SPENCERTOWN – Spencertown Academy Roots & Shoots Concerts Series presents folk-rocker Johnny Irion on Saturday, March 30 at 8 p.m. at the academy’s Blanche Grubin Auditorium. General admission tickets (advance purchase: $25 public, $20 academy members; at the door: $30 public, $25 academy members) are available via www.spencertownacademy.org.
Johny Irion, c/o Brian Barnicle
“Troubadour Johnny Irion is an American original. We are thrilled to present him at the academy where he’ll be putting his unique spin on old classics and originals,” said Michele Quigley, member of the Academy Music Committee, in a press release. “We’re looking forward to a fun evening of folk, rock, roots, and everything in between.”
Irion comes by his American roots bona fides honestly. He has performed and collaborated with Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Jeff Bridges and John Goodwin (Crazy Heart), Superchunk, The Jayhawks, Wilco, Glen Phillips, and Ramblin Jack Elliot and been seen on stages around the world, such as Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Newport Folk Festival, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Royce Hall, and Byron Bay Blues
Festival.
Born in Columbia, SC, Irion grew up in the restaurant business hearing the sweet songs of his grandfather, a singer-pizzaiolo and first-generation American who crooned as he cooked. As a teen, he cut his teeth on bass in a punk group with Zeke Hutchins (Sharon Van Etten, Leon Bridges) before going on to develop a unique voice all his own. He has a new album coming out in early summer featuring Jeff Bridges, Chatham Rabbits, and members of REM and Wilco.
Roots & Shoots Concerts is an ongoing academy series that showcases artists who reach back to earlier traditions in music (Americana, jazz, blues, rock, and world music) for inspiration while incorporating more recent forms and influences of the present.
This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
The academy is located at 790 State Route 203. For more information, contact