Steve Forbert, Rafi Gonzalez, The Wolff Sisters, and More Come to the Spire Center

The Spire Center for Performing Arts has announced five new shows. Veteran of the folk-rock scene Steve Forbert will play on January 16 and Massachusetts-based fast rising comedian Rafi Gonzalez will perform on February 6. Boston-based trio The Wolff Sisters will play on February 12, an eleven-man horn group fronted by four soulful vocalists the Sensational Soul Cruisers take the stage on March 15. Nashville award-winning singer-songwriter Liz Longley will perform her newest album New Life on April 18. Tickets go on sale for these shows on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 6:00AM at spirecenter.org. 

Steve Forbert is a true American treasure, a fact underscored by his 21st album, Daylight Savings Time. Like all his albums of original songs, it’s suffused with what venerated rock journalist Robert Christgau discerned as his “omnivorously observant” songwriting, marked by Steve’s gift for finding the deeper meaning and magic within the spectrum of everyday moments, as well as his abundant melodic and poetic enchantment. His album, Jackrabbit Slim, brought wide renown to Forbert with its pop chart hit "Romeo's Tune." It provided the stature for his troubadour existence, which has kept him active ever since as "a striking performer, very much worth seeing and hearing," according to The New York Times. 

A stand-up comedian from Puerto Rico, Rafi Gonzalez originally found success as the lead singer of a nationally touring rock band. In 2015, Gonzalez switched gears and exploded onto the New England and Boston comedy scenes. In 2021, he was filmed for HBO MAX as part of the Ha Comedy Festival. He was a finalist in the Boston Comedy Festival in 2023, and was also voted "Best of the Fest" in The Noho Comedy Festival and The Burbank Comedy Festival in Los Angeles. In 2024, he was voted "Comedian of the Year" in the Boston Comedy Choice Awards. Openers include Comedians Alex Giampapa, a mainstay in the Boston Comedy Scene and Justin George, a regular at Steve Sweeney's Comedy Den.

Gritty and raw folk-rock outfit The Wolff Sisters first broke into the Boston music scene as an acoustic trio. With haunting harmonies and songs reminiscent of washed up wanderers on New England’s salty coasts, Rebecca, Rachael, and Kat stole Boston’s heart (yes, they’re really sisters). Born to a poet and a musician, they grew up on the heavy realism of Dylan and Springsteen blended with the loose and loud Rolling Stones. Drawing inspiration from blues giants like Howlin’ Wolf and modern storytellers Dawes, The Wolff Sisters don’t fit into one genre of music. With Rebecca on acoustic guitar, Rachael on electric guitar, Kat on keys, and all three on vocals, the sisters spent years honing their sound together in an old Victorian house just outside Boston.

The Sensational Soul Cruisers are beginning a new chapter as recording artists under Banner Records. From their humble beginnings rehearsing in Freehold Borough at the chicken coops on Route 33 to the basement of the Cycle Shop on Throckmorton Street, this band has come a long way from its “Eddie and the Cruisers” days and are ready to be added to the list of New Jersey’s great recording acts. Over the past three decades the Soul Cruisers have been fortunate enough to grace the stage with many great artists from Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder. 

Liz Longley is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter celebrated for her stop-you-in-your-tracks voice and deeply emotional music. Liz has earned accolades from prestigious songwriting competitions, including the BMI John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship Competition. Liz’s sixth album, Funeral For My Past, became a notable success after her fans raised over $150,000 on Kickstarter to fund its independent release, making her the #4 most funded solo female musician in Kickstarter history. Longley began her music career while attending the Berklee College of Music, regularly performing at the venerable Club Passim in Cambridge.