Doors open @ 7:00 pm | $20
Advance tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2596209
Jonathan Richman has been writing songs, making records and performing live for most of his life, winning fans and making friends around the world with his guileless honesty and playfully catchy compositions. He’s revered by countless fellow artists, and has built a remarkably loyal international audience through his tireless touring. His deceptively straightforward songs embody timeless qualities of humanity, optimism, emotional insight and a boundless sense of humor, untainted by cynicism or transient notions of hipness.
The records that Jonathan Richman has made over the past 30 years have long held a special place in the hearts of his fans. He began playing guitar at the age of 15, and in the early 1970s formed the Modern Lovers, whose raw, minimalist sound and emotionally forthright songs helped to lay the groundwork for punk rock. But by the time the group’s landmark debut album (including the much-covered “Road Runner,” a Top Five single in Europe) was released in 1976, Jonathan had already moved on to a quieter sound and a gentler lyrical focus. Since then, he’s continued to record and tour prolifically, first with a series of Modern Lovers lineups, later on his own, and eventually as a duo with drummer Tommy Larkins. Over the years, Jonathan’s music has absorbed a multitude of influences, from doo-wop to country to a variety of international styles, without sacrificing the artist’s effervescent personality.
Tommy Larkins was in the groups Naked Prey, Giant Sand and other popular bands in Tucson, Arizona. Jonathan and Tommy continue to record, write music together and tour across the US. Tommys drumming along with Jonathans guitar and singing create a live experience that is hard to forget.
“I’ve seen Jonathan and Tommy play live many times over the years and their shows genuinely make the world seem like a better place; a feeling that lingers long after the duration of the show. Its always a thrill to watch them perform.” – long time fan
Playing shows and making records keeps getting easier and more fun, Jonathan states, adding, me and Tommy play totally different than we played two years ago. We already play a different style than we played on that live DVD, and the way we played then was totally different from the way we played three years before that. I still feel like were just starting out, and I still learn new stuff every night. -Jonathan
Recent recordings:
KEITH bw DOOR TO BOHEMIA 7 inch Blue Arrow Records 2015
OSUN bw WAIT WAIT 7 inch Blue Arrow Records 2015