Tony Gilkyson and GRAMMY® nominated Eliza Gilkyson Return to their Hometown on May 3rd

The South Pasadena Public Library Community Room will again serve as ‘The Carnegie Stage,’ one of the premier showcases of the 6th Annual South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival. More than a dozen musical acts will be presented at several free venues around town on Saturday, May 3rd. Six distinguished musical performances will be showcased in the Library’s beautiful, historic Community Room. Styles offered will range from Folk to Jazz, and all the way to Bluegrass, Country, and Rock.

8:00 p.m. will bring a much-anticipated set showcasing Tony Gilkyson and Eliza Gilkyson.  Eliza’s appearance will be her first as a professional in her hometown. Eliza and Tony grew up brother and sister in South Pasadena in an environment of songwriters and musicians and both have gone on to stellar musical careers. Tony started recording as a boy with his father, Terry Gilkyson, a prominent folksinger/songwriter in his own right.  Terry was the lead singer on The Weavers’ #1 hit from 1950, “On Top of Old Smokey.” Terry’s group, The Easy Riders had their own big 50s hit, the Calypso song, “Marianne” ("…all day, all night Marianne…"). Terry co-wrote and played on “Memories Are Made of This” for Dean Martin’s only #1 hit in 1956. Another of Terry's compositions, “Greenfields”  was a #2 hit for the Brothers Four in 1960. Terry Gilkyson received an OSCAR® nomination in 1967 for his “The Bare Necessities” from  Walt Disney's “The Jungle Book.”

Terry and his wife Jane had three children, Nancy, Eliza, and Tony, all of whom used the South Pasadena Library while growing up. Nancy became an executive for Warner Brothers Records for more than 20 years and now lives in Texas. Eliza and Tony have traveled varied musical paths, but both have forged careers garnering national and international recognition.

Tony Gilkyson played guitar with the Los Angeles band X for ten years, starting with the acclaimed album “See How We Are” and continuing through the all-acoustic live recording, “X Unclogged.” Other artists he has played and recorded with include Lone Justice, Peter Rowan,  Dave Alvin,  Alice Cooper, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson,  and k.d. lang.  Tony has produced recordings for Exene Cervenka, sister Eliza Gilkyson and "Dances with Wolves" author and poet Michael Blake. With Tom Waits, he co-produced Chuck E. Weiss’ albums “Extremely Cool” and “Old Souls & Wolf Tickets.” Tony also has played guitar on numerous film sound tracks including the Johnny Cash biopic “Walk the Line,” and “All the King’s Men,” with noted producer T Bone Burnett.

When asked about growing up in South Pas, Tony recalls "primarily good memories, though sweetly distant. Hiding in oak and magnolia trees, chasing alligator lizards, tormenting my sisters, consumed with baseball. My mother was fascinated with California history, so we knew the old adobe buildings and were slightly aware of South Pasadena's transition from rural farms to suburb. It was unusual to have a father who was a musician and we were proud of that. All of us walked the Arroyo in those days when the dog was spared the leash."

Eliza Gilkyson is a GRAMMY®-nominated singer, songwriter and activist who has become one of the most respected musicians in Folk, Roots and Americana circles.  Eliza entered the music world as a teenager, recording demos for her father.  Since then she has released 20 recordings of her own, and her songs have been covered by Joan Baez, Bob Geldof, Tom Rush and Rosanne Cash, and have been used in films, PBS specials and on prime-time TV. Eliza has appeared on NPR, Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage, Air America Radio and has toured worldwide as a solo artist and in support of Richard Thompson, Patty Griffin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Dan Fogelberg, as well as with the Woody Guthrie review, “Ribbon of Highway-Endless Skyway” alongside the Guthrie Family and special guests Pete Seeger, Jackson Browne and Kris Kristofferson.  Eliza has been inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame to accompany such legends as Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt and Nanci Griffith. She has been accorded many of the Austin Chronicle’s various music awards, as well as Folk Alliance awards for Best Artist, Best Songwriter, and Record of the Year.  

Eliza's CD “Land of Milk and Honey” was nominated for a GRAMMY® for Best Contemporary Folk Album.  Her meditative “Requiem,” written as a prayer for those who lost their lives in the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia, was recorded by the internationally recognized choral group Conspirare, whose version was nominated for a GRAMMY®. The song has become a standard in choir repertory the world over.  Eliza recently was invited to contribute a track for the Jackson Browne tribute, “Looking Into You” (released in 2014), along with Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Shawn Colvin, Bonnie Raitt and others.  Eliza's latest release on Red House Records, “The Nocturne Diaries,” produced by her son Cisco Ryder, is a restless contemplative work inspired by her highest hopes and darkest fears.  

Eliza has fond memories of her childhood: "I was a very lucky kid to grow up in South Pasadena, to feel so safe I could ride my bike 3 miles to school, or walk around the neighborhood with my friends any time of day. I could climb the massive oak trees growing in the middle of our street. I rode my horse up from the Arroyo Seco through the neighborhoods to my house. I can still hear the mockingbirds run through their nightly repertoire and the voices of my beautiful family calling my name in my memory."

At 3:00 p.m. the 'Carnegie Stage' show will open with Loafer’s Glory featuring Herb Pederson. Showcasing 3 and 4-part harmonies blended with acoustic banjo, guitar, fiddle, and bass, the group displays hair raising vocals and powerhouse picking.

At 4:00 p.m. Elliott Caine and his combo will offer a set of “Blue Note” style jazz. Elliott has performed and/or recorded with Teddy Edwards, O.C. Smith, Wycliff Jean, Beck, and The Beastie Boys, among many others. Elliott also  performed at Capitol Records' 50th Anniversary celebration. A South Pasadena resident, Elliott also received a Platinum Record for his work with the rock group, Filter.

Jazz pianist/composer extraordinaire and South Pasadena resident Billy Childs will appear with vocalist Moira Smiley at 5:00 p.m. They will be performing songs that will be appearing on Billy’s next album, a re-imagining of songs by Laura Nyro. The album will feature Esperanza Spalding, Chakha Khan, Rickie Lee Jones, and many other special guests. Billy has been called one of the most diversely prolific artists working in music. Billy is also a three-time GRAMMY® winner who has appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival and with the Kronos Quartet at Disney Music Hall.

Powdercoat featuring Kristin Mooney and Claire Holley will appear at 6:00 p.m.  The duo began singing together a few years ago when a mutual friend re-introduced them. The two had an immediate vocal chemistry and soon began writing together. Their self-titled EP came out last fall, and Huffington Post called it “one of the year's loveliest recordings.”

At 7:00 p.m. Rick Shea and bassist Dave Hall will perform a set that embraces traditional Folk and Country elements. Shea, a skilled vocalist and formidable guitarist, has released 6 widely-praised albums and has worked with many famous musicians including Roots Rock kingpin Dave Alvin and Rock legends, R.E.M. His new album “Sweet Bernardine” is a folk troubadour’s dream collection of personal stories of California and the Southwest. Rick has performed to enthusiastic Eclectic Fest audiences the last 2 years.

The free concert is able to be presented because of the partnership between the South Pasadena Public Library, the Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library, the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, Levitt Pavilion, The City of South Pasadena, The Rotary Club of South Pasadena, and the Woman’s Club of South Pasadena, Special thanks to Bob McClain/ S&B Sound, South Pasadena Mercantile, South Pasadena Unified School District, and Videotheque. Parking will be available in the School District Office at 1020 El Centro Street—the entrance driveway is on Fairview Avenue, just north of El Centro.

The Library Community Room is located at 1115 El Centro Street.  Doors will open at 2:30 pm. No tickets or reservations are necessary, but seating is very limited. Audience members are advised to arrive early as seats could become very hard to come by. Refreshments will be provided and CDs will be for purchase at a signing table. For more information on the Eclectic Music Festival, please refer to www.eclecticmusicfestival.com