Page 16 - SPIRE_JAN_APR_2023_5th_Issue_DIGITAL

WINTER 2023
TIM RAY
ERIC LINDELL
SAT, FEB 25 I 8PM
$40
With his raspy, soulful voice and instantly memorable original
songs, roots-rocking multi-instrumentalist Eric Lindell is a true
one-of-a-kind talent. Mixing West Coast rock and swampy Gulf
Coast R&B with honky tonk country and Memphis soul, Lindell
creates American roots music that is both surprisingly fresh
and sweetly familiar. Since his first self-release over two
decades ago, Lindell has earned critical and popular acclaim,
first in his dual home bases of Louisiana and Northern
California and then across the country. Although influenced by
American roots music from blues to country to rock, Lindell’s
style is all his own. He has performed thousands of gigs in
roadhouses, clubs, concert halls and festivals and has appeared
on national radio and television. His live shows overflow with
happy, dancing people singing the words to every song.
EASTERN BANK LOBBY JAZZ SERIES:
TIM RAY TRIO
THU, MAR 02 I 7:30PM
$15
Tim Ray brings his jazz trio in for a concert of classics and original musicality and voice were still quite impressive!
music. Tim Ray’s wide-ranging skills as a soloist and accompanist
have afforded him the opportunity to perform with legendary
performers from all walks of music. He is perhaps best known as
Tony Bennett’s most recent pianist and musical director, appearing
in concerts with him until his retirement from singing in 2020. Tim I think the main thing was - with Tony B, Lyle Lovett, and the T I M
was also a longtime road companion to Lyle Lovett and Jane
Siberry.
THE SUITCASE JUNKET
FRI, MAR 03 I 8PM
$28
The Suitcase Junket is multi instrumentalist Matthew Lorenz.
Solitary on stage and on the road, his mind is crowded with
characters, narratives, voices, imagery, sounds as wide and
varied as mountain throat singers and roadhouse juke boxes,
plus newsreels of the planet's destruction and salvage. With his
2020 release, The End is New, Lorenzs grand vision for the song
overrides the how of it. The End is New is Lorenz's sixth full
length album as The Suitcase Junket, his first for Renew
Records/BMG.
"A master of musical imagination" -NPR World Cafe
1 6 | T H E S P I R E C E N T E R M A G A Z I N E
As a professor at the Berklee College of Music, you state that
your goal is to find “that special thing” to advance your
students as players. Can you tell us about your teaching
process at Berklee?
My teaching process has evolved over the years, but in general I
always work to connect with each student, discovering what
they need to bring their music to the next level. And I learn a ton
from my students as well!
What was it like to work with the great Tony Bennett as his
musical director and piano player? Do you have a favorite
story you could share?
It was such a joy and honor to work with Tony for those years.
He was at the end of his career, and was dealing with some
memory issues as you may know. But his energy and spirit were
mostly very good, and although I didn’t get to know him all that
well, our relationship was always friendly. It was so exciting and
humbling to realize, night after night, that I was sharing the
stage with a living legend. And despite his advanced years, his
Your career has been so varied, you even toured as a pianist
with singer songwriter Lyle Lovett. What was the most
important thing you learned from your years on the road?
R A Y T R I O THU, MAR 02 | 7:30PM
other groups I toured with - that I needed to be a good
accompanist and a good and easy person to travel with. Being on The Tim Ray Trio plays a lot of dates in Massachusetts. How do
the road for long stretches (like with Lyle) can be exhausting, but you find the local jazz scene?
I learned to always bring my best to the gig every night. And to The scene is of course much different than when I moved to
get lots of rest in-between! Boston in 1984. Although there are less jazz venues now, I still
like and enjoy the local scene. Communities like Plymouth, and
venues like the Spire Center, remind me that there will probably
always be an enthusiastic and loyal following locally for jazz and
creative music.
You have played at Carnegie Hall, the White House, and the
Kennedy Center, as well as collaborating with a list of who’s
who in the music business. Is there something you still
want to accomplish as a musician?
I guess my goals at this point are to keep doing what I’m doing
for as long as I can - writing and playing good music for
appreciative audiences, making connections with other
musicians that interest me, and passing on to the next
generations the things I’ve learned. I feel very lucky to get to do
what I love to do and make a living doing it!