THE KNICKERBOCKER MUSIC CENTER
35 Railroad Avenue, Westerly, RI 02891 (Misquamicut) | (401) 315-5070
Open Today: Open
The club thrived as one of the leading entertainment centers in southern New England, hosting regional and national bands with an emphasis on the blues. Some of the greats that played on the Knickerbocker stage included, Big Joe Turner, Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, Johnny Nicholas, Leon Russell, Eric Burdon and Stevie Ray Vaughan. In 1967, Roomful of Blues was born in Westerly, when guitarist Duke Robillard and pianist Al Copley started a band that played tough, no-holds barred Chicago blues. Making the Knickerbocker Café their home club, it did not take long before they started exploring swinging, jumping blues and added a horn section. Roomful would pack the house every Sunday and still plays their great brand of blues today.
Fast forward and the Café has become the Knickerbocker Music Center, a non-profit organization formed in partnership with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School. The mission of the Knickerbocker Music Center is to preserve, cultivate and grow the “Knick’s” unique brand of blues, as well as expanding access to music of all genres, by transforming the Knick into both an exciting performance venue and an exceptional center for music education.
Spirit Family Reunion with Ian O'Neil
9pm
Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 9:00pm
The Knickerbocker Music Center. 35 Railroad Avenue, Westerly, RI 02891
Live Music
Westerly Sound presents
Spirit Family Reunion
with Ian O'Neil (from Deer Tick)
Spirit Family Reunion began singing together on the street corners of New York City in 2009. Since that time they have travelled the highways of America delivering raw, high energy, honest music. They have shared the stage with musical heroes such as Pete Seeger and Levon Helm, and have given notable performances at festivals including Stage Coach, Austin City Limits, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and the legendary Newport Folk Festival three times.
The band has self-produced and self-released two full-length studio albums - “No Separation” (2012) and “Hands Together” (2015) - along with multiple songbooks and other collections of recordings. They are currently working on a new record.
Ian O'Neil
Ian O’Neil is a Providence, RI based musician best known for his role in Deer Tick. Ians debut solo album will be released in 2019.
https://youtu.be/Ut14QJZk1xs
"When you play in a band with a frontman as colorful as the always outspoken, John McCauley, it is easy to get overshadowed. But Deer Tick guitarist, co-singer and songwriter Ian O’Neil has slowly emerged from McCauley’s shadow. During the past few years, the band has naturally grown from a McCauley solo project into a true band with multiple voices and personalities. Deer Tick’s new studio album Divine Providence features two O’Neil-sung tracks, “Walking Out That Door” and “Now It’s Your Turn,” and contributions from several of the band’s other members. Since relocating to New York, O’Neil has also played sporadic shows under his own name and will perform at Brooklyn, NY’s Glasslands this Wednesday, December 7. In addition to Deer Tick material, O’Neil will deliver material from his forthcoming solo project and other scattered songs that may work their way into his future repertoires. Shortly before the show, O’Neil discussed Deer Tick’s dynamics, his previous band Titus Andronicus and how we got to be so rock and roll."
-Mike Greenhaus, Jambands.com
Show: 9p | Doors: 8p
Tickets: $17 advance / $20 door ($2 Service Charge Included With Online Tickets. All sales are final, no ticket refunds or exchanges. Seats are on a first-come, first-serve basis, and seats are not guaranteed with ticket purchase.)
