2019 Great Waters Summer Season
The Lobbyists
The Lobbyists formed in 2012, and take their name from the lobby of The Flea Theater, where the group first started playing and writing music together. Drawing on folk, roots, and a host of other influences, the band has been noted for their lush harmonies, “marvelous” songwriting (The New York Times), and “impressive musicianship” (Entertainment Weekly). The New Yorker calls their music “terrific,” and The Village Voice lauds them as “undeniably talented.”
Presents
'Considering Matthew Shepard'
"Only in the love of us all" change is possible. This message of hope is present throughout Craig Hella Johnson's moving concert that tells the story of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay, 21-year-old Wyoming student.
This performance of 'Considering Matthew Shepard' features a chamber orchestra as well as the 30-voice master chorale. The lyrics include passages from Matt Shepard’s college journal, testimony spoken by his mother, and poetry related to the crime.
This special performance is made possible by Ashton & Company.
Under the Streetlamp
UNDER THE STREETLAMP performs an electrifying evening of classic hits from the American radio songbook. Exuding the irresistible rapport of a modern day Rat Pack, the quartet — Eric Gutman, David Larsen, Brandon Wardell and Shonn Wiley — deliver an evening of unforgettable entertainment. You’ll hear Doo-Wop, Motown, old time Rock ‘n’ Roll and all of your favorite songs from The Drifters, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and a “show-stopping” salute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons!
Steep Canyon Rangers
Steep Canyon Rangers have been expanding the parameters of bluegrass since coming together in 2000. Since then, the genre-defying band has developed a remarkable catalogue of original music – predominantly co-written by Sharp and bassist Charles R. Humphrey III – that links them to the past while at the same time, demonstrates their ambitious intent to bring string-based music into contemporary relevance.
Their newest release, OUT IN THE OPEN is an undeniable milestone on Steep Canyon Rangers’ ongoing creative journey, its spirited, eclectic approach recasting the myriad sounds of string-based American music in their own unique image. As they fast approach their second decade, Steep Canyon Rangers are still moving forward, as ever searching for new horizons and musical vistas.
Rhiannon Giddens, Our Native Daughters
Rhiannon Giddens, a Grammy-nominated solo artist as well as the co-founder of the Grammy Award-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops, is additionally a recipient of The 2017 Macarthur Genius Award and the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Bluegrass and Banjo. For this project, Giddens brought together three other predominant black female roots artists. “Gathering a group of fellow black female artists who had and have a lot to say, made it both highly collaborative and deeply personal to me,” she explains. “It felt like there were things we had been waiting to say our whole lives in our art; and to be able to say them in the presence of our sisters-in-song was sweet, indeed. I see this album as a part of a larger movement to reclaim the black female history of this country.”
Red Molly
Forming in 2004, Red Molly has inspired countless female trios and has since reinvented themselves as a high-octane five-piece band in 2017. They remain a dominant force on the Americana/Folk scene due in part to their laughter and spontaneity onstage.
Known for their 3-part harmony, their songs and arrangements lay bare a love of vocal blend. The band weaves together threads of American music—from country & blues to folk & bluegrass. Their innovative instrumentation is suited for roots-rock and heartful ballads alike, and the alchemy of their personalities onstage draws even back row listeners into a sense of intimacy. Red Molly is simply a joy to experience.
The Hot Sardines
Fueled by the belief that classic jazz feeds the heart and soul, the Hot Sardines are on a mission to make old sounds new again and prove that joyful music can bring people together in a disconnected world.
In the last two years, the Hot Sardines have been featured at the Newport Jazz Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival, have sold out NYC venues from Joe’s Pub to Bowery Ballroom and more than 150 tour dates from Chicago to London, and have released two albums on Universal Music Classics to critical raves and a No. 1 slot on the iTunes Jazz chart in the U.S. and internationally.
Quality is timeless.
Just ask The Hot Sardines.
Juston McKinney
Red Carpet Pass Only
New England’s Juston McKinney returns with lots of new material!! It’s been a busy year for Juston having just released his new special
“Parentally Challenged” on Amazon Prime. Last year he filmed a Showtime Special with Rob Gronkowski, “Unsportsmanlike Comedy”, and performed at the TD Garden with Denis Leary and Jimmy Fallon as
part of “Comics Come Home”. Juston is consistently selling out theaters, has two Comedy Central Specials, both; a one-hour and half-hour, multiple appearances on the Tonight Show, and on Conan O’Brien, but there’s no place like home!
Chris Thomas King
Born in 1962, guitarist Chris Thomas King became the last major folk blues discovery of the 20th Century when he was discovered in Louisiana in 1979 by a folklorist from the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D. C. He was introduced to the world the following year by venerable folk label Arhoolie Records as an authentic folk blues successor to Huddie Ledbetter, Muddy Waters, Mississippi John Hurt and Manse Lipscomb.
King played the role of itinerant bluesman Tommy Johnson along side George Clooney in the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000),” captivating audiences the world over. His authenticity as a folk blues artist, by any measure, proved to be undeniable.
Bringing Music to the New Hampshire Lakes Region
Claudia Shilo
We are thrilled to bring an incredible variety of music to Wolfeboro this summer with a lineup designed just for YOU! Please head over to our homepage to see what we have in store this summer … and mark your calendar. Our new website is full of information about our events and it’s easier than ever to join us and experience the amazing music of the 2019 Summer Season!
Looking even further ahead … our 25th anniversary is coming up in 2020! We have exciting things in store to celebrate this very special time for Great Waters as well. Check in with us often to see our plans unfold.
The Great Waters Board, Executive Director, and staff are here to serve you and we all look forward to seeing you again this summer!
The Street Piano Project with Huggins Hospital
The brightly painted pianos of the Street Piano Project are a visible, and hands on way to engage our community in the joy of music. As part of our core mission, we have partnered with Huggins Hospital to share the message “Music Heals” throughout the Wolfeboro area.
Huggins Hospital is dedicated to the health and wellbeing of our community and that includes all aspects of health. Studies show that music can reduce anxiety, help with memory and help people recover from stroke or traumatic brain injury. Huggins Hospital provides music enrichment opportunities, including live music, to participants in the hospital’s Adult Day Program—a medical model program licensed by the state of NH and whose purpose is to help participants remain active and social as well as provide respite to caregivers. “Music helps them reminisce,” says ADP Coordinator Nelda Tobin, RN. “We help bring value to their lives – whether they suffer from social isolation, dementia or a type of impairment – and music truly helps us do that.”
The pianos will be placed throughout Wolfeboro to invite passersby to stop and play a few notes or a whole piece, at their leisure. Join Great Waters Music Festival and Huggins Hospital to spread a healing message through music on the streets of Wolfeboro this summer!
