In this season of Thanksgiving, we are very thankful to the many who continue to support our growing series. We hope you will join us to close out 2022 with a special show honoring our late friend and series founder Mike Wilcox.  We have pulled together four groups who all have a special connection to the Series (plus a surprise guest or two!):

Among the Acres
Soon after forming, Among the Acres garnered local acclaim winning CTNow’s “2018’s Best New Band” and “2019’s Best Americana Band”. Merging elements of Folk, Rock, Pop, and Americana, the band delivers an eclectic yet singular sound, marked by a tapestry of four-part vocals, dynamic grooves and a keen sense for lyricism. Cutting their teeth playing everywhere from breweries and small clubs to festivals and showcases throughout the Northeast, the “Acres” have been honing their powerhouse sound since the band’s inception in 2017. On Dec 15 of that year, Among the Acres make one of their first appearances together by invitation from Mike Wilcox at the United Methodist Church in Rocky Hill – almost 5 years to the day from MikeFest ’22!

The Bargain
We are excited to present an acoustic sneak preview of songs from The Bargain’s new CD release “’22” composed of “heady topics, delivered with the most heavenly sounds by the three singer/songwriter/musicians who make up the band, Frank Critelli, Mike “Muddy” Rivers and Shandy Lawson…the songs feel like lightening in a bottle…” said the New Haven Independent.  If you’ve been to our shows in Meriden, you know Frank. No one works harder to promote the great talent Connecticut has to offer and we are always proud of his extraordinary singing and writing talents.  In another special connection to our Series, Muddy Rivers teamed with Mike Wilcox as his first sound engineer at the Rocky Hill venue, and he is still very much a part of the soul of the Olde Church team. On Dec 2 you will hear Mike and Shandy providing their hot guitar and mandolin licks as the trio continues to fulfill its end of “The Bargain”.

Ponybird with Christina Abbott
Jennifer “Ponybird” Dauphinais makes her 5th appearance in front of our Olde Church audience – the most in the series’ history.  There is a reason we keep inviting her back! Ponybird has a beautiful voice and has been influenced by the emotional roots of country, confessional poetry of folk, and spatial freedom of ambient and harmonic tones. Her music communicates something introspective and infinite all at once. Ponybird specially enjoys collaborating with other artists and for MikeFest she will be joined by New York’s Christina Abbott who is rekindling her longtime passion for music, recently releasing her CD her first in over 10 years, “Carson City”.  

Inner Groove
Meriden native Denise Jones leads Inner Groove and has been writing and singing sweet songs for over 30 years. Importantly, Denise has also been a stalwart patron and volunteer for Mike Wilcox’s series since its inception in Rocky Hill.  The Series would not have continued if she had not volunteered to help move and expand the Series in Meriden to honor Mike and keep his musical mojo in motion.

At MikeFest, Inner Groove will consist of an intimate acoustic duo of Denise with stellar bass player Tom Sekscenski, a former member of the WPLR Breakfast Band and Trial Mile.

As you can see, this is an important show for us. The Olde Church Acoustic Series is now in its seventh year providing stress-free live music showcasing Connecticut’s best singer songwriters.  No Ticketmaster hassles here!  Doors open at 6PM so come early for an affordable home cooked meal plus desserts, juices, coffee.  Your at-will donation at the door will help support our artists and our series. Parking is FREE in the garage adjacent to the church.

Donations of Hats, Mittens or Gloves are encouraged to support the Meriden Homeless Shelter.

www.oldechurchacoustic.com 
62 Colony Street, Meriden CT 06451
Thank you all for your continued support!

PEACE