Today, tonight signify Friday, Feb. 20.
Herold brings vintage tunes to stage
PORT TOWNSEND — Singer Sylvia Herold is back tonight, mighty arch-top guitar in her arms, for a concert of vintage American tunes at the Key City Playhouse — and she has her fans beside her.
“She’s a classy babe,” said George Rezendes, whose Toolshed Soundlab studio co-sponsors tonight’s show with Key City Public Theatre.
He says that with the utmost respect for Herold’s musicianship. When she walks into the room at a workshop or retreat, he added, Herold expects her fellow players to play — rather than chit-chatting the day away.
For tonight’s gig, Rezendes said Herold asked him to sit in with her and her bassist Chuck Ervin.
“You don’t say no,” he added, “no matter how scary it is” to play next to her.
This singer-guitarist’s repertoire travels from the 1930s through the ’60s, including ballads such as “All the Way” and “My Romance” and novelties like “Lydia the Tattooed Lady.” Her bands over the years have gone from the swing vocal trio Cats & Jammers and the Hot Club of San Francisco to Wake the Dead, a Celtic-infused Grateful Dead cover band.
Herold has appeared on more than 25 albums including five solo recordings, and taught at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse in Berkeley, Calif., the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, the British Columbia Swing Camp and Centrum’s Voice Works in Port Townsend.
In concert, Rezendes said, “she is dynamite.”
Duo to spice evening with variety
PORT TOWNSEND — One voice, one guitar: Grammy Award winner Mollie O’Brien and her husband Rich Moore will be back in town this coming Wednesday, Feb. 25, for the final Winter Concert Series show at the Key City Playhouse.
O’Brien is a seasoned singer who has performed with artists ranging from Jerry Douglas and her brother Tim O’Brien to Sally Van Meter and Chris Thile. For this Port Townsend gig, she’ll step up beside Moore, to stir up contemporary folk, powerhouse gospel and funky dance music, including songs from their latest album, “Love Runner.”
The couple appeared at the now-defunct Upstage nightclub in March 2013 and at the Centrum Voice Works festival at Fort Worden in June 2012. And for years, critics have hailed their particular sound.
“One part Maria Muldaur, one part Suzy Bogguss and one part Ella Fitzgerald, Mollie O’Brien’s voice, with its seemingly limitless range, is the perfect vehicle for this eclectic set of songs,” Songwriter magazine’s Gretchen Peters writes.
For more about the artists and their music, visit www.MollieOBrien.com.
