KC TURNER PRESENTS
WORDS + MUSIC
Laurie Lewis
Nina Gerber
Don Henry
Claudia Russell
An Extra Special Evening to Remember
This extraordinary night of savvy songwriting, superior singing, and beautiful accompaniment happens just once each year. So join us on January 28 for an evening to remember with Words + Music.
HopMonk Novato Session Room
FULLY SEATED | ALL AGES
ABOUT:
Words + Music with Laurie Lewis, Don Henry, Claudia Russell and Nina Gerber
An Unforgettable Musical Experience: Words + Music - Sure, you could call Words + Music a song circle. But with four of folk music’s most distinctive musicians rounding it out, it’s much more than that. When Laurie Lewis, Don Henry, Claudia Russell, and NinaGerber take the stage, they transcend the song circle experience beyond a mere “guitar pull,” singing harmony and accompanying each other instrumentally, while Nina Gerber provides the icing on the cake with her stellar guitar playing. Magically, they are transformed into a pop-up band.
Laurie Lewis: A Voice of Grit and Grace
Laurie Lewis is well known to Freight audiences and a world-renowned singer, songwriter, fiddler, guitarist, producer, and educator. As bandleader, she often performs with her band, The Right Hands, at festivals all over the world. According to Linda Ronstadt, “Laurie’s voice is a rare combination of grit and grace, strength and delicacy. Her stories are always true.” Lewis has twice won the InternationalBluegrass Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year. She has recorded nearly 20 albums for such labels as Flying Fish, Rounder, Sugar Hill, and her own label, Spruce & Maple Music. Laurie has had multiple Grammy nominations and won the coveted award for her contribution to “True Life Blues: theSongs of Bill Monroe.”
Don Henry: Crafting Songs of Humor and HumanityNashville’s Don Henry is a songwriter’s songwriter, bringing humor, depth, and a profound sense of humanity to his songs. Miranda Lambert, Ray Charles, Patti Page, Conway Twitty, Blake Shelton, and others have recorded his songs. Don won a Grammy, too, his for Kathy Mattea’s version of his“Where’ve You Been,” as well as Song of the Year honors from the Academy of Country Music and theCountry Music Association. According to Entertainment Weekly, “Henry comes across as a first cousin toRandy Newman, with hot-wired songs about born-again whores, interfaith marriages, and the homeless taking over the White House. This is funny and thought-provoking stuff, all of it good.” When not performing solo and with Words and Music, Henry opens shows for and plays with folk legend TomPaxton.
Claudia Russell: Crafting Heartfelt and Engaging SongsWords + Music was the brainchild of Freight regular Claudia Russell. Her heartfelt and humorous songs have won her accolades on both sides of the Atlantic. According to Britain’s Country Music People UK,“Few singers can construct a song as well as Claudia Russell, and her sharp, well-observed lyrics have an engaging, timeless feel.” American Songwriter hailed her 2013 CD, “All Our Luck Is Changing,” as “amaster piece,” and Sing Out magazine called her “an outstanding talent in the crowded field of singer/songwriters.” Boston’s WUMB-FM named Russell Artist of the Year and the East Bay Express selected her as Best Musician. Claudia is most often seen performing in her duo with husband BruceKaplan but has sung alongside Tish Hinojosa, John Gorka, Peter Rowan, Mark Lemaire, Maurice Tani and as the member of another pop-up quartet, Paper Birds, with Kaplan, Katie Dahl and Rich Higdon.
Nina Gerber: Mastering the Art of GuitarLast but not least, Nina Gerber adds her virtuoso guitar to the evening’s music. Gerber is one of theWest Coast’s most sought-after guitarists and is known for her intuitive style and ability to blend withand propel music from a range of artists. She’s played with a wealth of artists including Nanci Griffith,Dave Alvin, Karla Bonoff, Peter Rowan, John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky, Chris Webster, and notably KateWolf, with whom Gerber started her musical career. Her album “Good Music with Good People”features Gerber playing with Jackson Browne, Eliza Gilkyson, Bruce Cockburn, and others.
