P R E S S
R E L E A S E S 2006
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July 19, 2006
Jim Carroll Performs at MASS MoCA's Outdoor Alt Cabaret Series
(North Adams, Mass.) Best known for his tributes to the casualties of drug culture, including his hit song, People Who Died, his now legendary poem, 8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain, and his literary masterpiece-turned-box-office-hit, The Basketball Diaries,; Jim Carroll will bring his moving and emotional poetry to MASS MoCA's outdoor Alternative Cabaret series on Saturday, August 19, at 8 P.M.
Carroll will perform under the stars in the Courtyard Café, weather permitting. The event moves indoors to Club B-10 in case of rain. Doors open at 7 PM for dinner and snacks from Lickety Split and a full bar. (Event moves inside in case of rain.) According to the Memphis Flyer: "Listening to Jim Carroll's music is a lot like reading his poetry - it's usually a harrowing journey, but one worth all the ensuing trauma." Carroll was born and raised in working-class New York City. A highly touted basketball prospect, Carroll was inspired by Jack Kerouac's On the Road to begin keeping a journal at the age of 12. By the time he was 16, Carroll was a published poet; his 1973 publication, "Living at the Movies," further established his reputation as a prodigy and funded a move to northern California, where he was finally able to shed his drug habit. His early journals were published in 1978 as The Basketball Diaries, vividly chronicling his teenage addiction to heroin, which led him into a life of crime and hustling. Inspired by the success of his friend Patti Smith, who also married a background in poetry with a career in rock music, Carroll began writing songs. In 1978, backed by the San Francisco band Amsterdam (comprised of guitarists Terrell Winn and Brian Linsley, bassist Steve Linsley and drummer Wayne Woods), he cut a handful of demos, and was signed to Rolling Stones Records. Produced by label head Earl McGrath, the Jim Carroll Band's debut album Catholic Boy appeared in 1980. The subject of significant critical acclaim, it featured "People Who Died," the group's definitive moment. In 1985 The Basketball Diaries was turned into a major motion picture. During the remainder of the eighties, Carroll balanced his poetry and prose material while writing tracks for other artists including the Blue Oyster Cult's album Club Ninja and Boz Scaggs' Other Roads. Tickets for Jim Carroll are $14 in advance or $18 the day of the concert. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams, open from 10 A.M. until 6 P.M. daily. 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 off Marshall Street 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