Tag Archives: concert

Charlie Parr — April 25

charlieparr_webCrossings brings Charlie Parr to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Saturday, April 25 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $16 in advance, $18 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Charlie Parr's heartfelt and plaintive original folk blues and traditional spirituals don't strive for authenticity — they are authentic.

It's the music of a self-taught guitarist and banjo player who grew up without a TV but with his dad's recordings of America's musical founding fathers, including Charley Patton and Lightnin' Hopkins, Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. With his long scraggly hair, fathertime beard, thrift-store workingman's flannel and jeans, and emphatic, throaty voice, Parr looks and sounds the part entirely.

Parr’s latest release, “Hollandale,” is a once-in-a-lifetime album that uncovers new depths of original folk blues and traditional spirituals. Inspired by early 20th Century folk blues, engineered specifically for vinyl, the five improvised 12-string instrumental songs on this album were played freestyle in an abandoned house that was being renovated by close friend and collaborator Alan Sparhawk of the band Low.

Parr plays an 1890 banjo, a 12-string guitar and a resonator. Most of his recordings, including “Roustabout” (2008), “Jubilee” (2007), “Rooster” (2005), “King Earl” (2004), “1922” (2002), and “Criminals and Sinners” (2001) eschew typical studio settings. He has recorded in warehouses, garages, basements and storefronts, usually on vintage equipment, which gives his work the historic feel of field recordings.

A beloved regional artist, with a fan base spanning as far as Ireland and Australia, Parr, who grew up in Austin, draws inspiration from the alternately fertile and frozen soil of Minnesota.

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

Livingston Taylor — April 10

livingstontaylor_webCrossings brings Livingston Taylor to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Friday, April 10, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $35 in advance, $39 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Livingston Taylor, a musician who has been performing for 40 years – and had more than one Top Forty hit – will take the stage in Zumbrota to share his diverse repertoire that includes country, broadway, bluegrass and blues. Singer/songwriter Chelsea Berry opens.

On stage, Taylor brings together the pure joy of performance with a professionalism gained from 40 years of experience. Taylor’s ease in the presence of his audience makes the musical ride an exhilarating journey. A guitarist, pianist, singer and songwriter, Taylor has written most of his music repertoire, including Top Forty hits “I Will be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running” – and, recorded by his brother James, “I Can Dream of You,” “Going Round One More Time,” and “Boatman,” (all on the double Grammy-winning album Hourglass).

Since his earliest days of performing in Boston coffeehouses, Taylor has moved on to touring with major artists such as Linda Ronstadt; Jimmy Buffett; Fleetwood Mac; Emerson, Lake and Palmer; and Jethro Tull. He also maintains a busy concert schedule on his own, performing an average of 80 shows a year that mostly include his own music, with an occasional cover of folk, rock, a classic Gershwin or something from the best of Broadway. The depth of Taylor’s musical knowledge is belied by his relaxed and comedic onstage presence.

He describes himself as a pop singer and tours solo, playing his guitar and the piano. Taylor also is a full professor at Berklee College of Music, where he has taught a Stage Performance course since 1989.

“I love playing live, I love being on the road, I love touring, I love being around my audience – all parts of the experience.”
– Quoted from Livingston Taylor in Melrose Free Press Melrose, MA

“From his well-crafted, introspective songwriting to the beautiful melodies he creates, to the warmth he generates during his live performances, Taylor has mastered the craft of being able to take his listeners on a journey.” – The Sampson Independent Clinton, NC

Chelsea Berry is a singer/songwriter with incredible edge, power, and finesse. She has a stage presence that compels audiences to sit up and listen. Born and raised in Alaska, she now makes her home on Boston’s North Shore. From there, she’s become a favorite among venue owners up and down the East coast. 

Livingston Taylor website

Chelsea Berry website

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

Kevin Kling with Simone Perrin — March 21

Kevin-Kling-Simone-PerrinCrossings brings Kevin Kling with Simone Perrin to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Saturday, March 21, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance, $22 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

National Public Radio commentator Kevin Kling will perform a night of side-splittingly funny yet thought-provoking storytelling with accordionista Simone Perrin. Kling, a lifelong Minnesotan who never let a birth defect or severe motorcycle accident slow him down, takes listeners on a journey through his life that is no less poignant for his humorous style.

Kling is best-known for his commentaries on NPR’s All Things Considered. He is also the creator of several books and CDs of recorded storytelling. The CD “State Fair” is his latest offering, with new, original stories written and told by Kling. It carries titles like “Easy Bob's Lament.”

Joining Kling will be Minneapolis-based theater actress, composer, vocalist and accordionista Perrin, who has been featured on A Prairie Home Companion and is a regular performer, in a variety of capacities, at Crossings.

Kling and Perrin collaborate to create a performance that covers a range of humor, tenderness and music.

Kevin Kling

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

Davina & The Vagabonds — March 7

davinawebCrossings brings Davina and the Vagabonds to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance, $23 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Davina Sowers hit the Midwest scene in February 2005 and she hasn’t looked back since. It didn’t take her long after moving to Minnesota from Key West, FL to start making a name for herself. With great vocals and piano, she commands attention on stage and leaves everyone smiling. Davina has been performing since the age of 5, with the support of an extremely musical family. Sowers, a classically-trained pianist, has years of experience in piano performance. She and her band made a big splash at Duluth’s Bayfront Blues Festival in 2006 to 2008, having the highest sales in CDs all three years. She has been called the “hardest working blues woman in frigid Minnesota.”

"Two things remain consistent in all her shows: her throaty, but cushiony voice, which has a sort of hardmattress comfort to it that’s part Bonnie Raitt, part Etta James and a little Amy Winehouse; and her band’s rollicking New Orleans flavor, driven home by dueling horn players and a bayouthick standup bass.” (CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER, Star Tribune)

Davina has already shared the stage with Little Feat, Buddy Guy, Elvin Bishop, The Lamont Cranston Band, The Blues Brothers, Joe Bonamassa, Irma Thomas and James Hunter, among others, at venues such as House of Blues in Atlantic City, NJ, and the Bayfront Blues Festival in Duluth, MN.

Davina and the Vagabonds

 

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

 

 

The Eric Clapton Story — February 28

ericclapton

Crossings brings Justin Ploof & The Throwbacks to Zumbrota's State Theatre for “Crossroads: The Eric Clapton Story” at 7:30 pm on Saturday, February 28.

Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

This original rockumentary adds vintage film clips and brief narrative to the live music performance by the band, authentically performing the music of the first three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and providing audiences with a number of  “I didn’t know that” moments throughout the evening. It’s a complete “blast from the past” experience!

Clapton is widely considered rock’s preeminent guitarist, one of the most important and influential of all time. His Hall of Fame honors came as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream and as a solo artist. Rolling Stone magazine placed him at number 2 on their list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” He’s won 18 Grammys.

Some of his best-loved songs include his version of Marley's “I Shot the Sheriff,” “Layla,” and Robert Johnson's “Crossroads.”

Justin Ploof, Jason Ploof, and Dan Ploof have many years of professional music experience and have shared the stage with the likes of Soul Asylum, Bobby Vee, Joan Jett, and Jessie Lang. Their incredible attention to detail and the quality of their musicianship wows audiences from the first chord right on through to the rousing end. Audiences hear the songs the way the artists meant for them to be performed. Guest appearances enhance the shows to the ultimate level of entertainment.

 

Abbey Road — February 21

abbeyroad_webCrossings brings Collective Unconscious back to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Saturday, February 21 for the Beatles' Abbey Road at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $28 in advance, $32 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Immensely popular Collective Unconscious returns for a repeat performance of the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album which will be performed in its entirety on period instruments.

Well-known for their recreations of the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s “Déjà vu,” and collaboration with the Fabulous Armadillos for an Eagles tribute, this group of talented, witty musicians will bring the Beatles to the audience with a note-for-note, nuance-for-nuance version of one of their most influential albums.

Released in 1969, “Abbey Road” was the last studio effort from the Beatles, and is listed on multiple “best album” lists. Collective Unconscious’ founding member Jeff Engholm says it stands out triumphantly from other classic albums because of “the vibes that shoot out from it: mellow, never rushed, carefully crafted, playful, soulful, beautiful.” Never failing to recognize the joy inherent in each cut, Collective Unconscious executes each of the seventeen tracks – including such classic songs as “Come Together,” “Octopus' Garden” and “Here Comes the Sun” – with precision, reverence and exuberance. The band has such fun performing that it’s impossible for the crowd not to join in, and it is no surprise these concerts are regularly sold out.

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

Flappers, Miners & Moonshiners — February 7

flappers-webCrossings brings Dan Chouinard and Prudence Johnson to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Saturday, February 7 at 7:30 pm for "Minnesota in the 1920s: Flappers, Miners and Moonshiners." 

Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Join Prudence and Dan on a journey back to Minnesota in the Jazz Age, featuring songs, vintage photographs and stories. Audience members are invited to sing along to “My Blue Heaven,” "Ain’t We Got Fun?,” “Side by Side,” “Stardust,” and many more as golden-voiced Johnson and pianist and accordionist Dan Chouinard travel back in time through music and stories of life on the farm, on the reservation, in the nightclubs of St. Paul, and the mining towns of the Iron Range.

Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) listeners will recognize Johnson as a regular on “A Prairie Home Companion” weekly radio show. Her more than 30-year music career has taken her from nightclubs and honky-tonks to Carnegie Hall, from the theater stage to the Silver Screen (Robert Redford’s “A River Runs Through It” and “A Prairie Home Companion” the movie), from the Midwest to the Middle East.

Chouinard is a Minneapolis native who plays, tours and records regularly with an ever-expanding roster of local and national performers. Chouinard regularly creates special programs which blend storytelling, interview and music, many of these for Minnesota Public Radio. He recently appeared at the State Theatre headlining, for the third year, a hometown holiday performance and sing-along that also features local talent.

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

Holiday Extravaganza — December 20

holiday show poster 2014 final

Holiday Extravaganza!

7:30 PM, Saturday, December 20

Tickets: $15 in advance, $18 at the door, 
$5 Students (18 and under) Buy online now
Tickets also available in Zumbrota at Busby's Hardware and Furniture, Crossings, and Main Street Pharmacy.
Want to reserve your seat? Choose your seat at Crossings: $19 Adults, $9 Students

 

A joint production of Crossings and the Zumbrota Area Arts Council to benefit State Theatre renovations.

Multi-talented performer Dan Chouinard returns to Zumbrota with special guest Simone Perrin for the 2014 Holiday Extravaganza! A multitude of talented local musicians and dancers will join them in the third annual production to benefit renovations at Zumbrota's State Theatre. The Holiday Extravaganza lights up the stage on Sat., Dec. 20, at 7:30 p.m.

This community-wide variety show and sing-along will include performances by the Zumbrota-Mazeppa High School Jazz Band, the Rochester Flute Choir, Gwendelara Hendee, selections from the Zumbrota Dance Studio’s production of “Elsa, the Princess of Ice,” Flamenco Guitarist Victor Jortack, the ZMHS Singers, and a special “Ask Santa” segment featuring the jolly old elf himself.

This concert is a joint production between Crossings at Carnegie and the Zumbrota Area Arts Council to raise funds for improvements to the historic State Theatre, which is owned and operated by the Zumbrota Area Arts Council. The theatre is an intimate venue whose vintage atmosphere is praised by audiences and performers alike. Plans are underway for the new addition that will house handicapped accessible restrooms and an expanded concessions area.

Chouinard turns up regularly in Zumbrota playing a supporting role for performers like Peter Ostroushko, Prudence Johnson, Ann Reed and others. He is an accomplished pianist and accordionist, as well as a talented storyteller.  

Chouinard has hosted similar community-based holiday shows in Lanesboro every year since 2007, drawing on local talent to fill most of the show's roster of musicians and storytellers and always featuring a performer friend from the Twin Cities as a special guest. He regularly creates unique programs which blend storytelling, interview and music, many of these for Minnesota Public Radio. He has dubbed Crossings “my favorite SE Minnesota haunt.”

Perrin is also no stranger to Zumbrota, performing regularly at Crossings. She was last seen at the State Theatre in February in The Love Show. Based in Minneapolis, accordionista and chanteuse Perrin has performed at the Guthrie Theatre as well as on A Prairie Home Companion.

General admission tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door, $5 for students 18 and under. Advance tickets are available in Zumbrota at Busby Hardware & Furniture, Crossings at Carnegie and Main Street Pharmacy. Reserved seating tickets are $19 for adults, $9 for students and are available only at Crossings, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, or call 507-732-7616.

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. This event is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

SimpleGifts — December 5

billymclaughlinsimplegifts_webCrossings brings SimpleGifts with Billy McLaughlin to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Friday, December 5, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $25 in advance, $28 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

With little or no media attention, SimpleGifts has become arguably the most successful holiday project celebrating modern arrangements of traditional hymns and carols in MN. Fueled by passionate grassroots fans since 2001, the 2014 Holiday Tour includes 20 appearances between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Music from all five of the groups critically acclaimed CD releases will be featured including the most recent, Wintergrace, characterized by local music critic Jim Walsh:

"…one of the most elegant and listenable Christmas collections of this or any year — "WinterGrace" from the Billy McLaughlin-led local collective SimpleGifts"
 
With exceptional set and lighting design and an impeccable sound-system, SimpleGifts puts community celebration ahead of commercialization by pulling the audience into the sublime side of traditional repertoire in a truly meaningful Christmas event. Expect modern arrangements with an Old-World feel highlighting Billy's signature acoustic guitar, angelic three-part harmony vocals, bagpipes, celtic whistles, violin, piano and tasty atmospheric percussion.

There is nothing ordinary about the arrangements this team delivers both in the studio and in concert. Seen by over 20,000 live audience members last season, this group continues to grow in popularity throughout the Upper Midwest and has successfully transitioned from their early days in coffeehouses and small listening rooms to prestigious performing art centers and larger churches.

SimpleGifts

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

Band on the Run: A Tribute to Wings — November 22

wings-logoCrossings brings Collective Unconscious and Stacy Bauer to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Saturday, November 22, at 7:30 pm for "Band on the Run: A Tribute to Wings." Tickets are $32 in advance, $35 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Collective Unconscious, known for its top-notch tribute concerts, returns to the State Theatre with Stacy Bauer and friends from the Fabulous Armadillos and more to present this tribute to Paul McCartney's band.

After The Beatles, Paul McCartney returned to superstardom in the 1970s with Wings. Wings’ third album, “Band on the Run,” was its most successful and remains the most celebrated of McCartney's post-Beatles albums. It was 1974's top-selling studio album in the United Kingdom and Australia, and revitalized McCartney's critical standing.

Collective Unconscious is well-known to local audiences for their album shows, reproducing the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds,” and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Déjà Vu,” albums, and playing the hits of the Eagles with the Fabulous Armadillos. They are joined again with Stacy Bauer, who sang as Janis Joplin for a tribute show to that star.

CU never fails to sell out its Zumbrota shows, just as it packs houses throughout the state.

A mutual love of the music of Paul McCartney and Wings is what brought this show together. Members of Collective Unconscious, Blimp, Kentucky Thunder and others all came together to perform most of the music that was recorded for the 1976 album Wings Over America, plus a few extras.

There’s a smattering of Beatles songs in the mix, among them “The Long And Winding Road,” “Lady Madonna,” and “I've Just Seen a Face.” But mostly, listeners will hear the songs that let Wings rule the airwaves back in the mid-70s, such as “Listen to What The Man Said,” “My Love,” “Silly Love Songs,” and, of course, “Band On The Run.”

For this show, CU has assembled a tremendous group lead by Jeff Engholm, fresh off his amazing performances in both Floydian Slip’s Tribute to Pink Floyd, and The Beach Boys “Pet Sounds” shows. Joining Engholm are many local and regional favorites including:

Muggsy Lauer  – Guitar/Vocals (Collective Unconscious, Eagles Tribute, Briefcase Full of Blues Brothers)
Stacy Bauer – Vocals/Percussion (Blimp, Pachanga Society, Janis Joplin Tributes)
Duff Eisenschenk – Drums (BLIMP)
Tom Bard – Vocals/Keyboards (The Bill & Tom Show, Floydian Slip)
Kurt Rodman – Guitar (Guitars, Guitars, Guitars)
Ken Vork, Mike Anderson – horns

Collective Unconsious

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.