ellen cherry, Photo by: Daniel Bedell

ROOTS CAFE SINGER-SONGWRITER SERIES presents

ellen cherry and Sandy Asirvatham
perform their own songs in the round with your singing host Geoffrey Himes

Admission: $7 in advance/$9 at the door

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

ellen cherry

Once a character in a novel, Tom Robbins' "Skinny Legs and All," ellen cherry began her life as a living, breathing performer in 1997. In 2009, her original score for the Nana Project’s shadow puppet piece, “Alzonzo’s Lullaby," won one of puppetry’s prestigious awards, the UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence. In 2010 she was nominated for an Emmy for a song about Baltimore that she wrote for Fox TV. Each song on her latest album, 2010's "(New) Years," contains a reference to a specific year, exploring specific moments in women's history, as well as ellen's own personal journey. The CD debuted in the top 20 at folk radio and received enthusiastic reviews. She is hard at work on another collection of intimate new songs created on the piano as well as working closely with the Maryland Historical Society on new music inspired by their four- year-long Civil War exhibit. In 2012, ellen will premiere two additional original compositions to complement more shadow puppet performances by the Nana Project.
wwww.ellencherry.com

Sandy Asirvatham

Sandy Asirvatham was a respected journalist and award-winning City Paper columnist before launching a second career as a pianist and singer-songwriter. Of her eclectic jazz-pop songs, WRNR DJ Michael Buckley says, "When it comes to crossing invisible musical boundaries, Sandy Asirvatham is an innovator." She is currently at work on a new full-length arrangement of Pink Floyd's classic album, “Dark Side of the Moon,” to be co-produced with ellen cherry and performed by a collective of excellent Baltimore musicians from all genres. With one foot still in the world of creative writing, Asirvatham recently completed the first draft of a memoir entitled “Songs Can Save Your Life.” www.sandysmemoir.com


GEOFFREY HIMES

Though he is best known as a music critic for the Washington Post, Baltimore City Paper, Nashville Scene, Jazz Times, No Depression, Paste and others, Geoffrey Himes is also a longtime singer-songwriter who has co-written songs with Fred Koller, Walter Egan, Sonia Rutstein, Billy Kemp, Stephen Wade, Jim Patton, Paul Margolis, Josh Charles, Timothy Bracken, Andrew Grimm, Bob Kannenberg and others. This month Himes will premiere his new song, “Let’s Celebrate."

UPCOMING SHOWS IN THE ROOTS CAFÉ SINGER-SONGWRITER SERIES AT AN DIE MUSIK:

October 9: Sam Nitzberg & Matt Douglas
November 6: Arty Hill & Paul Margolis & John Shock
December 11: Fourth annual Roots Café Christmas Show

OTHER ROOTS CAFÉ SHOWS:

October 7: Second annual “Streets of Baltimore: Songs of Our City” concert for the Creative Alliance at the Patterson featuring Phil Wiggins, Howard Markman, Lisa Mathews & Mikel Gehl and others