The Winchester Music Hall

Diana Chittester

"She plays like Ani [DiFranco] and sings like Alanis [Morissette]."
- Exciting City Magazine.

Imitating a four-piece band with just a single acoustic guitar, Diana Chittester's percussive attack can incorporate funky bass lines while pounding out explosive rhythms. Diana accents every emotion of her intimate lyrics with a voice that showcases her unique, soulful folk/rock sound.

Cleveland based singer and songwriter Diana Chittester's talent and enthusiasm has allowed her to share the bill with headliners as diverse as Catie Curtis, Jennifer Batten, Melissa Ferrick, and Katie Todd.

Diana has headlined her own shows at the Cleveland House of Blues Cambridge Room, and The Winchester Music Hall. She is also gaining regional attention by playing festivals, fundraisers and venues throughout the East Coast. www.dianachittester.com

Glen Phillips

Glen Phillips started his first band, Toad The Wet Sprocket, in Santa Barbara at age 15. He served as the frontman and main songwriter in the band. It was Toad's third album - the jangling, orchestral Fear - that truly broke the group, garnering heavy radio play with the singles "All I Want" and "Walk on the Ocean."

After three years away from the recording studio, Toad returned to the mainstream with Dulcinea, which again found one of its singles, "Fall Down," in heavy radio rotation. After six albums and a substantial string of hits, the group disbanded in 1998.

Phillips began touring as a solo act after Toad the Wet Sprocket's demise, and has since released 5 solo records and two EPs.

He has also collaborated on other projects: (Mutual Admiration Society and Works Progress Administration (WPA) w/ Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek and Luke Bulla from Lyle Lovett’s Large Band), released an EP with Plover (with Neilson Hubbard and Garrison Starr) and an album as RemoteTreeChildren (with Portland's John Askew).

In 2006, Glen toured North America with a reunited Toad the Wet Sprocket. Toad has toured off and on since that time, and in 2011 played 70 shows and decided to begin writing for a new album, to be released late in 2012.  www.glenphillips.com

This show will feature Glen Phillips performing in a solo acoustic format. Electroacoustic folk singer / songwriter
Robert Lloyd Peeples opens the show.

Tickets are $20.00. Showtime is 9pm.

Megan Zurkey

Cleveland based pop-rock, country singer and songwriter Megan Zurkey is not afraid to be chic while staying classy. She was recently featured on Cleveland's The Voice competition and named as one of Cleveland Magazine's 2011 Sexy Singles. www.meganzurkey.com

Megan will be performing in the tavern as a duo with
guitarist Patrick Scanlon.

Admission is free. Showtime is 9pm.

Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers

On Gift Horse, their second album for Vanguard and fifth studio effort overall, Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers bring the rich legacy of American rock & roll into the present tense. This is thrilling music, muscular, immediate and life-embracing, steeped in tradition but addressing the present moment boldly and eloquently.

The band features Stephen Kellogg at the helm and  Kit “Goose” Karlson on keys, bass, vocals, Brian “Boots” Factor on drums, vocals, and Sam “Steamer” Getz on guitars, vocals.

By and large, the songs of Gift Horse are real-life narratives, most of them directly relating to personal experiences. “1993,” recounts Kellogg’s relationship with the childhood sweetheart who became his wife; the highway anthem “Who We Are, Who We’ll Become” is based on a piece of grandfatherly wisdom; “Watch You Grow” poignantly expresses a father’s love; “Song for Lovers” considers mortality in the context of a lifelong relationship; and “We Belong Here” is the album’s string-laden thematic centerpiece.

Gift Horse stands as an unambiguous statement of belonging and persevering during these times - the record is as straightforward, and as resonant, as that. 

There’s nothing hidden or tentative about Kellogg’s music or the values he stands for. If you’ve been itching to crank up some bracing, timeless rock & roll that speaks to these values loudly and proudly, then Gift Horse is exactly what you’ve been waiting for. www.sk6ers.com

Chris Koza opens the show.
Tickets are $20.00. Showtime is 8pm.

The John Mullins Band

The John Mullins Band blends elements of rock, blues, folk, bluegrass, jazz, and psychedelia. The band has been a driving force in the Ohio music scene for over 8 years. Formed by John Mullins in 1996 following his departure from Ekoostik Hookah, the band has built up a strong word-of-mouth following by touring the Midwest for several years in various incarnations.

The music of this Columbus, Ohio based band reflects the diverse influences of its members. Although typically classified as a jam-band, the group often plays taught, concise arrangements in addition to their lengthier, more improvisational compositions.

The John Mullins Band has performed many memorable concerts including repeat performances at the Newport Music Hall and Nelson Ledges Quarry Park, and supporting such bands as Rusted Root, Leftover Salmon, and Dark Star Orchestra. www.mullinsband.com

Tickets are $12.00. Showtime is 9pm.

Phil Keaggy

Phil Keaggy is perhaps one of the most admired guitarists in music  today. 

Phil Keaggy's fans range from those who aspire just to be able to play his mistakes, to professional musicians who have been strongly influenced by his style.  And in-between are those who don't play guitar, yet find solace in his beautifully penned lyrics and memorable melodies.

One of the most sought after studio guitarists, Phil also continues to sell out concerts all over the United States, with his ever changing style, ranging from rock-and-roll to fully orchestrated instrumental compositions.

It wasn't until 1970, when Phil's band Glass Harp (with childhood friend John Sferra on drums, and Dan Pecchio on bass) recorded their self-titled first album that people really began to take notice of this incredibly gifted guitar player.

By 1972, Phil saw his life going in a different direction, and made the tough decision to leave Glass Harp and pursue a solo career.  His first solo album,  "What A Day," was recorded in just a week's time during January 1973.

These days, Phil Keaggy continues to delight audiences all over the US performing primarily acoustic shows.  He is aware that God gave him a calling to deliver the Gospel through his music, and for over 30 years, Phil Keaggy has been grateful to do just that, and will hopefully continue to do so for many years to come.  www.philkeaggy.com

Tickets are $25.00. Showtime is 9pm.

Shawn Mullins

Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins is currently touring behind his eleventh studio release, Light You Up. Produced by Mullins and drummer Gerry Hansen, Light You Up marks a newfound level of musical and lyrical expression for the veteran artist.

Shawn Mullins has undergone a series of transformative experiences leading to this captivating new song cycle. His experiences included delving into the collaborative creative process by intensive co-writing, and in one instance putting him atop of the country charts via a key contribution to the Zac Brown Band’s “Toes,” marking his fourth #1 single (and first purely as a co-writer), following 1999’s “Lullaby” and the 2006 Americana chart-topper “Beautiful Wreck.”

Further co-writing yielded nine of the 11 songs on Light You Up, which Shawn Mullins believes represents the strongest, most expressive writing of his distinguished career. www.shawnmullins.com

Tickets are $20.00. Showtime is 9pm.

Marbin

“[Marbin members] Markovitch and Rabin continue to blaze their own trail by creating a powerful merger of jazz, rock, ambient and world musical styles into a sound distinctly their own.”
- Chicago Jazz Net.

“An influence of Dave Gilmour and Al DiMeola can be heard within the guitar which are tough acts to duplicate in any kind of a way. On Saxophone the sounds of Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, and John Coltrane can be heard within the wonderful melodic runs. Together these two fantastic musicians make up the sweet group called Marbin.”
- Chicago Live Music Examiner.

The jazz / rock band Marbin first started in 2007 as an improvised music duo consisting of Israeli-American, Berklee College of Music graduate, guitarist Dani Rabin and Israeli saxophonist Danny Markovitch.

Since 2008, Marbin has been living in Chicago and performing all over the United States, playing over 250 shows a year with the accompaniment of drummer Justyn Lawrence and bassist Ian Stewart.

If you attended the recent Allan Holdsworth Trio show at The Winchester that also consisted of Yellow Jackets’ bassist Jimmy Haslip, and drummer Virgil Donati, then you saw Marbin open the show!

Cuda Renko & Cuda opens the show.
Tickets are $10.00. Showtime is 9pm.

Joanne Shaw Taylor

"I heard something I thought I would never hear, a British White Girl playing blues guitar so deep and passionately it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end!"
- Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics.

"She plays with more attitude and flare than most. Massive potential here. Inspiring."
- Guitarist Magazine.

British singer and blues guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor was 16 years old when she was discovered by Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics. Stewart was so impressed with Taylor's guitar playing that he invited the youngster to join his supergroup, D.U.P. (Da Univerzal Playaz) on a European tour in 2002.

Playing the hard stuff à la SRV, making you feel the bite of her Telecaster like Albert Collins or working out charming little riffs from the Jimi Hendrix book, Joanne is always seeking (and finding) new terrain. Vocally, she has a strong, husky style, sort of understated, and somewhat reminiscent of Joss Stone with its soulfulness at times. 

Tickets are $15.00. Showtime is 9pm.