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The Oswego Music Hall will boost the Warm Up Oswego Festival on Sat., Feb. 2 by bringing the talented singer/songwriter Cliff Eberhardt to its stage along with Nashville singer-songwriter Louise Mosrie, who will open for him.
Eberhardt is a superb singer, able to express a vast range of emotions through music that draws from rock and pop, as well as the best folk ballad styles. He is also one of the most respected songwriters on the club scene. Louise Mosrie, an award winning singer/songwriter from Nashville, will open the show, adding her fresh and beautiful blend of bluegrass, folk and Americana melodies and stories.
Eberhardt has been called "the missing link between Paul McCartney and Cole Porter" because of his folksy – yet sophisticated – arrangements; superb, soulful vocals; and eloquent, bluesy guitar. A driving force of the Greenwich Village New Folk movement and well known among his peers, Eberhardt's catalog is often mined by other artists. His song "Memphis" was included on "Cry Cry Cry," an album of collaborative covers by the "folk super group" of the same name. Other performers who have recorded his songs include Richie Havens, Shawn Colvin, Russ Taff and Buffy Sainte Marie.
Eberhardt knew by age seven that he was going to be a singer and songwriter. Fortunate enough to live close to one of the best folk clubs on the East Coast – The Main Point – Eberhardt cut his teeth listening to the likes of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, and Muddy Waters – receiving an impressive tutorial in acoustic music. At the same time, he was also listening to great pop songwriters like Cole Porter and the Gershwins.
In his teens, Eberhardt began touring and playing clubs. He moved to New York in 1978, when it functioned well as sort of a musician's boot camp. Eberhardt worked steadily on his music throughout the 80's, doing solo gigs and studio work, and playing guitar on the road with Richie Havens, Melanie and others. In the 1990s his first recordings were with Windham Hill; since then Eberhardt's produced five acclaimed albums for Red House Records.
A collection of his songs has been published in "The Eberhardt Eberhardt Songbook" (Cherry Lane Publishing).
Eberhardt has earned many kudos for his work, such as "His musical compositions and acoustical guitar playing are delicious in their own right. There's something both clever and soulful in his song writing...His gravelly voice on the low end also expresses a rich sweetness, as if Tom Waits melded with Ritchie Havens."
"Eberhardt approaches the guitar with stylistic eloquence, with the hooks, licks and grooves that could easily rank him among those who are singularly known as guitar virtuosos." – Taconic Newspaper.
Louise Mosrie has received warm praise as well: "...this Nashville-based singer/songwriter blew us away with her...performance. Like listening to Patty Griffin and Susan Tedeschi at the same time. Highlight of the 30A Songwriter Festival." – Central Square Records, Seaside Florida.
"...[B]asically, she's William Faulkner with a guitar." – Rich Warren, WFMT-FM Chicago."
Check out http://www.cliffeberhardt.net/ an http://www.louisemosrie.com for yourself to see and hear how these two musicians will Warm Up Oswego at this year's Festival. The show is brought to Oswego through the all-volunteer, family-friendly Music Hall – also known as the Ontario Center for Performing Arts. The venue is the McCrobie Civic Center, 41 Lake Street, Oswego. The atmosphere is intimate with candle-lit tables surrounding a small stage. Homemade desserts, popcorn and beverages will be available for purchase.
Tickets can be purchased on-line at http://oswegomusichall.org/ or at the river's end bookstore, 19 W. Bridge St., in Oswego. Holders of tickets purchased before 1 p.m. on the day of the concert will have preferred seating. After 1 p.m., seating will be general admission. Ticket prices are $14 if purchased in advance and $16 at the door. Children 12 and younger are half-price; younger than 5 is free. For the best deal – lowest ticket prices and prime seating – Season Passes are available and may be purchased at any show. For information, contact membership secretary, Carol Forrest, at 343-2988.
The Music Hall's next performance this season will be the captivating folk trio, The Stray Birds, on Feb. 16, 2013.
Music Hall concerts are made possible in part with funding by the NYS Council on the Arts.
For more information call 315-342-1733 or visit the Music Hall website http://oswegomusichall.org/.
