WALL TO WALL JOHNNY CASH Comes to Symphony Space, 4/25

Symphony Space pays tribute to a towering figure of American music with Wall to Wall Johnny Cash, Saturday, April 25, from 4 pm to 11 pm in the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space. The exciting and eclectic lineup ranges from established Nashville masters to Brooklyn upstarts, with dance, spoken word, and other media in the mix. It is the first time that Symphony Space has devoted its yearly signature event to a country music artist.

Wall to Wall Johnny Cash will include many of Cash's greatest songs, both originals and covers that he indelibly stamped as his own. Performers include rising retro chanteuse Kat Edmonson, banjo goddess Alison Brown, singer-guitarist-composer Howard Fishman,19-year-old mandolin prodigy Sierra Hull, singer-songwriter Morley, world music/indie-rock favorites Superhuman Happiness, and many others.

The evening will be divided into two parts: LOVE and DEATH (4 - 7:30 pm), and PRISON and THE MAN IN GRASS (7:30 - 11 pm). Like all Wall to Wall concerts, this event is free to the public. A limited number of premium seats -- $100 for each half, or $150 for the entire evening -- will be available for purchase at www.symphonyspace.org.

The LOVE segment will include hits such as I Walk the Line, Ring of Fire, and famous Carter-Cash duets like Dylan's It Ain't Me Babe. DEATH is the theme of Delia's Gone, Ain't No Grave, and many other tunes. PRISON will include a full set of songs from Cash's best-selling album At Folsom Prison, including his immortal Folsom Prison Blues. Brooklyn's own Superhuman Happiness is the house band for this segment exploring Cash's outlaw side.

The final section, THE MAN IN GRASS, spotlights Cash repertoire in brand new bluegrass arrangements, heard for the first time here. They will be played by an all-star band from Nashville, many of them band leaders on their own: Alison Brown (banjo), Sierra Hull (mandolin), Mike Barnett (fiddle), and Trey Hensley (guitar) among them, along with special guests TBA. An offbeat highlight of the evening will be a new dance to Cash's music, performed by the acrobatic LAVA company.

At this writing the roster includes (alphabetically):

• Balthrop Alabama - brother/sister-fronted indie-folk collective, born in Alabama and based in Brooklyn
• Mike Barnett - sought-after Nashville fiddler (Tony Trishka, David Grisman, Jonathan Edwards)
• Alison Brown - considered one of the greatest banjo players alive (Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck, Michelle Shocked)
• Christina Courtin - Julliard-trained American singer, violinist, and songwriter
• Michael Davies - singer and virtuoso guitarist heralded as "a leading light of the New York bluegrass scene" by The New York Times (Chris Thile, Steve Martin, Tony Trischka, and Rosanne Cash)
• Kat Edmonson - ascendant indie-pop retro-jazz crooner
• Howard Fishman - NYC-based singer, guitarist, bandleader and composer with a deep passion for New Orleans jazz, pop, gospel and country music
• Trey Hensley - Nashville guitarist, singer-songwriter (Johnny and June Carter Cash, plus Marty Stuart, Earl Scruggs, Charlie Daniels, Steve Wariner, The Oak Ridge Boys, Ricky Skaggs)
• Marika Hughes - singer-songwriter and cellist (2 Foot Yard, Lou Reed, Iron and Wine, Dar Williams)
• Sierra Hull - mandolin prodigy, recorded first album at 15 (Alison Krauss)
• Lava - Brooklyn-based acrobatic dance company
• Eric Mingus - composer, bassist, singer, spoken word artist (Lou Reed, Todd Rundgren, Elvis Costello, Nick Cave)
• Morley - singer-songwriter with four studio albums including Undivided
• Mamie Minch - Brooklyn-based guitarist, "bodacious blues badass"
• Bruce Molsky - renowned old time Appalachian fiddler and singer: "There's an incredible power of history and tradition in his vocals." - Linda Ronstadt
• Aja Monet - poet, author, poetry slam champion
• Nation Beat - high-energy band mixing thunderous Brazilian maracatu drumming and New Orleans second line rhythms
• Janine Nichols - jazz singer-songwriter
• Morgan O'Kane - socially-conscious folk/bluegrass banjo player
• Plume Giant - Brooklyn-based "orchestral music in dream-pop clothes"
• Superhuman Happiness - band with Afrobeat roots and indie sensibilities, led by TV on the Radio reed player Stuart D. Bogie
• Jason Walker - gospel/jazz/classical singer (Einstein on the Beach, Mick Jagger, Bono, Dr. John)

Note: lineup is subject to change; watch this space for updates and news of special guests.

Symphony Space traces its beginnings to a free marathon concert, Wall to Wall Bach, held in 1978 and organized by co-founders Isaiah Sheffer and Allan Miller. The music marathon then drew thousands of visitors and has since become one of the organization's signature events. Today Symphony Space presents more than 600 events each season, including music, dance, theater, film, and literary readings. Some of its best known programs include Selected Shorts, a reading of short stories by stars of stage and screen, and one of the most popular series on public radio; Thalia Docs, screening groundbreaking documentaries on Sundays; National Theatre Live,broadcasting the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world; Just Kidding, one of the most talked about family entertainment series around town; and, more recently, The Music of Now, presenting an eclectic range of music in all styles and sensibilities, focusing on emerging artists and unusual work. Uptown Showdown has been called "New York's best comedy series" by New York magazine. For more information, visit symphonyspace.org.

Symphony Space is located at 2537 Broadway at 95th Street. Box office hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 1 pm - 6 pm, open two hours prior to performances and events. Tickets can also be purchased through www.symphonyspace.org, or by calling 212/864-5400.