Sam Robbins and Derek Sensale will co-headline Stage 33 Live, 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls VT on Sunday, November 19, 2023, at 7:00 PM. Sandy Bailey was forced to drop out due to a case of Covid. Tickets are $20. Advance tickets through stage33live.com guarantee entry. Limited seating; the event will be recorded and filmed. Read the press release.
Sam Robbins and Derek Sensale at Stage 33 Live
BELLOWS FALLS — Nashville-based Sam Robbins’ music nods to classic ’70s singer-songwriters like James Taylor and Neil Young while giving it a modern, upbeat edge. He was a winner in the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk competition, one of the largest and most prestigious songwriting competitions in the country. A full time troubadour, he plays over 150 shows a year across the country including the Kerrville Folk Festival main stage, Dripping Springs Songwriter’s Festival, and Falcon Ridge Folk Festival where he was voted one of the “Most Wanted to Return” artists. A graduate of Berklee College of Music’s songwriting department, Sam has hosted songwriting workshops and masterclasses, including at the Harvard Music Department.
“He writes of subjects that others don’t explore, touching that special place Leonard Cohen went. Brilliance.” — Americana Highways
Unfortunately, Sandy Bailey is unable to do the show… Covid. Our care is bigger than our disappointment, and we wish her the speediest possible recovery.
But there’s also good news: Derek Sensale — you may remember him from the popular newgrass band Pinedrop — is going to share the bill with Sam instead. Great smooth voice, a strong and emotive writer who is also unafraid to get just a little lyrically weird sometimes, and a super-friendly relaxed stage demeanor. Songs rooted in tradition and generously dusted with Vermont soil. Maybe you were lucky enough to catch his set here in front of Jake Swamp and the Pine. If not, here’s your second chance.
Here’s a taste.
Soul/folk singer-songwriter Sandy Bailey has been compared to Norah Jones, Patsy Cline, Susan Tedeschi, and Patti Smith — but has a sound all her own incorporating elements of gospel blues, soul, and classic Americana. A biracial woman and single mother, she left behind her Pentecostal upbringing in favor of a life of making art and music. Mentored by Gretchen Peters and Mary Gauthier, she was chosen as one of 11 songwriters to attend Club Passim’s 2022 Hilltop Songwriting Residency. She’s shared stages with artists like Lucy Kaplansky, Eilen Jewel, Christine Lavin, and Heather Maloney. Her new album, Daughter of Abraham, includes performances by guitarist Ryan Hommel (Amos Lee), bassist and engineer Marc Seedorf (Dinosaur JR, Lou Barlow), and drummer Don McAulay (The Rolling Stones, Neil Young).
“A sound maybe best characterized as early Muscle Shoals.” — Twangville
Sam Robbins and Derek Sensale will co-headline Stage 33 Live, 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls VT on Sunday, November 19, 2023, at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $20. Advance tickets through stage33live.com guarantee entry. Limited seating; the event will be recorded and filmed.
Stage 33 Live is a casual and intimate industrial-rustic listening room in a former factory hosting local, regional, and national performances and presentations of original material. No bar or kitchen, the stage is the mission; coffee / soda / juice / water and weird snacks available by donation. More info about the nonprofit, all-volunteer project, and this and other upcoming events, online at stage33live.com
Stage 33 Live gratefully acknowledges the help of so many individuals without whom none of this would be happening, and institutional support this season from The Island Corporation, the Vermont Arts Council, the Bellows Falls Opera House, the Rockingham Arts & Museum Project, and WOOL-FM to help fund improvements and maintenance, and generally smooth out a lot of the rough edges. Stage 33 Live is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and all donations are deductible to the fullest extent. Volunteers run the thing from stem to stern.
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