An East/West Music Experience at BMCM+ACwith Thomas Rain Crowe and The Boatrockers

The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center is pleased to present THOMAS RAIN CROWE & THE BOATROCKERS in a rare local appearance on Friday, September 7^th at 8:00pm. This performance at BMCM+AC will kick off their Thief of Words Tour and will be the band’s first local appearance since performing at UNCA’s Lipinsky Auditorium in 2004. Since the BMCM+AC space at 56 Broadway is considerably smaller than Lipinsky, folks are encouraged to get their tickets early. Tickets are $5 for BMCM+AC members and students w/ID, $7 for all others.

The current Boatrockers lineup has been together since 1995 and is a ground-breaking North Carolina-based world-music, spoken-word super-band that features dynamic performances from the seven member ensemble. Their East/West performance blends, the traditional acoustic music of the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Turkey, India) and modern electronic technology. The Boatrockers have been publicly praised by such icons of the music industry as Pete Townshend of The Who and saxophonist Joy Harjo of Poetic Justice. This eclectic, versatile and inventive eight-member ensemble plays all original music with songs by award-winning songwriter Chris Rosser, as well as Crowe’s original poetry and translations of 14th century Persian poet Hafiz. The Boatrockers bring a new and modern look and sound to the world-beat genre and its interest in ancient as well as ultra-modern traditions.

The Boatrockers have performed at all manner of events and venues, including festivals such as The Rumi Festival in Chapel Hill, NC, the Sufi Healing Order’s “Healing in Our Time” conferences in Atlanta, GA and Asheville, NC. This band has also played at churches, music venues, colleges and universities. The Boatrockers has two CDs to its credit ("The Perfect Work", published and produced by Omega Productions) and LIVE at Lipinsky Hall, which is on the Fern Hill Records label.

BIOGRAPHIES

Thomas Rain Crowe (the founder and leader of The Boatrockers) - is an internationally-known and published poet, translator and performance artist, and author of several books. As well as being the creator of the poems and lyrics performed by the band, he also plays wooden flutes and percussion.

Chris Rosser - is a nationally known and award-winning singer-songwriter and string-instrument virtuoso. He brings the through-line of Eastern instruments to the Boatrockers eclectic mix in such instruments as the sarod, dotar, jumbush, sitar, saz, as well as the Spanish guitar. A much-sought-after studio musician, his solo recordings include Archeology, The Holy Fool, and Hidden Everywhere (2006).

Wayne Kirby - is a former member of the Debbie Harry Band (Blondie), has composed and performed music for both Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals, has conducted small orchestras in Las Vegas on the strip, and is an experimental electronic music composer. Currently he is head of the Music Dept. at UNC-Asheville.

Doug Shearer - is an accomplished and versitile drummer, playing everything from trap set rock and jazz, to Middle Eastern hand drum melodies and rhythms and styles. His work has appeared on many recordings and CDs. Originally from Pennsylvania and New York City, he now resides in Asheville.

Nan Watkins - a piano keyboard prodigy, she studied music at Oberlin College and the Vienna Academy of music, and with some of the best teachers in both Europe and America. Now, an electronic keyboard performer and composer, her latest solo CD is entitled The Laugharne Poems on the Fern Hill Records label.

Sal D’Angio - an accomplished tabla and guitar player, he has studied in Nepal and India with name professionals and recording artists on both instruments and has performed and recorded with eclectic, world-music bands in both Philadelphia and Denver before joining the Boatrockers and moving to Asheville.