Patty Larkin has been redefining the boundaries of folk-urban pop music for more than 20 years with her inventive guitar wizardry, vocals and uncompromising lyrics. Born in Iowa, Larkin grew up in Milwaukee, in a family where music created generational bonds. “My grandmothers both played piano and when we would get together we would sing. I remember being small and standing underneath the keyboard while someone was playing barrelhouse blues and I felt like I had just seen God; it was a great sound to me.” After playing music on her own in her teens, first piano, then guitar, Larkin attended the University of Oregon where she earned a degree in English Literature. From there, she headed east to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She has received multiple awards, an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music, and has even been accorded her own “day” (“Patty Larkin Day”) by the city of Boston.

Patty has just released her 11th album, Watch the Sky, which received a rave review from Jon Pareles in the New York Times. “Patty Larkin plays the folky circuit solo with her acoustic guitar, but she doesn’t rule out anything in the studio. She made Watch the Sky by herself: picking and sliding on acoustic and electric strings, stacking up vocal harmonies, running drum loops for rhythm tracks, often doubling as her own sound engineer. Working in privacy, she wrote richly contemplative tracks about solitude and togetherness, open vistas and spiritual quests. Using modest means, Ms. Larkin gets profound results.”

Emily Elbert, from Texas, is midway through her first year at Berklee College of Music. She is a singer/songwriter with deep musical roots and a love for creative expression. Her music has delighted audiences and music critics with her jazz-infused sound, which she describes as “acoustic soul-folk.” She says, “I love music from around the world and like to combine the sounds of jazz, folk, soul, country, blues, pop, and world music into a style that is all my own.” Emily blends a hip musical perspective with an in-depth knowledge of classic favorites to create unique vocal and guitar arrangements. She first appeared on the me&thee stage last August as one of 15 performers at a fund raising benefit where she ended up getting a tremendous response from the crowd. She has made several local appearances since then and already has received several honors from Berklee. For those who missed her before, here is a chance to see her and Patty Larkin on the same bill.

$20.00
 

 

CRITICS CHOICE: PROFOUND RESULTS
Richly contemplative tracks about solitude and togetherness, open vistas and spiritual quests. [Larkin’s] voice can be breathy and confiding, tinged with the blues or infused with Joni Mitchell’s pearly depth. . . . Larkin is deeply attuned to the resonances of her many instruments. . . . meditative chords ripple across acoustic and electric guitars in “Cover Me” and “Traveling Alone,” and float over a dance beat in “Phone Message.” Countless little slide and steel-guitar licks ricochet around conga drums and filtered choruses of her voice in “Beautiful.” New York Times

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A terrific guitar player herself, Ms. Elbert is a gifted songwriter as well, indulging the crowd with songs from her auspicious debut album Bright Side. She is equally adept at covers, offering her own deft touches to the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling,” Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” and a sweet encore of Mr. Simon’s “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling’ Groovy).” Dallas Morning News