5/6: Lara Herscovitch, Brian Dolzani, and Marc Douglas Berardo

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 17, 2022

MERIDEN, CT – The Olde Church Acoustic Series is pleased to join forces with CT Folk to deliver an eventing of great music featuring Lara Herscovitch, Brian Dolzani and Marc Douglas Berardo on Friday, May 6 at 6:30pm at First Church of Meriden on Colony St in Meriden. 

The Olde Church Acoustic Series is a celebration of music created and performed by Connecticut’s finest singers and songwriters. The series was founded by Mike Wilcox in 2016 in Rocky Hill, CT, and when Mike became terminally ill, his friends Dave Cooley, Frank Critelli, and Denise Jones offered to continue the series, moving it to its current larger venue in Meriden, the historic First Church of Meriden, CT on Colony Street.  The new venue is a stunning 1878 facility that offers inspirational architecture, incredible acoustics and a convenient central Connecticut location. With support from The Meriden Foundation, the entire audio system was upgraded in March. 

“We have hosted veteran headliners and younger artists too,” shared Master of Ceremonies Frank Critelli.  “With CT Folk’s support we are able to deliver three performers who are all headliners in their own right.” 

CT Folk is committed to being a guide to the Folk, Roots and Americana music community, and to supporting and advocating for environmental and social justice initiatives in Connecticut and the global community. CT Folk is committed to provide performance opportunities for emerging-to-established artists, support the development of new work, provide educational programming, pay tribute to individuals who have made distinctive or significant contributions to our musical and environmental culture, and recognize those who have contributed to the betterment of our community. 

“CT Folk’s partnership with the Olde Church series on this special night, allows us to create bridges within the state’s music community which strengthens the work we all want to achieve,” added CT Folk’s Event Director Nicole Mikula. 

Series Director, David Cooley says, “Our goal continues to be delivering exceptional music that is accessible to all.” 

The Olde Church Acoustic series features not only great music, but also delicious, reasonably priced “home cooked” dinners from the church’s kitchen. Admission to the shows is by donation – whatever one can afford. First Church is also only steps from the Meriden CTRail station and offers plenty of free, safe and convenient parking. 

To learn more:

ABOUT THE ARTISTS 

BRIAN DOLZANI  Connecticut-based songwriter Brian Dolzani’s music has been called ‘musical medicine for the soul’. Often compared vocally to Neil Young, Dolzani’s newest release “We Are Magic” has an ‘unreleased Neil studio album’ feel to it. We Are Magic follows up Dolzani’s highly acclaimed previous albums, including 2018’s Horse, recorded in Connecticut at Dirt Floor, and 2015’s A Place That I Can Feel, recorded in Nashville with a cast of musicians who have played with Roy Orbison and Vince Gill. Dolzani has recorded in Memphis with legendary keyboardist, Rev. Charles Hodges, and drummer George Sluppick (Chris Robinson Brotherhood, City Champs) 

Brian performs all across the United States and has shared the stage with The Subdudes, Bill Payne of Little Feat, Midnight North, Freedy Johnston, Caravan of Thieves, and many others. 

LARA HERSCOVITCH Connecticut’s Lara Herscovitch served as Connecticut State Troubadour 2009-10 and is a singer-songwriter-poet-performer-author and policy social worker.  She writes masterful modern folk-americana music, sings and leads with authenticity, integrity, humor and heart, and delivers performances that inspire, uplift and entertain on a voice that Performer Magazine called “clear and smooth like expensive liquor.” 

The Boston Globe touted Lara’s talents as “…a luminous voice and a buoyant stage presence… big-hearted lyrics embrace the sum of life…”  Lara’s songs are soulful, poetic treasure maps that point to the wisdom, grit and joy of underdogs & misfits, connection & courage, love & loss, hardship & hope, resilience & transformation.

MARC DOUGLAS BERARDO  Marc Douglas Berardo is an award-winning Singer Songwriter, performer and keen observer who combines songs that mine the deep feelings and lessons gleaned from real life characters and situations. Berardo is known for his onstage presence that uses humor and deft storytelling to rally an audience and lead them into a deep and almost spiritual experience. It’s an adventure that brings to mind James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, Guy Clark or Steely Dan with a touch of Mark Twain or Hunter S. Thompson for good measure. It’s a night of laughter and emotion that works to send an audience home with a renewed sense of possibility. 

With a painter’s eye for detail, and music firmly rooted in the great American sound, Berardo sings about circus retirees, expatriates in Florida rum bars, union iron workers, old poets, aimless New York City debutantes, near death car crashes, hard-nosed fishermen and of course, the changes that experience brings to everyone. He does this “simply and well” with what Rambles Cultural Magazine calls: “careful images and great tunes”. 

Along the way Berardo has shared the stage with a variety of national acts including  The Doobie Brothers, Peter Rowan, NRBQ, Guy Clark, Vassar Clements, Ralph Stanley, Norman Blake, Steve Forbert, Justin Townes Earle, Eric Anderson, The New Riders of the Purple Sage, Red Molly, Livingston Taylor, The Pousette-Dart Band, Will Kimbrough, and John Hiatt among others. 

If you missed our last show, check out the video of Pass The Guitar from April 1st.