An Evening of Live Music at Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre, April 16

Americana artists Claudia Russell and Bruce Kaplan from Northern California share a bill with New York-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Glen Roethel during the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s monthly Hard Luck Café series at the Cinema Arts Centre (423 Park Avenue, Huntington) on Thursday, April 16.  The 8:30 p.m. concert in the Cinema’s Sky Room will be preceded by an open mic at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are  $15 ($10 for Cinema Arts Centre and FMSH members).  For more information, visit www.fmsh.org or call (631) 425-2925.

Claudia Russell and Bruce Kaplan are touring artists and self-described “late-bloomers” based in the San Francisco Bay Area. A smoky-voiced singer-songwriter and deft guitarist, Claudia is adept at adapting her expressive voice to a wide range of material, embracing multiple styles, and weaving them into a distinctive Americana sound – accompanied by her husband Bruce on mandolin and guitar.

Claudia, who earned Best New Artist honors from Boston’s WUMB in 2000, following the release of her first album Song Food, released her fourth CD, All Our Luck is Changing, in 2013. Her songs have been heard on college and public radio stations across the country, while Claudia has been featured in Sing Out!, The Boston Globe and the San Francisco Chronicle, among other publications. One of her and Bruce’s songs also was featured on Christine Lavin Presents Just One Angel v2.0. 

Glen Roethel is a New York-based, California-born contemporary folk-pop-rock singer-songwriter with a penchant for positive intentional lyrics. A guitar player’s guitarist, he delivers both his original songs and his large repertoire of covers in lush baritone-tenor vocals accompanied by deft guitar and ukulele stylings. A founding member of the folk-rock harmony group Gathering Time, Glen is also a sought-after accompanist and producer — as well as an instructor at Summersongs.

Glen has released six albums of original music — including his latest, Unfolding (2014), which contains three songs that were nominated for Posi Awards (the “Grammys” of positive music). Since returning to solo work in 2013, Glen has performed at venues across the U.S. He often improvises new songs on the fly. A generous, welcoming performer, Glen has been described as “spontaneous and exciting – like 1000 tiny fun bombs going off all at once.” 

About the Presenters

Established in 1973, the Cinema Arts Centre (www.cinemaartscentre.org) seeks to bring the best of cinematic artistry to Long Island and use the power of film to expand the awareness and consciousness of our community. LI’s only not-for-profit, viewer-supported, independent cinema presents a wide array of films that are often accompanied by discussions and guest speakers.

Now in its 46th year, the Folk Music Society of Huntington (www.fmsh.org) presents two monthly concert series, a monthly folk jam and an annual folk festival in conjunction with the Huntington Arts Council (Sunday, July 26 at Heckscher Park). Its First Saturday Concerts series at the Congregational Church of Huntington (30 Washington Drive, off Route 25A, Centerport) features the harmonizing trio Brother Sun on May 2 and singer-songwriter Catie Curtis on June 6.