The History of Renaissance w/ Annie Haslam and Jim McCarty

 

Symphonic Rock Pioneers Annie Haslam and Jim McCarty will present the History of Renaissance on November 21st and 22nd at the Wildey Theatre, Edwardsville, Illinois (St. Louis), on November 28^th at the Newton Theatre, NJ, and on November 29^th at the Lansdowne Theatre, PA, in Lansdowne, PA.

Annie and Jim will share an intimate discussion and visual presentation of the band’s extraordinary history followed by a Renaissance performance featuring, for the first time, members of both eras of the band performing their classic songs together.

selfie from Annie

Renaissance had their farewell tour last October 2024 and did not expect to perform live again.  Annie, who’s been at the forefront of the group’s story for 50 years, recently was approached by an Edwardsville/St Louis promoter to return to the Wildey Theatre for a ‘one woman” show! After much deliberation, the idea grew into something bigger when Annie contacted Jim McCarty to be a part of the show and--then—return to the full Renaissance lineup, the band he—initially—co-founded.

A stupendous evening of Symphonic Rock at its finest! "All Renaissance and McCarty fans are invited to experience our coming full circle," Annie says enthusiastically, “that was destined to happen one day!"  

Rising from the ashes of the Yardbirds, Jim McCarty and long-time musical partner Keith Relf envisioned a Renaissance as fusing folk and classical influences with the bluesy rock they'd been playing and giving birth to a new musical direction. When Annie Haslam joined the band in 1971 to sing with her ethereal 5-octave voice, the group became more popular, especially with the progressive rock scene. After Jim left, the line up continued notably with Annie, this combined the poetic emotional words of Betty Thatcher and the timeless musical masterpieces that were created by Michael Dunford, John Tout, Jon Camp and Terry Sullivan. 

Renaissance was reborn in 2009 with Annie and Michael Dunford at the helm, along with keyboard player/musical director Rave Tesar, and a new generation of musicians.

Renaissance has toured throughout the world and has performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Chorale Society. Renaissance had a top ten hit in the UK with their song “Northern Lights” that still demands airplay to this day.

Annie is “looking forward to singing 'Face of Yesterday' from Jim's band Illusion, which I last performed on a tour of Germany in the early ‘70s. Such a gorgeous song! I’m also excited to be performing with Jim,” who is equally thrilled, stating, “I’ll be talking with Annie about how the band formed and got that sound. Also very pleased to be singing some of my own songs.”

Renaissance is Annie Haslam (lead vocals), Jim McCarty (acoustic guitar and lead vocals), Rave Tesar (keyboards), Mark Lambert (guitars, vocals), Geoffrey Langley (keyboards, vocals), John Galgano (bass, vocals), and Frank Pagano (drums, percussion, vocals).

Left to Right: Frank, Rave, Geoffrey, Mark, and John. Photo by Brian Bortnik 

Row 2: Annie

Jim McCarty and Annie Haslam will be presenting the History of Renaissance Fall 2025 in Conversation and in Concert. Friday, Nov. 21 The Wildey Theatre, Edwardsville, IL (St. Louis) www.cityofedwardsville.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=672 Saturday, Nov. 22 The Wildey Theatre, Edwardsville, IL (St. Louis) www.cityofedwardsville.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=673 Friday, Nov. 28 The Newton Theatre, Newton, NJ https://skypac.org/the-history-of-renaissance/ November 29 Lansdowne Theatre, Lansdowne, NJ http://www.etix.com/ticket/p/81373625/the-history-of-renaissance-featuring-annie-haslam-and-jim-mccarty-lansdowne-lansdowne-theate

Beverly Garland Award-Winning Artist & Storyteller Wins Multiple Cat Writers Association Awards

 Artist/Social Media/Video Producer Beverly Garland Available for Interviews

Beverly Garland’s YouTube Channel and job, “I Love To Draw Cats” is a multiple winner.  Most recently she was a triple threat in this year’s Cat Writers Association Muse Awards. Her YouTube channel shows Beverly, the pencil artist, in action. She tells stories about the cats she draws them for her adoring fans.

ILoveToDrawCats’ YouTube channel and (https://www.youtube.com/c/ILoveToDrawCats) won:

The MUSE Medallion for the “Social Media Excellence: Humor and Entertainment” category.

Her video drawing Jugg, the Tortie Pet Portrait was presented with the Kari Winters’ Rescue and Rehabilitation Award.

and

The CWA President’s Award (“Best of the Best” of all MUSE winners)

Deb Barnes, who served as President for the Cat Writers Association through September 2020, awarded “Jugg” and Beverly’s YouTube Channel the “Best of the Best” Award, because “this entry captured my heart with its compelling use of storytelling, drawing, and videography…..I enjoyed each and every video portrait immensely, admiring the talents of this very creative artist who uses our current technologies so well….  

“The drawings are exquisite works of art and the use of colored pencils to create the finest of details – from the delicate wisp of a whisker to the beautiful twinkle in the cat’s eye, the window to the soul of a cat, each drawing is beautifully representative of the commissioned cat, becoming a treasured, keepsake, work of art.” 

Ms. Garland is a self-taught artist, whose cat portrait business developed organically through a confluence of events and circumstances, became a reality at the beginning of 2019. “I was interviewing people about their beloved cats, making drawings, and editing together videos for each one. It was my dream job!”

Whatever Beverly’s worked at, cats found their ways into her focus. She earned her Masters’ Degree in Geography and the Environment, in part, by writing her thesis on feral cats! She was deeply involved in Trap-Neuter-Return, even taught TNR classes for Spay Austin. 

With roots in Illinois and Texas, Beverly’s been living and traveling with her partner, Cobra, and one of her senior cats, in a retired school bus! “We usually cover 5000-plus miles each year. Creating cat portraits is the perfect business to do on the road in a confined space.”

The Cat Writers Association is a Global Cat-centric professional organization, dedicated to excellence in written, visual, and audio media. The CWA is an organization that supports existing members and seeks to mentor those new to the profession. Its goal--since 1992 – is to improve the quality of cat information for the general public and to inspire, educate, and inform. Visit catwriters.org.

This is Beverly's award-winning video, Jugg the Tortie

Renown Electric Violinist Joe Deninzon Teaches and Performs at UIUC April 4

Joe Deninzon is teaching and performing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Wednesday April 4, 2018.

Master class is at 11:00 (Smith Memorial Room); lecture is at 3:00 (0304 Music Building); performance is at 7:30 PM (Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts).  

Admission to all events is free. For further information please contact rudolfhaken@gmail.com.

Event page: https://krannertcenter.com/events/joe-deninzon-electric-viola  

Hailed by critics as "the Jimi Hendrix of the violin,” Joe Deninzon has worked with Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen, Renaissance, Kiss’s Peter Criss, Phoebe Snow, Everclear, Ritchie Blackmore, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Robert Bonfiglio, Les Paul, and as a soloist with the New York City Ballet and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Joe is the lead singer/electric violinist of the progressive rock band, “Stratospheerius.”

Joe Deninzon's Krannert performance at 7:30 pm will last ninety minutes with no intermission, and will include original compositions and virtuosic jazz, hip hop, rock, and classical solos played on the 7-string Wood Viper electric violin.

http://www.JoeDeninzon.com

Please share downloadable flyer. 

Martin Barre (of Jethro Tull) Returns to the States for More North American Tour Dates

www.MartinBarre.com
Twitter.com/TullGuitarist

Martin Barre is returning to North America to perform more shows this April. Look for concerts in New Jersey, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. More dates this fall in September and October. Some of them are confirmed below.

For the past five years Martin has toured the world with his own band to play the "classic" music from the Jethro Tull catalogue, and also many new tracks written by Martin from his albums AWAY WITH WORDS and ORDER OF PLAY, plus his latest album, BACK TO STEEL. BACK TO STEEL will be released in North America later this year on 71st Street Music.

For 43 years Martin Barre was the renowned guitarist of Jethro Tull, and his role in the band cannot be overestimated. Bruce Eder wrote on allmusic.com, “His playing has provided much of the energy that allows the band to soar on record and in concert.”

His unique sound and style contributed enormously to their success, which includes several chart topping albums, eleven gold and five platinum albums, a Grammy Award for CREST OF A KNAVE in 1988, and album sales exceeding 60 million units. Tull continues to be played worldwide, representing an important part of classic rock history.

Martin’s band features lead singer/guitarist Dan Crisp, drummer George Lindsay, bass player Alan Thomson. All members are committed to giving the Tull fans and a broader audience the chance to hear tracks not performed for many years with a few surprises along the way, as well as classic covers of a variety of folks, this past fall were songs by Porcupine Tree and Warren Haynes.

Blogcritics’ Jon Sobel caught the Martin Barre Band vibe in the intimate Rockwood Music Hall, and called them a “‘bar band’ in the best possible sense: The musicians were approachable and communicative, and looked and sounded like they were having a blast. Other moments felt like a badass progressive rock concert.“

Emily Clark of Plymouth, MA’s Wicked Local was stunned by Martin’s presence, “He can do all intricate fingering, lace melody on top of melody and play lightning fast. But what he does that sets him apart is his on-the-spot arrangement of songs, his crafting of melodies that are truly beautiful and not just a case of show-off athletics and his understanding of when to shut up and when to roar…His love affair is with this song, not himself.”


Martin Barre-Confirmed North American Tour Dates


April 10 B.B. King Blues Club, New York NY

April 11 Ram's Head, Annapolis, MD  

April 12 Tim McLoones Supper Club, Asbury Park, NJ 

April 21 Infinity Hall, Hartford CT

April 22 Mexicali Live, Teaneck NJ 
April 23 Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore PA 
April 26 Martyrs Live, Chicago

April 28 Daryl's House Club, Pawling NY 

April 29 Hanover Theatre, Worcester MA 

April 30 Blue Ocean Music Hall, Salisbury MA 

September 7 Parker Press Park, Woodbridge NJ 
September 8 Natick Center For The Arts, Natick MA
September 9 Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River MA 

September 10 & 11 Tupelo Music Hall, Londonderry NH

September 13 & 14 Lovin Cup Bistro & Brews, Rochester NY
September 15 Sportsmens Tavern, Buffalo NY

September 16 The Dock, Ithaca NY
September 30 Reggies Night Club, Chicago IL

October 1 The Warehouse, Carmel IN 

October 2 & 3 Natalie's Coal Fired Pizza, Worthington OH
October 7 Jonathan's Music Hall, Maine 

October 8 Spruce Peak Performing Arts, Vermont
October 14 River Club Music Hall, Scituate MA
October 15 The Iron Horse, Northampton, MA

October 21 Penns Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA

October 28 Shank Hall, Milwaukee WI

October 29 & 30 The Dakota, Minneapolis MN

Live performances including Tull songs, intriguing covers by the Beatles and Robert Johnson