(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Outpost in the Burbs presents “Online at the Outpost: Thursdays and Saturdays,” a virtual concert series. The series, to begin on April 30th, will be presented on both the artist’s and the Outpost’s Facebook pages. Each artist will perform a one-hour set beginning at 7:00pm.
The Outpost will present ten virtual concerts to offer listeners and viewers a live-streaming experience during the time when shows have had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition, the series is intended to offer support to artists whose livelihoods have been interrupted at this time. Each artist will include a link for donations via Venmo or Paypal during the live-stream. “Outpost in the Burbs is proud to present a variety of artists in our forthcoming virtual concert series and we hope that you will consider supporting them. Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you again soon,” said David Amlen, President of the Outpost’s Board of Trustees.
The schedule of shows includes: 4/30 The Restless Age; 5/2 Leslie Mendelson; 5/7 John Doe; 5/9 Richard Barone; 5/14 Red Molly; 5/16 Glen Burtnik; 5/21 Crys Matthews; 5/23 Andrew Combs; 5/28 Dawn Landes; and 5/30 Rainbow Girls.
Scroll down for information on the artists.
The Restless Age - The Restless Age is a collaboration - a harmony of Will Bryant, Lee Falco, and Brandon Morrison. Each player brings a unique song and voice to the bandstand, as the trio spans generations and genres.
The members of The Restless Age have been a premier rhythm section throughout New York’s Hudson Valley for the past half-decade. As the house band for Amy Helm's 'Oh to be Home Again' at Levon Helm Studios, they performed behind Donald Fagen, John Sebastian and Graham Nash, as well as being Kate Pierson's (The B-52's) touring band in support of her 2015 debut album 'Guitars & Microphones.’ Lee Falco, Brandon Morrison, and Will Bryant rose to national attention backing Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, as “The Nightflyers” on his last national tour.
Leslie Mendelson - “The best time to make a rock n’ roll record is when you’re broke and pissed off,” says Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Leslie Mendelson. “I deal with depression and anxiety, and I’ve never really sang about it before. So, I got into a room with my demons and we hit record.”
The resulting album, ‘If You Can't Say Anything Nice…,’ is viscerally themed, imaginatively arranged, and sonically dynamic. It overflows with a raw elegance—a cornerstone of Leslie’s best work as a songwriter and performer. The approach to recording the ten track collection was largely inspired by ‘John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.’ Along with that album’s emotionally sophistication and topical songwriting, Leslie gravitated towards its no-frills piano, guitar, bass and drums approach. Its influence is instantly felt on set opener, “Lay It All On Me,” a love song at its core that finds the narrator looking to absorb the burden of a lover overwhelmed by the stresses of a world gone mad. The dangers of pharmaceutical addiction pervade the intimately reflective ballad, “Medication,” while “Would You Give Up Your Gun?” removes the politics from the gun rights debate to pose a stark question based solely on one's humanity. On the haunting yet ultimately inspirational ballad, “I Need Something To Care About,” the narrator makes a plea to rise above numbing depression caused by over exposure to modern media in all of its varying forms. Conversely, the album’s title track, “If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…” is a blast of old school, downtown NYC attitude and garage rock swagger.
“We all want a purpose, and when we feel we have nothing to say, it’s scary, and you fight that by searching,” Leslie reveals. “When you share something this vulnerable you do get some comfort because you realize it resonates with others and that you’re not alone. People need art, they need music, they need songs. It's a healing service.”
Leslie Mendelson has released two prior albums, including her Grammy Award-nominated debut, ‘Swan Feathers’ and her more acoustic-based sophomore follow-up, ‘Love & Murder.’ In 2019, Leslie and her longtime writing partner Steve McEwan collaborated with Jackson Browne on the stirring composition, “A Human Touch” that was featured in the acclaimed documentary film, ‘5B,’ about the San Francisco General Hospital AIDS ward during the early '80s. Leslie and Jackson performed the song together at the Beacon Theatre in NYC in June 2019, while she joined him throughout his West Coast tour in August 2019. In addition, Leslie had the distinct honor of opening for The Who twice at Madison Square Garden in May and September 2019.
John Doe - John Doe has worked as a roofer, an aluminum siding mechanic, a manager of poetry readings, a musician, and an actor. With Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom, and DJ Bonebrake, he continues to tour with X, one of the last original punk rock bands standing, and as a solo artist. He has recorded ten solo records with numerous renowned singers and musicians and as an actor has appeared in over fifty films and television productions. X has just released a brand new album entitled “Alphabetland,” a recording which marks their first new album by the ensemble’s original members since 1985’s “Ain’t Love Grand.”os Angeles’ premier punk band.
Richard Barone - Richard Barone is an acclaimed recording artist, performer, producer, and author. Since pioneering the indie rock scene in Hoboken, NJ as frontman of The Bongos and then helping to launch the chamber pop movement with his solo debut “cool blue halo”, Barone has produced countless studio recordings and worked with artists in every musical genre. His list of collaborators includes Tony Visconti, Beach Boy Al Jardine, Sean Lennon, Dion, Donovan, Moby, the late Lou Reed, and folk legend Pete Seeger. He has scored shows and staged all-star concert events at such venues as Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and New York’s Central Park. His memoir Frontman: Surviving The Rock Star Myth was published by Hal Leonard Books. His latest album, “Sorrows & Promises”, is a celebration of the early 1960s music scene in Greenwich Village NYC, where Barone lives. He is affiliated with the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU and The New School of Jazz & Contemporary Music, serves on the Board of Governors of The Recording Academy (GRAMMYs), and on the Board of Advisors of Anthology Film Archives.
Red Molly - Red Molly combines the forces of three songwriters with unique character and style, creating a show that is larger than the sum of its parts. Known for their three-part harmony, their songs and arrangements lay bare a love of vocal blend. The band weaves together threads of American music—from country & blues to folk & bluegrass. Their innovative instrumentation is suited for roots-rock and heartfelt ballads alike, and the alchemy of their personalities onstage draws even back row listeners into a sense of intimacy. Red Molly is simply a joy to experience.
Singing spine-tingling high notes, Abbie Gardner is a dobro player and improviser from a musical family. A consummate performer, her songs and performance have the punch of rhythm and blues. Playing guitar and tambourine, Laurie MacAllister draws inspiration from classic folk and singer-songwriters. Her voice stretches octaves, warm and romantic one moment, playful and subversive the next. Molly Venter has a smoky voice that is unforgettable, and a moody approach to song-smithing. Quirky and fashion-forward, she moves in step to the music while playing guitar and tambourine.
Forming in 2004, Red Molly has inspired countless female trios and has since reinvented themselves as a high-octane five-piece band in 2017. They remain a dominant force on the Americana/Folk scene due in part to their laughter and spontaneity onstage. Upright bassist Craig Akin and percussionist and electric guitarist Eben Pariser fill out the sound, giving the show a broad range of musical options—from complex and hard-hitting to sparse and delicate.
Glen Burtnik - Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Glen Burtnik portrayed Paul McCartney alongside Marshall Crenshaw’s John Lennon in the production of Beatlemania in 1978. Burtnik would go on to release several solo albums, be a member of Styx and The Orchestra (members of Electric Light Orchestra) and be credited with the #1 hits “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” (co-written with Patty Smyth) and “Spirit Of A Boy, Wisdom Of A Man” (recorded by Randy Travis).
Most recently, Burtnik has been a member of The Weeklings, as “Lefty” Weekling. The Weeklings, a unique celebration of the music and muse of The Beatles have performed explosive renditions of Beatles classics, uniquely arranged Beatles nuggets as well as brilliant Beatles-inspired power-pop originals, like “Little Elvis” and "In the Moment", one of the Top Ten most popular songs in 2018 on Sirius/XM's Little Steven's Underground Garage and one of their newest featuring Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits fame on lead vocals: a remake of The Easybeats 1966 garage rock classic “Friday On My Mind”.
Crys Matthews - A southeastern North Carolina native who now calls Herndon, Virginia home, Matthews blends Americana, folk, jazz, blues, bluegrass and funk into a bold, complex performance steeped in traditional melodies and punctuated by honest, original lyrics. Having been compared to everyone from Toshi Reagon to Tracy Chapman to Ruthie Foster, Matthews’ eclectic infusion of genres has won her honorable mentions at the 2017, 2013 and 2014 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest and extensive radio play from Woman of Substance radio to WTJU-Charlottesville and WMRA-Harrisonburg to KBOO-Portland.
Andrew Combs - Like a character in a dreary West Coast short story by Raymond Carver, Nashville songwriter Andrew Combs moves through a hazy modern world, trying to find the meaning in life on his sophomore album, All These Dreams. “I sometimes find myself wondering what the hell I am doing with my life and what it all amounts to,” Combs says, explaining the album’s opening track, “Rainy Day Song,” which sets the narrative tone for the album.
“Although I don’t know the answer to this, I believe it lies in the path I take, not the actual destination,” says Combs. “I can’t say whether I’m looking for a god, or love, or art, or all of the above, all I know is I am wading through some murky water trying to find the answer.”
While the album may adhere to this darker internal script, its musical inspiration comes from vintage 1970s production: California-tinged AM Gold; the Laurel Canyon tones of Jackson Browne and The Eagles; and Paul Simon’s Muscle Shoals-laced R&B funk.
And with its sweeping string arrangements and sophisticated charm, the album evokes other earlier eras, like 1960s Hollywood or Roy Orbison-era Nashville Sound. Listeners may also hear the faint glimmer of male vocalists like Jim Reeves, Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb, perhaps even Frank Sinatra.
All of it amounts to a huge step forward for the Nashville-based singer-songwriter, who released his debut album, Worried Man, in 2012, which American Songwriter named one of the year’s best, while Southern Living praised Combs for being “well on his way to becoming a preeminent voice in his genre.” With straight-talking narrators and glimpses of poetic realism, All These Dreams at times might recall the gritty Southern literature of writers like Larry Brown and Barry Hannah, both of whom Combs cites as influences. Combs has been identified with a new crop of Nashville-based songwriters, who have also looked back to the ’70s for songwriting inspiration. Combs is featured in the upcoming documentary Heartworn Highways Revisited, alongside Nashville-based songwriters like John McCauley, Jonny Fritz and Robert Ellis — as well as one of his heroes, Guy Clark.
While he acknowledges his debt to fellow Texans like Clark, Mickey Newbury and Townes Van Zandt, Combs is also moving in a new direction, carving out his own singular path as an artist. The 28-year-old songwriter is also quick to point out that though there is a similar sense of camaraderie in Nashville today, “The songs and writers were much better in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.”
“I’m not saying there aren’t talented people in Nashville now, but I don’t think we pay near as much attention to the song as they did back then,” adds Combs. “Maybe it’s ’cause we’re too busy tweeting about our latest gig or wardrobe purchase.”
Ultimately, All These Dreams finds Combs in a league of his own, wholly focused on perfecting his own songwriting and storytelling, and delivering it all in a rich musical style that’s much more than the sum of its parts.
Dawn Landes - Bridging the worlds of indie rock, alt-country, and folk, singer/songwriter Dawn Landes has played with a similarly diverse range of artists including Fred Eaglesmith, Amy Rigby, John Gorka, and Rainer Maria. A Louisville, Kentucky native, Landes moved to New York to attend N.Y.U. and play music. She obtained a weekly spot at the Jack Hardy song exchange and also performed frequently in New York as well as on the campuses of Yale, Sarah Lawrence, Barnard, Columbia, Brown, and course, her own school.
In the late '90s, Landes trained and became a sound engineer; a trade she plies when she isn't recording her own albums. Her work has appeared on albums by Ryan Adams, Joseph Arthur, Hem, Jolie Holland, and Ruth Moody, to name a few.
In May 2005, Landes released her full-length debut album, Dawn's Music. Two Three Four, a mini album recorded with members of Hem, followed in 2006. She released Fireproof in 2008, in the middle of her courtship with singer/songwriter songwriter Josh Ritter -- they married in 2009. Landes released Sweet Heart Rodeo in 2010. She and Ritter divorced after 18 months. Her next release was the French-language Mal Habillee in 2012. After a year of working on other musicians' projects as both a musician and engineer, she recorded
Bluebird, produced by Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman), which was released in February of 2014.
Landes teamed with the legendary Fred Foster -- the producer responsible for hits from Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton -- for 2018's Meet Me at the River.
Rainbow Girls - Rainbow Girls is a trio comprised of three unique musical talents - Vanessa May, Erin Chapin, and Caitlin Gowdey- who seamlessly combine heart-wrenching harmonies, emotive guitar- work and poignant lyrical content into an unusually beautiful sonic tapestry. Hailing from the golden countryside just north of California’s Bay Area, their music delves deeply into themes of the human experience: hopeful love, honest self-reflection, and pursuits of social justice. Their album “American Dream,” crystallizes these ideas in acoustic amber, encapsulating a beautiful new direction for their evolving sounds.
Originally formed in Santa Barbara, CA in 2010, Rainbow Girls have spread their musical wings both internationally and domestically, from busking on the streets of Europe and playing pubs and theaters in the UK, to house concerts, festivals, and shows in the US. Rainbow Girls have also gained recognition on NPR's Tiny Desk concert series and KQED's "The California Report."
About The Outpost: Outpost in the Burbs is an all-volunteer nonprofit outreach organization in Montclair dedicated to building community through music, service, and cultural events. For over 30 years, the Outpost has presented more than 450 concerts by internationally known artists such as Judy Collins, Roger McGuinn, Jorma Kaukonen, Jimmy Webb, Richie Havens, J.D. Souther, The Jayhawks, Nick Lowe, and Dar Williams. In addition to promoting and staffing concerts, Outpost volunteers have donated many hours of their time through programs affiliated with Habitat for Humanity, Toys for Tots, the Human Needs Food Pantry of Montclair, the Community Food Bank of N.J., Dress for Success, MESH (Montclair Emergency Services for the Homeless), and a soup kitchen run by Outpost volunteers in Orange, NJ.
