COYLE — Singer- songwriter Rupert Wates will return to Concerts in the Woods at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
The concert will be at the Laurel B. Johnson Community Center, 923 Hazel Point Road, at the end of the Toandos Peninsula. Admission will be by donation.
Complimentary cookies and coffee will be served at intermission.
Wates played in Coyle in July 2012.
“He returns now after receiving many critical awards for his songwriting skills and many appearances at major folk festivals around the nation and across the world,” said series organizer Norm Johnson.
“We are pleased to have him back here again to hear his latest works,” Johnson said.
He released his most recent album “Full Circle” in January 2019.
Born in London, Wates has worked as a full-time songwriter since the late 1990s. He signed a publishing contract with Eaton Music Limited there.
Moving in 2001 to Paris, Wates formed his own quartet and began playing live regularly.
In 2006, he moved to the U.S., where he is based in New York City and Colorado. Since coming to the U.S., he has won more than 40 songwriting and performing awards (www.rupertwatesmusic.com/awards).
His music is an eclectic mix of acoustic, melodic art/folk, with flavors of jazz, vaudeville and cabaret, according to his website.
In 2010, Wates released Joe’s Café, an album of 15 original songs based on true stories, each interpreted by a different vocalist, retelling the stories of ordinary American people.
The album traces the story of America through two world wars, the Dust Bowl depression, Vietnam and the struggle for Civil Rights, all the way to the present day.
Recorded live in the studio in a single weekend, the album evokes the atmosphere of an all-night café, where friends gather to share their stories. More information about Joe’s Cafe is at www.bitemusic limited.com.
In 2014, Wates joined forces with Toronto-based virtuoso pianist Bartosz Hadala to form a piano/guitar duo called The Nightwatchers (www.thenight watchers.com). The duo tours Canada and Europe regularly. In March 2015 they recorded and released a debut CD entitled The Nightwatchers.
Wates averages 120 live shows every year in every state in America, in Canada and in Europe, according to his website.
For more about the Concert in the Woods series, see www.coyleconcerts.com.
