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We're returning to the place where Music on Main Street began for an afternoon show in conjunction with the Art Train Event in Woodbridge, Avenel and Rahway and the Street Fair happening on Main Street this same day.Abbie Gardner
is a fiery dobro player with an infectious smile. Whether performing solo or with Americana darlings Red Molly, her tales of love and loss, both gritty and sweet, are propelled by her impeccable slide guitar chops. Her 2022 CD "DobroSinger." made it to #11 on the Billboard Blues Charts and #2 on the Folk DJ Charts, receiving rave reviews in Bluegrass Unlimited, Acoustic Guitar Magazine and American Songwriter. It’s a raw intimate recording full of blues, ballads and the ache of the unknown.
It’s quite a contrast to her previous CD, which featured a co-write with Chris Stapleton and leaned on full band production.
Vance Gilbert:
If Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens had a love child, with Rodney Dangerfield as the midwife, the results might be something close to the great Vance Gilbert", says Richmond Magazine.
Vance's newest album, "The Mother Of Trouble”, features Grammy winner Lori McKenna on background vocals, Juno award recipient and Bonnie Raitt Grammy hit song co-writer Joey Landreth on guitars, and Americana-Roots master mandolinist Joe K. Walsh.
Vance was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. Starting out hoping to be an R&B and jazz singer once at college, there he discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of the acoustic singer-songwriter thing. Word spread like wildfire about Gilbert's stage-owning singing and playing, and Shawn Colvin invited him to be special guest on her 1992 Fat City tour where he took much of America by storm and by surprise. “With the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god..” wrote the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Gilbert has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious gatherings and halls, among them the Newport, Winnipeg, Rocky Mountain, Calgary and Falcon Ridge Folk festivals as well as Australia’s Woodford Folk and Mullum Music Festivals, Mountain Stage, Boston's Symphony Hall, Nashville’s Lyman Auditorium, The Barns at Wolftrap to name a few
Heather Maloney:
With over 1,000 international shows and 8 previous studio albums under her belt, she just released her 9th and most personal record to date, “Exploding Star” (out January 31, 2025). Written in the wake of her father’s death, “Exploding Star” is a collection of 12 songs that Maloney originally had no intentions of recording or releasing until some of her closest friends and family convinced her otherwise.
On Heather’s 2019 album, Soil In The Sky, her “ability to channel emotion is radical” (PopMatters) and the tracks are stacked with special guests including a duet with Dawes front-man Taylor Goldsmith on the Walt Whitman-inspired love song “We Were Together”, an appearance by Rachael Price on the album’s opening track “Enigma” among others.
The Bluegrass Situation called her 2015 release, Making Me Break (produced by Band of Horses’ Bill Reynolds) “an intoxicating blend that captures the sonic texture of indie rock, the humanity of folk and the spirituality of a Rumi poem.”
In 2014 she released “Woodstock”, her collaborative effort with Boston quartet Darlingside, which drew praise from the New York Times and Graham Nash.
Heather’s songs have played on NPR stations across the country and her live appearances have aired on syndicated programming like eTown and AudioTree. Her song “Nightstand Drawer” was featured in the season finale of the CBS TV series "Elementary".
“Utterly gorgeous – visceral.” – Val Haller, New York Times
“Her not-so-secret weapon is that voice ”– Boston Globe
“Delicious... really excellent” – Graham Nash
Johnny Kasun
is a guitarist, musician, songwriter, and music producer originally from Leesburg, VA - now residing near Red Bank and Asbury Park, New Jersey. He writes and performs across multiple genres, from classical to rock.
As a musician, Johnny specializes in fingerstyle guitar and also performs traditional acoustic guitar + vocals, and plays guitar in the So Shot Band, which performs regularly across Jersey shore venues
He recently wowed us with his tribute to Jim Croce at Avenel PAC and is returning this time as a solo acoustic act doing original material and some covers
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Event Venue
Woodbridge United Methodist Church, 71 Main St, Woodbridge, NJ 07095-2811, United States
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
