Rickie Lee Jones - singing between the sweet spots of folk, jazz and pop- in Stowe on Saturday, September 8!

Stowe, Vermont – The Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center is thrilled to present two time Grammy award winner, Rickie Lee Jones on Saturday September 8 at 7:00 pm.

Rickie Lee Jones exploded onto the pop scene in 1978 with the hit song “Chuck E’s in Love”, and has made a career of fearlessly experimenting with her sound and persona over 15 critically acclaimed albums.   Rickie is both a character in the songs and the songwriter singing, defying convention with her sometimes brazen sexuality and the mixed bag of jazz, rock and what has come to be known as ‘confessional’ songwriter performances.

Her latest album The Other Side of Desire was written, recorded and rooted in the city of New Orleans, where Rickie lives on the opposite side of the street made famous by Tennesse Williams.  Produced by John Porter (of Roxy Music) and Mark Howard, this is the first new music Rickie has written in over a decade. Come hear the songs inspired by her New Orleans experience and other timeless favorites.

“This work is inspired by many years of sitting with all the events of my life until I had something to paint with,” says Rickie.  “I came to New Orleans to write and to live a different way than what I have known on the west coast….here is another record then, made of my imagination, and whatever else that has no words, using the clay of this place and the shapes of my eyes to form some kind of picture of my life or my heart, that I alone can understand, and hopefully that others can enjoy.”

Tickets for Rickie Lee Jones are $40 to $85. Spruce Peak Arts Members receive a 10-20% discount off purchases and an array of other Member benefits on select events. Memberships start at just $75, become a Member today! To purchase tickets visit SprucePeakArts.org or by calling 802-760-4634.

Bluegrass Sensation STEEP CANYON RANGERS Coming to Stowe on Saturday, February 16, 2013

Stowe, Vermont - The Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe is pleased to present Grammy Award nominated bluegrass band, THE STEEP CANYON RANGERS, for one performance only on Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 8:00 pm.

The North Carolina quintet has a reputation for smooth vocals, smart songwriting, ferocious instrumentals and jaw-dropping harmony.  The 2010 their Deep In The Shade album remained in the Bluegrass Top 10 on Billboard for 18 weeks.  Their 2011 collaboration with Steve Martin, Rare Bird Alert, and their 2012 solo project Nobody Knows You have both received Grammy Award nominations for “Best Bluegrass Album”.

The Steep Canyon Rangers have toured extensively around the United States and have lit up the festival circuit with appearances on the stages at MerleFest , Bonnaroo, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and RockyGrass.  They have also performed on ”A Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor, ”Late Night With David Letterman”, ”The Colbert Report”, and ”Austin City Limits.”

The band has earned critical acclaim and accolades, including being described by the Boston Herald as “Absolutely smoking.” And Examiner.com has stated, "True bluegrass, when done well, is a thing of art and the Steep Canyon Rangers are the genre's current Rembrandt."

Each member of the Rangers is known for his musicianship.  Upright bass player Charles R. Humphrey III has played since middle school and also studied classically at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where the Steep Canyon Rangers were formed. Charles has released two side projects of original compositions, Songs from the Road Band and Songs from the Road Band: As The Crow Flies.  He was selected by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) as a showcase songwriter two times, and

SINGER-SONGWRITER MARTIN SEXTON COMES TO STOWE ON JANUARY 18, 2013

Stowe, Vermont - The Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe is pleased to present Martin Sexton, on Friday, January 18 at 8:00 pm.

Martin Sexton has been described by Rolling Stone, as having a “soul-marinated voice” and Billboard has called Sexton “The real thing, people, a star with potential to permanently affect the musical landscape and keep us entertained for years to come.”

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., and the tenth of 12 children, Martin Sexton grew up in the ’80s. Uninterested in the music of the day, he fueled his dreams with the timeless sounds of classic rock ’n’ roll. Sexton eventually migrated to Boston, where he began to build a following singing on the streets of Harvard Square. His 1992 collection of self-produced demo recordings, In the Journey, was recorded on an old 8-track in a friend’s attic. He managed to sell 20,000 copies out of his guitar case.

From 1996 to 2002 Sexton released Black Sheep, The American, Wonder Bar and Live Wide Open. The activity and worldwide touring behind these records laid the foundation for the career he enjoys today with