Write a commentBack by popular demand, Ithaca-based Joe Crookston, returns to the Oswego Music Hall on Saturday, February 24 at 7:30 pm. The venue is the McCrobie Civic Center at 41 Lake St. in Oswego. Songwriter, guitarist, fiddler, artist, story teller, consumate showman Joe Crookston creates magic with his live performance.
He will surprise you and he’ll awaken the cynics. His songs are being made into films and are being printed in songbooks. Crookston’s live performances are multi-media celebrations of art and possibility with looped fiddle, video, slide guitar and songs. He’s a bard in the modern world plumbing for lyrical gold like a social archeologist. His story songs are universal, his slide playing infectious, and on stage he’s funny as hell one moment and transcendent the next.
You gotta see him live. At a typical Crookston show, you’ll travel mystical, historical and humorous roads— Oklahoma towns, rattlesnake tails, Taoist parables, drunk roosters— twisting through lush sonic landscapes along the way. And at the end of the night, you’ll leave inspired. The Long Note in Irish culture is that place of resonance and transcendence where music, voices, instruments and community come together and unite. There is a “Long Note” and Joe is courting it fiercely. Watch a YouTube video— it’s good, but it’s not the same as experiencing him in person.
Named 2016 Folk Alliance International Artist-in-Residence, his recording, Able Baker Charlie & Dog, was awarded Album of the Year by Folk Alliance International.
“At every festival I hope to find the gift of one artist whose songwriting and performance stand out. Joe Crookston was that gift for me this year at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Stunning performance, great songs, and not a word wasted! I LOVE That!” —David Francey, Songwriter Ontario. More about Joe Crookston can be found at http://www.joecrookston.com
Tickets are $16 in advance and $18 at the door. Tickets can be purchased on-line at http:// oswegomusichall.org/ or at the river’s end bookstore; also at any Hook or Saturday concert. Children under 12 are half-price and those under 5 are free.
Next concert on Saturday, March 10, will feature the music of Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez performed by the duo, Joan & Joni; and on the following Friday, March 13, the Hook series will feature singer-songwriters Mark Wahl, Colleen Kattau and Dave Wolver. For a complete performance schedule and ticket information, visit the website or stop at the river’s end bookstore, 19 West Bridge Street in Oswego.
Overlooking the shore of beautiful Lake Ontario, the Music Hall is a wonderfully intimate venue in which to enjoy Joe Crookston’s music. The show will take place on the main stage in the McCrobie building where performances consist of three stages: The National Stage, Open Mic Fridays and the Hook. All shows start at 7:30 pm and doors open at 7:00.
Open Mic Friday is held on the same weekend as Saturday shows, making it a popular place for local and regional talent to be heard; $2 admission. The Hook Songwriter series features three artists sharing the stage; $12 admission.
The Music Hall is a not-for-profit arts organization, founded to provide a performance venue for the community and support for performing artists. It is run wholly by volunteers since its inception 40 years ago. Volunteers can earn admission to shows through various tasks— from running the sound board to making popcorn. Students can also earn credit for community service. Find more information online at http://
oswegomusichall.org/ or email: [email protected].
Concerts are made possible in part with funding by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
