Friends from Maine at Linden Tree

FRIENDS FROM MAINE at The Linden Tree Coffeehouse. May 7th

Harvey Reid with the Late Bloomers opening.

One of the true treasures of American Acoustic Music, Harvey Reid, will return to the Linden Tree Coffeehouse on Saturday, May 7th at 8pm along with The Late Bloomers. This concert will close out the Linden Tree’s 31st season of shows with the encore performances from our friends from Maine.

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Harvey Reid is most widely known for his peerless acoustic fingerstyle guitar work, but is also a former bluegrass picker, a versatile and engaging singer, a powerful lyricist, a solid mandolin and bouzouki player, and a seasoned performer and entertainer. His 6-string banjo work is unmatched, and he is certainly among the best autoharp players ever.

Reid has honed his craft over the last 40 years in countless clubs, festivals, street corners, cafes, coffeehouses and concert halls across the nation, and absorbed a vast repertoire of American music and woven it into his own colorful, personal and distinctive style. He has released 25 highly-acclaimed independent albums on Woodpecker Records that showcase his mastery of many instruments and styles of acoustic music, from hip-folk to country, slashing slide guitar blues to bluegrass, old-time, Celtic, ragtime and even classical.

Reid’s skills and versatility on the guitar alone mark him as an important voice in acoustic music. He won the 1981 National Fingerpicking Guitar Competition and the 1982 International Autoharp Contest He recorded the first album ever of 6 & 12-string banjo music, and his 1990 album Steel Drivin' Man was chosen by Acoustic Guitar Magazine as one of 10 Essential Folk CD’s of all time, along with Woody Guthrie and other hallowed names.

Reid has never ventured into the mainstream, and has operated “below the radar” of the music business, but his reputation as a musician’s musician is widespread. Radio DJ’s and critics nationwide are discovering his remarkable recordings, and they regularly show up on radio playlists and end-of-the year favorites lists. Music fans coast-to-coast flock to catch his exciting performances.

You’ll find elements of the traditional troubadour, the modern poet-songwriter, the American back-porch picker, the classical virtuoso, and a bit of Will Rogers style dry humor and satire. Reid has a vast repertoire of traditional and contemporary songs, and weaves them seamlessly together with his own compositions and wry humor.Don't miss a chance to hear Harvey Reid in concert

Linden Tree Coffeehouse fans welcome back The Late Bloomers to open the evening’s show. Brett Kinney and Randy Browning play a fun, original mix of new and traditional folk, blues, jazz, and ragtime. Their musicianship is excellent with impressive picking, intelligent, insightful, and humorous lyrics. In recent years they were honored with the Kerrville “New Folk” award and voted among the top 5 audience favorites as emerging artists at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. As musicians they have a simple goal: to continue to grow in new and interesting ways to please themselves and their audiences.

Thanks to support in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Wakefield Chapter, tickets will be $20, students under 13 $10. Doors will open at 7:30. Home made baked goods and beverages will be sold prior to the show and during intermission.

The Linden Tree Coffeehouse is located at the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 326 Main Street, Wakefield. For more information about the show or to reserve tickets, call 781-246-2836 or visit www.lindentreecoffeehouse.org.