 |
Roger Joseph Manning Jr. is coming to the
GRAMMY Museum on May 17, 2018.
Photo credit: Tim Manning |
If you live or will be visiting Southern California, plan to visit and attend one of the amazing programs at The GRAMMY Museum. I am particularly excited by several programs including "The Drop" night with celebrated singer-songwriter/keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning Jr. coming on Thursday, May 17.
The events at The GRAMMY Museum combine great interviews with mini-concerts in the Clive Davis Theater, which is one of the best sounding venues I have ever been in. I've caught the celebrated likes of John Mellencamp, Ron Sexsmith and Cheap Trick at the museum and each of the programs was incredible. Most recently, I caught songstress Lindi Ortega (you can read my coverage of that event here).
Check out the update I just received about upcoming programs...
UPCOMING GRAMMY MUSEUM PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Just announced!
Spotlight: Alice Merton
Presented by American Express
Thursday, May 10 at 8 p.m. / Tickets: $15
Member Pre-sale: April 12 at 10:30 a.m.
General On sale: April 19 at noon
In the middle of her worldwide tour, the GRAMMY Museum welcomes pop singer/songwriter Alice Merton to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation and performance, hosted by Museum Executive Director Scott Goldman. Her single "No Roots" has already captured an immense amount of attention with millions of global plays on Spotify and YouTube, top positions on iTunes, Shazam, and Hype Machine, and a platinum status in Germany, having been No. 2 on the official single charts. Raised in Canada, finishing high school in Germany, then moving on to England with her family, Merton has gotten quite used to packing and unpacking boxes. With her debut single “No Roots,” she describes the life of having had many different homes, but comes to the realization that her home was never in one place. Creating a very analog and organic pop sound, Merton has worked with producer Nicolas Rebscher, combining individual styles to develop a style of their own, while maintaining her own creative freedom as an independent artist under her own record label.
The Drop: Janiva Magness
Presented by American Express
Tuesday, May 22 at 8 p.m. / Tickets: $20
Member Pre-sale: April 12 at 10:30 a.m.
General On sale: April 19 at noon
Straight off the release of her new album Love Is An Army, the GRAMMY Museum welcomes GRAMMY-nominated and seven-time Blues Music Award winner Janiva Magness to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation and performance, moderated by veteran music journalist Steve Hochman. Magness’ 14th album, Love Is an Army, is a brilliantly crafted bridge between the past and present, blending the echoes of classic soul and Americana music with timeless themes of love and the very contemporary sound of protest. Guests on this Americana/soul album include Americana pillars Courtney Hartman of Della Mae, Delbert McClinton, and Rusty Young of Poco, as well as prolific blues artists Cedric Burnside and Charlie Musselwhite. This album has spent over four weeks on the Americana radio chart and made it her first debut on the Billboard Americana/Folk chart, while debuting at No. 2 on both the Living Blues radio chart and Billboard Blues chart, her seventh Top 10. Meanwhile, her seven Blues Music Awards include the highly coveted B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award. She is only the second woman, following blues giant Koko Taylor, to receive that honor, which was given to her by King himself and Bonnie Raitt.
An Evening With Jules Shear
Presented by American Express
Wednesday, May 23 at 8 p.m. / Tickets: $20
Member Pre-sale: April 12 at 10:30 a.m.
General On sale: April 19 at noon
The GRAMMY Museum will welcome singer/songwriter Jules Shear to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate performance and conversation, hosted by music journalist Roy Trakin. With 40-plus years in the music business, Shear first began with the Funky Kings, before moving on to Jules and the Polar Bears and then an impressive solo career, with hits like Cyndi Lauper’s “All Through the Night,” The Bangles’ “If She Knew What She Wants,” and his own “Steady,” a co-write with Lauper. Shear also had catalog mainstays such as Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers’ “If We Never Meet Again”, Til Tuesday’s “[I Believed You Were] Lucky” and Alison Moyer’s Top 20 UK hit, “Whispering Your Name.” Not to mention, Shear was also the host (and co-creator) of the influential MTV Unplugged. In November 2017, Shear released his 13th studio album. With just piano, vocals and the occasional harmonica interspersed, the 13 personal songs on One More Crooked Dance—its title a sly, Leonard Cohen play on man’s favorite sport—evoke the likes of Bob Dylan, Elton John, Randy Newman, Brian Wilson, Neil Young. Shear will admit One More Crooked Dance is not a young man’s album, but is from someone who has lasted over two decades with wife and creative partner Pal Shazar, and is now examining that relationship in terms of his own mortality.
Previously announced:
Reel to Reel: Elvis Presley: The SearcherFeaturing a post-screening Q&A with Priscilla Presley, Jerry Schilling, and Thom Zimny
Sunday, April 29 at 1 p.m. / Tickets: $20
Join the GRAMMY Museum for a special screening of HBO’s two-part music documentary, Elvis Presley: The Searcher. The film takes the audience on a comprehensive creative journey from Elvis’ childhood in Tupelo, Miss.—where he absorbed the inspirations of black and white gospel music—through the final 1976 Jungle Room recording sessions at his iconic Graceland home in Memphis. It includes stunning atmospherics shot inside and around Graceland and features new interviews with session players, producers, engineers, directors, and other artists who knew him or were profoundly influenced by him, including Priscilla Presley, Emmylou Harris, Robbie Robertson, Bruce Springsteen, Stax Records Producer David Porter, and, in interviews conducted before their passing, Scotty Moore, Red West, and Tom Petty. Following the screening, GRAMMY Museum Executive Director Scott Goldman will moderate a panel discussion with Priscilla Presley, film producer/director Thom Zimny, and Jerry Schilling, the former personal aid to Elvis. Note: Both parts of the documentary will be screened, for a total run time of three hours.
The Drop: Bea Miller
Presented by American Express
Wednesday, May 9 at 8 p.m. / Tickets: $15
General On Sale: April 12 at noon
The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome Jersey-born singer/songwriter Bea Miller to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation on her rising career and recently released sophomore album, aurora, moderated by Executive Director Scott Goldman. The conversation will be followed by a performance.
Miller signed to Hollywood Records in 2013 after she wowed the world as a finalist on “The X Factor.” Her first album, Not An Apology, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the iTunes pop chart in 2015. Hit singles and accolades from Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and others soon followed. Miller showcased her edgy, anthemic pop sound with hits such as “Young Blood” and the empowering, gold selling “Fire N Gold.” Tours with Fifth Harmony, Demi Lovato, and an opening spot along with DNCE on Selena Gomez’s 2016 Revival tour showed audiences a live presence that matched the urgency and indomitability of Miller’s voice. In 2017 she went into the studio with Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Sir Nolan, Jesse Shatkin, Pop & Oak, and Ilsey to create her dream project: an anthology of EP releases featuring themes tied to a different primary color: chapter one: blue evoked sadness; chapter two: red represented redemption; and chapter three: yellow, featuring “S.L.U.T.” (sweet little unforgettable thing), explored the journey of self-discovery. Each release represented a chapter of her life over the course of that year and together were the precursor to the final chapter, five final songs that make up aurora, her full-length sophomore album that was released Feb. 23, 2018, and hit No. 3 on the iTunes Pop Album chart. Bea is passionate about creating music that resonates with her fans. “If you want to stay relevant in other people’s lives, you should always be bringing them along on your journey,” she says.
The Drop: Roger Joseph Manning Jr.
Presented by American Express
Thursday, May 17 at 8 p.m. / Tickets: $15
General On sale: April 12 at noon
Ahead of the release of his new solo EP, Glamping, out May 18 via PledgeMusic, the GRAMMY Museum welcomes acclaimed musician Roger Joseph Manning Jr. to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation and performance, hosted by Executive Director Scott Goldman. Manning has enjoyed a long and fruitful career as a songwriter, touring keyboardist, session player, arranger, producer, and remixer. His debut in the music business began as co-founder/co-writer for such seminal bands as Jellyfish, Imperial Drag, Moog Cookbook, and TV Eyes. In 1997, he began his almost 20-year and still-active relationship as Beck’s sideman, which has included touring the world and recording upward of five critically acclaimed albums. The 2014 album, Morning Phase, on which Manning both played keyboards and sang, won GRAMMY Awards in both the Best Rock Album and Album Of The Year categories. Over the past decade, in addition to releasing three solo albums of post-Jellyfish sing-a-long original pop material, Manning has been involved with many large-scale orchestral arranging projects, including Nate Ruess' band fun., as well as Ruess’ duet with P!nk for the 2012 smash, “Learn to Love Again,” produced by GRAMMY-winning producer Jeff Bhasker. Later that year, Manning was invited by producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen to arrange on Paramore’s double-Platinum-selling 2012 self-titled release. Most recently, he contributed orchestral arrangements to Morrissey’s latest offering, Low In High School. As a remixer, under the alias Malibu, Manning has reworked the songs of The Doobie Brothers, Henry Mancini, Beck, Air, and Melissa Etheridge. In the past, Manning has contributed either keyboards and/or vocals to albums by Adele, Eric Clapton, HAIM, The Killers, Johnny Cash, Roger Waters, Diana Ross, Marilyn Manson, Lana Del Rey, Glen Campbell, Fitz & The Tantrums, Neil Diamond, Interpol, Blink-182, and Cheap Trick. 10 years after his last solo album, Manning says he’s been “excited about jumping back into doing more original music” and is thrilled to be working with PledgeMusic on his new release, Glamping, and the possibilities this Internet forum provides for artists like himself.
Reel To Reel: We Are X
Featuring a post-screening conversation with Yoshiki
Presented by American Express
Wednesday, April 18 at 7:30p / SOLD OUT
X Japan is the most successful rock group in Japanese history. Led by composer, drummer, and pianist Yoshiki, the band has sold more than 30 million albums, singles, and videos combined, sold out Japan’s 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome 18 times, and played to millions of fans around the world. The documentary film We Are X chronicles the band’s exhilarating, tumultuous and unimaginable history over the past three decades––persevering through personal, physical and spiritual heartache––the film culminates with preparations for their breathtaking reunion concert at New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden. We Are X premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016 and won the award for Best Editing. The film then won an award at the South by Southwest Film Festival, followed by a worldwide release in over 20 countries and 27 international film festivals. The GRAMMY Museum will present a special screening of this film, followed by an intimate conversation with Yoshiki moderated by Lyndsey Parker, Music Editor at Yahoo Entertainment.
An Evening With Dierks Bentley
Presented by American Express
Thursday, April 19 at 8p / SOLD OUT
Multi-Platinum entertainer Dierks Bentley is “notorious for his spectacular, high-energy live performances loaded with lots of fan interaction” (Creative Loafing) with 17 No. 1 hits, more than 1 billion digital streams, countless GRAMMY nominations, and he’s been a Grand Ole Opry member for over a decade. Bentley "continues to challenge himself" (Billboard), which is evident through his upcoming ninth studio album, The Mountain, due out later this year. Its lead single “Woman, Amen” gives a taste of the record's "themes of questing and self-actualization across a wide-open terrain of arid deserts and rugged ridgelines, cactus flowers and tumbleweeds" (NPR). After his 2017 World Tour claimed the top spot on Billboard's Hot Tours, selling over 750,000 tickets, Bentley will fuel arenas and amphitheaters throughout the summer with his 2018 Mountain High Tour, launching May 18 in Columbia, MD. Ahead of the release of his new album and kickoff of his tour, the GRAMMY Museum will welcome Dierks Bentley to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation and special performance, hosted by GRAMMY Museum Executive Director Scott Goldman.
Memphis Rent Party: The Blues, Rock & Soul In Music’s Hometown
Featuring a Q&A with author Robert Gordon
Thursday, April 26 at 8p / FREE
In conjunction with the recent release of his new book, Memphis Rent Party: The Blues, Rock & Soul in Music’s Hometown, the GRAMMY Museum welcomes celebrated writer and documentary filmmaker Robert Gordon to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation on the major role Memphis has played in American music history. The conversation will be moderated by GRAMMY Museum Executive Director Scott Goldman. In Memphis Rent Party, Gordon taps into the lesser-known characters of Memphis who have inspired and influenced popular music, from the 1970s to the present. With interwoven stories and profiles, the book begins where the greatest hits end. Gordon charts his own musical coming-of-age as he befriends blues legend Furry Lewis, Rolling Stones accompanist Jim Dickinson, and the high priest of indie rock, Alex Chilton. He mulls the tragedy of Jeff Buckley’s fatal swim, chronicles the power struggle to profit off singer/songwriter Robert Johnson’s legacy after his mysterious early death, and sips homemade whiskey at revolutionary blues guitarist Junior Kimbrough’s churning house parties. Gordon’s march through the city’s famed recording studios and juke joints captures the spirit of Memphis and illuminates its musical legacy that lives on today.
The Drop: Beth Nielsen Chapman
Presented by American Express
Monday, April 30 at 8p / $20
In conjunction with the release of her 13th solo album, Hearts Of Glass, singer/songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman will visit the GRAMMY Museum’s Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation and performance, hosted by Executive Director Scott Goldman. Produced by Sam Ashworth, Hearts of Glass is a collection of songs about vulnerability and strength, and includes several new compositions and a few striking versions of rediscovered songs. Chapman also includes on the record a pair of early songs recorded by Waylon Jennings (“Old Church Hymns & Nursery Rhymes”) and Willie Nelson (“If My World Didn’t Have You”). Rodney Crowell provides vocals on “If My World Didn’t Have You,” and Ruby Amanfu sings on five of the album’s 11 tracks. Although Chapman has been making records since 1980 with many top producers, Hearts of Glass marks the first time in a long time she has not been at least a co-producer. As a songwriter, Chapman has placed hit songs with country artists such as Alabama, Martina McBride, Lorrie Morgan, Willie Nelson, Tanya Tucker, and Trisha Yearwood. She earned her first GRAMMY nomination in 1998 for Best Country Song for “This Kiss,” which was recorded by Faith Hill. She earned her second GRAMMY nomination in 2013 for her children’s album The Mighty Sky. In 2016, she teamed with friends Olivia Newton-John and Amy Sky for an album titled LIV ON, focusing on music that would bring comfort to those experiencing grief and loss. Chapman’s songs have been cut by an eclectic list of artists such as Neil Diamond, Amy Grant, The Indigo Girls, Waylon Jennings, Elton John, Kenny Loggins, Patti LuPone, Michael McDonald, Bette Midler, Keb’ Mo’, Olivia Newton-John, and Bonnie Raitt, to name a few. She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016.
The Drop: Rita Coolidge
Presented by American Express
Wednesday, May 2 at 8p / $20
Ahead of the release of her new album, Safe in the Arms of Time, two-time GRAMMY winner Rita Coolidge will visit the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation and performance, hosted by Executive Director Scott Goldman. Over the span of five decades, Coolidge has sold millions of records, captivating audiences with her signature hits “We’re All Alone,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “All Time High,” and “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher.” And in a remarkable eight-year romantic and artistic marriage for the ages, she and former husband Kris Kristofferson earned multiple GRAMMY Awards. Now, with Safe in the Arms of Time, Coolidge reaffirms her indomitable spirit and unquenchable creative thirst. Her 18th solo record, the luminous new album features the songwriting talents of Graham Nash, Chris Stapleton, Stan Lynch, Keb’ Mo’, and Coolidge herself. Produced by GRAMMY winner Ross Hogarth, Safe in the Arms of Time is also colored by Coolidge’s pivotal role in the Los Angeles singer/songwriter scene of the ‘70s, where she honed her chops as a top backup singer featured on the refrains of Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You’re With” and Eric Clapton’s “After Midnight,” after going out on the groundbreaking Mad Dogs and Englishman tour with Joe Cocker and Leon Russell, and before embarking on a platinum-selling solo career. “The idea was making an album that had the same appeal of my early records—to make a roots record about my own roots,” Coolidge says. “This is the best record I’ve ever done. I’m extremely proud of it.”
An Evening With Eric Andersen
Presented by American Express
Thrusday, May 3 at 8p / $20
On March 30 songwriting icon Eric Andersen will mark his 75th birthday with the release of The Essential Eric Andersen, which was recorded between 1964–2006 and features guest artists Joan Baez, David Bromberg, Rick Danko, Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed, Leon Russell, and Richard Thompson. In conjunction with the release of his new project, the GRAMMY Museum welcomes Andersen to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation and performance spotlighting his illustrious five-decade-long career, hosted by Executive Director Scott Goldman. Having first come to prominence in Greenwich Village in the early 1960s, Andersen immediately became part of the Village folk and songwriter scene along with Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, and Dave Van Ronk, and was at the epicenter of the American Greenwich Village singer/songwriter explosion. Aside from his own classics, he’s co-written songs with Danko, Reed, Bob Weir (The Grateful Dead), and Townes Van Zandt, and his songs have been covered by artists including Bob Dylan, who covered his song "Thirsty Boots" on the former's album Another Self Portrait; The Blues Project; Mary Chapin Carpenter; Judy Collins; John Denver; Fairport Convention; the Grateful Dead; Rick Nelson; Peter, Paul & Mary; Linda Ronstadt; Linda Thompson; and Gillian Welch. Over the past 50 years, Andersen has toured the world and released over 30 albums of original music, including Blue Rain (Appleseed Recordings), his first live concert recording in Oslo with the band Spoonful of Blues, released in 2007
