Janet Simpson + Jake Manzi + Ashley Wingo
Wednesday, October 7th
Door 7pm -- Show 8pm
All Ages Show
$12 Pre-Sale Tickets //\\ $16 Day-of-show
Janet Simpson is a force of intuition. Listening to her play and sing, it’s clear why the Birmingham legend is so frequently called upon to collaborate – lending her presence as a deep, patient listener and her fierce power as a singer, guitarist, and keyboardist to bands like Wooden Wand (World War IV), Delicate Cutters, Teen Getaway, and Timber (her lush folk duo with Will Stewart, who also plays in her backing band). But on Can I See You Tonight (out __ via Cornelius Chapel Records), Simpson’s unmatched prescience is channeled toward her own visions, expansive yet spellbindingly intimate. The follow-up to her stunning solo debut Safe Distance (2021), it’s a wryly observant alt-country tapestry with frayed edges that gesture toward Simpson’s history in DIY and punk scenes. Her talent as a bandleader shines even brighter on this second album as she taps freely into that restless collaborative spirit, weaving worn-in, effortless folk rock arrangements with Stewart, guitarist Jody Nelson, bassist David Somerall, and drummer Shawn Avery. The songs on Can I See You Tonight are haunting stills in time, shot through with longing – the lyrics haiku-precise, the band dialed in to one another, and to Simpson, her deep well of a voice brimming over.
Jake Manzi is a Los Angeles based singer/songwriter, raised in Western Massachusetts. With a subtle touch for turning up pure song-stuff out of life, channeling the likes of Marshall Crenshaw and Tom Petty, of Lucinda Williams and Bruce Springsteen, Manzi offers you his singular take on what contemporary pop-rock can be. Opening for acts like Dawes, NRBQ, Ron Sexsmith, Lori McKenna, and M. Ward and collaborating with artists like Don Was, Mikaela Davis, and
Madison Cunningham, Jake Manzi is a songwriter to be reckoned with and a unique talent to be enjoyed.
