Ken Block & Drew Copeland Of Sister Hazel, Asleep At The Wheel, and More Come to Spire Center For Performing Arts

The Spire Center for Performing Arts in Plymouth, Massachusetts has announced five new shows. As two of our generation's most engaging and prolific songwriters, "The Ken and Drew Show" will take fans through intimate acoustic performances of Sister Hazel favorites, a few "B sides" deep cuts, and new material on June 23. Ten time Grammy Award winners Asleep at the Wheel will play on August 30, Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter Sam Luke Chase on October 17, Internationally acclaimed Boston-based jazz pianist Laszlo Gardony on November 7, and acclaimed acoustic guitarist Christie Lenée on November 8. Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 26, at 6:00 a.m. at spirecenter.org.

Ken Block and Drew Copeland, best known as two of the five members of the platinum-selling southern rock band Sister Hazel, will bring their wildly successful tunes to select cities for intimate, "miss it and miss out" acoustic shows reminiscent of their earlier performance days when they canvassed the club and coffee shop circuit as a duo from Gainesville, Florida. The band is known for their Billboard Hot 100 hit "All For You,” and other songs including "Champagne High," "Change Your Mind,” “Happy” and more.

Founded in 1970, Asleep at the Wheel has been part of the American Roots music landscape for more than fifty years. Ray Benson has been traversing the globe as an ambassador of Western swing music and introducing its irresistible sound to generation after generation. More than 100 musicians have passed through the Wheel, but Benson remains the frontman and the keeper of the vision, racking up more than 30 albums and millions of miles on the road.  On their latest release, Half A Hundred Years, Asleep At The Wheel continued their contributions to the American music landscape when three original members of Asleep at the Wheel—Chris O'Connell, Leroy Preston, and Lucky Oceans—returned after 40 years to lend their voices and musicianship to a number of tracks on the album along with Emmylou Harris, Lee Ann Womack, George Strait, Lyle Lovett, and Willie Nelson.  

Sam Luke Chase has released four albums of original music. No stranger to his New England roots and ingenuity, Chase self-produces his albums, performing all the music himself in a spare bedroom at his house on the South Shore. He's been nominated for Male Performer Of The Year at this year's New England Music Awards (2023). With influences like James Taylor, Marc Cohn, Keb Mo, Bruce Hornsby, and John Mayer, Chase has carved out his brand of Americana music. In 2021, he was a finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival's New Song Competition in Kerrville, TX, a rite of passage for many singer-songwriters. He's had the privilege of opening for national acts like America, Tower of Power, Marc Cohn, and Lori McKenna. 

Winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, pianist/composer Laszlo Gardony has been noted for his "fluid pianism" by The New York Times, and two of his albums made DownBeat Magazine's "Best of the Year" list. "A formidable improviser who lives in the moment" (JazzTimes), Laszlo has performed in 27 countries and released 14 albums on the Sunnyside, Antilles, and Avenue labels. He is a piano professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston and is on the faculty of Harvard University's "Jazz Combo Initiative" program. Laszlo is a voting member of the Recording Academy/Grammys. 

Celebrated singer/songwriter Christie Lenée is more than a musician – she's an experience. Since achieving 1st place at the International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship in 2017, her captivating performances have been seen on stages with Tommy Emmanuel, Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), Andy McKee, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), and Melissa Etheridge to name a few.  Featured on the Grammy Museum's virtual program streaming from Los Angeles, a 2x Finalist in the USA Songwriting Competition, plus a variety of articles in Guitar Player Magazine, Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and the recent notability of "Best Acoustic Guitarists in the World Right Now" (Guitar World Magazine), Christie continues to awe crowds with the unique essence of her music. 

Tickets go on sale for these shows Saturday, May 25th, at 6:00 a.m at spirecenter.org. The Spire is located at 25 ½ Court Street in Plymouth, MA. The Spire is handicap accessible, public parking is available streetside, and in public lots near the venue.

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