Steve Earle, Chrisette Michele, Les Sampou, And The Fat City Band Announced At The Spire Center

The Spire Center for Performing Arts has announced four new shows. Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Steve Earle will perform on June 12, Grammy award-winner Chrisette Michele will take the stage on June 14, award-winning Boston musician Les Sampou will perform on June 26, and New England Museum Music Hall of Fame inductees The Fat City Band will play on June 28. Tickets go on sale for these shows on Saturday, March 15, at 6:00 a.m. at spirecenter.org. 

Steve Earle is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of his generation. A protege of legendary songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, he quickly became a master storyteller in his own right, with his songs being recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, The Pretenders, and countless others. Most recently, Earle's 1988 hit "Copperhead Road" was made an official state song of Tennessee in 2023.

Subsequent releases like The Revolution Starts...Now (2004), Washington Square Serenade (2007), and TOWNES (2009) received consecutive Grammy Awards. Earle has published the novel "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2011) and "Dog House Roses," a collection of short stories (Houghton Mifflin 2003). As an actor, Earle has appeared in several films and had recurring roles in the HBO series "The Wire" and "Tremé."

Chrisette Michele was raised on the South Shore of Long Island in New York, nestled between the Hamptons and New York City. She studied Vocal Jazz Performance at Five Towns College, just around the corner from the church where she served as a youth leader. Signed to Def Jam in 2006, she went on to record gold albums, I Am (2007), which received a Grammy Award for the song "Be Ok" and "Epiphany" (2010) which debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard pop charts. Hit songs included "Epiphany," "Blame It On Me," and "What You Do." 

Les Sampou has toured the US and internationally for decades. She has produced eight albums for Rounder Records and as an Indie artist on her own label "MoNando Music." Her newest release (2024), LIKE YOUR VIBE, is a collection of 20 collaborative songs written with writers from around the world, many of which are featured in film and TV. Les has performed at such world-class stages as the Montreal Jazz Festival, Toronto Blues Festival, SXSW, Kerrville (winning first prize for songwriting), and Philadelphia Folk Festival. She has appeared on top-syndicated radio programs such as Acoustic Cafe, World Cafe, and NPR. 

With a unique blend of musicianship and showmanship, The Fat City Band enters its fifth decade still packing a punch. Following a credo that music should be fun, this seven-piece band performs its brand of jump blues, swing, New Orleans, and roots-style music in a high-energy and entertaining manner. Over the years, they have shared the stage with musical luminaries B. B. King, James Brown, and Ray Charles. 

Other upcoming shows at the Spire Center include Say Darling on March 13, Lenny Clarke on March 14, Draw the Line on March 15, Kerri Powers on March 20, Selwyn Birchwood on March 21, Knickerbocker All Stars on March 22, The Shady Roosters on March 23, Matt Cusson on March 27, Young Dubliners on March 28, and America's Hometown Laureates presents: U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky performs PoemJazz on March 30. 

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