Chris Bergson, a guitarist and vocalist based in New York, brings his world class band and their very original take on the blues to The Mainstay in Rock Hall, Maryland on Saturday December 3 at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20. Information and advance ticket sales are available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org and reservations can also be made by calling 410-639-9133.
Chris Bergson draws intuitively and seamlessly from blues, country, folk, funk, soul and jazz. He has the kind of voice that can be sepia-tinted, whiskey soaked or nicotine stained to fit the style and mood of his seriously street-smart songwriting. His world class quartet goes deep to show off Bergson’s dazzling acoustic and electric guitar riffs as his songs create a natural blend of deep blues, roots and soul.
Born in New York City but raised in Somerville, Massachusetts, Bergson returned to Manhattan in 1995. He released his first recording “Blues for Some Friends of Mine” while backing jazz singers Annie Ross, Dena DeRose, Sasha Dobson and Norah Jones,
Since then he has performed and/or shared the stage with giants like Hubert Sumlin, Levon Helm, B.B. King, Norah Jones, John Hammond, Etta James, and Bettye LaVette as well as touring Africa as a Jazz Ambassador of the USA appointed by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
As he embraced the blues while also adding pop influences, he followed up with several blues recordings including “Fall Changes” MOJO’s #1 Blues Album of 2008 — that established him as an eloquent, evocative and lyrical songwriter with a sharp urban vision.
All Music Guide called him “one of the most inventive songwriters in modern blues music.” The Blues Magazine in the UK says “He describes the streetscapes and nightscapes of city life, painting small, memorable pictures, a kind of Edward Hopper of the blues. Bergson doesn’t do predictable, but there’s a visible thread of blues awareness running through the fabric of everything he writes, sings and plays: he is a concise and subtle guitarist and tough, grainy singer.”
Bergson was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame in February 2015. His new recording “Bitter Midnight,” will be released in March 2017. Bergson also appears on the new recording from Alexis P. Suter & The Ministers of Sound, “Live from Briggs Farm.”
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD and the surrounding region. It is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks are available at the bar.
The Mainstay is supported by ticket sales, fundraising including donations from friends and audience members and an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.
For information and reservations call the Mainstay at 410-639-9133. More information is also available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
Upcoming Mainstay performances include:
Nov. 28 Mainstay Monday with Jeff Davis, guitar, bass and vocals
Dec. 3 The Chris Bergson Band
Dec. 5 Mainstay Monday with guests Holly Lane on vocals and Mike McShane on drums
Dec. 12 Mainstay Monday with Jason Long on piano
Dec. 18 Harp & Soul
Dec. 19 Mainstay Monday with Lester Barrett, vocals
Jan. 13 The John Jorgenson Quintet
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