David Gray News

International advocacy organization Global Citizen today announced that Connie Britton, Nina Dobrev, Becky G, Dakota Johnson, Becky Lynch, Aasif Mandvi, Bridget Moynahan, Kal Penn, Erin Richards, Seth Rollins, Savannah Sellers, David Gray, and NCT 127 will join the 2019 Global Citizen Festival, a free-ticketed event on Saturday, September 28th in Central Park in New York City, presented by Citi and Cisco. 

UK-based critically-acclaimed folk maestro John Smith, whose brilliant new album Hummingbird was released on March 22nd via Commoner Records/Thirty Tigers, has announced new tour dates which begin June 6th. Smith, who recently concluded a successful tour with Peter Mulvey, will provide support for Patty Griffin on the West Coast, making stops in San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland, amongst others. See below for a list of dates.

Seattle comes together for fun, free and enriching summer experiences at Seattle Center. The season starts with Northwest Folklife Festival, over the Memorial Day weekend, and continues through the warm summer days of September. In between, Center visitors will find a plethora of free outdoor concerts, movies and fitness, along with community-wide festivals and summertime theater, dance and opera.  

UK-based critically-acclaimed folk maestro John Smith, whose brilliant new album Hummingbird was released on March 22nd via Commoner Records/Thirty Tigers, has unveiled a new video for the album's title track via Billboard. The video, directed by Simon Whitehead, depicts Smith traversing the beautiful countryside of Somerset, England with his guitar as he heads to a performance in a local pub, interspersed with scenes of a young woman, Adelie Lavail, dancing. 'I just took a walk around the countryside where I live, and we found this fantastic dancer to flit in and out of sight, like the titular hummingbird,' Smith told Billboard. 'We decided to put as much of her in the video as possible. What she's doing is so visual and so satisfying to watch, just beautiful -- better than staring at me, right?' Getting the 'right' video for 'Hummingbird' was very important to Smith. 'The song itself is really the catalyst for the whole album,' he said of the song, one of three oringials on the album amidst traditional folk songs. “I didn't want to give it a title that belonged to something someone else wrote 100 years ago. So when I sat down to write, 'Hummingbird' came out of me really quickly, within an hour. It's the rare song that tumbled out, and I was lucky to capture all the pieces. As soon as it arrived I thought, 'This is the glue that's gonna hold the whole thing together.''

Hummingbird, the new album from UK-based critically-acclaimed folk maestro John Smith, is out today via Commoner Records/Thirty Tigers. Hummingbird, Smith's purest, most elegant set of recordings to date, is a moving mix of modern-day folk tunes and other traditional songs that reach as far back as the 15th century. 'Some artists are a bit precious, when approaching old folk songs, not trusting the sturdiness with which they've survived hundreds of years of interpretation. Smith doesn't do that,' said Folk Alley in its premiere of the album yesterday. 'He wraps himself around them and them around him, tugging here and stretching there to make them fit his own needs, while never abandoning the heart of their matters. Two things hit the listener right away: Smith's singing and playing. He's exceedingly gifted at both,' they remarked. 'His honey voice is the raw, unfiltered sort — sweet, smooth, and healing, but with a hint of grit when you want it most.' 'Folklore must maintain an ongoing conversation between the past and present,' says PopMatters, 'and that is what we hear in the beauty and mastery of Smith's playing.'

UK-based critically-acclaimed folk/Americana maestro John Smith, who has released five albums and toured the world for almost fifteen years playing as a session guitarist and singer for the likes of Joan Baez, Lisa Hannigan, and David Gray, will release his latest album Hummingbird in the US on March 22 via Commoner Records/Thirty Tigers. Smith became a folk devotee as a teenager after hearing artists like John Renbourn for the first time; Renbourn, a major inspiration and influence on Smith's art, has since dubbed the artist 'the future of folk music.' 'The six strings of my guitar have granted me access to a sacred space between things, the unconscious interweaving sensations that allow us that gentle buzz on hearing a good folk song,' Smith explains. 'I've been immeasurably fortunate to open for and even play with some of my heroes and influences in the folk world. Their work and their generosity of spirit have been a constant reminder that I must keep playing, recording and touring, no matter the cost. There is always work to be done in the service of good music.'

The following are acts performing at City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, in January. Please consider including in your upcoming calendar and cultural listings. All City Winery Chicago events are open to all ages and start at 8:00 p.m., unless otherwise noted. Tickets can be purchased by calling 312-733-WINE (9463) or by visiting www.citywinery.com/chicago.

Now he throws the mask. On March 31, Peter Joback finished his triumph on Broadway, where he had the prestigious title role in 'The Phantom of the Opera' when this work celebrated for 30 years on Broadway.

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $25 million in grants as part of the NEA's first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $10,000 to Firehouse Theatre for the world premiere of Richmond composer Walter Braxton's opera TO DAMASCUS. This is the first direct NEA grant that Firehouse has received in its 24 year history.

Los Angeles-based artist/activist Terra Naomi is releasing the powerful Machine Age today, a reflective and resilient single marking the one year anniversary of 45's inauguration. All proceeds from Bandcamp sales of the track will go directly to the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, GLAAD, Black Lives Matter, Girls Write Now and 350.org.

TO DAMASCUS builds on a range of sources including the bible story of Paul's conversion, August Strindberg's THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS, the rivalry between Lorenzo de' Medici's patronage of secular art versus Girolamo Savanarola's bonfire of the vanities and his call for an orthodox religious revival, Thomas Mann's only play FIORENZO, the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins, James Marcus Schuyler and Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, and the Catholic Mass. Check out photos below!

Live In The Vineyard today announced artists for the nineteenth installment of the exclusive music, food and wine festival that takes place amidst the lush scenery of boutique wineries in Napa Valley, California November 3-5.

Classic rock icon and original Cockney Rebel Steve Harley will be playing at Parr Hall in July as part of a UK tour.

Alison Krauss and David Gray are coming to Hershey Theatre on Monday, September 18th.

Comedian Rob Oldham speaks to BWW about his 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show Brink.

The Capitol Center for the Arts ("CCA") welcomes critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Amos Lee to its mainstage on Wednesday, August 2. 

Coffee House presents Joshua Radin and Rachael Yamagata at Boulder Theater on July 25, 2017.

Pennsylvania Ballet Executive Director David Gray has announced that he will be leaving the Ballet at the end of June for an opportunity on the horizon that requires his family to relocate.