Upcoming Events at the Avalon Theatre

Ivy League of Comedy- Skirmishes of the Sexes. Friday, February 10, 2023. Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7 p.m. The Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

Celebrate Valentine’s Day (or don’t!) with tales of love and not-love, bad dinners and good dates, broken cars and unbroken dreams…all served with a fresh comedic twist!

The Ivy League of Comedy is a premier group of stand-up comedians touring America, known for their elite brand of clever comedy. You’ve heard their brilliant comedic voices on late-night TV and Comedy Central. Now come see them live on the Avalon stage!

The Ivy League of Comedy offers audiences original, well-written comedy that doesn’t resort to playing on stereotypes or picking on the audience. They bring you stand-up comedy’s funniest and brightest.   https://www.ivystandup.com/

Across The Harbor. Saturday, February 11, 2023. Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7 p.m. Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

Baltimore is teeming with melodies and magic.

This ephemeral show celebrates both the jovial and the lamenting sounds found in the rowhouses, sidewalks corners, concert stages, and local sessions of Baltimore. Across The Harbor will transport you through time and space as the themes of “home” and “belonging” are explored.

You can expect to hear the songs of The Honey Dewdrops, Letitia VanSant, and Caleb Stine, each with a unique twist. The list of traditionally rooted instrumentalists is astonishing: David McKindley-Ward, Alex Lacquement, Patrick McAvinue, Laura Byrne, Brad Kolodner, Meghan Mette, Sam Guthridge, Jonathan Vocke, Matt Mulqueen, Sean McComiskey, and EJ Shaull-Thompson.

Never before have all of these artists performed together, traded tunes and re-imagined songs. Collaborating for Across The Harbor is the artists’ gratitude for the Baltimore music community, personified.   https://www.alexlacquement.com/across-the-harbor.html

Black Dog Alley. Friday, February 17, 2023. Doors: 7:30 p.m.; Show: 8 p.m. The Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

Easton-based Black Dog Alley is on a mission to move, groove, and rock your very soul! And with a track record of entertaining audiences across Delmarva and Pennsylvania with hundreds of live performances, they know just how to do it!

Their style draws from influences as varied as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, ZZ Top, and Sublime, so their eclectic set list ranges from classic jam rock and rhythm and blues, to funk and reggae-tinged grooves.

If you’re looking for a home-grown blend of classic and original material, Black Dog Alley will not disappoint!  https://www.blackdogalley.com/

High Noon: Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd & Southern Rock. February 24, 2023. Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7 p.m. The Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

HIGH NOON is the East Coast’s premier tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Southern Rock, performing the classic ‘70s hits of Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, Molly Hatchet, The Outlaws, 38 Special, and The Marshall Tucker Band. With a deep dedication to the legacy of this timeless music, HIGH NOON brings an authenticity like no other.

Join them on a journey back to a golden age of live music, and experience once again the raw power of all of your favorite anthems from the founding fathers of Southern rock. https://www.highnoonrocks.com/

An Evening with Jorma Kaukonen. Saturday, February 25, 2023. Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7 p.m. Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

“A gifted writer, Kaukonen shares insight into a life well lived, with a certain amount of luck, a great deal of determination, and a towering love of music.” Relix.com

Jorma Kaukonen is a Grammy nominee, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and a leading practitioner of fingerstyle guitar…and he also happens to be a founding member of two legendary rock bands: The Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna.

In addition to his work with Hot Tuna, Jorma has recorded more than a dozen solo albums on major labels and on his own, beginning with 1974’s “Quah” and continuing with his recent acoustic releases on Red House Records—2007’s “Stars in My Crown” and his new CD “River of Time”, produced by Larry Campbell and featuring Levon Helm.

Join Jorma for this special evening of insightful life stories and great music in the Avalon! https://jormakaukonen.com/

Shane Guerrette. Friday, March 3, 2023. Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7 p.m. Stoltz Listening Room40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

It’s the old way of doing things that inspires a new sound for this upstate NY-based artist. Drawing influence from classic soul and roots rock genres, Shane Guerrette has only just begun to craft his own retro-flavored sound.  With a recent self-released debut album called “Here’s Hoping”, you’ll want to keep an eye out for what’s to come from this rising star. https://www.shaneguerrette.com/

Karen Jonas. Friday, March 10, 2023. Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7 p.m. Stoltz Listening Room, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

“Hailing from Virginia, Karen Jonas has put herself on the alt-country music map thanks to her strong songwriting, sultry vocals, and compelling stage presence.” Fairfax County Times

Americana/Alt-Country songwriter Karen Jonas knows how to tell a story. She’s both “warmly nostalgic” (American Songwriter) and “insightful, tenacious, and vulnerable” (No Depression).

Be sure to check out why there’s so much buzz around this three-time Wammie Award winner for Best Americana Artist, Mid Atlantic Song Contest winner, Ameripolitan Award nominee, and official SXSW and UK Americanafest Showcasing Artist. https://karenjonasmusic.bandcamp.com/

An Evening with George Winston. Saturday, March 11, 2023. Door: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7 p.m. Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

George Winston is undeniably a household name.

He’s inspired fans and musicians alike with his singular solo acoustic piano songs for more than 40 years while selling 15 million albums. A tireless road warrior playing nearly 100 concerts annually, live performance for Winston is akin to breathing.

Join him in the Avalon for a special evening of evocative music from his latest release, “Night”—it’s a chance to take a step back from our perpetually busy lives to let our minds adventurously wander. https://www.georgewinston.com/

Guy Davis. Thursday, March 16, 2023. Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7 p.m. Stoltz Listening Room, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

“Truth be told, there just aren’t many who can deliver Americana in as interesting and entertaining a manner – or give acoustic traditional blues such a contemporary sound – as Davis…” The Blues PowR Blog

American roots artist Guy Davis once said, “I like antiques and old things, old places, that still have the dust of those who’ve gone before us lying upon them.”

Blowing just enough dust off roots music to see its beauty is something Guy has excelled at for over twenty years of songwriting and performing. His reverence for the music of the blues masters who’ve gone before him has been evident in every album he’s ever recorded or concert he’s given. Guy’s musical storytelling is influenced by artists like Blind Willie McTell and Big Bill Broonzy, and his musicality by artists as diverse as Lightnin’ Hopkins and Babatunde Olatunji. https://guydavis.com/wp/

The Met: Live in HD 12 pm Lohengrin (Wagner). March 18, 2023, 12pm. Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, Md.

Wagner’s soaring masterpiece makes its triumphant return to the Met stage after 17 years. In a sequel to his revelatory production of Parsifal, director François Girard unveils an atmospheric staging that once again weds his striking visual style and keen dramatic insight to Wagner’s breathtaking music, with Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin on the podium to conduct a supreme cast led by tenor Piotr Beczała in the title role of the mysterious swan knight. Soprano Tamara Wilson is the virtuous duchess Elsa, falsely accused of murder, going head-to-head with soprano Christine Goerke as the cunning sorceress Ortrud, who seeks to lay her low. Bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin is Ortrud’s power-hungry husband, Telramund, and bass Günther Groissböck is King Heinrich.

This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.

Medium Debbie Wojciechowski. Saturday, March 18, 2023. Doors: 7:30 p.m.; Show: 8 p.m. Stoltz Listening Room, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

During her interactions with audience members, Debbie draws on her extensive background and experience to deliver sensitive messages in a respectful manner from loved ones who have passed on to the “other side.”

Ever since her metaphysical journey began before she was 21 with two near-death experiences and the loss of her parents, Debbie has sought to learn more about her special gift…and to share it with others. Along with her formal certification as a Medium from the Lisa Williams International School of Spiritual Development, she has had a successful career in mental health and grief counseling with federal law enforcement.

Debbie feels both humbled and privileged to channel special messages from beyond to her audience.  https://www.mediumdebbie.com/

Goldpine. Thursday, March 23, 2023. Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7 p.m. Stoltz Listening Room, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

“I love these guys…their never-ending onslaught of bold harmony is undeniable.”  Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes)

Exposing the pains of severed relationships and unearthing the pursuits of love and purpose, Goldpine is cathartic, moody, raucous, and relevant…all intertwined into one.

Veterans of making soul-stirring music, Ben and Kassie have been offering their own brand of raw Americana for years to audiences large and small. Recent winners of the 2022 Rocky Mountain Songwriter Contest at the Red Lodge Songwriter Festival, and finalists in the Kerrville Folk Fest 2021 New Folk Competition, the duo’s bold harmonies are clearly a channel for their highly charged songwriting.

They put their hearts and souls into their music, as evidenced by their self-produced debut LP, “One”, a snapshot of the current season of their lives — symbolizing a new beginning and an homage to their past— leading them to where they are now.

Sonny Landreth & Cindy Cashdollar. Friday, March 24, 2023. Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7 p.m. The Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

Meet Sonny Landreth and Cindy Cashdollar, the Louisiana slide guitar wizards whose trademark bottle neck chops and dobro and steel string talents culminate in world renowned showcases of guitar virtuosity.

Revered for his unique slide guitar technique, Sonny Landreth has collaborated with many legendary performers, including John Hiatt, Jimmy Buffett, Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton.

Five-time Grammy winner Cindy Cashdollar’s expertise is in great demand on both steel guitar and dobro. She’s worked with many leading artists in various genres including Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, and Ryan Adams.

Performing a mix of original songs with contemporary and traditional blues and roots music, their shows are electric, virtuosic, and tastefully delivered by two great instrumental masters.

The Steel Wheels. Friday, March 31, 2023. Doors 7:30 p.m.; Show: 8 p.m. The Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

Having staked their claim as independent upstarts in the burgeoning Americana scene, The Steel Wheels have long been at home in the creative space between tradition and innovation, informed by the familiar sounds of the Virginia mountains where the band was formed, but always moving forward with insightful lyrics and an evolving sound.

Whether at a joyous summer festival, in their many shows across the country and beyond, or in the studio, The Steel Wheels continue their mission set out over a decade ago: shaking up traditions to see what sticks, telling stories, and joining communities through song.

Having gained the experience of thousands of shows, festivals and many miles on the road, this stubbornly independent band has formed deep bonds with each other and the audience that sustains them. https://www.thesteelwheels.com/

The Met: Live in HD, 12:30 pm Falstaff (Verdi). Saturday April 1, 2023, 12:30pm. Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover St, Easton, Md.

Baritone Michael Volle stars as the caddish knight Falstaff, gleefully tormented by a trio of clever women who deliver his comeuppance, in Verdi’s glorious Shakespearean comedy. Maestro Daniele Rustioni takes the podium on April 1 to oversee a brilliant ensemble cast that features sopranos Hera Hyesang Park, Ailyn Pérez, and Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano Marie-Nicole Lemieux, tenor Bogdan Volkov, and baritone Christopher Maltman.

This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.

Mile Twelve. Saturday, April 1, 2023. Doors: 7:30 p.m.; Show: 8 p.m. Stoltz Listening Room, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

“Mile Twelve’s strength lies in its ability to apply bluegrass’ natural affect to modern concerns.” WBUR, Boston’s NPR Station

Boston’s modern string band, Mile Twelve, is back in motion. From the first manic downbeat of their virtuosic new record, “Close Enough to Hear”, you’ll discover a band that is ready to explode from a restless pandemic-induced hiatus.

You’ll hear the same warmth and innovation that earned the band IBMA’s 2019 Album of the Year nomination and 2020 New Artist of the Year Award, and that’s gained them an international reputation as one of the most dynamic bands in contemporary acoustic music.

Heard as a whole, “Close Enough to Hear” and their live shows display the vast creative potential of the bluegrass quintet — banjo (BB Bowness), mandolin (Korey Brodsky), fiddle (Ella Jordan), acoustic guitar (Evan Murphy) and upright bass (Nate Sabat) — in the hands of world-class musicians.  https://www.miletwelveband.com/

Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors. Friday, April 7, 2023. Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7 p.m. Stoltz Listening Room, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

Chris Barron, the singer and founding member of Spin Doctors, is known these days for solo shows that have all the lyric poetry and singing virtuosity that Spin Doctors fans appreciate, along with a range of expression and songwriting that will delight and surprise.

Chris plays nifty chords on an old Gibson to masterfully crafted songs that are poignant yet wistful and funny, all the while singing in a manner that’s sweet and somewhat different from what you would expect if you only knew his hits, “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and “Two Princes”.

Live, his stage patter is almost as entertaining as his singing. A powerful storyteller, at once hilarious and thought provoking, Chris sets up his songs with anecdotes from a life on the road, from opening for and encountering legends like the Rolling Stones to Polar expeditions.  https://thechrisbarron.com/home

Shemekia Copeland. Saturday, April 8, 2023. Doors: 7 p.m.; Show: 8 p.m. The Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

“Shemekia Copeland has established herself as one of the leading blues artists of our time.” NPR Music

Award-winning blues, soul and Americana singer Shemekia Copeland possesses one of the most instantly recognizable and deeply soulful roots music voices of our time. She is beloved worldwide for the fearlessness, honesty and humor of her revelatory music, as well as for delivering each song she performs with unmatched passion.

Winner of the 2021 Blues Music Award for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year, Copeland connects with her audience on an intensely personal level, taking them with her on what The Wall Street Journal calls “a consequential ride” of “bold and timely blues.” NPR Music says Shemekia sings with “punchy defiance and potent conviction.” The Houston Chronicle describes her songs as “resilient pleas for a kinder tomorrow.” https://shemekiacopeland.com/

The Met: Live in HD, Der Rosenkavalier (Strauss). Saturday April 15, 2023, 12pm. Avalon Theatre, Easton Md.

A dream cast assembles for Strauss’s grand Viennese comedy. Soprano Lise Davidsen is the aging Marschallin, opposite mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as her lover Octavian and soprano Erin Morley as Sophie, the beautiful younger woman who steals his heart. Bass Günther Groissböck returns as the churlish Baron Ochs, and Markus Brück is Sophie’s wealthy father, Faninal. Maestro Simone Young takes the Met podium to oversee Robert Carsen’s fin-de-siècle staging.

This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.

Karla Bonoff. Friday, April 21, 2023. Doors: 7:30 p.m.; Show: 8 p.m. The Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

Born and raised in Southern California, Karla Bonoff was a songwriter by the age of fifteen. Establishing herself in the early ‘80s as one of LA’s major artists and songwriters, Karla’s legacy as a writer and performer is captured in Billboard’s review of her song “All My Life” (made popular by Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt’s Grammy-winning cover): “Long before Alanis and Jewel, there was a breed of singer/songwriters whose earthly anthems of soul-searching, heartache and joy touched souls in a way few can muster today.”

Karla’s many accomplishments include: opening for James Taylor and Jackson Browne, working with musicians such as Russ Kunkel, Joe Walsh, Waddy Wachtel, Danny Kortchmar, Don Henley, and Peter Frampton, and singing “Somebody’s Eyes” in the hit Kevin Bacon movie “Footloose”. https://www.karlabonoff.com/

Adam Ezra Group. Thursday, April 27, 2023. Doors: 7:30 p.m.; Show: 8 p.m. Stoltz Listening Room, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

Working outside the confines of the traditional music industry, Adam Ezra and his bandmates – Corinna Smith (fiddle), Alex Martin (drums), Poche Ponce (bass) – built a community of fans through sheer grit and determination.

Fusing folk intimacy and rock energy with soul power and pop charm, the band first emerged from Boston in the early 2000s and quickly garnered widespread acclaim for their bold, insightful songwriting and interactive, euphoric performances.

From hole-in-the-wall bars and house concerts to sold-out headline shows and dates with the likes of Little Big Town, The Wallflowers, Gavin DeGraw, Train, and The Wailers, Ezra and his bandmates treated every single gig like their last, attracting a die-hard following that believed not just in the music, but in their commitment to activism and social change, as well.  https://www.adamezra.com/

Glenn Miller Orchestra. Friday, April 28, 2023. Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7 p.m. Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

“A band ought to have a sound all of its own. It ought to have a personality.”  – Glenn Miller

Formed in 1938, the Glenn Miller Orchestra — which would later include the likes of Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, Ray Eberle, Paul Tanner, Johnny Best, Hal McIntyre, and Al Klinck — soon began breaking attendance records all up and down the East Coast.

They would also go on to create record-breaking recordings that defined a world-changing era, such as “Tuxedo Junction”, “In the Mood”, “Moonlight Serenade,” “Pennsylvania 6-5000”, and “Chattanooga Choo-Choo”, among so many other classics.

Don’t miss this opportunity to capture the enduring magic of Glenn Miller Orchestra’s unique sound on the Avalon stage!

The Met: Live in HD, Champion (Blanchard). Saturday, April 29, 2023 12:55pm. Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, Md

Six-time Grammy Award–winning composer Terence Blanchard brings his first opera to the Met after his Fire Shut Up in My Bones triumphantly premiered with the company to universal acclaim in 2021–22. Bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green is the young boxer Emile Griffith, who rises from obscurity to become a world champion, and bass-baritone Eric Owens portrays Griffith’s older self, haunted by the ghosts of his past. Soprano Latonia Moore is Emelda Griffith, the boxer’s estranged mother, and mezzo- soprano Stephanie Blythe is the bar owner Kathy Hagan. Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium for Blanchard’s second Met premiere, also reuniting the director-and-choreographer team of James Robinson and Camille A. Brown.

This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.

The Max Kaplan Band. Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 8 p.m. Stoltz Listening Room, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

With a captivating front-man, soulful guitar leads, and a tight rhythm section, Memphis-based Max Kaplan has an exciting and original sound harkening back to the sonic landscape of funky Motown and Stax-era soul, to the guitar-driven blues of the 1960s.

Max is an energetic vocalist and stage performer whose influences include B.B. King, Leon Bridges, James Brown, Alabama Shakes, Al Green, The Staples Singers, and more. www.linktr.ee/mkappy33

The Met: Live in HD, Don Giovanni (Mozart). May 20, 2023 12:55pm. Avalon Theatre 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, Md

Tony Award–winning director of Broadway’s A View from the Bridge and West Side Story, Ivo van Hove makes a major Met debut with a new take on Mozart’s tragicomedy, re-setting the familiar tale of deceit and damnation in an abstract architectural landscape and shining a light into the dark corners of the story and its characters. Maestro Nathalie Stutzmann makes her Met debut conducting a star-studded cast led by baritone Peter Mattei as a magnetic Don Giovanni, alongside the Leporello of bass-baritone Adam Plachetka. Sopranos Federica Lombardi, Ana María Martínez, and Ying Fang make a superlative trio as Giovanni’s conquests—Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, and Zerlina—and tenor Ben Bliss is Don Ottavio.

This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.

The Met: Live in HD, Die Zauberflote (Mozart). Saturday, June 3, 12:55pm. Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover St, Easton Md

One of opera’s most beloved works receives its first new Met staging in 19 years—a daring vision by renowned English director Simon McBurney that The Wall Street Journal declared “the best production I’ve ever witnessed of Mozart’s opera.” Nathalie Stutzmann conducts the Met Orchestra, with the pit raised to make the musicians visible to the audience and allow interaction with the cast. In his Met-debut staging, McBurney lets loose a volley of theatrical flourishes, incorporating projections, sound effects, and acrobatics to match the spectacle and drama of Mozart’s fable. The brilliant cast includes soprano Erin Morley as Pamina, tenor Lawrence Brownlee as Tamino, baritone Thomas Oliemans in his Met debut as Papageno, soprano Kathryn Lewek as the Queen of the Night, and bass Stephen Milling as Sarastro.

This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.

The Wildwoods. Wednesday, June 14, 2023. Doors: 7:30 p.m.; Show: 8 p.m. Stoltz Listening Room, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton, MD

The Wildwoods are an enchanting Folk/Americana trio based in Lincoln, Nebraska, whose flowing songwriting tandem has been praised by Paste Magazine as “focused and charmingly human”.

Comprised of husband and wife team Noah (guitar) and Chloe Gose (violin), as well as Andrew Vaggalis (bass), The Wildwoods draw inspiration from a wide range of influences, including the styles of: Watchhouse, The Decemberists, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Peter, Paul, & Mary, Nickel Creek, Joni Mitchell, and Gregory Alan Isakov.

The folk/Americana trio work to harmoniously and delicately blend their voices to create a sound so nostalgic that you may find yourself dreaming and longing for those sweet memories from your former days.  https://www.thewildwoodsband.com/