We've got mostly higher-profile performers through the end of 2024, but first there's a homestyle double-bill of less-well-known just-plain-good... The Fairlanes from up north a ways, and The Fretbenders from over east a ways — from just far enough aways that neither of them play these parts hardly ever.
The Fretbenders are Bob and Diane Kordas, with a toe-tapping sound based in blues, roots, americana, and a dash of folk, country, and rock... where a down-home barbecue meets a speakeasy. Diane and Bob have played in New England swing, bluegrass, and roots bands through the years, honing their fun stage presence and inclusive style.
"Taking you simultaneously to a veranda in Sicily and a back porch in Louisiana." — The A & R Factory
The Fairlanes play original, heartfelt music with tuneful melodies and thoughtful lyrics about life, loss, and love that live somewhere between folk, rock, and americana. They perform as anything from a duo to an octet, and for this show there will be about half a dozen of them.
The Fairlanes and The Fretbenders co-headline Stage 33 Live on Sunday, March 10, in a 3:00 matinee.
or at the door. Advance tickets guarantee entry. All ticket proceeds go to the performers. Limited seating; the event will be recorded and filmed.
How do we reconcile the upcoming string of higher-profile shows with our mission of platforming local and regional emerging artists? It's just the way it worked out. The biggest obstacle emerging performers face are the gatekeepers... so to level the playing field, we book first-come first-served from a wait list. Everybody jumps through the same agonizing hoops. Everybody. That act from Bellows Falls and that guy from Florida both had to wait their turn. Booking without curation is crazy... if we were driven by the bottom line, we'd have to rethink that. But we’re not trying to be the biggest / hottest / most-epic / all-caps with multiple-exclamation-marks-and-emojis / extra-thumpy / party scene… we’re for people who thrive on discovery, appreciate originality, and revel in the focused immersion of connecting deeply with performances in an intimate setting. We're the middle path between the high quality of a classy performance center without the swank, and the relaxed comfort of a welcoming little dive pub without the bar.
Some people are happier in a loud sparkly club scene with a cover band or a DJ, or at a festival with hordes of people, or where performances are stuff to talk over while eating dinner or having umbrella drinks. That’s OK, it just ain’t us.We're still mystified why performers who are by any objective measure bigger than us want to come play here. We're upfront with them about how nuts they are and the limitations we face. and we double-check make sure they really understand that before we'll add them to the list. We lose a few, though surprisingly few, by being brutally frank — it's better that way. The performers self-select, just like the audience does... the people on the floor and the people on the stage are both there because they want to be there. For each other. It’s a beautiful symbiosis. Some folks get it, some don't.
(The cost / benefit of a popcorn machine just doesn't work. Sometimes we make a smart business decision.)
