Garnet Rogers
11/22/2015 (Ballroom)
Garnet Rogers does a stunning one-man show. His powerful baritone and passionate work with a variety of instruments creatively meld old and new sounds, and his story songs are marked by wit, sensitivity and commitment to ordinary people living with extraordinary courage, sorrow, and joy in a large landscape.
The Boston Globe calls Rogers "A brilliant songwriter, one of the major talents of our time," and Sing Out! dubs him "The greatest male interpreter and vocalist on the contemporary folk scene."
Starting down a musical path at age 18 as a back-up musician for his legendary older brother, Garnet Rogers established his own career following Stan's untimely death 20 years ago. But while his brother's style of writing was more traditional and often based on Canadian Maritime styles, Garnet's style is more modern, utilizing influences from blues, rock, country/bluegrass, and classical.
With charisma, substance and his “smooth, dark baritone,” he has won praise from critics and adoration from fans ever since. Taking advantage of his physical presence (he's nearly six and a half feet tall) and voice and character to match, Rogers commands the stage, whether coffeehouse or Lincoln Center, like few other performers today. His 10 CDs are on Red House Records and Snow Goose Songs.
If you’ve never seen Garnet live, you owe it to yourself to enjoy his unique performances. An optimist at heart, he sings extraordinary songs about people who are not obvious heroes and of the small victories of the everyday. As memorable as his songs, his over-the-top humour and lightning-quick wit moves his audience from tears to laughter and back again.