PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present contemporary folk and pop singer/songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Seth Glier and Matt Nakoa at Next Stage on Friday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m.
A singer, songwriter, pianist, guitarist, producer, and Grammy nominee, Glier is renowned for his “fearless vocal delivery, musical exuberance, and seasoned songwriting beyond his years,” according to a news release.
Averaging over 150 live performances annually, Glier has gone from opening act to headlining his own shows and playing major festivals.
Glier's new album Birds, his fifth for Mpress Records, is “steeped in conflict and contradictions. There's grief and loss, but also strength and resilience; doubt and dismay, but also a sense of optimism as Glier confronts heavy topics and wrestles them into the daylight.”
Matt Nakoa grew up on a small goat farm in Smyrna, N.Y., and began composing music as a teenager. Following a formative stint as a classical pianist, Matt won a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. There he studied alongside soon-to-be Grammy winners St. Vincent and Esperanza Spaulding among others.
After college, Matt toured with his band “The Fens” and eventually landed in New York City's vibrant piano bar scene, quickly becoming a star performer at Manhattan's Brandy's Piano Bar.
Matt's first solo album Light In The Dark is “an eclectic pop opus,” according to the news release. In contrast, A Dozen Other Loves explores a simple acoustic palette. This collection has earned many songwriting awards, including a win at Kerrville Folk Festival's prestigious New Folk Competition.