small town concert series CONTACT: Matthew Male & Lauren Agnelli 242 Middlesex Avenue Chester, CT 06412 860-526-4777 / [email protected] * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE * “’EVERYBODY KNOWS,’ A LEONARD COHEN TRIBUTE T0 BENEFIT THE CHESTER LIBRARY #2” Saturday, September 15, 2007, 7:00 PM / $20 suggested donation at door THE OLD CHESTER MEETING HOUSE * 4 Liberty Street, Chester, CT ** 860-526-0018 (Call Matthew at small town concert series for info: 860-526-4777 – Advance tickets available) Featured Artists Include: Lauren Agnelli & Dave Rave, Ebin-Rose, Moving Target Jazz Band, Bedsit Poets, Marni Rice, Jim Lampos, the Wailin’ Tones Trio, Eric and Sandra Lauren Lichter, & others July 17, 2007 – Chester, CT : The Small Town Concert Series presents a musical tribute of the music of Leonard Cohen to benefit the Chester Library at The Old Chester Meeting House in Chester on Saturday, September 15, 2007, at 7:00 PM. Local talent is featured; it will be a family-friendly event; refreshments will be served during an intermission halfway through the show. “I love to hear my songs by anyone else but me. My critical faculties go into suspension. I don't wonder 'Do I like it?' -I LOVE IT!!!” - Leonard Cohen (from the website http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com) Bono. Elton John. Billy Joel. Don Henley. Tori Amos. And of course, Jennifer Warnes, Judy Collins – yes, even Bob Dylan: luminaries of popular music worldwide perform Leonard Cohen’s songs. In fact, over a thousand versions of Leonard Cohen songs have been recorded, thousands more performed in concert, since Cohen’s recorded debut in 1968. (Song titles include “Suzanne,” “Famous Blue Raincoat,” “Hallelujah,” and “I’m Your Man.”) And so, we at small town concert series wondered: isn’t it time that we in Chester – including the CT valley and Shoreline towns – gave Cohen a tribute? Concert co-organizer Matthew Male answers a resounding YES! “Throughout my life, Leonard Cohen has been not just my favorite singer/songwriter, but he seems, in a weird way, to be the writer of my life soundtrack.” A fan from a tender age, Matthew’s been a faithful follower – as so many are – of this Montreal Canadian-cum- California Buddhist, the romantic and philosophical poet/novelist/songwriter/vocalist, Leonard Cohen. When Matthew met his wife, Lauren, he was ecstatic to find that she, too, is a big fan – and could, in fact, perform several of her favorite Cohen songs – as did her previous group, the Grammy-nominated Washington Squares. Thus, small town concert series knew that their first songwriter’s tribute had to be to THEIR man: Leonard Cohen! “The response has been tremendous – with musicians, with fans, with radio stations – we even have people from as far away as Toronto, Canada and New York City who are buying advance tickets.” Indeed, even performers from as far afield as Canada and New York City are participating: Dave “Rave” Des Roches (Canada/NYC), the Bedsit Poets, Marni Rice (NYC), Lauren Agnelli, formerly of the Washington Squares (Chester/NYC), and local musicians Ebin-Rose, the Moving Target Jazz Band, Jim Lampos, Lisa Rich, and others. Being an artistic “stretch” for small town concert series, even though the songs of Leonard Cohen may be more sophisticated than the usual stcs fare, and the suggested donation higher ($20 – checks payable to Friends of Chester Library), kids 14 & under are always admitted free of charge, and there will be special considerations for students and senior citizens. .