Original acoustic rootsy rock 'n' roll.
Songwriter extraordinaire James Velvet fronts the Lonesome Sparrows.
The band includes Johnny Memphis on guitar, fiddle and harmony vocals. Memphis and Velvet have been playing together since 1985. He's also a long-standing member of Washboard Slim and The Blue Lights.
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Velvet and Memphis are joined on dobro, mandolin and banjo by DickNeal, well-known in Southern CT for his bluegrass band, Hoe. Johnny Java plays electric bass and percussion. Johnny Java and James Velvet played original roots R&R in The MockingBirds for a dozen years (buttressed for many of those years by DickNeal's guitar playing). The Sparrows are happiest at Coffee House/Gallery concerts (Never Ending Bookstore, John Slade Ely House, The Buttonwood Tree) or, in the warm weather, at CT's many tasty Farm Markets. In April, 2010, the group released their 13-track CD Black Velvet Royalty.
The Coffee Bar will be open with a fine selection of delicious snacks and refreshments, including Willoughby's coffee. Admission as for all of Best Videos Performance Space events is free.
