The New Yorker magazine said it best: “If you’re missing Fred Eaglesmith, you’re really missing out.” An award-winning and acclaimed music auteur of the highest order, he has forged a singular and distinctive legacy with his songs, recordings, live performances, achievements and impact unlike that of anyone else in contemporary music. And done so as a fiercely independent and original artist through the sheer power of the music he creates. Opening the show is Taunton native Kerri Powers, who has long been known for the power and range of her voice — the type that could easily shatter glass. Her new album, Faith in the Shadows, will make her better known as a songwriter. Eaglesmith and Powers are just back from touring overseas together and we are looking forward to their concert magic on our stage.

Fred Eaglesmith comes by his exceptional musicality and lyrical command naturally and honestly, through dedication to his craft and delivery and building his following from the grassroots upwards ever since he left the family farm in southern Ontario at age 15 to become an itinerant budding troubadour. His life story could in fact be the subject of one of his songs, which is one reason why Eaglesmith has such a deft touch for finding the literary significance within the lives of seemingly common people and rendering their tales, thoughts and feelings with profound humanity and sensitivity alongside a knack for creating a contextual sense of time and place that resonates with reality.

Eaglesmith’s 17 albums over the last three decades — many of them released on his own label — have consistently evoked critical raves, and he’s been compared to a broad blue-ribbon list of musical icons. His fellow songwriters regularly record his songs and sing his praises. He hosts a number of music festivals across North America, where he plays hundreds of dates a year in addition to touring Europe and Australia.

Devoted fans follow him from one show to another to savor what one reviewer calls the “fury and fun” of his concerts. His releases consistently hit the upper reaches of the Americana charts, and he’s the only Canadian to ever write a Number 1 bluegrass hit. His songs have even become part of the course curriculum at two colleges, and the paintings he creates when not making music have been shown in numerous prestigious galleries. His latest album, 2008’s Tinderbox, amply displays the qualities that have made Eaglesmith a true cult phenomenon. Nominated for a Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year as well as making the short list for the Polaris Prize, the Top 10 Americana chart album explores spirituality, faith, life, love, labor and more within a full-blooded musical and lyrical experience that draws from folk, country, rock, gospel, old-time music, bluegrass and even spoken word to create a stunning contemporary roots music all its own.

Kerri Powers’ throaty voice complements the moody, intimate songs on her latest record, Faith in the Shadows. With these songs, it’s clear that she looks for beauty on the darker side of life. However, with lyrics that are often considered quirky and whimsical, the songs can also have a hopeful feel but are never bouncy. “I put myself right in the middle of each song and find the truth in them,” Kerri says. She brings that same intimacy and charm to her live performances.

Kerri grew up listening to Neil Young, Gram Parsons, Patsy Cline, and Hank Williams. She took guitar lessons alongside her father when she was 9 and gravitated to the edgier sound of blues and soul. After years of touring with some success — she was a finalist in the Kerrville New Folk competition — she took a break to raise her son. “You do for your family,” Kerri says. “What I now realize though is that I couldn’t do for them without being able to write and perform my music. Luckily they understand.” She reunited with her long-time collaborator and producer Crit Harmon (Martin Sexton, Mary Gauthier) to record Faith in the Shadows. Two songs from the disc were featured in a steamy love scene on a 2009 TV episode of Denis Leary’s “Rescue Me.” Kerri was also a finalist in the 2009 Telluride Bluegrass Troubadour songwriting contest.

The rootsy Canadian singer-songwriter Fred Eaglesmith isn’t as well-known in the United States, because . . . well, he’s a rootsy Canadian singer-songwriter. If you’re missing out on Eaglesmith, though, you’re really missing out: since he left the family farm in his teens and struck out on his troubadour’s path, he’s been prolific and sharp, and the former has rarely seemed to effect the latter. Ben Greenman, The New Yorker

Fred Eaglesmith has been attracting a cult following for his idiosyncratic take on country, blues and roots traditions for nearly two decades now. New album Tinderbox shows that he’s still on top of his game, delivering simple yet effective lyrics in a Springsteen-esque voice, backed by a ragged, expressionistic folk sound — the effect sometimes resembles the Boss singing lead for Tom Waits’ band. . . . He’s not just out to mould and reconfigure musical traditions however, as the straightahead gospel of “I Pray Now” and the sparse banjo-led ballad “Stand” illustrate. Eaglesmith is an artist who respects classic roots music, but is also independent and open-minded enough to understand that no music need be sacred. Hence, Tinderbox is superb blend of organic gospel, blues and country with maverick-spirited experimentation and reinvention. Matt Thrower, Houston Press

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. . . [Kerri Powers'] neo-trad country rock had vision and bite. The original song “Tallulah Send a Car for Me” had a Lucinda Williams brilliance, while a cover of Ivory Joe Hunter’s “Since I Met You Baby” was stunning. Powers has a skilled acoustic-guitar touch . . . don’t miss her next time. Steve Morse, The Boston Globe

The real grabber is Powers’s voice, which suggests too much hard living to come from a young woman from the Boston suburbs.” Brett Milano, The Boston Phoenix

A collection of songs that owe as much to Raymond Carver and Flannery O’Connor as they do any songwriting muse . . . presented in a voice part Lucinda Williams and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, that haunts and penetrates. Rick O’Connell, Country Standard Time