Shain is a veteran singer-songwriter who’s been turning heads for years with his words, his fiery acoustic guitar work, and his evolved musical style – combining improvised piedmont blues with bluegrass, swing, and ragtime. He is the 2019 winner of the International Blues Challenge in the solo/duo category. Shain’s most recent solo disc, Gettin’ Handy with the Blues: A Tribute to the Legacy of WC Handy, was released in 2018. Shain’s latest releases recorded along with long-time collaborator FJ Ventre are the gorgeous roots album, Tomorrow Will Be Yesterday Soon (2019) and Never Found A Way to Tame the Blues (2021).

Jon grew up in Haverhill, Massachusetts, a Merrimack River mill-town that had already seen its better days by the time he was a child in the 1970s. At the same time, Shain began to discover his love of American roots music and songwriting, specifically drawn to the narratives about regular people and themes of social justice.

Shain headed south to North Carolina in 1986, to study American History at Duke University and to continue his musical journey, as well. It was at this time that Shain also got to meet and play with John Dee Holeman and a number of the great older NC blues players. Shain’s classes in school were heavily concentrated in southern history, English, and world religions. That mixture of the academic environment and the real-world blues music is what has most informed his musical direction.

Shain cut his touring teeth from 1989-1998 founding the Chapel Hill, NC folk-rock group, Flyin’ Mice and their spin-off group, WAKE. The band performed with acts such as David Grisman, Tony Rice Unit, Hot Tuna, and the Dixie Dregs, released four CDs, and played clubs, schools, and festivals up and down the East Coast, building a legion of fans. After his band’s breakup, Shain went solo, returning to his roots in the folk and blues circuit. In addition to two albums with FJ Ventre and one with Joe Newberry, Jon has released ten albums of his own folk-blues compositions.

Read more at:
jonshain.com

Opening the show is ACMA member and singer/songwriter, Chuck Williams.

Chuck’s approach is typically relaxed, at times sentimental and always confident. He is not a folk artist with heavy political leanings in his songwriting such as Joan Baez, Phil Ochs or U. Utah Phillips. However, what Chuck has mastered is how to pull at Americana heartstrings and tell rootsy stories through his simple and effective novella type lyrics. Nothing is overproduced or played with flash. Chuck has a personable singing style and it’s not done to impress but express.

His music has some of the same energies of songwriters such as David Crosby, John Prine, and definitely Neil Young, while not sounding like any of them. There is something here that a lot of people are going to latch on to, especially in these trying times. Chuck’s music does exactly what it is suppose to do…..it reaches emotions in the listener. It gives words to feelings we all share and provokes thought long after the music is over. His style is unique yet it feels familiar.

Take a listen:
chuckwilliams.com

Tickets for the show are available at the door.