Amy Speace, Dan Navarro, Sally Barris and Jon Vezner are teaming up for the Decembersongs tour. Here is the official word along with the dates:A tour dubbed Decembersongs, featuring four singer-songwriters (with a couple of Grammy nominations and awards among them), will be making its way across the Northeast, Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic regions with eleven stops during the month of December (see full tour schedule below).
Decembersongs is the brainchild of one of the four performers, Amy Speace, who had the idea for the tour following separate showcases last February at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Memphis with Sally Barris, Jon Vezner and Dan Navarro. "The showcases were just magical," says Speace. "Imagining all of us together was simply extraordinary."
After a round of different ideas and configurations, Speace landed on the current line-up by deciding that two men and two women would make for an interesting dynamic. "I envisioned it like a Bluebird Café-style show, with four high-level songwriters playing on each others' stuff. We all bring something different to the table." The line-up includes Nashville-based Speace, LA-based Dan Navarro (one half of the well-known folk duo Lowen & Navarro), and two fellow Nashville-based performers – Grammy-nominated Sally Barris and Grammy winner Jon Vezner (see "Decembersongs is..." below for more information on each of them).
The group plans to play in-the-round, with mostly original holiday songs penned by the group being performed. A disc of these holiday songs by the quartet, entitled "Decembersongs," will be available for sale at all of the shows, as well as online at iTunes and Amazon.com. The set list will also include traditional holiday favorites and some of the artists' non-holiday material. Says Speace, "I thought putting together a show that didn't just rework old classics but one that featured really great songwriters who could mostly present new original songs for the holidays – and selling a CD of those new songs at the shows – would really play well in December in great listening rooms."
DECEMBERSONGS 2010 TOUR DATES:
Wednesday, December 8 Nashville, TN / Bluebird Cafe
Friday, December 10 Zumbrota, MN / Crossings At Carnegie
Saturday, December 11 Mequon, WI / Wisconsin Singer-Songwriter Series
Sunday, December 12 Chicago, IL / Old Town School of Folk Music
Monday, December 13 E. Lansing, MI / Pump House
Tuesday, December 14 Ann Arbor, MI / The Ark
Wednesday, December 15 Pittsburgh, PA / Calliope Folk Music Society at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
Thursday, December 16 Vienna, VA / Jammin' Java
Friday, December 17 Phoenixville, PA / Steel City Coffeehouse
Saturday, December 18 New York, NY / The Living Room
Sunday, December 19 Cambridge, MA / Club Passim
Decembersongs is...
Amy Speace: Possessing a commanding voice, a distinctive melodic sensibility and an uncanny knack for nailing complex emotions in song, AMY SPEACE makes music that's both illuminating and effortlessly accessible. Her most recent album, 2009's "The Killer In Me," follows her 2006 breakthrough "Songs for Bright Street." While "Songs" won her a loyal international fan base, "The Killer In Me" found the Nashville-based artist forging into deeper, darker lyrical and musical terrain, delivering an album of startling intimacy and resonance. Judy Collins, who recently recorded one of Amy's songs, has called her "one of the best songwriters of the next generation." Amy has finished recording her follow up album, "Land Like A Bird," due out March 29, 2011.
Dan Navarro: For over 20 years, Dan Navarro was one half of the acoustic duo Lowen & Navarro, "Triple A" radio veterans and hit songwriters, barnstorming the country relentlessly on the heels of their 11 albums. Dan embarked on a blossoming solo career three years ago in the wake of partner Eric Lowen's 2004 diagnosis with ALS (aka Lou Gehrig's Disease) and eventual retirement from performing in early 2009. Navarro is known for his songs of rich insight and deep experience, delivered straight-up with honesty, passion and grace. His songs (written with Lowen, other collaborators, and on his own) have been recorded by artists as diverse as Pat Benatar (the Top Five smash "We Belong"), The Bangles, Dionne Warwick, Dave Edmunds, and many more. In addition to his activity as a songwriter and recording artist, Dan also lends his versatile voice to numerous movies, TV shows and commercials, both in English and in Spanish. Some of his credits have included the films "Happy Feet," "Ice Age 2" and "Ice Age 3," "Robots" and "The Mexican"; TV shows "Prison Break," "Family Guy," "American Dad" and ABC's new series "Better With You"; albums by Neil Young, Andrea Bocelli, Susanna Hoffs, Luis Miguel and Jose Feliciano; and commercials for McDonald's, Ford, Nationwide Insurance, Nissan, Expedia and countless others.
Sally Barris: Nashville-based artist and songwriter Sally Barris has managed to be successful in the mainstream world of country music without giving up her folk and Celtic roots. Her unique style, influenced by artists such as Tony Rice, Dougie Maclean, and Richard Thompson, is what makes her stand out in a city known for "cookie cutter" talent. Whether in her own hands or those of a well-established artist, such as, Lee Ann Womack, or a newcomer like American Idol finalist, Kellie Pickler, Sally's music is unmistakably recognizable. Some catalog highlights include : A Grammy Nomination in 2009 for "Let The Wind Chase You" (Trisha Yearwood), "Reluctant Daughter" (Martina McBride), "Some Things I Know" (Lee Ann Womack), "I'm On My Way" (Kellie Pickler), "The Innocent Years" (Kathy Mattea) and "Honeysuckle Sweet" (Jessi Alexander) which appeared in the Miramax film "An Unfinished Life." The Minnesota native is currently on tour with her third CD, "Restless Soul."
Jon Vezner: Grammy award-winning songwriter Jon Vezner is a tunesmith of rare sensitivity and dry wit. His catalogue of recorded songs, topped by the poignant "Where've You Been," reflects his straight-to-the-heart sensibility and sensitivity. Vezner weaves the particulars of his own feelings with the lives of people he has known, creating universal themes that deeply touch listeners' emotions. Artists who have recorded Vezner's works include Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Janis Ian, Steve Wariner, Reba McEntire, Kathy Mattea, Lorrie Morgan, Vonda Shepard, Aaron Tippin, John and Audrey Wiggins, John Mellencamp, Ronnie Milsap, McBride & The Ride, Nanci Griffith, Clay Walker, Bill Miller and Diamond Rio. Vezner has a growing list of production credits, producing CD projects for such artists as Danny O'Keefe, Victoria Shaw, and singing legend Patti Page. Building on the philosophy of "giving back," Jon has become very active as an instructor in various songwriting schools and workshops across the country.
