July 21, 2004

Martha Wainwright in Concert in MASS MoCA’s Courtyard Café

(North Adams, Mass.) Hailing from Canada’s musical dynasty, Martha Wainwright meshes her intimate familiarity with folk and rock traditions with an acute and youthful sense of adventure. Singing dramatic ballads flushed with character, her material is wise, vulnerable, and revealing. Her songwriting is “adventurous and vivacious,” according to The New York Times, which went on to say, “She deftly gives shape to the thoughts and feelings zooming around inside her.” Wainwright will perform as part of MASS MoCA’s Alternative Cabaret series in MASS MoCA’s Courtyard Cafe on Saturday, August 21, at 8 P.M. In the spirit of MASS MoCA’s Interventionist summer season, Wainwright promises to add several classic protest songs to her usual repertoire.

Immersed in music from birth, Martha Wainwright is the daughter of folk luminaries Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle. She began touring with older brother Rufus Wainwright at an early age as a back-up singer and musician and contributing to albums by Kate and Anna McGarrigle. Throughout college she was composing and performing her own material in clubs and coffeehouses throughout Montreal. Wainwright released her debut album, Ground Floor, in 1997. After moving to New York she began taking part in stage musicals like Largo. Wainwright performed at the 2000 ROCKGRRL Music Conference and has contributed to albums by Dan Bern, Loudon Wainwright III, and Linda Thompson.

Tickets for Martha Wainwright are $13 in advance or $16 the day of the show. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M. (closed Tuesdays). In July and August galleries and box office are open 10 – 6 every day. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line any time at www.massmoca.org. Lickety Split will be open at 7 P.M. for dinner and drinks.

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

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