Bringing great music to Alaska since 1994

Whistling Swan's 2011-12 Season

Tickets for All Whistling Swan Shows Are On Sale Now at Centertix.net or by Calling 263-ARTS

Jim Lauderdale

Thursday February 2 at 7:30 pm. - Snow Goose Theatre, Anchorage

Friday, February 3rd at Vagabond Blues, Palmer 7:30 pm.

Saturday, February 4th - Snow Goose Theatre, Anchorage

Two-time Grammy Award winner and 2012 Grammy Awards nominee Jim Lauderdale's songs have been recorded by Patty Loveless, George Jones, The Dixie Chicks, Solomon Burke, Mark Chestnut, Dave Edmunds, John Mayall, Kathy Mattea and many others. He's recorded and collaborated with Dr. Ralph Stanley and Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. He's toured with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Rhonda Vincent and Elvis Costello. His impressive body of work has earned him accolades in bluegrass, Americana, country and rock music fields. Don't miss this opportunity to hear one of America's most versatile and respected song writing musicians.

The date change for the Anchorage show was to accomodate an artist request.

Erin McKeown and Natalia Zukerman

Saturday, February 25 - Taproot (Anyone under 21 must be accompanied by adult or guardian to the Taproot ) - 7:30 pm

Sunday, February 26 -Vagabond Blues - 6 pm

These twin bills pair two women who are friends and fans of each other’s work. We expect solo sets as well as a significant amount of stage sharing at these shows.

From elegant pop to balls-out rock, sweet electronics to witty swing, Erin McKeown packs a ton of music into a each of her shows. Natalia Zukerman, who last appeared in Anchorage with Willy Porter, engages audiences with a range of styles and moods.

"In several distinctive ways- voice, dynamic subtlety, and sheer songwriting ability- Erin McKeown is in a class of her own."-Sunday Times (UK)

"Erin’s playing is so muscular, her arrangements so well conceived that she succeeds brilliantly. As with all truly great guitarists, the wonder is less in her chops than her choices"- Boston Globe

"Natalia's voice could send an orchid into bloom while her guitar playing can open a beer bottle with its teeth." – New Yorker

"a wise mix of rootsy styles from torch blues to country swing. If you're a fan of Madeleine Peyroux, Bonnie Raitt or even Amy Winehouse, you'll find stuff to connect with here." – Philadelphia Daily News

Cheryl Wheeler and special guest and piano accompanist Kenny White

Saturday March 3 - Vagabond Blues - 7:30 pm.

Sunday March 4 - Sydney Laurence Theatre - 4 pm.

Cheryl Wheeler’s concerts are more like what you would find at a comedy club than expect to find at a folk music show. She will tell a story that has you rolling in the aisles, and then sing a song that leaves you wiping tears from your eyes. She will talk about some serious current event, and then sing a song that will have you howling with laughter. While Dan Seals, Peter Paul and Mary, Kenny Loggins, Garth Brooks, Suzy Boggus, Melanie, Bette Midler, Maura O'Connell, Sylvia, Kathy Mattea, and Holly Near have all recorded her songs, nobody does these songs better than Cheryl herself.

For the first time in Alaska, Cheryl will share the show with her long time accompanist, Kenny White, who is a gifted singer-songwriter in his own right.

“.. Kenny White has earned a place among my favorite singer/songwriters…and particularly, lyricists. As we say in the trade “he goes deep.” A true wordsmith AND musician who reveals a fine sense of humor, as well.”

- David Crosby

Chris Smither and special guest Caroline Herring

Saturday March 24 - Sydney Laurence Theatre - 7:30 pm

Sunday March 25 - Vagabond Blues - 6 pm.

“He’s an ingenious guitarist. He’s a songwriter of startling originality. He’s an expressive, grainy voiced singer and he’s also an engaging, witty performer. “- The Irish Times
“Chris Smither is America’s great blues poet, a master of acoustic guitar…” – Austin- American Statesman

“One of the absolute best singer-songwriters in the world”- The Associated Press

Caroline Herring combines spirited interpretations of traditional material with strikingly original observations of life and love . Fans of Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, and Dar Williams take notice!

Bearfoot

Saturday March 31 - 7:30 pm - Wendy Williamson –

Alaska’s most enduring bluegrass oriented musical export returns to its roots. The band will have a brand new CD at the time of this show. Check Bearfoot's website to discover the band's exciting new lineup!

* First Southcentral Alaska concert appearance

The Carolina Chocolate Drops

Tuesday, April 3rd - Wendy Williamson Auditorium, Anchorage

Wednesday, April 4th - Vagabond Blues, Palmer

2011 Grammy Winner for Best Traditional Folk Album.
"The Carolina Chocolate Drops are...revisiting, with a joyful vengence, black string-band and jug-band music of the Twenties and Thirties - the dirt-floor dance electricity of the Mississippi Sheiks and Cannon's Jug Stompers." - Rolling Stone

Blues legend Taj Mahal

Tuesday May 1, 2012 - Atwood Concert Hall - 7:30 pm

Composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist - one of the most prominent and influential figures in blues and roots music!
Taj Mahal has been playing his own distinctive brand of music -- variously described as Afro-Caribbean blues, folk-world-blues, hula blues, folk-funk, and a host of other hyphenations -- for more than 40 years. Caribbean, Hawaiian, African, Latin, and Cuban sounds and rhythms mix with folk, jazz, zydeco, gospel, rock, pop, soul, and R&B, all layered on top of a solid country blues foundation.

Grounded in the acoustic pre-war blues sound but drawn to the eclectic sounds of world music, he revitalized a dying tradition and prepared the way for a new generation of blues men and women. While many African-Americans shunned older musical styles during the 1960s, Mahal immersed himself in the roots of his past.

Tickets now on sale at Centertix!!!!