Write a commentMulti-genre musician Abby Posner describes herself as “a lover of painting with sound.”
A Colorado native, she grew up playing piano and taught herself banjo, bass and mandolin by age 18, then attended California Institute of the Arts, where she learned drums, percussion and a lot of music theory.
Posner stayed on in Los Angeles and has been making music for a living going on 20 years, including performing with her band, The Myth, writing songs for TV and film and running her own production studio.
More recently she’s been seeking out solo shows in places she hasn’t played before, for her own enjoyment and that of audiences who haven’t experienced her music – yet.
Oswego becomes one of those places on Saturday, Nov. 15, when Posner will take the Oswego Music Hall’s National Stage with just an acoustic guitar and a multi-effects pedal board and looper that lets her record herself live and add layers of music to her wide range of original songs.
She also brings a voice that can croon a soothing love song or belt out a rock anthem, poetic songwriting and an engaging presence to the 200-seat venue on the shore of Lake Ontario, said Oswego Music Hall Artistic Director Tom Lambert.
“Abby is really good at engaging with an audience,” Lambert said. “She’s an incredible musician and her style is fun, making it easy to connect.”
Posner, who has made four albums and co-wrote a song, “Get Loud,” that won the 2023 USA Songwriting Competition, calls herself “genre fluid,” with elements of folk, blues, bluegrass, soul and punk rock flowing through her music.
She said her dad -- “a music historian in his own right” -- played everything from Delta blues, Gospel and soul to folk artists Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan on the family stereo. In high school she fell in love with punk rock and followed folk musicians with punk influences, especially folk legends and fellow queer performers Ani DiFranco and the Indigo Girls.
“They paved such a path for women artists, especially queer artists like me and Brandi Carlile,” she said.
Posner’s work ranges from heartfelt story-songs with arresting harmonies to rousing rockers like “Get Loud” – which is about anger over the reduction in reproductive rights for women in the U.S. – and “The Rising,” a new song that is about “the last stage of grief,” rising up and letting go.
Posner said she is very aware that entire nations including the U.S. are grieving right now in the midst of a global shift toward authoritarianism and away from individual rights.
“It’s an interesting time to be on the road, when everyone is so divided, and to explore the reality of art bringing people together,” she said. “I do believe music is the glue that can bring people to possibly see eye to eye.”
She said a recent show she performed in a small town in Alaska showed her that people everywhere can “come out and appreciate music with an open mind.”
“I’ve met people on the opposite side of the aisle from me politically but who like what I’m doing and like my music,” she said. “It may feel like we are losing our humanity and our soul, but I like to think that the heart and soul of music to bring people together in these spaces is still there.”
Posner said her songs are about universal themes like love, loss and relationships, but she is currently revisiting some of her “breakup songs” to reflect the “hard times” so many people are experiencing right now.
One of them, a slow bluesy tune titled “Darkest Hours,” includes the lyrics, “I just want to fix this, Oh, but I don’t know how/They say you gotta give it some time, nothing can change right now.”
“It is a song about loving deeply and fearlessly and learning to love better,” Posner said. “And I am recasting that in a different light, that we need to learn to do better at loving people who are different than we are.”
She said that by using “looping” in her show, her pedal board can become “its own instrument” accompanying her on lead guitar and letting her jam with different musical effects.
“I’m really looking forward to it, and I hope people come out to the show, even if they don’t know who I am, ready for lots of different genres and influences,” she said. “When I perform, it’s like I want to take people on a journey while also trying to challenge myself.”
Tickets to the show, opened by Alternative Americana artist Jessie Elizabeth at 7:30 p.m., are $17 to $22 at www.oswegomusichall.org, at the river’s end Bookstore and at the door on the day of the show.
The wheelchair accessible venue is located in the McCrobie Civic Center, on 41 Lake Street in Oswego. It is adjacent to Breitbeck Park and overlooks Lake Ontario and the Oswego Harbor. The intimate atmosphere has candle-lit tables surrounding a small stage with light refreshments available. Tickets at the door and refreshments are cash or check only.
The Oswego Music Hall is a family-friendly, non-profit organization that has been run entirely by volunteers since its inception in 1977. Volunteers can earn admission to shows through various tasks — from ushering to making popcorn. Students can also earn credit for community service. To volunteer, email Volunteer Coordinator Michael Moss at [email protected].
