With an enviable track record of attracting some of the biggest names in folk, jazz and rock and an impeccable pedigree, Northampton's storied Iron Horse Musical Hall has established itself as an industry thoroughbred.
And although the Horse narrowly escaped a brush with the proverbial glue factory back in 1995 and briefly closed shop, current owner Eric Suher rightly recognized that the venue was in fact the adhesive that held the city's burgeoning scene together and promptly restored the structure at 20 Center Street to its former glory.
"[Suher] certainly saw its significance, re-lit the torch and ran with it," adds Iron Horse Entertainment Group's current Marketing Director, Jim Neill. "And it's my third favorite place to be. Home, work, Horse!"
This February marks the official 30th anniversary for Neill's happy place, and the IHEG powers that be have wasted little time in getting the party started—bursting out of the gate this weekend with back-to-back-to-back special celebration shows.
West Side guitar king Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson kicks things off this Friday, Feb. 6. The following night, Feb. 7, the six-string virtuoso duties will be turned over to the capable hands of Johnny A.
Lucy Kaplansky, a Chicago-based guitarist who re-seeded her career in New York in the fertile bed of singer/songwriters that her colleagues like Suzanne Vega, John Gorka and Bill Morrissey had so richly cultivated, rounds out the weekend's celebratory series on Sunday on a bill that also feature's Boston's Meg Hutchinson in support.
"I would hope that if Jordi Herold hadn't created the Iron Horse back in '79, someone else would have," says Neill of the Horse and its wild ride. "But I actually doubt it. Sometimes, you don't even know there's a void until something fills it in. Then you wonder how you ever lived without it."
For more information on these shows or other planned anniversary activities for the month, kindly point your browser to iheg.com.
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Meanwhile… over at the Horse's sister venue, Pearl Street, a stop by singer/songwriter Angel Taylor is shaping up to be an odds-on favorite—if not a virtual lock—for a bonafide "I saw her back in the day" opportunity.
While the 20-year-old artist is still months away from even officially dropping her debut disc (Love Travels, slated for an April 7 release), the New York Post has already touted Taylor as one of "Six Who Will Sizzle,' and Billboard Magazine has followed suit, citing her among its "Faces To Watch."
This Sunday, Feb. 8, the highly recommended recording artist takes the Pearl Street stage in support of one of Rolling Stone's "Ten Artists To Watch," Brett Dennen.
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In other news… gospel/bluegrass/country crooner Chris Kibbe checked in to tell the tale behind the highly anticipated followup to his 2008 breakout, Old Fashioned Gospel.
"It's going to be called Storyteller, and it will feature true stories from life and times on the road," explains the Enfield, Connecticut-based artist whose music has taken him onto the nation's highways and byways for upwards of 150 performances a year between 2003 and 2007. "I'll also be using session players and producers that Tom T. Hall and the Statler Brothers used. I like the old stuff."
At the present rate, Kibbe calculates that Storytellers should land in stores—and be available for purchase online—late summer. In the meantime, he adds that a spring tour to Pennsylvania and New York are already in the works. For updates on both, visit his myspace at .com/chriskibbe.
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Lastly, before it slips his mind, the Crawler would be remiss not to mention the upcoming local Slipknot/Coheed & Cambria stop. The decibel-delivering duo will hold court at Lowell's Tsongas Arena on Friday, Feb. 6, currently making the rounds for what they call the "All Hope Is Gone" tour."
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or email Garycarra@aol.com.
