North of Boston

Matilda Jr. with Beeman Memorial Elementary
2024-04-11 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Gloucester Stage, 267 East Main St., Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Rebellion is nigh in Matilda JR., a gleefully witty ode to the the anarchy of childhood and the power of imagination! This story of a girl who dreams of a better life and the children she inspires will have audiences rooting for the “revolting children” who are out to teach the grown-ups a lesson.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda Jr. plays Thursday April 11 and Friday April 12 at 7:00pm. Runtime 55minutes, no Intermission. All performances at Gloucester Stage Company at 267 E Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930. Perfect for families with children ages 6+. Tickets are $5 for all ages.

Hidden Child of the Holocaust – An Historic Evening with Survivor Janet Applefield on Cape Ann
2024-04-07 17:00 - 18:30 | Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main Street, Rockport, MA, 01966, United States
On April 7th, the Chabad Jewish Center of Cape Ann will have the honor to host Mrs. Janet Applefield as she shares her story of survival, hope, and resilience at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, MA. The lecture will be accompanied by a musical performance featuring the New England Klezmer, which includes Yaeko Miranda, Jim Prendergast & Sonny Barbato.
Janet feels it is her mission to spread messages of how to live one’s life, overcoming hatred with resilience, grace, dignity, love and forgiveness by sharing her personal story of survival. Janet feels strongly about letting people know the horrors she went through so that future generations will make sure it will never happen again. We will unite to send a clear message against hate and intolerance.
“To create a better future, it is important to be aware of our past. Rabbi Avremi Raichik, co-director of Chabad of Cape Ann, revealed that 66% of American millennials either do not know or cannot remember what “Auschwitz” is. He further added that within the tragic stories of the Holocaust, there are profound, uplifting messages of hope and the strength of the human spirit. The event aims to help participants gain a deeper understanding of the disastrous effects of prejudice, racism, and hatred and how we can work together to prevent such things from happening in the future.”
For more details and to purchase tickets, please visit www.capeannsurvivor.com
Partnership and corporate sponsorship opportunities are available for this event. Reach out to Rabbi Avremi Raichik at Rabbi@Chabadcapeann.com for more details.
About Janet
Born Gustawa Singer in 1935 in Nowy Targ, Poland, Janet and her family enjoyed a comfortable and stable life until the Nazi invasion in 1939. A clinical social worker, Janet will recount how at just seven years old, she witnessed her mother being transported to the death camp at Belzec and her father being assigned to forced labor. Janet witnessed unimaginable danger and the love, courage, and dedication of a few extraordinarily righteous citizens who saved her life.
When Janet first arrived in the U.S. in 1947, her father asked her to write everything she could remember since they were separated in August of 1942. During his life, they never spoke about their collective torture. There is a lot of guilt in survivors whose stories didn’t include concentration camps, so Janet considered herself someone not worthy of discussing. Her notes from her arrival were rediscovered by her family in 1984 and became a blueprint for self-discovery. Her written account, originally in Polish, is now recognized as “righteous among nations” at Yad Vashem in Israel and Janet can share her trauma and the traumas experienced by her family through this memoir, interviews, and speaking engagements.
Janet speaks openly about her experiences as a child survivor of the Holocaust with thousands of people each year through regular speaking engagements with libraries, schools, houses of worship, and government agencies. Her talks raise awareness and understanding of the dangers of prejudice and encourage audiences to stand up to any kind of discrimination and injustice. In 2021, she was invited to tell her story before the Massachusetts State Legislature, on the occasion of the passage of Bill H.692, an act mandating statewide genocide education in all secondary schools.
Janet documented her story in her forthcoming memoir, Becoming Janet: Finding Myself in the Holocaust. You can read more about Janet on her website.

National Theatre in HD: Dear England
2024-04-07 13:00 - 15:30 | Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main Street, Rockport, MA, 01966, United States
New play by James Graham, Directed by Rupert Goold
Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) plays Gareth Southgate in James Graham’s (Sherwood) gripping examination of nation and game. The country that gave the world football has since delivered a painful pattern of loss. Why can’t England’s men win at their own game? With the worst track record for penalties in the world, Gareth Southgate knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt, to take team and country back to the promised land.
Filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, Rupert Goold (Judy) directs this spectacular new play.
Runtime: 160 minutes
Rated: R

Beauty and The Beast
2024-04-07 13:00 - 14:30 | Larcom Theatre, 13 Wallis Street, Beverly, MA, 01915, United States
Step into an enchanting world of an old castle, an enchanted forest, and a timeless tale of love! Join Dame Dotty Potty, Loopy Louie, Gaston, Belle, and the Beast in this beloved musical brought to life by The Panto Company USA.
As Belle finds herself held captive in the castle, audiences young and old will eagerly discover if love can bloom between her and the Beast before the enchanting spell consumes him entirely. Will the Beast’s selfishness cost him the world he once knew and the hand of the beauty that has captured his heart?
Prepare to be immersed in this interactive production, where singing along and shouting out are encouraged! With stunning costumes, infectious music, and an abundance of magic, this delightful experience promises laughter and joy for the whole family.
Runs approximately one hour and 15 minutes with intermission
Thelarcom.org/beautyandthebeast

The Eagles Experience
2024-04-06 20:00 - 22:15 | Larcom Theatre, 13 Wallis Street, Beverly, MA, 01915, United States
The Eagles Experience aims to be the most authentic tribute show to the Eagles available today. With a one-to-one lineup that reflects the Eagles during their heyday in the late 1970s, the members of the Eagles Experience each emulate their respective “Eagle”, playing the correct instrument and singing the songs as sung by their protege. Every member of the Eagles Experience is dedicated to presenting their part as accurately as possible and will provide you with an ultimate “Eagles Experience” you will not soon forget.
This tribute band only plays songs written and recorded by the Eagles as a band, from their biggest hits to hidden gems.
Thelarcom.org/eagles

Roomful of Blues
2024-04-06 20:00 - 22:00 | Firehouse Center for the Arts, 1 Market Square, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Even though Roomful of Blues’ lineup has changed over the years, the band has always been one of the tightest, most joyful blues ensembles in the world. Currently an eight-piece unit led by guitarist Chris Vachon, the band has never sounded fresher or stronger. Singer Phil Pemberton brings his sweet and soulful vocals and adds another bright new dimension to the jazzy, jump-blues musical roots. Their winning combination of jump, swing, blues, R&B and soul remains their calling card, as does their ability to fill the dance floor. Along with bassist John Turner, trumpeter Carl Gerhard, drummer Mike Coffey, keyboardist Rusty Scott, baritone and tenor saxophonist Alek Razdan, tenor and alto saxophonist Rich Lataille, Roomful keeps on rockin’ into 2024.

Spring Comedy Night
2024-04-05 20:00 - 22:00 | Firehouse Center for the Arts, 1 Market Square, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Take a load off and join us for a night of laughs as Comedy Night returns to the Firehouse featuring some of the best comedic talent in the region! Hosted by Mike Smith with headliner Mike Koutrobis along with Chris D and Jen Howell.
MIKE KOUTROBIS Mike Koutrobis is a regular headliner at top New England clubs such as the Comedy Connection, Nick’s, Giggles, Comix at Foxwoods, as well as the Borgata in Atlantic City and the Funny bone in Richmond, VA. Koutrobis is a past winner of New Hampshire’s Funniest Comedian, he was a finalist at the Last Comix Standing contest at Foxwoods, and a semi finalist in the national Magners Comedy Festival.
CHRIS D Chris D rapidly became a star on the New England comedy scene and has been a standout at the Beantown Comedy Riots, The Boston Comedy Festival, and The Burbank Comedy Festival in LA. He has appeared on Showtime’s ‘Rob Gronkowski’s Unsportsmanlike Comedy and recently toured in L.A. where he performed at top clubs like The Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory, The Improv, and Flapper’s.
JEN HOWELL Jen Howell is a rising star on the Boston Comedy Scene and has already been featured at such prestigious venues as Lowell Memorial Auditorium, The Center for the Arts Natick, The Cape Cod resort, Tupelo Music Hall, and more. Howell is a regular working with Steve Sweeney, Lenny Clarke and the top names in New England Comedy.

Matt Jenson Live! Latin night
2024-04-04 20:00 - 22:30 | The Cut, 177 Main Street , Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Matt Jenson is an inspired keyboard player and singer who’s toured and recorded with the internationally known jazz-fusion reggae band Groundation and teaches piano and a class on Bob Marley at Berklee College of Music.
Afro-Cuban quartet playing ROOTS salsa styles and Latin-jazz
mattjenson.com

Education & Community Engagement: WindSync
2024-04-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main Street, Rockport, MA, 01966, United States
From progressive new works to revitalized standard repertoire to folk and American Songbook, WindSync covers vast musical ground for a thrilling concert experience. WindSync plays “many idioms authoritatively, elegantly, with adroit technique, and with great fun” (All About the Arts). Winner of the 2022 Fischoff Ann Divine Educator Award, the ensemble regularly coaches at training programs nationwide, collaborates with youth orchestras, and performs for thousands of young people each year.

Wednesday Vibes featuring Jorgan Trio
2024-04-03 18:30 - 21:00 | The Cut, 177 Main Street , Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
The Jorgan Trio performs classic jazz and soul featuring Jordan Gravel on hammond organ, and a stellar lineup of local talent on drums and guitar. Jordan also performs regularly with The Gravel Project who recently won a New England Music Award for Roots Act of the Year. Preview Jordan’s music at www.jordangravel.com.

April Fools Comedy Show
2024-04-01 19:00 - 21:00 | Firehouse Center for the Arts, 1 Market Square, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
When You Laugh, You Walk With The Gods!
Perspective.
Humor gives us perspective.
And, perspective can give us balance.
Come to the Firehouse for an evening of of divine silliness and merriment with some of your favorite local comedians on April Fools Day. The cheapest and most fun therapy in Newburyport! Hosted by award winning comedian Kathy Isbell, come in and welcome the spring with laughter!

Beauport Cruiselines Easter at Sea
2024-03-31 12:00 - 15:00 | Beauport Cruiselines, 6 Rowe Square, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Looking for a unique Easter experience this year? Set Sail with us from 12PM – 3PM on Beauport Cruiselines!
Join us aboard our magnificent cruise ship and enjoy a decadent Easter brunch, featuring a variety of Pastry Treats, Carved Honey Ham, Fisherman’s French Toast, and so much more!
Dance away to live DJ entertainment and celebrate with a special visit from the Easter Bunny!
Indulge in your favorite cocktails and soak up the ocean views as we sail along Gloucester Harbor and Cape Ann.
Tickets are $89 for Adults and $40 for Children which include the buffet. A cash bar will be available.
Book Now: https://bit.ly/4bRFiLZ

Beauport Hotel Easter by the Sea
2024-03-31 10:00 - 18:30 | Beauport Hotel Gloucester, 55 Commercial Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Looking for a unique Easter dining experience? Join us here, at Beauport Hotel for Easter by the Sea!
Indulge in our Easter at Sea Prix Fixe in the 1606 Restaurant and Oyster Bar Main Dining Room! This Three-Course Prix Fixe Menu will feature your Easter favorites, such as Za’atar Rack of Lamb, Spring Chicken Galantine, and Pan-Seared Halibut.
Looking for endless brunch options? Join us for our Easter by the Sea Buffet in the Beauport Hotel Grand Ballroom! Featuring a Chef’s Station with our Hand-Carved Greek Marinated Leg of Lamb and Honey Baked Ham, a Waffle Bar, and a Make-Your-Own Omelet Station, you won’t want to miss out on this spectacular buffet!
Our Prix Fixe and Buffet Dining Experiences offer the best Easter cuisine in Gloucester, with sweeping ocean views and top-notch service.
Visit the links below for both booking options and make your reservations today!
Easter By The Sea 1606 Restaurant & Oyster Bar Prix Fixe: https://bit.ly/3IgCPgw
Easter By The Sea Buffet in the Grand Ballroom: https://bit.ly/42Zw1gH

DJ Cklokwīze at The Cut
2024-03-30 20:00 - 23:00, 2024-03-30 08:00 - 17:00 | The Cut, 177 Main Street , Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Top rankin’, high grade, Roots Reggae, Latin and Afro Beat dance and listening tracks with live performance on keyboards and vocals. Reggae, Dub, Ska, Rocksteady, Dancehall, Reggaeton, Afro beat, Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, Merengue, Bachata, Banda…from artists known and artists you may never have heard of. ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN as Cklokwīze mixes, re-mixes and jams along to tracks sometimes altering them so much that they take on a new mind bending, soul enticing meaning. It’s all about getting to that point of releasing tension and bringing on the ecstasy that builds in your body when the right sound hits your eardrums and rumbles the part of your reality that knows the transcendent.

SCENES - A Billy Joel Experience
2024-03-30 20:00 - 22:00, 2024-03-30 08:00 - 2024-03-31 08:00 | Firehouse Center for the Arts, 1 Market Square, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Formerly known as Cold Spring Harbor, Scenes – A Billy Joel experience, has been performing throughout New England and beyond since 2013. Their mission from the beginning was never to play impersonator, but instead celebrate and recreate the music of Billy Joel to the highest and most authentic standard, bringing people the $400 Billy Joel concert experience, for a reasonable price that all fans can afford! Their 10+ year journey has led them to some amazing venues and events, most notably Touch of Texas in Binghamton, NY, and the Newburyport Yankee Homecoming celebration playing to more than 3500 people. From specific piano sounds that Billy uses himself, to the Billy Joel classic Ray Ban sunglasses, this show is not to be missed!

Boston Children’s Chorus: True Colors
2024-03-30 15:00 - 17:00 | Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main Street, Rockport, MA, 01966, United States
True Colors
Massachusetts is home to many firsts in our nation: the first public library, the first public park, the first public school music education program, the first woman to earn a Ph. D., and just 20 years ago, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. This season, the singers of Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) will explore what it means to courageously uplift, center and value LGBTQIA+ identities, be it through self-love or brave allyship. Through song and spoken word, BCC singers will take inspiration from LGBTQIA+ activists to highlight local and national civil rights movements. Join Boston Children’s Chorus for True Colors as we celebrate the strengths that bind us together.
Boston Children’s Chorus
Emily Howe, conductor
Boston Children’s Chorus’s vibrant, jubilant, and powerful performances have established them as leading young artists in the city of Boston and beyond. Internationally recognized for their innovative programming, passionate artistry, and ability to connect to audiences, Boston Children’s Chorus showcases the talent and passion of the diverse young people of our city.
Named Boston’s “Ambassadors of Harmony” by the Boston Globe, BCC presents over 50 performances per season in a wide range of public and private events. They have performed in venues from Boston Symphony Hall, and Royal Albert Hall in London, to Sydney Opera House, and the White House. BCC has appeared in TED talks, regular appearances on local TV and radio networks, and performances with high profile artists including Idina Menzel, Javier Muñoz, Hugh Jackman, Leslie Odom Jr, and Melinda Doolittle.
In 2013, they were presented with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, distinguishing BCC as one of the top arts and humanities based programs in the nation; BCC accepted the award from First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House.

Saturday Brunch with Poison Peach String Quartet
2024-03-30 12:00 - 14:30 | The Cut, 177 Main Street , Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Poison Peach String Quartet is on a quest to find where the sun goes at night. Through a wide variety of musical genres and a changing cast of characters, they take their listeners with them as they journey through farflung emotional landscapes in search of the intangible.

Will Dailey
2024-03-28 19:00 - 21:00 | Firehouse Center for the Arts, 1 Market Square, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Described by New York Post’s music critic, Dan Aquilante, as the “real deal”, lauded songwriter and performer, Will Dailey has shared the stage and studio with the likes of Eddie Vedder, Willie Nelson, Brandi Carlile, G Love, Steve Earle, Grace Potter, Martin Sexton, Tanya Donelly, and the Wallflowers. He has charted in the top 20 on the national Billboard Heat Seekers chart twice, reaching #1 with his last album Golden Walker on the Northeast charts.
He is an advisor for Theo Epstein’s Foundation to be Named Later, on the Board of Director for the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame hosted at Boston’s Boch Center, and has been an advisory board member for Farm Aid. As an 8-time Boston Music Award Winner, he continued his work as a Boston Music Ambassador through the pandemic by raising $32,000+ for non-salary employees of venues in Boston, other artists and the City of Chelsea through online performances. He is currently working on his first full album since 2019, while finishing his second season of the iHeart/Double Elvis produced podcast Sound of Our Town, a music travel podcast where he brings the listeners on a tour of American cities and their musical scene and history.
Always carving his own path, Dailey spent 2023 touring with a new song called “Cover of Clouds” that can ONLY be heard on a disc-man and headphones that travel with him at his merch table during shows. The first of its kind concept is called the $10 Song Project and celebrates the art of listening to music. A journal is provided to listeners to share their experience to the song that isn’t available anywhere else.

Eric Hutchinson
2024-03-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Firehouse Center for the Arts, 1 Market Square, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Singer/songwriter Eric Hutchinson is feeling nostalgic as he prepares to spend 2023, and into 2024, celebrating the 15th anniversary of his debut album, Sounds Like This. “It’s a special record for me – one that changed my life, my career, and introduced my music to a new audience I could only have dreamt of,” the Takoma Park, MD native reflects. To commemorate the anniversary, Eric has announced that he will be playing shows all year long, performing the album in its entirety. He’s also revealed that Sounds Like This will finally be available on vinyl for the first time ever. Furthering the deep-dive into his past, Eric also released a new single, “Sad Songs”, a forgotten pop tune he wrote and performed regularly on tour in 2008 but never got the chance to record until now.
“I’m thrilled to spend 2023 reflecting on how my life and the world has changed in 15 years,” Eric says. “I hope people will join me on the trip down memory lane. Maybe bring a long-lost college friend to one of my concerts, or give Sounds Like This a re-listen for the first time in forever and remember what life was like back in 2008 – when Barack Obama was elected president, BlackBerrys were all the rage, and watching Netflix meant getting little red DVD packages in the mail.”
Sounds Like This ended up being a chart-topping album released by Warner Bros. Records, but it almost never happened. Just before Eric recorded those songs, he says he was a frustrated kid who was seriously considering quitting music. “I had spent several years toiling away on the road, playing tragically low-attended shows, and recording several failed albums that were not ready for prime time,” Eric remembers. But as discouraged as he was at the time, Eric says he hated the idea of telling his friends and family that he had quit music. “I decided to dig down deep and make one last-ditch attempt to record a professional debut that lived up to the legacies of my musical heroes like Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Paul Simon, and Michael Jackson,” Eric recalls. “I went for broke, literally, to capture the music that I was hearing in my head – the songs that represented me at that time. I could never have imagined where those songs would take me.”
Today, Eric is a seasoned musician and touring artist who’s released eight albums, performed in all 50 states and experimented with diverse kinds of musical genres like pop, folk, reggae, alternative rock, and jazz. Still, more often than not, Eric says if people are familiar with his music, they know the songs from Sounds Like This. “I love getting to hear stories from so many people who remember growing up with the music,” Eric says. “I’ll meet people and they’ll tell me about watching the music video for “Rock & Roll” on VH1 while getting ready for school, or listening to “Food Chain” on a burned mix CD that an older sister made to celebrate getting her driver’s license, or singing “Ok, It’s Alright With Me” in their college a capella group. I’m proud of this album I made many years ago, but I’m even more gratified by the part my music got to play in so many other people’s lives. I’m hoping I get to celebrate Sounds Like This with all those people on this tour.”

Wednesday Vibes featuring Carlos Menezes Jr and The Dubtone Beat
2024-03-27 18:30 - 21:00 | The Cut, 177 Main Street , Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
From New Orleans to the Caribbean, the Dubtone Beat puts the groove in your feet!

Andrea von Kampen
2024-03-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Firehouse Center for the Arts, 1 Market Square, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Deemed “a fine singer with guitar work reminiscent of the cult hero Nick Drake” by the New York Times, singer-songwriter, Andrea von Kampen is known for her captivating melodies and introspective storytelling. After releasing a handful of EPs, von Kampen released her independent debut album Old Country in 2019 and her sophomore album That Spell with Fantasy Records in 2021.
In 2022, von Kampen made her acting debut in the independent film, “A Chance Encounter,” distributed by Samuel Goldwyn. Along with starring in the film, she wrote and recorded the film soundtrack which was released by Fantasy Records.
Sharing the stage with an impressive array of artists, including The Tallest Man on Earth, Trampled by Turtles, Watchhouse, Punch Brothers, The Wood Brothers, Bonny Light Horseman, Darlingside, Lief Vollebekk, Dead Horses, and many others, von Kampen has established herself on the road. She has played renowned music festivals such as The Newport Folk Festival and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival.
von Kampen has spent the past year working on a new record and getting back to the independent approach to music that she previously yearned for. Her third full-length record was recorded in the winter of 2023 by Ben Brodin (Conor Oberst, Justin Townes Earle, First Aid Kit) and arranged by her brother, David von Kampen. This new album, Sister Moon focuses on themes of climate change, the connectedness of nature, and the stories of Richard Powers.

Silent Voices Remembered - The Essex Piano Trio
2024-03-25 19:30 - 21:00 | Salem State University Recital Hall, Classroom Building, Central Campus, 71 Loring Avenue, Salem, MA, 01970, United States
TICKETS $15 general/$10 seniors/free for all students with student ID and under 18. Admission is free for Salem State students, faculty and staff with university ID.
Entitled Silent Voices Remembered, this concert of Holocaust memorial trios will explore the music of five composers dating from the 1940s to the present. Although the subject is dark, the music is gorgeous, and Essex Piano Trio believes audiences will be inspired by this remembrance, which, while portraying and mourning the atrocities of this genocide, also – as only art can – celebrates the courage and resilience of those who survived and expresses hope for the future of the Jewish people and others targeted by hatred and violence.
The members of the Essex Piano Trio, performing together since 2017, are from Essex County communities along Boston’s North Shore, violinist Ashley Offret of Salem, cellist David Cabral of Lynn, and pianist Beverly Soll of Rockport. Visit EPT at essexpianotrio.com or on Facebook.
This event is co-sponsored by Salem State’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
For access and accommodation information, visit https://www.salemstate.edu/access or email access@salemstate.edu.

Liz Longley
2024-03-23 20:00 - 22:00 | Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main Street, Rockport, MA, 01966, United States
Best known for her stop-you-in-your-tracks voice, Liz Longley is an accomplished singer-songwriter based out of Nashville, TN. With her deeply emotional music, Longley has earned accolades from some of the most prestigious songwriting competitions in the country, including the BMI John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship Competition.

Tardi Mardi Gras Party
2024-03-23 19:00 - 22:00 | Ames Hall, 290 Essex Street, Salem, MA, 01970, United States
Join us for the Tardi Mardi Gras Party
Saturday, March 23 @ 7–10 p.m.
Ames Hall, 290 Essex Street, Salem, MA
Music by Jambalaya Horns Brass Band
Small Bites by Ferreira Foods
And much more!
Mardi Gras finery welcomed.
Presented by Salem Athenaeum
salemathenaeum.net
Laissez-les bon temps rouler! It’s never too late to celebrate!
Tickets: $55 / $45 members Sign up!

Emily Scott Robinson
2024-03-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Firehouse Center for the Arts, 1 Market Square, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Colorado songwriter Emily Scott Robinson beckons to those who are lost, lonely, or learning the hard way with American Siren, her first album for Oh Boy Records. With hints of bluegrass, country, and folk, the eloquent collection shares her gift for storytelling through her pristine soprano and the perspective of her unconventional path into music.
“I think that the thread running through the album is those things that call to us, and how we can’t resist that call,” she says. “It’s about the siren songs that come up through our lives.”
Though not fully autobiographical, American Siren gracefully blends imagined characters with meaningful people she’s encountered on her journey. Showcasing her ability as a storyteller, “If Trouble Comes a Lookin’” invents a scene where a vulnerable priest and an unhappy wife meet in an Arkansas hotel bar. “Hometown Hero” is an emotional tribute to her cousin, a veteran lost to suicide. “Lost Woman’s Prayer” stems from the words of a sage friend she met while traveling abroad, while “Every Day in Faith” is a personal testament to seeing things through.
As the album’s lead track, “Old Gods” carries the siren concept to its fullest potential with beautiful three-part female harmony; she originally wrote it for a community production of Macbeth. Meanwhile, “Things You Learn the Hard Way” was completed after asking for relevant scenarios from her social media followers. Yet there’s a part of her own life in every song, too. That’s especially true in “Cheap Seats,” about a distracted waitress who’s bound (someday) to realize her dreams. Robinson wrote it after seeing John Prine and Bonnie Raitt sing together at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in 2019.
“If you make music that you love that tells the truth, or that tells a story, everything emanates from what you have inside,” she says. “I knew at the core that I love writing, I love telling stories and I love performing. I knew if I just kept doing that, even when I didn’t always know what the next step was, that it would continue to grow and that the people who were meant to be a part of that would find me.”
Robinson grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, and turned toward guitar at age 13, after a summer camp counselor closed out the nights by playing songs by Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, and Dar Williams every night. She taught herself to play in the early 2000s by printing guitar tabs from the internet and singing to CDs by Indigo Girls and James Taylor. But she didn’t pursue songwriting until after seeing Nanci Griffith perform in Greensboro in 2007.
“I went home and I wrote a really sad, beautiful country song,” Robinson remembers. “I was like, ‘Wow, that was easy.’ And then I kept trying to write through college and I realized, ‘This is not actually that easy.’”
Graduating from Furman University with degrees in history and Spanish, Robinson took a job as a social worker and translator in 2011. “I moved to Telluride when I was 24 to work as a victim’s advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault,” she says. “I fell in love with Telluride. That’s really where my dream started to be born of doing music.”
In 2013, she found kindred spirits at Planet Bluegrass’ The Song School, a songwriting retreat in Lyons, Colorado, where other participants encouraged her talent, and just as importantly, showed her that being a touring musician could be a viable financial option. Before temporarily moving away from Telluride, Robinson went into town and sat on the empty stage where the city’s annual bluegrass festival is staged, promising herself that she’d be singing on it someday.
Bolstered by the positive response of her 2016 debut album, Magnolia Queen, Robinson and her husband packed everything into an RV and hit the road, with Robinson booking her own shows along the way. That same year, her songwriting landed her among the Kerrville New Folk Winners at the esteemed Texas festival. The winners embarked on an eight-city tour of Texas that fall, introducing Robinson to an audience that remains invested in her career.
“That was my first time touring,” she says. “It was so much more fun than I thought it would be. I’m a homebody and I was anxious about it because I hadn’t done it. I thought it would run me ragged. What I didn’t account for was how much energy I would get from it and how great it would feel to get in touring shape and be singing every night and have my stories be super on-point and loving the experience of finding an audience.”
Robinson received significant acclaim for her 2019 album, Traveling Mercies. And her long-held dream came true later that year when she sang on the Telluride Bluegrass Festival stage as the winner of the Telluride Troubadour Contest. A poignant standalone single in 2020, titled “The Time for Flowers,” prompted a private Instagram message from Oh Boy Records’ Jody Whelan, letting her know how meaningful the song was to his family. They struck up a fast friendship, then decided to partner for a release of American Siren.
“It is bigger and riskier and more expansive than my last collection,” Robinson says. “It feels like I wrote some songs that I’m going to grow into as I continue to perform them. I actually cried after I finished every one of them. I was so relieved that I was able to write them. I carved out a little more of my own experiences into these songs. They’re excavating some deeper stuff than I’ve touched on before. I think they will have a healing quality for people who listen.”
For her fans and for herself, this revealing collection proves that heeding the call to make music was the right decision. “Ever since this dream was born, I don’t think it’s ever left my mind,” Robinson says. “I’ve worked toward it every day, even when I felt like I was stumbling in the dark. Now I can look back and see how beautifully it all knits together.”

And That’s Why We Drink: On The Rocks Tour
2024-03-23 19:00 - 20:30 | Larcom Theatre, 13 Wallis Street, Beverly, MA, 01915, United States
Hosted by New York Times best selling authors Em Schulz and Christine Schiefer, “And That’s Why We Drink” is an award-winning comedy podcast, where the paranormal and true crime meet. Launched in February 2017, each new episode is a deep dive into whatever paranormal and true crime stories the hosts are obsessing over that week. Watch it live on the Larcom Theatre stage!
The podcast has over 196 million lifetime downloads and is consistently ranked at the top of the comedy podcast charts. The podcast is the winner of the 2019, 2021 and 2022 People’s Voice “Webby” award for Best Comedy Podcast, the 2022 and 2023 People’s Choice Podcast Award in the Comedy Category, the 2023 winner in the Best True Crime Podcast for the People’s Choice Awards, the 2023 Signal Awards Gold winner in Best Commute Podcast and True Crime Categories, the 2023 Silver Davey Award winners in the Best Co-Hosts and Best Crime & Mystery Categories, the W3 Awards Gold winner in the General Series Crime and Mystery Category and the Silver winner in the Best Co-Hosts Category. Em and Christine have been touring the show since 2018 — with their latest live tour, “On the Rocks,” selling out across North America. In May 2022, Em and Christine released their first book together called “A Haunted Road Atlas” — which debuted on the New York Times bestsellers list.
90 minutes. All ages
Thelarcom.org/ontherockstour

Met Opera in HD: Romeo et Juliette
2024-03-23 12:55 - 16:45 | Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main Street, Rockport, MA, 01966, United States
Two singers at the height of their powers—soprano Nadine Sierra and tenor Benjamin Bernheim—come together as the star-crossed lovers in Gounod’s Shakespeare adaptation, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin on the podium to conduct one of the repertoire’s most romantic scores.

Saturday Brunch with Wooden Planks
2024-03-23 12:00 - 14:30 | The Cut, 177 Main Street , Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Join us from brunch with musical guest The Wooden Planks! The Wooden Planks are a North Shore based band led by Jim Coyle ( guitar /vocals) and Joe Kessler (fiddle) , playing a wide range of traditional Irish folk music . They have a deep repertoire consisting of jigs, reels , fiddle tunes , foot stompers and ballads , with some detours into acoustic Americana and Bluegrass
