Saturday, March 31, 8pm

 

"...one of the most gifted performers in music today. A remarkable guitarist , an imaginative and versatile vocalist, Larkin turns in a riveting performance."

Chicago Tribune

 

If all Patty Larkin did was to play her guitar that would be more than enough – she has been called “a master guitarist” and rivals fellow slide-guitarist Bonnie Raitt – but we, her audience, are also treated to her lovely voice and her exceptional songwriting abilities. The talented performer quietly fills all the space in a performance hall with her poetic and sometimes quirky lyrics, sharing her words with us in a voice that is crystal clear and richly textured. She does not need volume to exude her power…her strength lies in her calm demeanor which permeates her music, her performance. It is no wonder that she has so many other talented “friends” with whom she makes beautiful harmony.

In 2010 she released the highly-celebrated and critically-acclaimed CD release “25” which included 25 songs and 25 friends with whom she collaborated to celebrate her quarter of a century in the music industry. The two-disc set contains songs written by Patty and performed by her in a voice that harmonizes beautifully with the likes of Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter , Roseanne Cash, John Gorka, Janis Ian and Suzanne Vega among other notables on the urban-folk/pop music scene today.

The process of putting the compilation together was itself creative: Larkin recorded all her own tracks for each selection and then sent them round with the simple instruction to "do whatever you want." Not all artists have the confidence to turn their material over so freely. But confidence is another part of what makes Larkin so amazing to listen to, to watch. It is as if she is divining the musical signals from some other place, a place that not all of all us are able to tune into. That is part of her "power."

A recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College to recognize her outstanding contribution to contemporary music, Larkin is in good company on that front as well. Other recipients of this prestigious award have included Duke Ellington, Sting, and Natalie Cole to name a few.

Larkin's voice is an instrument in its own right. Braiding and intertwining, Larkin mixes that voice and her guitar -- and occasionally harmonizes with other vocal "threads" -- much the same way that an expert knitter takes a single strand and deftly reworks it with a needle to turn it into a complex multi-layered something else that is warm and richly textured.

A self-described "guitar-driven songwriter" Larkin considers herself a "survivor" in the music world but hopes to achieve the status of "legend". Most likely she will achieve her goal. No music genre is off limits for her -- traditional folk melodies, rock, pop, bossa nova are handled with equal aplomb -- and she deftly weaves all these musical styles around her well-crafted lyrics in addition to filling in the gaps between the songs with personable banter. The outcome makes for an entertaining evening for her listeners and offers to them a witty and harmonious journey through a musical soundscape.

Larkin is known as an exceptional live-performer, and the Arakelian Theater at the Firehouse Center for the Arts is sure to be a perfectly-matched venue for the talented singer. The intimate 195-seat auditorium is often praised by musicians for its fine acoustics – this rare combination of "small" space and "big" sound is probably even better than if you were somehow lucky enough to have Patty pick up her guitar in your very own living room at your next party with, oh let’s say eight of your closest friends. So you and your eight closest better hurry to the Box Office -- those 195 seats will fill up very quickly.

About Patty Larkin - Patty Larkin grew up in a musical and artistic family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Descended from a long line of Irish-American singers and taletellers, her mother was a painter, her sisters both musicians. She learned at a young age to appreciate the beauty and magic of the arts. She began classical piano studies at age 7 and became swept up in the sounds of pop and folk in the 60s, teaching herself the guitar and experimenting with songwriting. An English major, Larkin sang throughout her high school and college career, starting out in coffeehouses in Oregon and San Francisco. Upon graduation, she moved to Boston and devoted herself to music, busking on the streets of Cambridge and studying jazz guitar at Berklee College of Music and with Boston area jazz guitarists.

 

"A virtuoso guitar player and mood-shaper...She is also a superb slide guitarist whose mature work is comparable to the best of Bonnie Raitt and Lucinda Williams."

New York Times