"On Patriots Stage - The Kaplan Series" is a unique experience in musical performance distinguishing itself from any other concert series in America by offering audiences a rare opportunity to share the stage with world-renowned musical artists and enjoy an up-close and personal evening of music as well as an opportunity to meet the performers. Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, with its breathtaking architecture and state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems make it the perfect backdrop for the series.
10% Military Discount (Box Office only, must show ID) for all On Patriots Stage events!
Click here for hotel reservations at Trenton Marriott at Lafayette Yard
2009/2010 Season
Willie Nile
w/ special guests The Big Note Trio
Thursday, October 29th at 7pm
More than a quarter century has passed since the release of Willie Nile's first album, accompanied by press notices comparing him to Dylan and Springsteen. The enthralling new Streets of New York finds the artist in his mid-fifties, his youthful energy unflagging, and he's never sounded more committed to the themes he's tackled. They range from the title track-a gritty paean to his adopted hometown that he describes as "my love song to the city"-to the chilling "Cell Phones Ringing (in the Pockets of the Dead)," his unflinching response to the 2004 Madrid train bombings.
Some who have heard the album describe it as Nile's London Calling, a characterization prompted not only by his rousing cover of "Police on My Back," the Eddy Grant-written classic that appeared on Sandinista!, but also by his own hot-rod reggae tune "When One Stands"; both reveal Nile's deep spiritual kinship with the Clash, as does the outspokenness that spews out from songs like "Game of Fools" and "Best Friends Money Can Buy."
Nile is a songwriters' songwriter. No less a personage than Lucinda Williams has said of him, "Willie Nile is a great artist. If there was any justice in this world, I'd be opening up for him instead of him for me." And he's never been more eloquent than he is here. Lou Reed hails Streets of New York as "a great album," while Graham Parker calls it "a real gem-stirring melodies, passionate vocals, intriguing lyrics...every track a winner." Says Ian Hunter, "Willie's from the big-hearted downtown alleyways of NYC (New York commitment). Well done!" Little Steven adds, "Willie Nile is so good I can't believe he's not from New Jersey!"
www.willienile.com
Tickets: $25.00
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The Bobs' Holiday Concert
Thursday, December 17th at 7pm
Chestnuts = Roasted. Rules = Broken. Classics = Skewered.
Think Manhattan Transfer meets Monty Python. Legendary, Grammy-nominated vocal band THE BOBS return to Trenton with their Holiday Show. This program features selections from their "Too Many Santas" album as well as new material (both holiday and non-holiday), pushed through The Bobs' trademark, left of center musical filter. This is not your father's a cappella group!
www.bobs.com
Tickets: $25.00
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Mary Gauthier
January 14th at 7pm
If there were no story to tell about this remarkable artist, if there were nothing but the music that haunts every track on Mercy Now, that alone would make the case for Mary Gauthier as one of the most challenging artists to rise up from the underground in a long, long time.
"Between Daylight and Dark moves her closer to songwriters like John Prine...There's no clutter in these songs, but a wealth of implication." - New York Times
Tickets: $27.50
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Popa Chubby
Thursday, February 4th at 7pm
The ever-prolific Popa Chubby returns with a new CD of hard-hitting rock ‘n' roll, Deliveries After Dark, a collection of balls-out Blues/Rock played with reckless abandon, no apologies, visceral and heavy, with a few surprises thrown in - such as the theme from "The Godfather" rearranged as a surf guitar instrumental, and the spacey and evocative "Woman In My Bed Dub," a reggae tune as thick with smoke as a Kingston club. Elsewhere, Chubby indulges his need for speed with the road-raging "Deliveries After Dark," and revved-up boogie of "Sally Likes To Run," while "Let The Music Set You Free" lays out Chubby's philosophy over a swaggering, rock solid riff. With Deliveries After Dark, Popa Chubby continues to rule the road with his high-octane ax work and uncompromising, in your face attitude, resulting in a supercharged mix that spits fire at every turn.
Born Ted Horowitz, Popa Chubby is a true native son of the Big Apple. He grew up in the neighborhood immortalized in Robert DeNiro's film "A Bronx Tale." His early memories of hearing the jukebox in his parents' candy store playing the hits of early Sixties soul and R&B and the neighborhood teens flocking around it made a lasting impression on him.
"If you don't already know Popa Chubby, he's a funkier version of John Popper, with incredible guitars added to an arsenal of harmonica and unique vocals that fall somewhere between Big Rude Jake and Ray Charles. Chubby's guitar talents are versatile, ranging from slide-guitar blues to electric riffs on "No Trouble No More" (which is reminiscent of vintage Aerosmith)."
- Paul Baretta, CMJ
www.popachubby.com
Tickets: $25.00
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Martin Taylor
Thursday, February 25th at 7pm
Award winning guitarist MARTIN TAYLOR has established a unique musical career as an internationally acclaimed musician, and his inimitable style has seen him recognised as the world's foremost exponent of solo jazz guitar playing.
As well as being a true guitar innovator, he is also a master concert performer, dazzling audiences with his solo shows, which combine virtuosity, emotion, humour, with a strong stage presence.
As well as his solo concerts and recordings, he has also collaborated with musicians from many different musical genre including, Stephane Grappelli, Chet Atkins, Bill Wyman, George Harrison, Dionne Warwick, Sacha Distel, Bryn Terfel and Jamie Cullum.
www.martintaylor.com
Tickets: $29.00
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Adrian Legg
Thursday, March 18th at 7pm
Since the 1990 release of his first U.S. recording Guitars and Other Cathedrals , Adrian Legg has more than lived up to the expectations stirred by an ongoing avalanche of praise from critics, fans, top guitar mags and peers alike. Joe Satriani once said, "He's simply the best acoustic guitar player I've ever heard...he plays like he has hammers for fingers." The genius that the Boston Globe has called "technical brilliance paired with a troubadour's tale-weaving skill" led him from 1993-96 to be voted Best Fingerstyle Guitarist four years straight by the readers of Guitar Player magazine.
www.adrianlegg.com
Tickets: $25.00
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Ruthie Foster
Thursday, April 8th at 7pm
Spinning a unique blend of folk, soul, blues, gospel and R & B, her landmark album The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster, followed by her latest 2009 release, The Truth According to Ruthie Foster, has landed her the designation as a vocal powerhouse. With a voice reminiscent of Janis and Aretha, the phenomenal Ruthie has earned her spot as one of today's hottest artists. Her ability to wrap her voice around a medley of genres, a sound that ignores demographic lines and charismatic authenticity are sure to ignite any audience.
www.ruthiefoster.com
Tickets: $34.00
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Vance Gilbert
Thursday, April 29th at 7pm
Vance Gilbert burst onto the singer/songwriter scene in the early 90's when buzz started spreading in the folk clubs of Boston about an ex-multicultural arts teacher who was knocking 'em dead at open mics. Once word got to New York about this Philadelphia-area born and raised performer, Shawn Colvin invited Gilbert to be a special guest on her Fat City tour. Gilbert took audiences across the country by storm. "With the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god, it was enough to earn him that rarity: an encore for an opener" wrote the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in its review of a show from that tour. Gilbert's three albums for the Rounder/Philo label - Edgewise (1994), Fugitives (1995), and the celebrated, arrestingly sparse Shaking Off Gravity (1998) - are all essential additions to the American singer-songwriter collection. With guests as varied as Tuck and Patti, Jonatha Brooke, Patty Larkin, Vinx, and Jane Siberry, all three albums found significant niches on NAC (New Adult Contemporary) and Non-Commercial A3 (Adult Album Alternative) radio.
These discs were followed by the self-released Somerville Live (2000), lionized by the Boston Globe as the disc "young songwriters should study the way law students cram for bar exams," and One Thru Fourteen (2002), a stylistically varied offering that New York's Town and Village called "lively, eclectic, electrifying and transcending." Gilbert followed with Side Of The Road (2003), a duo album with Ellis Paul, lauded as "haunting, artful, and lovely" by Boston Magazine and nominated for a 2004 Boston Music Award. Unfamiliar Moon (2005) came as an impressive continuation to this mostly original composition discography. "The songwriter's most compelling work; literate, heartfelt, rippling...emotionally resonant songs" raved the Boston Globe, placing the album in its' Top 10 CDs of the year (4). On Angels, Castles, Covers, "Gilbert's choice of an album of covers seems both fitting and fearless. ...he displays his vocal virtuosity with some unexpected choices from the late 20th century songbook. From the sounds of Motown, through the R&B of Al Green to classic Joni Mitchell and Shawn Colvin...He makes each and every tune sound fresh and new." writes Roberta Schwartz of FAME.
Finishing a year and a half as support for George Carlin is the most recent chapter in Gilbert's varied and successful performance history, leading up to the creation and recording of Up On Rockfield. Up On Rockfield is indeed Vance Gilbert's career-crowning achievement. This tour de force of borrowed styles is classic Vance Gilbert original songwriting at its most timeless, compelling best. Gilbert unflinchingly renders blame and absolution, trapped hearts and free-riders, class and station, uncertainty and resolution, the spiritual and the visceral, the forever and the now, all side by side in song. His is a presentation steeped in deep humanism and bravery, stunning artistry and soul, and unbridled joy. No great surprise to the learned acoustic listener.
This is Vance Gilbert, after all.
www.vancegilbert.com
Tickets: $22.00
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Chris Smither
Thursday, May 27th at 7pm
With 12 albums under his belt, Chris Smither qualifies as a veteran of the music industry. His elegant lyrics are arranged simply, with mostly just his own masterful finger-picking and foot-tapping to accompany him. His music qualifies as folk, but the blues influences are undeniable.
www.smither.com
Tickets: $25.00
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