Music wraps Upstairs at the Calderwood with Star Power

by M. Bevin O'Gara
So here we are getting started with the second installment of our new Cabaret Series, UPSTAIRS at the Calderwood and what a blast!

This time, we’ve paired up with the Berklee School of Music. For the past few months, Michael Borgita (of Berklee) and I have been scouring the city working to assemble the best assortment of performers for this series. We’ve been to venues big and small, dingy and elaborate, and I think we’ve collected some of the best up-and-coming musicians Berkee has to offer. And their talents are all over the map; we have jazz, folk, rap, rock, gospel and more.

Our first evening back featured the song stylings of Amy Crawford and her band, The Electrics. Boy, does this girl have star-power written all over her, and the band she’s assembled rocket her into outer space. I was riveted right from the start of the afternoon sound check when the band incorporated a new song Amy wrote earlier that day into their set list. Rehearsal ran right up until we had to open the house, but is was worth it! The new song, “Weekend Woman,” was one of my personal favorites of the evening.

The room, as before, looked incredible. The casual elegance that scenic designer Cristina Todesco created in the Deane (usually used as a rehearsal hall) gives the venue and the real series a sense of style and class. Everyone seems impressed by it, not only the audience, but also the performers, who can’t resist commenting on how great the venue looks.

We have five more acts coming up this weekend and next and I think audiences are in for a real treat. Check out www.huntingtontheatre.org for more information and to get tickets, which are just $15, or $10 for students and subscribers.

Photos: (top to bottom) M. Bevin O'Gara, Amy Crawford, retro-infused folk rocker Haley Jane, and jazz violinist Andrei Matorin.

Tickets and Information about Berklee @ Upstairs at the Calderwood, playing January 22-31, 2009, can be found at huntingtontheatre.org. Performances are at the Calderwood Pavlion at the BCA, 527 Tremont St, Boston, MA. Buy tickets online or call our box office at 617 266-0800