Red Sammy Concert Mixes Faculty Member's Poetry with Americana Sounds, April 13
March 20, 2013
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Spotlight UB will present University of Baltimore alumnus Adam Trice, M.F.A. '09, and his band Red Sammy in a performance matching the band's gritty Americana style with the poetry of University of Baltimore faculty member Stephen Matanle, on Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m. in the Wright Theater, located in the UB Student Center, 21 W. Mt. Royal Ave. Matanle, associate professor in the School of Communications Design, will read his hard-luck poems as part of a concert celebrating the upcoming release of Red Sammy's new album, These Poems with Kerosene.
Each of Spotlight UB's quartet of spring concerts, When Sight Meets Sound (March 27), Red Sammy (April 13), the Aspen String Trio (April 15) and The Red Door is Open (April 27) integrate music with another art form in keeping with UB's new Integrated Arts program.
Trice said the Red Sammy name is a reference to Flannery O'Connor's short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find." The band's style embraces the beauty to be found in imperfection: life, work, hard work, disappointment, love and loss are all themes entwined in Trice's songs. The ensemble includes John "Chesapeake" Decker (Resonator guitar), Greg Humphreys (bass, electric guitar, mandolin), and Tony Calato (drums). Currently, Red Sammy is collaborating with Matanle, and their work shows up on These Poems with Kerosene. The characters in these songs share heartbreaking circumstances, and they frequent places where they are compelled to dwell on their bad luck: package goods stores, lonesome bars and street corners. The facts behind the stories they tell are left to the listener's imagination.
Matanle said the work of writing, reading and listening can bring understanding into every person's life: "Years of experience as a teacher and writer have taught me that works of imagination, whether we are reading them or creating them, clarify and intensify our lives. In a world of information, we can find something more—insight and delight—in the discipline and pleasure of reading, in the practice of imaginative writing. Our understanding and appreciation of literary characters, our passionate encounters with language, help us to know ourselves and others, to learn what matters most deeply to us and why."
Tickets for Red Sammy's performance are $8 for the general audience and $5 for all students and UB alumni. Tickets are available online at www.etix.com (search under University of Baltimore) and at the door one hour prior to the performance.
Reduced rate parking is available on event nights at the Fitzgerald Garage on Oliver Street; a voucher will be provided at the box office, and the UB shuttle is available to transport patrons between the venue and the garage.
Learn more about Spotlight UB and other upcoming performances.
Questions about Spotlight UB may be sent via email to spotlightub@ubalt.edu.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.