RESCHEDULED FROM FEBRUARY 15, 2025.

EC-CHAP Acoustic Artist Series: An Intimate Evening with Grammy Nominee Guy Davis (Blues / Americana)

Tickets $30.00 in Advance (ONLINE) / $35.00 at the Door

EC-CHAP MEMBER DISCOUNTS & FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAM AVAILABLE

SPECIAL NOTE: It’s an honor to have two-time Grammy Nominee Guy Davis share The Packing House stage! In addition to his Blues vocals and memorable stories, this accomplished multi-instrumentalist will be hailing 6 & 12 string guitar, harmonica, 5 & 6 string banjo, didgeridoo. This debut performance will just have you wanting more!…Join us for an intimate experience to remember!

GUY DAVIS is a two-time, back-to-back Grammy nominee for Best Traditional Blues, a musician, actor, author, and songwriter. Guy uses a blend of Roots, Blues, Folk, Rock, Rap, Spoken Word, and World Music to comment on, and address, the frustrations of social injustice, touching on historical events, and common life struggles. His background in theater is pronounced through the lyrical storytelling of songs “God’s Gonna Make Things Over” about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, “Welcome to My World”, and “Got Your Letter In My Pocket”. His storytelling is sometimes painful, deep, and real, an earthy contrast to modern-day commercial music, meant to create thought, underlined by gentle tones from his guitar or banjo fingerpicking.

Among hundreds of newspaper appearances, he's also been featured in articles or reviews by New York Times, Village Voice, Boston Globe, Pulse Magazine, Blues Magazine, Acoustic Guitar, Dirty Linen, Songlines, Blues Blast Magazine, Living Blues, Down At the Crossroads, The San Francisco Chronicle, Association For Independent Music (formerly NAIRD), Playboy Magazine, National Public Radio (NPR), "Folk Alley", and Sirius.

When asked about his experience as a performer, Guy has replied, “There is no tale so tall that I cannot tell it, nor song so sweet that I cannot sing it.”

Join us for an evening of original works by this Grammy Nominated Blues artist!

This program is hosted by the "Eastern Connecticut Center for History, Art, and Performance" (EC-CHAP). Doors 6:30pm / Show 7:30pm. 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" special! Click here for secret recipe. 

For information, please call 518-791-9474.

EC-CHAP Special Event: "Songs for Ukraine II" - A Benefit Concert for the People of Ukraine

Tickets: $40.00

Doors: 7:00pm / Performance: 8:00pm

*** THIS IS NOT A “B.Y.O.B.&F.” EVENT ***

NO FOOD OR BEVERAGE ALLOWED INTO THE VENUE

FULL BAR - SOFT DRINKS - PACKAGED SNACKS AVAILABLE WITH TICKETS

Tickets for Alcoholic Beverages, Soft Drinks, and Snacks may be purchased in advance below or at the event.

If you are unable to attend the concert, or would like to make an additional donation, please click below!

The People of Ukraine Need Your Support!

On September 24, 2022, EC-CHAP planned and executed a benefit concert, “Songs for Ukraine” at The Packing House. 100% of all proceeds raised were provided directly to support the people of Ukraine. We felt a need to support these people then; and with the recent issues and developments, we feel a need to respond again in these uncertain times.

As a result, we are offering a second benefit concert, "Songs for Ukraine II" featuring performances by five past CT State Troubadours including: Kala Farnham, Kate Callahan, Lara Herscovitch, Pierce Campbell, and Thomasina Levy.

During the evening, resident artist Jack Broderick will be creating a drawing of the performance “live”. This original drawing will be given to a raffle winner at the end of the concert.

We are grateful for these incredible performing and visual artists sharing their creative talents for this important cause.

Please join us for an evening of original acoustic works and arrangements by these talented artists. This program is hosted by the "Eastern Connecticut Center for History, Art, and Performance" (EC-CHAP). 100% of ALL proceeds generated through Ticket and Merchandise sales, Donations, Sponsorships, and Raffle will be forwarded to our partner Direct Relief for distribution to Ukraine.

MEET THE TROUBADOURS (click their photos for more information):

Kala Farnham crafts folk songs with roots and wings, weaving age-old truths into modern grooves. Drawing on a background in classical piano and musical theater, she reimagines the folk tradition, infusing fairytales, historical fiction, and mantra-based narrative medicine into vivid portraits of the familiar world. Her intimate, fireside-style sonic tapestries—featuring soul-stirring vocals and mystical folk harp, piano, and guitar—invite listeners on a transcendent journey that lingers long after the final note fades.

Kate Callahan is an American singer-songwriter and member of In Trine, a vocal harmony trio based in Connecticut. Her latest album, Lay it Down, is a welcome reprieve for anyone who needs a deep breath. She takes listeners through the mountains of China, to the front lines of the climate crisis, and into a state of compassion as only Kate knows how: by embodying her songs with every cell.

Lara Herscovitch is a singer-songwriter-poet-performer-author gem. As described in The Boston Globe, she brings "a luminous voice and a buoyant stage presence... big-hearted lyrics embrace the sum of life...Herscovitch's music blows on the embers of a lagging spirit or a dormant creative life." Lara leads with authenticity, integrity, humor and heart. Sound Waves Magazine described her music as "expertly written prose... songwriting at its best... good for your ears AND your soul."

Pierce has been playing guitar and singing most of his life, receiving high praise for his dazzling guitar work, superb songwriting, and powerful vocals. His performances are versatile, humorous and engaging as he jumps from guitar instrumentals, to vocal ballads, to Irish sing-alongs, all of which take the listener down a road of unexpected twists and turns. Pierce is a full time musician and has released five solo CD’s. He plays over 260 shows a year throughout the Northeast at municipalities, libraries, festivals, Irish pubs, coffeehouses, and senior centers.

Thomasina Levy, is an award-winning songwriter, poet, and internationally recognized mountain dulcimer player whose performances weave together the best of traditional and contemporary folk music. She is a popular virtual workshop leader whose workshops frequently sell out. Her music has been aired in over twenty countries across the globe. Described as a charismatic performer, she touches audiences with a simplicity, humanity, and strength drawn from the deep roots of the folk tradition.

Thank You For Your Support!

EC-CHAP Acoustic Artist Series: Singer/Songwriter Frank Viele (Americana)

Tickets $20.00 in Advance (ONLINE) / $25.00 at the Door

EC-CHAP MEMBER DISCOUNTS & FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAM AVAILABLE

New England musician FRANK VIELE’S authenticity and road-tested storytelling is redefining and revitalizing heartland rock.

Raised in a single-parent household and inspired by America’s greatest rock n’ rollers like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Segar, and Tom Petty, Viele composes songs that tug at the heartstrings. His music pulls the listener in with poignant lyrics, soulful guitar playing, and an expansive vocal range that segues between gravelly digs and high-stamina belt-outs. Viele is the rare artist who is not afraid of wearing his heart on his sleeve, blending elements of folk, blues, and rock into a unique sound that feels relevant and relatable.

Viele’s latest full-length album, The Trouble With Desire, encapsulates the heart and soul of a road warrior chasing his dreams, while reflecting on his hardships and hopes. Written and cultivated over several years between his Hamden, Connecticut, home base and the rock n’ roll mecca of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, The Trouble With Desire is the culmination of a years-long writing-and-recording journey with Jimmy Nutt (Jason Isbell, American Aquarium) and James LeBlanc (Travis Tritt, Will Hoge, Tim McGraw) of Nutthouse Studios.

After a number of bands, Viele now a national touring artist as a solo act, is supporting multiple artists, including Allen, Mack, Myers, Moore (featuring Zach Myers of Shinedown), Howie Day, Tony Luca, Lee DeWyze, and Pat McGee. Living on the road and sleeping in hotel rooms for two years, 2017 brought Viele’s sophomore solo album, “What’s His Name?” a transitional album that ultimately bridged Viele’s horn driven, jam/soul-infused past with the Americana, Southern Rock, and folk music that Viele had begun to gravitate toward. Earnest ballads like “Pomegranate” and “If You Could Only Read My Mind” — combined with blues-rock-infused drivers like “’Til The Bourbon’s All Gone” and “It” — pushed this album onto the Americana Radio Charts and garnered Viele his first “Songwriter of The Year” Award from the New England Music Awards.

In January 2024, Viele founded Bigger Beast Records, a full-service boutique independent record label and management company striving to promote music that inspires the world around it and leaves a lasting impact. In conjunction with the label, Viele also launched All Boats Rising Entertainment, a concert promotion outlet. Bigger Beast Records’ first major event, the 21 Songwriters Music Festival in September, highlighted emerging Connecticut artists, while benefitting Musical Intervention, a 501C3 organization that uses music and songwriting to help create a safe environment for the recovery of mental health and addiction.

In 2025 and beyond, Viele hopes to unleash more new material, including collaborations from some of his closest musical comrades and unexpected guests, while touring and working to give back to the music communities that have supported him throughout his journey.

Viele’s album The Trouble With Desire hits all digital music platforms early in 2025, followed by live performances throughout the U.S. in the Spring.