Day of show; advance sales are now closed. There are still some chairs available for walk-ups. You may bring your own portable seating if you wish. Tickets at the door for this special fundraising listening event are $25.
Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry at Stage 33 Live: a fundraising listening event
BELLOWS FALLS — Tracy Grammer is among contemporary folk music’s most beloved artists, renowned for her pure voice, deft guitar and violin work, and incantatory storytelling. She has recorded and performed with Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Eliza Gilkyson, and many more; headlined top festivals including Philadelphia Folk and Falcon Ridge, where she holds the record for the most consecutive appearances; and has been one of folk radio’s top-played artists for years, both solo and with the late Dave Carter.
She rose to acclaim as half of the “postmodern, mythic American folk” duo Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer; they released three internationally celebrated, chart-topping albums, and were still in their ascendancy when Carter suffered a fatal heart attack mid-tour in 2002. She has continued as a solo artist and with other musicians in a variety of configurations.
Her latest full-length release Low Tide was one of folk radio’s top ten most-played albums of 2018; voted among the top ten albums of the year at Fish Records UK; and landed in the top ten albums of both the Folk Alley editor’s list and reader’s poll.
Tracy recently suffered a ruptured ACL, several ligament tears, and a fractured tibia, and consequently had to cancel 22 shows in a dozen western states. For a touring performer, this is a hard hit.
Through the grapevine, it came to Stage 33 Live’s attention that shows within hobbling distance might be welcomed to help offset her medical expenses and lost income. (When she’s not out touring, she lives just across the border in Massachusetts — one of the unexpectedly many celebrated performers residing in the region who maintain a low profile at home.)
Mark Piepkorn, founder of Stage 33 Live, said, “We don’t solicit performers, and she’s way bigger than we are — but we offered the room anyway for whatever help it might be. The date was originally booked by a touring duo from Florida, but they had to cancel late in the game due to illness. We heard about Tracy’s situation just a couple days after that. And then an unexpected whirlwind of kismet happened.”
This is a rare opportunity to see Tracy Grammer perform in an unexpectedly intimate and unlikely setting, plus appreciate knowing that 100% of ticket and merchandise sales directly support the artist in a time of need. For longtime fans, tipping her a little extra for enriching your life and generally putting light into a world that can be pretty dark is welcome.
Grammer will be performing with multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Jim Henry, who has produced, recorded, played, and traveled the world with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Paula Cole, Shawn Colvin, Alison Krauss, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Los Lobos, Asleep at the Wheel, Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, Mark Erelli, The Weepies, Deb Talan, Eliza Gilkyson, Susan Werner, The Boxcar Lilies, and the list goes on. Also a solo artist, Henry’s work as a sideman is prized for his ability to add exactly what is needed.
A friend of the Stage 33 Live project since its inception, Will Stahl — songwriter, guitar player, and reluctant vocalist (“I’m the only one who knows the words”) — will open, and promises to play at least one song from his musical, My Little Town About Me.
Advance tickets for this listening event fundraiser with Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry along with opener Will Stahl are $20. Every penny supports the cause, and for this one in particular, additional tipping is encouraged.
Stage 33 Live only has seating for 40, plus standing room; advance tickets purchased online through stage33live.com will have chairs reserved until 40 is reached. All attendees, including day-of-show walk-ups, may bring their own portable seating to set up behind the house chairs if they wish.
Online ticket sales will close early in the morning on the day of the show.
Tickets at the door for this fundraiser will be $25, and a chair is not guaranteed.
All proceeds benefit the cause.
Door at 6:00 PM, music starts at 7:00 on Friday, October 4.
The listening event will be recorded and filmed.
A Paypal account is not required.
You can change the number of tickets / chair-reservations after clicking the button. Paypal charges us a reduced $0.30 per transaction + 2.2%, we’ve added those in. Paypal gets the fees, the performers get 100% of the rest, we work for free. It’s not a good business model.
After completing the transaction, you should be redirected to a “success” page and get an email from Paypal. You should also get a confirmation email directly from us, assuming you entered a working email address. The name you gave will be on a list at the door. All you have to do is show up.
Stage 33 Live is located at 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls, VT, and documents live performances and presentations of original material on a small stage in a former factory building for downstream audiences. Its listening events are all about honoring the stage — not sticking it in the corner and talking over it. No kitchen, no liquor license, but you can find establishments with those things nearby. Coffee / sodas / water and weird snacks by donation. Find more info about the nonprofit all-volunteer project, and this and other other upcoming events online at stage33live.com
“Tracy Grammer is a brilliant artist and unique individual. Her voice is distinctive, as is her mastery over the instruments she plays.” — Joan Baez
“Her pure voice conveys the simple truths of these songs; her gifts as a musician are like that of a painter who is a master of chiaroscuro, offering light and shadow at every turn…. A treasured part of my music collection.” — Mary Chapin Carpenter
“Tracy Grammer has that elusive quality of being able to speak directly to another person’s heart — instantly bypassing all of the usual infrastructure — the moment she starts to sing. She’s great.” — Richard Shindell
“Tracy has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard in my life. There’s also a sadness and sorrow and pain and depth of knowledge to Tracy’s playing. I really think there’s nobody like her in the world.” — Dave Carter, quoted in the folk music magazine Dirty Linen
“One of the finest pure musicians anywhere in folkdom.” — Boston Globe
“[Grammer] flies solo with a style and grace that must be heard to be believed… she is a voice to be reckoned with.” — Village Records
“Armed with a few of the sassier members of the string family, and a voice as nuanced and strong as you could hope for, Grammer delivers with a supernatural force that funnels straight through your ear to the deep, deep center of your heart.” — The Missoula Independent
