Canada's finest songwriter comes to Marblehead

The me&thee coffeehouse welcomes James Keelaghan with special guests Barbara Kessler and Emilia Antonaides for its first show of 2015.“Armed with a songbook that has enlightened and enthralled, and been embraced by audiences around the world,” Keelaghan and me&thee coffeehouse invites you to come and share a night of great music and good vibrations.Doors open at 7:30 PM for this 8:00 PM show on Friday, January 16 at the me&thee coffeehouse, located at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead at 28 Mugford Street.

Called Canada’s finest singer-songwriter by one of the most respected and lauded music journalists of the last 50 years, James Keelaghan is an artist who has proven to be a man for all seasons. As the calendar pages have turned, for almost a quarter of a century now, this poet laureate of the folk and roots music world has gone about his work with a combination of passion, intent and intensity, and curiosity. “I’ve always had the urge to write. Some things weren’t being said in the way I wanted to say them. Then there are the different sides of what I write about. The narrative writing, the historical material, as well as the personal, where you have to take responsibility for what you are saying,” says James Keelaghan about his writing.

One of Keelaghan´s peers David Francey (who has played at the me&thee) talked about James´ music and said: “James Keelaghan has a voice in contemporary Canadian songwriting that has helped us define who we are as a people. He writes with great humanity and honesty, with an eye to the past and a vision of the future. He has chronicled his times with powerful and abiding songs, with heart and eyes wide open.”

Opening act Barbara Kessler entered the professional music scene several years after graduating from Cornell University, quickly moving from opening act to the main stage. Her debut CD Stranger to This Land won a Boston Music Award for best new folk/acoustic album. She has won awards from folk festivals including Kerrville, Telluride, and Rocky Mountain Folk, has received national airplay as well as been featured on Sirius/XM and Mountain Stage, and her songs continue to be placed on TV shows like NCIS, JAG, Passions, One Life to Live, The Young and The Restless, All My Children, Ed, Felicity, and MTV. “Dreaming My Way Home,” the end credit theme song she co-wrote and produced for the SONY PlayStation game, Rogue Galaxy has introduced Barbara to an international audience of all ages. On January 16th she will be gracing the stage with her daughter, Emilia Antonaides, who is graduating high school in the spring and wants a last chance to perform side by side with her mom before taking off to college.

Tickets for the performance by James Keelaghan with Barbara Kessler and daughter Emilia Antonaides as the opening act are $18 in advance and $21 at the door. Tickets are available online at www.meandthee.org and can be purchased in person at the Spirit of ’76 Bookstore or the Arnould Gallery in Marblehead. The Landing Restaurant at 81 Front Street, Marblehead offers a 10% discount on dinner if you show your ticket or receipt. Enjoy a meal before the show! As at all me & thee coffeehouse events, refreshments are available, including homemade pastries, coffee, and teas. The me & thee has a handicapped-accessible entrance and an accessible bathroom, is a smoke-free environment, and is easily reached by MBTA bus.

The me & thee is one of the oldest continually running acoustic coffeehouses in New England, and probably the country. It has been and will always be a volunteer, non-profit organization sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead. For information and directions, call 781-631-8987 or check the website at www.meandthee.org.