Songs Linda Taught Us: Tribute to Linda Ronstadt

On Friday, May 15th, the me & thee presents Songs Linda Taught Us, a concert celebrating the songs made famous by the legendary Linda Ronstadt, which include music originally written by Little Feat, the Rolling Stones, Warren Zevon, Neil Young, and many more. For the Sake of the Song is a Boston-based concert series that brings together local musicians to perform their own material and to pay tribute to the artists who have inspired them. This performance will feature the powerhouse line-up of Susan Cattaneo, Amy Fairchild, Carla Ryder, and Jenee Halstead, who will be singing Linda’s songs as well as their own. Backing up these four singer/songwriters will be Commanchero, Boston’s Americana jam band. 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.

Susan Cattaneo has been a songwriting professor at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music for 13 years. She’s written songs covered by numerous artists in Nashville, and her tunes helped launch the careers of Jillian Cardanelli and Erica Nicole. Cattaneo, the singer-songwriter, has released four albums: Brave and Wild(2009), Heaven to Heartache (2011), Little Blue Sky (2012), and Haunted Heart (2014), to wide acclaim. In Cattaneo’s music, you’ll hear a blend of country, rock and soul with sparkles of blues and folk – music that would slide into the comfort zone for fans of Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter or Sheryl Crow.

Amy Fairchild “combines the literate intimacy of a new-folk singer-songwriter, the unerring pop-rock instincts of a Sheryl Crow and the moves of a rock goddess,” Seth Rogovoy of The Berkshire Eagle raves. After winning the Lilith Fair Talent Competition and a top Kerrville Folk Festival prize, Fairchild truly came into her own when she teamed up with songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Adam Steinberg and releasedMr Heart in 2002. Songs from this record went on to receive high honors in multiple songwriting contests, including first place in several categories in The John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Maxell Song of the Year (“Falling Down”), and Billboard WorldSong Competition. Now living in Boston, with 12 years between records, she has released her third album, the eponymous, Amy Fairchild once again produced by Steinberg, with guest appearances by Jim Weider on guitar (The Band) and Jon Graboff on pedal steel (The Cardinals, Ron Sexsmith, Norah Jones). According to Mike Greenblatt from Goldmine, “If this stone cold roots-pop beauty doesn’t catch on, it’s everyone else’s fault, not hers.”

Carla Ryder has been described as sounding like: A little ‘British Invasion’, a touch of garage crooner, lots of pop, folk and hook, with a bit of front porch thrown in for good measure. A wife, mother, yogi, and inner-city public school teacher, Ryder still manages to maintain her role as accomplished front-woman, singer, and songwriter with a total of 6 albums under her belt and a loyal following from New England to the Pacific Northwest. With accolades that include honorable mention in the 2005 Billboard Songwriting Contest, semi-finalist in the 2005 International Songwriting Competition, and finalist in the Americana Category of the 2004 International Songwriting Competition, she has had the honor of opening for performers such as Neil Young, Beck, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Jonatha Brooke, 10,000 Maniacs, Antigone Rising, Cake, Ben Folds 5, Guster, The Push Stars, Janis Ian, and Bill Staines

A modern American singer/songwriter in the truest sense of the genre, Jenee Halstead grew up in the high desert of Spokane, Washington, the daughter of hippie parents who let her find her own direction. She spent her childhood exploring her mother’s garden and singing along to records with her Dad. In middle school, she transformed into the rarest of birds; an athletic choir geek who sang medieval choral works, but loved Led Zeppelin and Dolly Parton. Since then, she has blossomed into a singer/songwriter reminiscent of Patty Griffin and Shawn Colvin in both writing style and delivery, but with a powerful voice entirely her own. Her most recent album, Raised By Wolves, reclaims the careless freedom of her childhood with a sense of wonder that is unique and fiercely engaging.

Tickets for the Songs Linda Taught Us: Tribute to Linda Ronstadt 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 atwww.meandthee.org.