FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 3, 2024
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Spencertown Academy Presents “Gary Lucas: Solo Electric and Acoustic” January 11
Spencertown, New York–Spencertown Academy Roots & Shoots Concerts Series presents “Gary Lucas: Solo Electric and Acoustic” on Saturday, January 11 at 7:30 pm at the Academy’s Blanche Grubin Auditorium. The acclaimed guitarist and Grammy-nominated songwriter will perform a tour de force program of original songs, blues, tributes to Lucas collaborators Captain Beefheart and Jeff Buckley, covers of 1930’s Chinese pop, Wagner, Stones, electronic soundscapes, and more. General admission tickets ($30 public, $25 Academy members) are available via www.spencertownacademy.org.
“We are looking forward to welcoming Gary Lucas back to the Academy. He is one of the most innovative guitarists I’ve ever seen play live,” says Dusty Wright, a member of the Academy Music Committee. “His repertoire is so vast, each show is unique, inspired by the vibe of the audience and his mood in the moment.”
Lucas has performed and collaborated with a who’s who of musical luminaries, including Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet), Jeff Buckley, Leonard Bernstein, Lou Reed, John Cale, Patti Smith, Chris Cornell, Bryan Ferry, Nona Hendryx, Los Van Van, Bob Weir, Nick Cave, Thurston Moore, Lukas Ligeti, Martha Wainwright, Camille O’Sullivan, Steve Kilbey, and many others. He has also recorded over 50 albums to date in his own right in a variety of genres—jazz, rock, classical, folk, blues, avant-garde, and world music—and has performed in over 40 countries.
He has received several Lifetime Achievement awards for his songwriting with Jeff Buckley (he co-wrote Buckley’s anthems “Grace” and “Mojo Pin”) and many honors, including performing solo before the General Assembly of the United Nations to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Roots & Shoots Concerts is an ongoing Academy series that showcases artists who reach back to earlier traditions in music (Americana, jazz, blues, rock, and world music) for inspiration while incorporating more recent forms and influences of the present.
This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Founded in 1972, Spencertown Academy Arts Center is a cultural center and community resource serving Columbia County, the Berkshires, and the Capital region. Housed in a landmark 1847 Greek Revival schoolhouse, the Academy is located at 790 State Route 203 in Spencertown, New York. For more information, please contact info@spencertownacademy.org.