EC-CHAP Acoustic Artist Series: Bastards of Fine Arts (Indie/Folk/Rock)
Tickets $20.00 in Advance (ONLINE) / $25.00 at the Door
EC-CHAP MEMBER DISCOUNTS & FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAM AVAILABLE
NOTE: I had the opportunity to meet Steve Mayone, founding member of the Bastards of Fine Arts twice - when he accompanied Kate Taylor at The Packing House pre and post pandemic. Our most recent encounter led to his return with his acoustic duo including Matt Keating, the other original “Bastard”. It is with great pleasure that we present Steve and Matt as the Bastards of Fine Arts! Join us for these incredibly talented musicians as they fill our intimate listening room with their original acoustic works!
BASTARDS OF FINE ARTS are a new band with old roots: MATT KEATING and STEVE MAYONE are songwriting veterans, singularly releasing multiple albums and garnering rave reviews from around the world. Both began their careers in the 1990’s with bands and as solo artists, sharing the studio and stage with Levon Helm, David Bowie and Larry Campbell. NPR says of Keating "In a career spanning 20 years, Keating has established himself as one of America's great under the radar songwriters. His work is rife with clever incisive tunefulness." Of Mayone Americana UK says "The stark truth is Mayone is a master songsmith. He crafts and molds his stories eloquently and intelligently and there's not many that you can say that about".
Keating and Mayone joined forces in 2014 and began a productive songwriting collaboration. Joined by Jason Mercer on Bass (Ron Sexsmith, Ani DeFranco) and Greg Wieczorek on Drums (Norah Jones, Autumn Defense) they began playing gigs and creating a weekly music video series “New Song Forward Friday”. Their debut album A GOOD SIGN was released in 2022 to early rave reviews. Stereo Embers The Podcast calls it “… A joyous and jangly blast of hook-laden indie pop” while Dirty Rock proclaims A GOOD SIGN to be “one of the best albums of the year”.
“The band has filled out their sound with rhythm stalwarts bassist Jason Mercer (Ron Sexsmith, Oh Pep) and drummer Greg Wieczorek (Norah Jones, Autumn Defense). Fans of the Jayhawks, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and singer-songwriters in the vein of Lyle Lovett, Freedy Johnston, Lowell George and Michael Penn will find something to enjoy on A GOOD SIGN.” -ROCK CELLAR MAGAZINE
“Matt Keating and Steve Mayone met in New York in 2016, since then they haven't stopped playing together and call themselves Bastards of Fine Arts. The fruit of that friendship is a lush debut album called A GOOD SIGN. The result is a superb 14-song album of catchy American rock jam packed with fabulous melodies balancing power pop and upbeat folk with perfect arrangements to remote woods, perfect for casting an intimate campfire glow from New York. The band that accompanied Bastards of Fine Arts is bassist Jason Mercer (Ron Sexsmith, Oh Pep) and drummer Greg Wieczorek (Norah Jones, Autumn Defense) to make one of the best albums of the year.” - DIRTY ROCK
“… A joyous and jangly blast of hook-laden indie pop” - STEREO EMBERS THE PODCAST
Please join us for an evening of original acoustic music from these outstanding”Bastards”! A show not to miss! This program is hosted by the "Eastern Connecticut Center for History, Art, and Performance" (EC-CHAP). Doors 7:00pm / Show 7:30pm. Tickets $20.00 Advance (Online) / $25.00 Door.
Soft drinks and snacks available. We are pleased to offer our exclusive "BYOB&F" TM model - Bring Your Own Beverage & Food (Wine & Beer Only - I.D. Required). You can also bring your paid ticket to Willington Pizza House (or WP Too) for eat-in or take-out the night of the show and receive 15% off your meal purchase. Ask for "The Packing House" pizza! Click HERE for secret recipe.
For more information, please visit: www.thepackinghouse/upcoming or call 518-791-9474.