Jeffrey Gaines Returns To Club Passim Next Friday

Jeffrey Gaines will perform at Club Passim on Friday, March 9, 2018 at 8:00 PM. After an extended absence from the recording studio, Gaines returns with Alright, his first Omnivore Recordings release and his first set of new studio material since 2003's Toward the Sun. Tickets are $30 and available now at www.passim.org or by calling 617-492-7679.

Throughout his two-and-a-half-decade recording career, Jeffrey Gaines has maintained an impressive standard for soul-searching, introspective lyrics and catchy, uplifting melodies. Since bursting on the scene with his self-titled 1992 debut album, the charismatic singer-songwriter-guitarist has built a beloved body of recordings that's won him a large and deeply devoted international fan base. The new album features ten irresistible examples of the Philadelphia-based artist's personally charged songcraft, performed with the same effortless exuberance that's long been a hallmark of Gaines' artful recordings and his dazzling live performances.

Recorded in Los Angeles with producer/multi-instrumentalist Chris Price (whose production resume includes acclaimed recent comeback efforts by Emitt Rhodes and Linda Perhacs, as well as his own widely celebrated second solo effort, Stop Talking), Alright features an all-star studio band consisting of guitarist Val McCallum (Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow, Lucinda Williams), bassist Davey Faragher (Elvis Costello, Cracker, John Hiatt), and drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Elliott Smith), who also record on their own as Jackshit.

Alright vibrates with positivity and enthusiasm, lending an unmistakable immediacy to such effervescent new Gaines originals as "Feel Alright," "Firefly Hollow," "Seems to Me" and "Frowned Upon." The new songs showcase Gaines' sublime melodic gifts, his vivid lyrical insight and ingratiating performing skills, while drawing strength from the unmistakable chemistry of the studio team, which cut all of the album's backing tracks in a marathon three-day session.

Gaines has been pursuing musical transcendence for much of his life. Raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, by soul-music-loving parents, he began his musical life playing guitar in local cover combos, before his songwriting muse became too insistent to ignore. He soon landed his first record deal shortly after graduating from high school, and in 1992 released his widely acclaimed debut album Jeffrey Gaines. The eponymous disc won massive amounts of critical and audience acclaim, spawning the hit "Hero in Me." Somewhat Slightly Dazed (1994) and Galore (1998) further expanded his audience. Interview magazine described Gaines' work as "soul-searching" and "refreshingly free of jargon, sentiment or cliché."

In 2001, Gaines' release Always Be yielded a surprise hit in his deeply felt interpretation of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes"; 2003's Toward the Sun attracted even more critical accolades, with Mojo praising the "soul-folkie's sexy growl" and The Boston Globe declaring that "Gaines' soulful, wounded vocals make a case for his being one of pop's finest singers." Toward the Sun was followed by a pair of live albums, the 2004 CD/DVD Jeffrey Gaines Live and 2012's Live in Europe, which reflected the deep and abiding rapport that Gaines has with his fans. That relationship keeps him consistently on the road playing high-energy one-man live sets, even when there's no new album to promote."

Tickets for Jeffrey Gaines on Friday, March 9, 2018 at Club Passim are available online now at www.clubpassim.org, by calling 617-492-7679 (9:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday - Friday) or at the Club Passim box office sixty minutes before the show begins. Club Passim is located in Harvard Square at 47 Palmer St., Cambridge, MA 02138. Doors open at 10:30 PM.

Passim, a nonprofit arts organization, creates an inspiring and interactive music experience for all, building a vibrant community for artists, students and audience members through its legendary listening venue and school of music. Established in Harvard Square as the Club 47 in 1958 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1994, Passim has been a cornerstone of the arts community in New England, fostering both performers and audiences alike.

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