Hootenanny’s all fun; Total Experience Gospel Choir spreads word
Published 2:14 pm Thursday, January 14, 2010
Dennis Griffiths does get downright wistful, especially when he’s singing about the Stillaguamish River:
“I used to be, so wild and so free, just like that river that carried me.”
Griffiths, a local folksinger and composer and a master guitarist and mandolin player, released his debut CD “Stilly River” in 2006 to some wide acclaim.
Griffiths will release that song again tonight when he sings “Stilly River,” a song about cruisin’ Colby and other tunes from his musical toolbox that have a local flavor during a hometown hootenanny at Historic Everett Theatre.
This musical variety show, “Folklore and Tall Tales,” is a homegrown tribute to the Stillaguamish River and the not-so-forgotten pastime of teens cruisin’ Colby. The evening will feature traditional sea shanties, original folk and rock tunes and iconic ’60s classics.
“It’s really a folk show, so those classics from the ’60s are going to be hits by Jim Croche and Bob Dylan and Arlo Guthrie,” publicist Beckye Randall said.
Seattle singer and songwriter Daniel Kamas will headline the show. Born and raised in Texas, Kamas grew up surrounded by classic country music. He began playing guitar and writing music in his early 20s.
Kamas, whom Randall called a breakout talent, is scheduled to release his new extended-play album, “Santa Elena,” in February.
The hootenanny, now a monthly feature at Historic Everett Theatre, will also showcase the Hometown Band, a six-piece ensemble that has earned rave reviews due in part to its versatile take on such songs as “16 Tons” and “City of New Orleans.”
Also on tap will be The Whateverly Brothers, a trio that expresses its love of music and harmony in irreverent, poignant and thoughtful songs.
“They reach back into the history of American culture,” Randall said. “So it’s a broad continuum of folk music, from the traditional to the more modern.”
“Folklore and Tall Tales” starts at 7:30 tonight at Historic Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Ave., Everett.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, students and military personnel and $5 for kids 12 and under. Call 425-258-6766 or go to www.brownpapertickets.com or call 800-838-3006. Tickets are also available at the door one hour before show time.
Total Experience Gospel Choir and Living Voices: On Whidbey Island, the celebration of the birth, the life and the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be done in song.
Whidbey Island Center for the Arts is hosting Seattle’s Total Experience Gospel Choir and Living Voices in an evening of song to honor the slain civil rights leader.
The Total Experience Gospel Choir was organized in September 1973 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Seattle. Since then, its numbers have grown to 108 and the choir has become known nationally and internationally.
The struggle and sacrifice for civil rights in America is retold in Living Voices’ compelling story “The Right to Dream,” which recreates a young man’s coming of age as an African-American in Mississippi during the 1950s and 1960s.
Total Experience Gospel Choir and Living Voices begin their performances at 7:30 tonight at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, 565 Camano Ave., Langley.
Tickets are $15 and $12. Call 360-221-8268 or 800-638-7631 or go to www.WICAonline.com.
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
