Longwood Debut
A celebration of the winter season, On A Winter’s Night showcases veteran singer-songwriters Cliff Eberhardt, John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky, and Patty Larkin, back together by popular demand and performing music from their classic On A Winter’s Night.
In 1994, singer-songwriter Christine Lavin gathered the group together, along with other folk and Americana artists, to showcase music of the winter season on the On A Winter’s Night CD, followed by several years of touring collaborations. These artists have released dozens of recordings and toured steadily through the decades, with fond memories of their touring days together. These unique and popular performers are ready once again to celebrate the winter season.
Cliff Eberhardt
One of the most original songsmiths currently on tour, Cliff Eberhardt is a highly intelligent, articulate artist whose penetrating and profound lyrics are sometimes overshadowed by his extraordinary guitar playing. Upon close listening, the Philadelphia-born singer’s gift for the English language is abundantly clear. The words that tumble from his mouth are framed by a raspy yet deeply elegant voice. Like John Hammond and Richie Havens, Eberhardt continues to carry the torch for traditional and contemporary folk music through his strong live shows. Whether he’s out on tour solo or with a small band, Eberhardt’s guitar playing, singing, and original folk songs and blues make for a compelling, thought-filled, emotional roller coaster of a concert.
John Gorka
Hailed by Rolling Stone as “the leading singer/songwriter of the New Folk movement,” John Gorka is perhaps the quintessential singer-songwriter of the 90s folk scene. Originally from New Jersey, Gorka served an apprenticeship at Godfrey Daniels coffeehouse in Bethlehem, PA, then the Greenwich Village Fast Folk scene. Winning the prestigious New Folk award at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1984, he was then signed to Red House Records on which he released his landmark first of 17 recordings, I Know. The Boston Globe penned Gorka “for the sophisticated intelligence and the provocative originality of his songs.” Recent accolades include 2016’s Indie Acoustic Project’s Best Singer/Songwriter CD of the Year for Before Beginning (Red House Records). 2018 brought his latest release, and the 14th of his career, True In Time (Compass Records).
Lucy Kaplansky
“A truly gifted performer … full of enchanting songs” (The New York Times), Lucy Kaplansky blends country, folk, and pop styles. Kaplansky has the unique ability to make every song sound fresh, whether singing her own sweet originals, covering country classics by June Carter Cash and Gram Parsons, or singing pop favorites by Lennon/McCartney and Nick Lowe. Kaplanksy’s iconic voice has been featured in film and on television, including commercials like Chevrolet’s iconic Heartbeat of America jingle. A Billboard-charting singer and one of the top-selling artists on Red House Records, she has topped the folk and Americana radio charts and has been featured on shows throughout the world from NPR’s Weekend Edition and Morning Edition to BBC Radio to CBS Sunday Morning. One of the most in-demand harmony singers, Kaplansky has sung on countless records, performing with Suzanne Vega, Bryan Ferry, Nanci Griffith, and Shawn Colvin.
Patty Larkin
Patty Larkin redefines the boundaries of folk-urban pop music with her inventive guitar wizardry and uncompromising lyrics and vocals. Acoustic Guitar Magazine hails her “soundscape experiments” while Rolling Stone praises her as “evocative and sonic shading.” She has been described as “riveting” (Chicago Tribune), “hypnotic” (Entertainment Weekly), and a “drop-dead brilliant” performer (Performing Songwriter). Recently an Artist-in-Residence at Berklee College of Music—and now on the faculty at Fine Arts Work Center—Larkin reflects, “I have been energized by the poets, writers, and artists I have met while teaching, and find myself on a journey to break down some of the predictable pathways that songs can travel.” Bird in a Cage, her 14th CD now available, puts poems from ten notable poets to song, including US Poet Laureates William Carlos Williams, Stanley Kunitz, Kay Ryan, Robert Pinsky, and Billy Collins, for a new and haunting collection that pulses with the magic of lyricism. Poems are made to be shared aloud, and with Bird in a Cage, Larkin takes up that tradition and sets it aglow.
