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Health & Fitness

Listen Live Music Premieres in Macungie

Listen Live Music will debut at the Macungie Institute on Jan. 21 with a new series: Nashville North Songwriters in the Round.

For those of you that have never been, The BlueBird Cafe is an unassuming little cafe located in a strip mall in Nashville.  It is the consummate testing ground for singer/songwriters from all over the world. You can go in there on a Tuesday night and see Kathy Mattea sitting two feet from you, Jon Ims (songwriter of "She's in Love With the Boy") next to her and two more writers that you might not recognize until they start belting out the hits that they have written for the likes of Martina McBride, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw - you name 'em! 

The performers are nestled in the center of a crowded room with tables all around and living room style lights for ambiance. It works. Suddenly the music starts and you are pulled into the stories and the honest straight-from-the-weavers-mouth rendition of songs that you know and some you don't. But it's all great.

Beginning on Jan. 21, will attempt to recreate this experience at the . Four of these events are scheduled for 2012 and will feature some local flavor as well as singer/songwriters known regionally, nationally and, in some cases, internationally.

The first of four of these special nights in 2012 will also mark LLM's first concert event in at the Macungie Institute. These evenings will feature upscale desserts and snack plates with table service, as well as the usual array of snacks and beverages.

Tickets are just $10 and are available at ListenLiveMusic.org. Please take a moment to read about the wonderful selection of writers:

ANDREW DUNN
Andrew Dunn is an Americana songwriter. You won’t see any flashy guitar playing or lightning fast licks. It’s about the song. His ability to wrap words around a melody in an engaging, familiar manner makes you feel he's singing directly to you. With captivating, infectious melodies, his voice has been compared to James Taylor and a young Paul Simon. A NJ native,  Dunn has wowed audiences at The Folk Project and Godfrey Daniels. He recently released his second CD, "I AM," which has been very well received.

BILL HALL
Bill Hall is a songwriter's songwriter! A Morristown, NJ, native and Kerrville New Folk award-winner, Hall has appeared with icons Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary) and Pete Seeger. He fronted several high-profile NYC folk-rock bands in the 80's before picking up acoustic guitar as his main instrument. Painting word brushstrokes like Van Gogh oils, Hall is a master at his craft and never ceases to inspire standing ovations for his insightful, universal love songs and fascinating snapshots of life.

JACKIE TICE
Jackie Tice is a multi-award winning songwriter (Kerrville, Indian Summer, LVMA, Telluride finalist) in the folk, pop and native genres. An international performer for peace, Tice has appeared at the United Nations and from the Hawaiian Islands to Europe. Drawing on her Cherokee and Eastern European roots, Tice's songs find the connection between nature and human nature, lifting the spirit and opening the heart to a sense of relationship with the world and ourselves. She has four nationally-released CD's and her DVD, Apache Moon, highlights her Switzerland tour in 2010.
Jackie also helped us put together this first round!

BOB GROVER
Lehigh Valley troubadour Bob Grover, started his musical journey while in college in the late 60s and early 70s. He cut his teeth as half of a duo that toured in a Volkswagen Bug all over the East Coast, Midwest and into Canada playing at coffee houses, colleges, small concert halls, protest gatherings, bars and even street corners. After the demise of the duo, Grover continued to live the Gypsy songman life performing original and traditional country and western music. His writing shows an appreciation for the old and new west with influences from legendary artists such as Ernest Tubb, Bob Wills, Hank Williams, Jerry Jeff Walker, and many others. The inspiration for his music comes from his own experience and the experience of others. Every original song tells a story or conjures up a memory of a special time. He writes simple emotive songs in an easy going country style with melodic and meaningful lyrics. Music that will make you smile, tap your toes, or perhaps swing your partner.

Listen Live Music is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit community music organization that hosts one open mic and one concert event per month. Events are at the beautifully renovated Macungie Institute. For more info and tickets please visit ListenLiveMusic.org.

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