Fri 5/29 @ 8PM
Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Lea Marra has established a following in Northeast Ohio for her country-drenched “porch folk,” that projects an easy-going warmth, influenced by artists such as the Dixie Chicks, the Cranberries, Dolly Parton and Shania Twain. Although she has been writing and performing music since her early teens and has a degree in music therapy, her music feels spontaneous and artless. Over time, she and her band, which she now calls the River Boys, have evolved from being a densely arranged Americana rock act to something sparser and woodsier, featuring three-art harmonies on top of mostly acoustic instruments, with mandolin and fiddle bringing in more than a whiff of bluegrass.
Marra released Ace of Cups, her third album (and her first with the River Boys) a little more than two years ago, debuting it at a show at the Beachland Tavern. She’s returning to the same venue this week, along with the River Boys—mandolinist Joe Haugh, fiddler Forrest Britt, upright bassist Spencer Paul and vocalist Chase Franklin—to introduce their latest recording.
They’ll be joined by northeast Ohio’s Cory Grinder and the Playboy Scouts, who do original country tunes in the don’t-give-a-shit mold of Willie Neslon and Merle Haggard. Formed a decade ago, the band’s toured extensively around the country and done a lot of time on local stages as well. Their latest album …And More came out late last year.
Go here for tickets to what’s sure to be a lively, down-home show.