May 4, 2001

Grammy Award-Winner Nanci Griffith to Play MASS MoCA June 2

(May 4, 2001 -- North Adams, MA) Hot on the release of her latest album, The Dust Bowl Symphony, Nanci Griffith will bring her band, the Blue Moon Orchestra, to MASS MoCA's dramatic Concert Courtyard D on Saturday, June 2nd, at 7:00 pm. Rolling Stone magazine has dubbed Griffith "the Queen of Folkabilly," and Telegraph Magazine called her "the torchbearer of American folk music."

"We've kicked off the summer with a great sold-out concert every year and this year will be no exception. Los Lobos in 1999, Patti Smith in 2000, and now Nanci Griffith -- we bring musicians' musicians to our terrific outdoor Concert Courtyard," said Joseph Thompson, Director of MASS MoCA.

Over twenty years of songwriting and performing, Griffith has gathered admirers among legendary artists - Bob Dylan asked her to perform at his anniversary concert - as well as the millions of fans she's reached through her energetic tours, playing everywhere from Texas honky-tonks to Norwegian National Symphony Hall to to Carnegie Hall.

"Griffith positively soared," The Post Gazette Magazine said of a recent benefit concert, "Nanci Griffith's show was the rare festive, celebratory concert event that lived up to its hype and delivered distinctive, subtle and very pretty music." Salon calls her "a sturdy craftswoman."

Originally from Austin, Griffith began her career at age 14, when her "West Texas liberal" parents started her on the Austin club circuit. In the late '70s and early '80s Griffith brought her innovative folk music to Nashville as one of the new generation of folk/country/pop artists which also included Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yoakam, and Steve Earle.

Griffith's work includes some of country music's most enduring hits: Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris' Gulf Coast Highway, Kathy Mattea's Love At The Five And Dime, and Suzy Bogguss's Outbound Plane. Griffith also has fifteen acclaimed solo albums and five Grammy nominations. Her first nomination was in 1986 for The Last of the True Believers. She won her first Grammy in 1993 for Best Contemporary Folk Performance with Other Voices, Other Rooms. Griffith has won two additional Grammys for her performances on Chieftains albums. She has also worked with a virtual who's-who of country and folk musicians: Emmylou Harris, Iris Dement, Alison Krauss, Leo Kottke plus Michael Stipe, U2, Hootie and the Blowfish, the Blue Moon Orchestra and Buddy Holly's Crickets.

Her latest album The Dust Bowl Symphony grew out of an original production premiered by the Nashville Symphony and the Nashville Ballet in 1999 titled This Heart. The piece, about a day and night of a relationship, featured seven of Nanci Griffith's songs. The new album includes four of these songs as well as several Griffith staples and one new original piece. "I think we really succeeded in making these songs what they were meant to be," says Griffith, "It has turned out to be my favorite album."

The Nanci Griffith concert is sponsored by the Berkshires' own Old Saddleback Brewing Company.

Beverages and barbecue courtesy of Hickory Bill's will be available starting at 6 pm when the gates open. In case of rain the concert will move indoors to the Hunter Center. "While we hope we won't have to move inside, if we do, there's the chance there won't be tickets available on the day of the show since the indoor capacity is limited. We're encouraging Griffith fans to purchase tickets in advance to guarantee that they'll get to see her live," said Jonathan Secor, MASS MoCA's Director of Performing Arts.

Tickets for Nanci Griffith's June 2 concert are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the concert. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office at 1040 MASS MoCA Way in North Adams from 11 am until 5 pm every day but Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during box office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located at 1040 MASS MoCA Way in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings. MASS MoCA focuses on the work of visual and performing artists charting new territory; works that dim the distinctions between disciplines; and works that have seldom, or never, been exhibited because of physical demands such as scale, materials, and fabrication methods.

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