EC-CHAP Acoustic Artist Series: An Evening with Singer / Songwriter Libby Johnson (Indie/Folk) - Curtis Brand to Open Show!
Tickets $15.00 in Advance (ONLINE) / $20.00 at the Door / Special Senior ($18.00) & Student Price ($10.00) at the Door.
EC-CHAP “Frequent Flyer” Rewards Program Now Available
Special Note: We feel privileged too have Libby Johnson return to The Packing House! Libby’s heart felt lyrics, innate musicality , and humble demeanor create a unique connection with audiences everywhere. Please join us for this special evening of original works.
LIBBY JOHNSON is a singer/songwriter from New York City. Born in Germany while her parents were stationed there, Libby was raised in the U.S. until the age of 13, at which time her family moved to Nairobi, Kenya. A self-taught piano player, she learned to play guitar from her mother, who was a folk singer of contemporary and traditional folk and bluegrass. Her father played bagpipes. Johnson's first performance in public was at a Nairobi pub.
As an adult, she had returned to the United States, settling in New York City after studying at Berklee College of Music. Along with her sister Carrie, also a musician and songwriter, she formed the band 22 Brides, and earned a slot on the 1998 Lilith Fair tour. The duo’s music was a blend of folk/rock featuring the two voices harmonizing. The Brides released three albums on the Zero Hour label, and one for Universal. They signed with Chrysalis publishing in 1994 and spent the next four years touring until both sisters paused to start families.
Libby released her solo debut album ‘Annabella’ in 2006 on the Wrong Records label. The songs followed the thread of her writing with the Brides, with “haunting vocals over sly bluesy guitar tracks.”
Mike Joyce, “Washington Post” writes, “On Annabella Johnson quickly reveals her chief strengths: a hazy soprano that takes on a soulful edge when it counts, as evidenced by the album's title track; an engaging way with words”.
After a preview of Annabella, writer-director Bart Freundlich decided to use four of her songs in his film Trust the Man, starring David Duchovny, Billy Crudup, Julianne Moore and Maggie Gyllenhaal. He said that he re-edited scenes around her songs. Johnson also wrote a new song, "Indelible Mark", which plays over the film's end credits. Johnson’s film credits also include work with The Discovery Channel, MTV, Oxygen, Smallville, The Riches, and many more.
Libby Johnson - Don't Mean You Lost Your Love (Trust the Man)
Libby’s follow-up album, “Perfect View,” was released in 2009, with several of the tracks picked up for international licensing. In his review of Perfect View, Mark Tucker, “Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange” (FAME) writes, “This is one beautiful CD.” Comparing Johnson as “a cross of Mary Fahl, Bonnie Raitt, and Janis Ian, a quietly engrossing woman crafting songs delicate and enfolding, works grounded in the everyday but gently transcendent… Libby Johnson feels everything she writes, plays, and sings, feels it genuinely, no exaggerations, no playing to the times and masses, not a shred of compromise.”
In recent years Libby has developed a voice and guitar studio practice in the New York area. She continues to write, record and perform live.
Recent Development!
We are pleased to announce that local Singer/Songwriter and EC-CHAP Artist/Performer Curtis brand will perform an opening set for Libby!
CURTIS BRAND’S music starts with the words. He tells tales of the human condition--the lost souls, the wounded veteran, the let down lover - and blends them with delightful ditties and love songs which not only touches the sensibilities but also lifts the spirit. From Older than Dirt, a celebration of the aging process (title song from his first album), to Dust on the Water, which memorializes the World Trade Center tragedy, Curtis' songs pull the listener across the full range of human emotions.
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to see this outstanding NYC singer/songwriter and local folk artist together in our intimate historic setting. This program is hosted by the "Eastern Connecticut Center for History, Art, and Performance" (EC-CHAP). Doors 7:00pm / Show 7:30pm. $15.00 Advance / $20.00 Door. Soft drinks and snacks available.
We are pleased to offer our exclusive "BYOB&F" model - Bring Your Own Beverage & Food (Wine & Beer Only - I.D. Required). You can also bring your paid ticket to Willington Pizza House (or WP Too) for eat-in or take-out the night of the show and receive 15% off your meal purchase. Ask for "The Packing House" pizza! Click here for secret recipe.
For information and table reservations, please call 518-791-9474.