready to lean in and hang on every word

2nd SHIFT Concert: Matthew Fowler

doors open 7:30, concert begins at 8PM

matthewfowlermusic.com

The only thing that’s more fun than presenting a well-known artist in an intimate setting like the Charles River Museum, is turning our audience on to newer voices they might not have heard yet.

Fowler released his Signature Sounds debut, The Grief We Gave Our Mother ,in 2021, and it’s been hailed as a profoundly personal work of self-discovery that wrestles with love and loss in the face of ambition and independence. But it’s also an ode to growing up and chasing dreams, with songs that radiate all the joy, wonder, heartbreak, and confusion of young adulthood.

He is building a career the old-school way, with shows night after night clear across the country, but for this show, we’re grateful that he’ll be here with us in Waltham

2nd SHIFT Concert: Sol y Canto

doors open 7:30, concert begins at 8PM

solycanto.com

To kick off our Fall 2023 series, we're excited to present a group that expands on what we might have come to expect musically from the 2nd Shift. Sol y Canto are singers, songwriters, and pickers, for sure, but in a Pan-Latin ensemble context.

Puerto Rican/Argentine singer and percussionist Rosi Amador and New Mexican guitarist, singer, and composer Brian Amador, are known for making their music accessible to Spanish and non-Spanish speaking audiences of all ages. They will be joined by cellist Queralt Giralt Soler, making this evening a triple thrilling musical night!

We couldn’t be happier to begin our newest chapter with a fresh and worldly musical perspective!