Coming March 7: Swear and Shake, Andrea Belanger

Join us on Wednesday, March 7th for two up-and-coming singer/songwriters in the intimate setting that has made Acoustic Long Island a highly sought-after venue for both artists and audience members alike. Here’s more about the talent being featured:

Swear and Shake – In a city that offers endless new sounds, New York-based band Swear & Shake’s loyal fan base and earnest talent have driven them on tours across the US and into the focal point of fawning critics. The band’s star seems to be continually on the rise, as they play premiere Manhattan and Brooklyn venues and release their fully-Kickstarter-funded LP, Maple Ridge, only a year after their formation. The band was a hit from their first release in November 2010, a five track album aptly titled “Extended Play,” which received over 200,000 Creative Commons downloads in North American and Europe. In the first few months, favorite tunes like “Johnnie” and “Bones” started to pop up in covers on YouTube.  Newsday praised the band, comparing them to indie darlings Mumford & Sons and Bon Iver. Frost Click called the band’s EP a “treat” and writes, “There’s no denying the fact that Swear and Shake know how to make amazing sounds. The quartet has a knack for creating a wonderful balance of emotion, instruments, vocals and lyrics; making you want to listen more and more.” For more, go to www.swearandshake.com.

Andrea Belanger – Raised up through the cracked cobblestones of Fall River, Massachusetts, an old mill town host to the ghosts of Native Americans past and forgotten textile dreams, Andrea Belanger is a young singer/songwriter and student of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. At 22 years old, Andrea has already played Bonnaroo, the biggest music festival in the world and shared the stage with nationally touring artists like The Wood Brothers, The Low Anthem and
The Greencards. She finds musical inspiration in everything from the poetic lyrics of Bob Dylan to the onstage passion of Kurt Cobain. Andrea uses her love of words and the influence of her broad musical taste to give her audience something fresh to the ear and close to the heart. She is currently at work on her second album, the first with her band The Blind Woods. For more, go to http://www.myspace.com/andreabelangermusic.

Coming April 4: Chelsea Berry, Heather Maloney

Join us on Wednesday, April 4thfor two up-and-coming singer/songwriters in the intimate setting that has made Acoustic Long Island a highly sought-after venue for both artists and audience members alike. Here’s more about the talent being featured:

Chelsea Berry – Chelsea Berry is a singer/songwriter with the edge, power, and finesse of legends. Her presence has been described by listeners as “compelling… she draws the entire house into her world like moths to a flame.” Her vocals are controlled, smooth, and intensely powerful. Her original lyrics are reminiscent of the folk music of the sixties. Chelsea was born and raised in Alaska, and made her way through Montana, Nashville, and Chicago before settling in the Boston area 3 years ago. Her music is played regularly on Sirius XM’s The Loft radio, and she has been played on Boston’s 92.5 The River, WXGR and WSCA in Portsmouth, NH, and many other stations in the Northeast. Chelsea has performed at many of New England’s most renowned listening rooms, including Boston’s House of Blues, Club Passim in Cambridge, MA, The Firehouse in Newburyport, MA, Tupelo Hall in New Hampshire and VT, the Shalin Liu in Rockport, MA and Carnegie Hall in NYC. For more, go to www.chelseaberry.com.

Heather Maloney – Heather Maloney had one of her first public shows at a small coffee shop in Northampton Massachusetts in September of 2009. She was so nervous and timid that she had to be prodded onto the stage. In July of 2011 she walked out onto the stage at the Calvin Theater in front of 1,500 fans of the Grammy Award winning artist Jonny Lang, and brought them to their feet in applause. Jonny immediately asked her to open three more shows and called her “an extremely talented songwriter and incredibly great singer.” Heather has fallen in love with performing, having played over 225 shows in 20 states in 20 months, sharing the stage with such celebrated acts as Jonny Lang, Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriquez, Mike & Ruthy, Vance Gilbert, Dala, David Wax Museum, Devil Makes Three, Caravan of Thieves, Jeffrey Gaines, Jill Sobule, Meg Hutchinson, Cliff Eberhardt and many others. For more, go to www.heathermaloney.com.

Coming May 2: Cynthia Summers, Seth Glier

Join us on Wednesday, May 2nd for two up-and-coming singer/songwriters in the intimate setting that has made Acoustic Long Island a highly sought-after venue for both artists and audience members alike. Here’s more about the talent being featured:

Cynthia Summers – Cynthia Summers’s songs are full of what Sing Out! magazine calls  “intricate imagery.”  The Online Folk Festival notes that Summers “writes seemingly simple songs about domestic life that explore larger truths.” And, she can sing, with a voice that has been likened to some of the best in acoustic music. Sing Out! says her vocals are “eerily reminiscent of a young Judy Collins.” She has also been compared to Natalie Merchant and Joan Baez. Cynthia’s song, “Sort of Old Car,” was featured on the NPR radio show, “Car Talk.”  Her debut CD, “Love at Every Turn,” was released by RedTree Music. For more, go to www.cynthiasummers.com.

Seth Glier – For 22-year-old Massachusetts native Seth Glier, The Next Right Thing isn’t just an album title – it’s a way of life. For his sophomore MPress Records release, the Berklee-educated singer/pianist set out to document the ways in which he – and the people he encounters on the road – attempts to do “the next right thing, as opposed to the next thing right. Despite his relatively young age, Glier is a seasoned troubadour, traveling all over the United States and performing over 200 dates a year. In 2010 he opened for Edwin McCain and The Verve Pipe, appeared with his idol James Taylor and performed on main stages of the prestigious Falcon Ridge and Kerrville Folk Festivals, with rave reviews and a constantly-expanding fan base following him every step of the way. For more, go to www.sethglier.com.