FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 1, 2002
CONTACT: Leland Stein
Regent Theatre, 781-643-4488

James O’Brien
Club Passim, 617-492-5300

CLUB PASSIM & THE REGENT THEATRE PRESENT NEWPORT THEN & NOW
MONDAY, JULY 29 (7PM) AT ARLINGTON'S REGENT THEATRE
Live Performances To Complement Rare Film Screening


The debut collaboration between the celebrated Harvard Square cultural venue, Club Passim, and Arlington's newly revitalized Regent Theatre, Newport Then & Now will bring together a rare screening of the groundbreaking, academy award-nominated documentary Festival! (Newport Folk 1963-66), with live performances from three rising stars of the contemporary acoustic world: Deb Talan, Rachael Davis, and The Resophonics. "Back in the '60s, no single venue contributed as much to Newport in terms of performers, board members, fieldworkers, producers, volunteers, and audiences as did Club 47 in Cambridge," said Betsy Siggins, former Club 47 staffer and current executive director of Club Passim, successor to Club 47. "And now we're doing it again with a younger generation of performers, who are building on the older traditions." The one night only event, set for Monday, July 29 at 7pm, will be a sneak preview to Passim's Roots Stage at the Apple & Eve Newport Folk Festival (August 3 & 4).

Deb Talan represents a new voice and new direction in shimmering, lyrical songwriting. A poets’ songwriter, she shows deep connections to Revival-era predecessors, revealing the state-of-the-moment path toward a baroque, post-Lilith Fair female voice in the lineage of Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, and Tori Amos. She grew up in Western Massachusetts where she was raised on classical music and jazz, began composing on piano at age nine, and started writing her own pop songs after flipping for the Beatles at 14. She picked up a guitar her senior year in college and headed west. In 1999, after six years of fronting and writing for Portland, Oregon-based band, Hummingfish, Deb returned east to pursue a solo career. One year later she began playing Boston clubs and released her CD, Something Burning, which received Acoustic Guitar Magazine's “Homegrown CD Award” in January 2001. Deb's music, while akin to that of Shawn Colvin, Jonatha Brooke and Suzanne Vega, exhibits a distinctive voice and vocative, well-crafted songs.

Most recently earning the 2001 Boston Music Award for "Best New Singer-Songwriter", Rachael Davis has spent most of her life involved with music in one way or another--whether as the lead in three of her high school's musicals, singing with her family-based group Lake Effect, or attending Northern Michigan's prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy. Born in Lansing, Michigan, with moves to Chicago and Cadillac, Michigan, Rachael now lives in Boston. In the span of her 21 years, Rachael has shared the stage with an impressive list of singer/songwriters including Vance Gilbert, folk divas Claudia Schmidt and Sally Rogers, Prairie Home Companion regulars Robin and Linda Williams, jazz legends Marcus Belgrave and Winston Walls. Her influences range from the jazz stylings of Ella Fitzgerald to the soulful pop vocals of Patty Griffin--with many more in between. In April 2001, she released her debut CD, Minor League Deities, a collection of original songs featuring performances by many of the people whose musical and personal paths she has crossed throughout her life.

The brightest and hardest edge of Boston's roots bands, Sean Staples' Resophonics take no prisoners. Often starting with a growl and a jump, The Resophonics fuse old-time mountain rumbling with deep-cellar punk rock energy. Staples is one of the vertebrae in the band’s backbone. Fronting and contributing to the roots community in Boston via handfuls of bands (including the underground legendary Vinyl Ave String Band), Staples reiterates through The Resophonics what he's always done best—injecting raw, beautiful energy into structures passed down for generations.

The (New York) Daily News called Festival! a “…gorgeously photographed documentary… [that] vividly captures the moment when music starts to become a movement”. Originally released in 1967 (and rarely shown since), it received honors at major international film festivals including Venice, Mannheim, San Francisco, and Mar del Plata. Lerner’s film features a treasure-trove of folk/acoustic luminaries including Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Son House, Johnny Cash, Donovan, Judy Collins, Odetta, Mississippi John Hurt, and Peter, Paul & Mary. One of Festival!'s highlights is Bob Dylan's remarkable metamorphosis from acoustic folk hero to leather-clad electric rocker, providing a fascinating and timely glimpse of the youthful Dylan who—at age 61—is making a historic return to this year's Newport Folk Festival in August.

Club Passim, a nonprofit music center, is dedicated to the cultivation and preservation of folk music. The Club serves as a local and national resource for the teaching, performing, and celebrating of the art and folk music traditions of countries worldwide. Through its diverse programming; a performance venue, school of music, historical archive, and multi-cultural children's programs, Club Passim reaches out to people of all ages, backgrounds, and communities. For more than 40 years, Club Passim has been a vital cornerstone in the arts community of New England, fostering both performers and audiences alike.

The historic Regent Theatre, Arlington's Show Place of Entertainment, will soon be announcing its fall season of events including music and dance performances, special film screenings, family variety shows, and more.

Celebrated Harvard Square cultural venue, Club Passim, and Arlington's newly revitalized Regent Theatre present Newport Then & Now on Monday, July 29 at 7pm. The one-of-a-kind evening will bring together a rare screening of the groundbreaking, academy award-nominated documentary Festival! with live performances from three rising stars of the contemporary acoustic world: Deb Talan, Rachael Davis, and The Resophonics. The Regent Theatre is located a few short miles from Boston and Cambridge at 7 Medford Street in Arlington Center. Free Parking. Wheelchair accessible. Tickets are $12 / $10 in advance. For tickets and information call (781) 646 4TIX (4849) or visit http://www.clubpassim.org/ or http://www.regenttheatre.com/home.html.