Submitted by Anne-Marie Cannata McEwen, Executive Director, The Buttonwood Tree
(July 29, 2022) —The Buttonwood Tree at 605 Main Street in Middletown announces the following art and musical events coming up in September and October:
Violinist Chris Murphy on Friday, September 9, 2022. Show starts at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20. For 25 years, and with no sign of slowing, violinist Chris Murphy has made a living by writing, performing and recording original music. For Murphy, the path forward is charted by looking backward, to the troubadours and minstrels of ages past. Forget the exaggerated reports of the music industry’s demise. It’s only the record industry, a relative blip in the history of putting tones in sequence, that’s suffering. Music, and the opportunity to make a life’s work out of it, is not going anywhere.“In another era,” Murphy says, “I would have played square dances, and loved it. I would have been a court musician at Versailles in the 17th Century, or a violinist in a circus orchestra.” For Chris Murphy, inspiration spans eras and aesthetics, but the fundamentals are the same.
Nick Anderson & Shady Creek on Saturday, September 10, 2022. Show starts at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $15. Based on his farm in Plainfield, Connecticut, Nick Anderson & Shady Creek play Bluegrass music that keeps the traditional sound alive and well. Entertaining audiences with the “high lonesome sound” has been a passion for Nick and has helped keep the band together through numerous changes for more than thirty years. The band has played a variety of festivals, fairs and concert venues throughout the Northeast and Canada. Nick is considered one of the top bluegrass singers in New England.
Violinist Luca Ciarla on Friday, September 23, 2022. Show starts at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $30. A native of Termoli, Italy, Luca began playing violin and piano at the age of eight. By twelve he was studying at the conservatory and few years later began exploring jazz and improvisation. He received his violin degree in 1993 and then studied at the Fiesole School of Music and the Scuola di Alto perfezionamento of Saluzzo. In 1996 Luca moved to the United States to pursue a Master’s degree at Indiana University and to study jazz with David Baker. A creative and surprising violinist, Luca Ciarla easily transcends the boundaries among genres to trace an innovative musical path, a magical acoustic seduction in perfect balance between written compositions and improvisation, traditional and contemporary sounds.
Halley Neal on Friday, September 30, 2022. Show starts at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20. Halley Neal is a folk-pop singer and songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. Inspired by artists like Joni Mitchell and Shawn Colvin, Halley’s sound combines inspirations of folk music from the 70’s and late 90’s.Graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2019, Halley was chosen from the graduates to perform a song at Berklee’s Commencement Concert at Agganis Arena. The concert honored the 2019 Berklee honorary doctorates, Missy Elliot, Justin Timberlake and Alex Lacamoire, who all attended the show. In her final semester at Berklee, Halley collaborated with artist Plot Twist and her former band Rose & Kennedy to write and release a single called “Lover,” which shortly after gained notable traction on Tik Tok.
Showcase by artist Alex Ranniello for the month of September. A reception will be held on Saturday, September 24, 2022 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. There is no admission for this event, but donations are encouraged. Alex Ranniello is a studio painter and mural artist based in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Outside his role as a studio artist, he’s had both multifaceted and widespread community involvement in the Arts across Connecticut. Since 2016, he has served as an arts program administrator, gallery assistant manager, workshop assistant, curator, guest speaker, visiting artist, event team manager, juror, and above all- an advocate for the arts. His academic education includes a Bachelor’s degree in Painting & Drawing in 2017 including dual minors in Ceramics & Art History; he achieved his Master’s in Marketing & Communications from the University of Hartford in 2021.
The Night Shakers on Saturday, October 8, 2022. Show starts at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20. Based in Deep River, The Night Shakers play a unique blend of vintage blues — upbeat, jazzy and Chicago-style jump blues.Legendary blues artists like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Bessie Smith, Howling Wolf, Buddy Guy, Katie Webster and Freddie King are all represented, along with lesser-known artists who helped shape the genre, and newer musicians who’ve kept the blues flame burning through the decades. The Night Shakers’ music appeals to a wide variety of ages – whether for listening, toe-tapping or dancing – and they can spice their repertoire with tasty jump and jazz blues. Their love of vintage Chicago-style blues inspires their arrangements and performances, giving audiences a tasty helping of authentic roots music. They play regularly across Eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island.
For information on the events listed above, please see www.Buttonwood.org for show details or call (860) 347-4957 Email: TheButtonwoodTree@gmail.com
