This Friday evening, November 5, the Mauch Chunk Opera House hosts Imagined: The John Lennon Song Project, a beautifully re-imagined musical tribute that celebrates the genius and artistry of John Lennon, inspired in part by Sir George Martin and Cirque du Soleil’s masterful album and performance piece, Love.
Focusing primarily on John’s Beatles catalogue, the show highlights a 7-member band comprised of accomplished studio and touring musicians featuring acoustic and electric guitars, bass, cello, violin, mandolin, mandola, chromatic harmonica and percussion, and of course, beautiful vocals.
In a labor of love, celebrated folk/rock artists Rex Fowler of Aztec Two-Step and Tom Dean of Devonsquare have teamed up with Tom’s former band mate Alana MacDonald and other prominent artists, to recreate and capture the spirit of Lennon’s legendary music. Gene Shay says, “With these intelligent heartfelt renditions, The John Lennon Song Project ranks right up there with the very best Lennon interpreters ever.”
This video glimpses the essence and spirit of this performance, a tribute in the sense that outstanding musicians interpret the soul of Lennon’s songwriting, but also re-interpreting it as part of a celebration of the legend’s music.
The Angel Band takes the stage the following evening, Saturday, November 6. We recently spoke with bandleader Nancy Josephson at an early-morning WXLV 90.3 interview in which she shed some light on AB’s current undertakings.
“Our new album Bless My Sole, just reinforces how much we love what we do,” she said, summing up in a few words the energy you feel from the stage at an AB concert. “And we think it’s our best effort yet. We feel we picked our best material to let you know what we’re about.”
What they’re about is powerful 3-part harmony, sung by a very experienced and dedicated trio of women, backed by a particularly strong band, and great songs. A mix of originals and standards, the album readily shows what the AB is capable of. We wondered if the writing part was scary.
“Your first doubt is that you can’t do it,” Josephson (married to guitarist David Bromberg) said, “But I realized quickly that I had a lot there creatively speaking that had been there for years, that was perfect for this band now. And it flowed!” So it’s no surprise that BMS covers a lot of creative territory.
“The Opera House is a particularly special place for us. When you look at our mix of instrumentation, the songs we sing and how we like to sing, for us it’s a great fit,” she says referring to the Opera House’s sonic features. Perhaps there’s a live album from the AB at some time in the offing, perhaps from the Opera House? “You never know, we might have to look at that” she says, “But that does seem to make sense.”
Call the box office at 570-325-0249 or select your seats and purchase tickets online by clicking here.
