A pair of Sundilla favorites will take the stage together when Cliff Eberhardt and his special guest Louise Mosrie come to town on Friday, March 8. Showtime at the AUUF is 7:30; admission at the door will be $20, but advance tickets are just $15 and can be found at Spicer’s Music, World Cup Coffee, and online at www.sundillamusic.com. Free coffee, tea and water will be available, and attendees are invited to bring whatever food or beverage they prefer.
Eberhardt has run the musical gamut from being a founding member of the Fast Folk Music Cooperative of New York City in the 1980s to writing and performing Shakespeare. His contemporary compositions are deep, honest and sung with rich emotional vocals and appeal to a wide audience. His music is a rich mélange of pop, rock and folk styles.
As a child, Eberhardt taught himself to play guitar, piano, bass and drums. In his teens, he was fortunate enough to live close to the Main Point, one of the best folk clubs on the East Coast. He cut his teeth listening to the likes of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bonnie Raitt and Mississippi John Hurt – receiving an early and impressive tutorial in acoustic music.
At the same time, he was also listening to great pop songwriters like Cole Porter, the Gershwins, and Rodgers and Hart, which explains his penchant for melodies and lyrical twists.
Eberhardt has been hailed as a driving force of the Greenwich Village New Folk movement. His songs have been covered by Richie Havens, Buffy St. Marie, Erasure, and the folk superstar band Cry, Cry, Cry (Dar Williams, Richard Shindell and Lucy Kaplansky). Eberhardt’s soulful voice is among the reasons he was named one of the top 100 Folk Artists of the past 20 years.
Louise Mosrie grew up in the small town just outside of Nashville, TN on a farm with British parents and several siblings – riding horses, writing poetry and singing with the radio. After college in Knoxville, she “borrowed” her brother’s Sears guitar, bought a simple chord book and started writing songs. The early material was mostly acoustic pop as she tried to channel her English roots while listening to Everything But the Girl and The Sundays.
Fast forward a few years, a move back to Nashville and some deep soul searching, Louise began writing songs about the South – what she knew and where she grew up. In 2008, she began working on a new album eventually to be called “Home” because she’d come full circle in her “voice” as a writer. The album was a mix of bluegrass, country and folk and as she weaved in lush stories and songs about southern life, she was even introduced once as “…William Faulkner with a guitar”. With those songs, she entered some song contests connected to festivals and ended up winning top awards at Kerrville Folk Festival, Wildflower! Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. “Home” debuted at #1 on the Folk DJ charts in January 2010 and went on to be one of the most played albums that year for that chart.
Buoyed by a couple thousand earnest fans, she began touring all over the Eastern seaboard, the South and Texas. Audience members would tell her that they enjoyed the stories between the songs as much as the songs and her strong expressive voice was described as “…like listening to Patty Griffin and Susan Tedeschi at the same time.” She’s played at The Bluebird Café in Nashville, Club Passim in Boston, Caffé Lena in NY and The Birchmere in Washington DC.
But… how did a folk stalwart like Cliff Eberhardt and a fast-rising star like Louise Mosrie find themselves performing together? It started when Louise was writing and recording her latest CD, “Lay It Down.” Eberhardt produced the CD, and it was recorded in his home studio. He played several instruments– acoustic guitar, dobro, steel guitar, high string guitar, classical guitar, bass, piano, organ, drums, midi string, and percussion-and co-wrote one of the songs. They realized that they worked well together, took that collaboration on the road, realized that continuing to do something that works well was a good idea, and the rest is history.
Cliff and Louise have both performed solo shows at Sundilla, and appeared together the last time they were in town. Any iteration that involves either or both is a winner… but together is twice the fun. Consider this the Reese’s Cup of concerts: two great sounds that sound great together. Come hear what we mean, when Cliff Eberhardt and his special guest Louise Mosrie come to town on Friday, March 8. Showtime at the AUUF is 7:30; admission at the door will be $20, but advance tickets are just $15 and can be found at Spicer’s Music, World Cup Coffee, and online at www.sundillamusic.com. Free coffee, tea and water will be available, and attendees are invited to bring whatever food or beverage they prefer. For more information, go to www.sundillamusic.com or email sundilla@mindspring.com.
“Eberhardt is as welcome as iced tea in August.” -People
“Eberhardt is better than ever, Steve McQueening his way into your heart at about ninety-eight miles an hour, kicking ass with fresh insight and new ways to lament old yearnings.” -Philly Rock Guide
“Louise Mosrie may well be the brightest young folk-oriented artist to emerge from Nashville in many a year.” Rich Warren, WFMT-FM Chicago
“One of the most talented musicians on the solo acoustic circuit… full of well-crafted songs and rich, emotional vocals.”-Seattle Post Intelligencer
“Like listening to Patty Griffin and Susan Tedeschi at the same time. Highlight of the 30A Songwriter Festival.”- Central Square Records in Seaside, Florida
“In a field of sensitive, new-age guys, Eberhardt digs deeper into life’s complexities and discovers much more compelling things to celebrate.” -The Boston Phoenix
“Mosrie’s compositions are thoughtful, refined creations. Given repeated listening, they will penetrate your consciousness. Spend your time thus, you’ll also be hooked.”- Maverick Magazine – UK
“Eberhardt sings with passion and with wit…what makes his brand so rare is the self-assurance and poise he brings to his nearly flawless show.” -The New York Post
“…a rare work of sweet-sounding art” – Steve Wildsmith, The Daily Times, Maryville, TN
“Up and down the line, as a writer, guitarist, performer, and vocalist, Eberhardt is the equal of any singer-songwriter in contemporary pop. With unequaled directness and with a stark, raw presentation, he carves out miniature masterpieces, giving voice to life’s complexities and ambiguities.” -Berkshire Eagle
“Melding pop, rock,and folk styles into a rich melange, Eberhardt fits gracefully and solidly in the singer/songwriter niche.”
-Seattle Weekly
“Influenced by everyone from ‘70’s folk-rock icon Ricki Lee Jones to ‘80’s pop faves The Sundays, Louise Mosrie brings a refreshing dose of acoustic pop to the singer-songwriter realm. Listening to her gives you the kind of emotional lift that an old Carole King or Maria Muldaur release would have 30 years ago.” –Dan Armonaitis – Metro Beat, Greenville, SC
“Eberhardt approaches the guitar with stylistic eloquence, with the hooks, licks and grooves that could easily rank him among those who are singularly known as guitar virtuosos.” -Taconic Newspapers