Encore Series
Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum
Friday, March 22, 7:30 pm
$18 advance, $20 door, $25 priority
One of the great country, bluegrass vocalists of our time, Laurie Lewis, will be joined by mandolin/guitarist Tom Rozum for a special concert on Friday, March 22nd at 7:30 pm. You can't measure Laurie Lewis's 30-year career with the usual commercial yardsticks. A stirring vocalist, gifted songwriter, champion fiddler, and topnotch bandleader, she has won a Grammy, for True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe, in 1997, and twice been named Female Vocalist of the Year by the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association).
If you listen down the back roads of acoustic Americana, you'll soon realize this soft-spoken, sweet-singing California fiddler, singer and songwriter is something very special. With nearly 20 solo, duo, and band albums to her credit, she has just released Blossoms, on Spruce and Maple Music, a winning collection of originals and covers that explores new territory while remaining true to her beloved Americana roots.
“Judging by the respect she has among fans and peers in the industry,” says IBMA executive director Dan Hays, “Laurie is one of the pre-eminent bluegrass and Americana artists of our time. She spreads her talent over several genres - bluegrass, folk, country - and with the recognition she has within all those fields, I would certainly say she's one of the top five female artists of the last 30 years. And she continues to make great music.”
Laurie’s songs helped shape the template for the modern bluegrass-pop style. She loves to play off the rhythm, helping to free the genre from its barn burning tick-tock cadence, and giving her songs a sweet sense of space that makes them at once inventive and warmly familiar.
Tom Rozum has been Laurie Lewis’s performing companion since 1986. A renowned mandolinist, he is also an accomplished fiddle, mandola, and guitar player; his vocal duets with Laurie call to mind the Louvin Brothers, the Everly Brothers, and other greats. Their 1996 CD, The Oak and the Laurel was nominated for a Grammy. “I love to have a partner to sing with, crave it deep down inside,” Lewis says. “And Tom's the same way. He's a very conversational mandolin player, always responding to what's going on at the moment.” Tom has also issued a highly regarded solo album, Jubilee.
Tom’s crisp musicianship and comic banter add verve and excitement to every Laurie Lewis - Tom Rozum performance. Lewis's stage shows are renowned for their musical virtuosity and front-porch friendliness. Coming of age in such a convivial music scene, she has a keen gift for inviting audiences into her music. As with everything she plays, the point is sharing, not strutting.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum, who’ve performed in major festivals, the Grand Ole Opry, and NPR’s Prairie Home Companion, right here in Verde Valley at the elegant and acoustically pristine Old Town Center for the Arts on Friday, March 22 at 7:30 pm.
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