Seven Duos to Perform at The Living Room in Ardmore This Fall

A slate of seven different duos will bring singing seafarers, opera singers, singer-songwriters and master guitarists to The Living Room, the intimate, BYOB live music and entertainment venue at 104 Cricket Avenue in Ardmore that features lounge seating.

The season of musical pairings starts on Tues. Sept. 19 with Sons of Town Hall, who'll bring on the steampunk with their Victorian-era outfits and singalong seafaring songs that feature seamless harmonies and intricate finger-picking. Composed of one Brit and one Yank, the duo has been racking up kudos on both continents. "Think Simon & Garfunkel lost at sea, and you get a sense of the mythic world at play here." - Philadelphia Inquirer

Guitar slingers Vahe Sarkissian & Joe Mass are set to bring the house down - again - when they return to The Living Room with their band on Fri. Sept. 29 (an attendee of their previous show claims they "melted his face off"). Sarkissian has performed with members of John Lennon and David Bowie's bands, and has opened for artists including Slash and The Roots. Mass' long bio includes work with genuine rock legends in LA, NYC and Philly, and he currently sells out shows as guitarist in Broken Arrow, a tribute to Neil Young.

Sat. Oct. 28 will be a night of serious guitar magic, featuring Tim Farrell & Craig Thatcher. Farrell is one of only four artists to be honored as one of the "100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists" who have also won "Best Instrumental" in the International Acoustic Music Awards. Thatcher's mastery has earned him the role of International Clinician/Ambassador for guitar maker C.F. Martin & Co. as well as a guitar instructor, recording artist, and host of the PBS television series, Behind The Guitar.

The Sat. Nov. 4 show featuring Laura Mann and Dan Navarro will be a busman's holiday of sorts for Philly singer-songwriter Laura Mann, owner of The Living Room, when she performs both solo and together with her longtime friend and co-writer, LA-based songwriter-vocalist-guitarist Dan Navarro, who'll also perform his own set. He's well-known as a solo artist who was half of the acclaimed '90s duo Lowen-Navarro and for writing hit songs for Pat Benatar, The Bangles and others. Many of his songs appear in popular TV shows, films and advertisements. He's also a popular voice actor.

Alice Howe and Freebo will bring together a rising voice in Americana music (Howe) and a venerable rock, folk, and blues icon (Freebo) on Sun. Nov 19. Freebo is best known for his decade of touring and recording with Bonnie Raitt, and has played on records with CSN, Maria Muldaur, John Mayall, Ringo Starr, Dr. John, Neil Young and many more. Howe is becoming known for her soulful, impeccably-tuned vocals and brilliantly crafted songs, and just recorded her forthcoming album at the iconic FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL, which was produced, arranged and co-written by Freebo.

Two powerhouse singer-songwriters who've joined forces and will celebrate the release of their brand-new album called 93 Stories on Sat. Dec. 2 are Bet Williams and Elizabeth Lee. Williams, a longtime favorite on the Philly music scene, and Lee, a "rock queen" from Texas, met while touring with their own successful rock bands in Europe. Like their new album, their album release concert will showcase their exuberant style of rock, blues and folk, and impressive harmonies.

Amo l'Italia! will be celebrated Fri. Dec. 8, when soprano Kara Goodrich and tenor Colin Doyle are accompanied by pianist Jose Melendez for a special night of Italian opera, served with The Living Room's spaghetti and meatballs. A graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts who won third prize in the 2021 Mario Lanza Competition in Philadelphia, Goodrich is also a graduate of The Eastman School of Music and University of Michigan. She has performed as Mimi in La Boheme, Pamina in The Magic Flute, and Micaela in Carmen, among many other roles. She has also worked with Philadelphia Opera, Annapolis Opera, Utah Festival Opera and more. Colin Doyle, a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, has performed as the Evangelist in Bach's St. John Passion, and Edwin in Gilbert & Sullivan's Trial by Jury. In addition to performing on the east face of Long's Peak in the Rocky Mountains and another on the face of Yosemite's El Capitan, he has performed in concert as the tenor soloist in Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, Bach's Magnificat, and several others.

Other outstanding artists who'll be performing this fall at The Living Room include:

SUN. SEPT. 17: Acoustic ensemble Hot Club of Philadelphia return to The Living Room to delight audiences with their blend of original gypsy jazz and modern interpretations.

WEDS. SEPT. 20: Nobody does power rock trio better than The Figgs, who've been at it for three decades. It's why they've been Graham Parker's and Tommy Stinson's preferred touring and recording band, among other rock-solid credentials.

SAT. OCT. 7: Guitarist Mark Cosgrove, a winner of both the National Flatpicking Guitar Championship and the Doc Watson Guitar Championship, has also been a session player and sideman for Jerry Douglas and David Bromberg. He'll perform with his own band, Good Medicine.

SUN. OCT. 8: British guitarist Adrian Legg's unique performance and entertainment style has been hailed by the BBC for its "dazzling technique and equally large dollops of spirit, humor, passion, eclecticism and spontaneity."

FRI. OCT. 13: Fans of atomic reggae and heavy-hitting dub, take note: Philly's own The Rootsetters are promising to bring both deep cuts and new tunes for this show.

FRI. NOV. 3: The Living Room's couches will be moved out of the way for The DynaGroove Dance Party featuring plenty of Philly-style ska, funk and rock.

General seating or VIP seating in comfy couches and chairs is available. Many more shows are on sale now at livingroomardmore.com, with updates at Facebook.com/livingroomardmore and Instagram.com/livingroomardmore.

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