Sean Rowe makes his me and thee debut

Press release by Linda Werbner

On Friday, October 23, the me & thee rolls out the red carpet for traveling troubadour Sean Rowe whose soulful baritone has been all over the radio lately as he tours lucky living rooms, coffeehouses and concert halls in support of his latest Her Songs, a collection of tunes written by female artists. A performer who strives to connect with listeners, The Wall Street Journal compared Rowe to “the ecstatic intensity of late-‘60s Van Morrison and the stark subtlety of late-era Johnny Cash.” This is an artist whose star is on the rise. See him in this intimate and warm setting. With her lilting voice and delicate finger-picked guitar, opener Allysen Callery has drawn raves from the Washington Post and NPR for her stellar performances at last year’s SXSW festival. Callery’s music creates a timeless, spectral aura, recalling the folk revival that swept through the UK in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Perfect music for the week before Halloween, when the veil is thinnest. Doors open at 7:30 PM for this 8:00 PM show. The me & thee coffeehouse is located at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead at 28 Mugford Street.

When 17-year-old Sean Rowe was a fledgling songwriter in Troy, New York, he discovered Otis Redding’s vocal tour-de-force “Open the Door” which inspired him to sing. Listening to Rowe’s limber voice it’s easy to hear traces of the great Redding but Rowe is more than just another blue-eyed soul singer. After honing his songcraft in open mics, bars and cafes, Rowe joined forces with percussionist Marco Halber as the duo Mudfunk which produced a live album. Rowe released his first solo album Magic in 2009 and after that things really took off. Rowe was invited to open for indie rock darlings Noah and the Whale in the UK and signed with ANTI-Records, which released Rowe’s second disc The Salesman and the Shark in 2012. Rowe performed the jangly, psychedelic-flavored single “Downwind” on Jimmy Kimmel Live in the same year.

Unlike previous, more produced discs, every cut on Her Songs was recorded in a single take with just Rowe on guitar and a touch of harmonica. Rowe’s stripped-down acoustic takes of songs by Sade, Cat Power, Neko Case, Regina Spektor, Feist and Lucinda Williams are drawing rave reviews. As Elmore Magazine wrote, “The best covers can re-frame a beloved song in a new light, and Rowe’s effortless masculinity lends a new tinge of remorse to the ballad.” Lucinda Williams herself said that Rowe’s rendition of the powerful and moving Soldier’s Song is “the best cover of any of my songs that anyone has ever done. I am completely moved.” Another notch in Sean’s growing resume occurred in late September when he opened for the legendary Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY.

The road can be a lonely place for a musician, but not Rowe, who often travels with his wife Christina and their children. Their blog, This Is Our Life, is playful, personal and unfiltered chronicle of “our messy, strange, nomadic lifestyle.” A common thread throughout the blog is Rowe’s desire to connect with nature, with his audience, with the world. It’s impossible to mention Sean Rowe without talking about nature. Rowe is an avid naturalist who completed a 24-day solo survival trek, foraging for wild food and sleeping in a shelter crafted from leaves and twigs. When he isn’t on the road or recording, Rowe leads wilderness survival workshops and wild edible plant foraging tours. “My love affair with nature reaches far into my music, my personal life, and my spirituality.”

Hushed, haunting, hypnotic, ethereal, otherworldly. These are some of the adjectives that capture the experience of listening to Allysen Callery, a self-taught folk artist from nearby Rhode Island. Although her roots are in the tiniest state just south of Massachusetts, Callery sounds like the long lost sister of Sandy Denny and other bewitching nightingales of the British Folk Revival. While her spellbinding performances and masterful and understated finger-picked guitar have cultivated a loyal fan base from Boston to Austin, Callery is revered in Europe, in particular Germany, Switzerland and the UK, where she frequently tours. In 2016, Callery’s sixth full-length album The Song The Songbird Sings will be released on the German label JellyFant. Reviewing Callery’s 2013 disc Mumblin’ Sue, Rolling Stone said it best: “If flickering candlelight has a musical dimension, so it might sound.”

Tickets for the performance by Sean Rowe with Allysen Callery opening are $18 in advance and $21 at the door. Student tickets are $10. 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 atwww.meandthee.org.