February 15, 2003

Living Colour's Corey Glover Plays MASS MoCA February 15

(North Adams, Mass.) In keeping with the sold-out Shannon McNally concert in December, MASS MoCA fills its intimate concert space, "Club B-10", with former Living Colour frontman Corey Glover in a Valentine Cabaret on Saturday, February 15, at 8:00 P.M. Billboard magazine calls Glover "an incredible vocalist, brandishing his gift like a weapon capable of piercing the soul." People Magazine described his soulful new sound as "something like the silken-toned soul great Al Green fronting heavy metal's Led Zeppelin as he tears through a sexy melange of hushed, bittersweet ballads and rockers that bristle with stinging electric guitars," going on to call his debut solo album, Hymns, "a soul album that rocks." In the spirit of Valentine's Day, Glover will focus on songs of love and yearning for this special Cabaret.

Although Glover and Vernon Reid lived just four blocks from each other for years, they didn't meet until a mutual friend's birthday party. Party-goers naturally insisted Glover sing, and Reid was so impressed with his soulful, powerful rendition of "Happy Birthday" that he offered Glover a position in his new band on the spot. In spite of Reid's reputation, Glover turned him down, but fate stepped in when Glover's band split up and Reid's lead singer wasn't working out. Reid again made the offer, and this time Glover accepted. The two formed the core of pioneering rock band Living Colour. The platinum-selling group earned back-to-back Grammys for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1989 with Cult of Personality and in 1990 with Time's Up. They regularly sold out arenas and broke MTV rotation records until Sony Records unceremoniously announced they would not continue to support their second album.

After the break-up of Living Colour, Glover took some time off and began fronting the new group, Reverend Daddy Love. Now he's broken off on his own, skillfully blending the hard-rock edge of his former group with the kind of powerful, soulful vocals which caught Vernon Reid's attention in the first place. According to VH1, his debut solo album, Hymns, "contains sweet, salty, seriously soul-drenched moments interspersed with nasty rock n' roll cuts. Totally fresh." MTV called it a "spiritual homage and stylistic rebirth." According to CNN, "Glover mixes cool crooning with some of the old raging sound he is famous for, to create an eclectic blend of music."

The concert is part of MASS MoCA's new Alternative Cabaret series, which is quickly developing a reputation as the place to hear new music first. The series takes place in MASS MoCA's B-10 Theater, which has been converted into "Club B-10" with cafˇ tables and chairs plus couches for relaxing and enjoying a drink and "up close" entertainment. Past Alternative Cabaret events have included the sold-out Shannon McNally concert in December. Upcoming events include a Fantastical Cabaret with Antony & the Johnsons on March 8 and an avant-garde Bluegrass Cabaret with Luther Wright & the Wrongs reimagining Pink Floyd's The Wall with a bluegrass beat on March 22. The Alternative Cabaret series is sponsored by Barrington Brewery.

Tickets to the Valentine Cabaret with Corey Glover are $12 in advance or $14 day of show. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M. every day but Tuesday. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or online at www.massmoca.org at any time of day.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located off Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings.

MASS MoCA 1040 MASS MoCA Way North Adams, MA 01247 413.MOCA.111 www.massmoca.org

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org