Long Island’s own Miles to Dayton and New York City-based pianist and singer-songwriter Anna Dagmar share the bill during the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s monthly Hard Luck Café series at the Cinema Arts Centre (423 Park Avenue, Huntington) on Thursday, Sept. 18.
Anna will be accompanied by the Preddice Family String Quartet, which also features two members of Miles to Dayton. The 8:30 p.m. concert in the Cinema’s Sky Room will be preceded by an open mic at 7:30 p.m. (sign-up at 7 p.m.). Tickets are $10 for Cinema Arts Centre and FMSH members; $15 for non-members. For more information, visit www.fmsh.org or call (631) 425-2925.
Miles to Dayton is a Long Island-based family band whose music brings a high-energy message of love that strikes audiences on a personal level. M2D blends elements of folk, rock, classical music and funk with four-part vocal harmony, clever songwriting, improvisational violin and cello, and an infectious rhythm section, At the heart of their unique marriage of musical styles lies a real-life marriage: vocalist Krista Preddice shares the microphone with her husband Jonathan, the principal songwriter for the group – who also shines on guitar, cello, accordion and trumpet. Bassist Dave March (Krista’s brother) and violinist Leanne Strom (John’s sister) add depth to the vocal harmonies, while their bass and violin provide sonic bookends for the band’s signature sound. Drummer Brian Kroll further propels the group’s music with an exciting and funky edge.
Miles to Dayton has performed at venues and festivals throughout the New York metropolitan area. The group’s first performance for the Hard Luck Café was a rousing success – prompting a return engagement.
Anna Dagmar is a New York City-based pianist, arranger and singer-songwriter whose influences range from Joni Mitchell to Billy Joel and Leonard Bernstein. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where she developed an interest in orchestration, Anna is a versatile performer whose music weaves together elements of folk, pop, jazz, classical and musical theatre. She won a Gold Prize (first place) in the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest for “We Were Children” (2011), was named a finalist in the Kerrville New Folk Competition and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase (2012), and was selected to join the Advanced BMI Musical Theatre Writing Workshop last year.
The Preddice Family String Quartet (Phil Preddice, Alisa Rabbit, Leanne Strom and Jon Preddice) will accompany Anna as she performs her original songs arranged for piano and strings
Now in its 45th 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. Its First Saturday Concerts series at the Congregational Church of Huntington (30 Washington Drive, off Route 25A, Centerport) resumes on Oct. 4 with The Boxcar Lilies, an Americana trio from western Massachusetts that has been wowing audiences with its lovely vocal harmonies since forming in 2009 and was voted “Most Wanted to Return” by Falcon Ridge Folk Festival attendees last year from among 24 artists and acts in the festival’s Emerging Artists Showcase. Singer-songwriters Jesse Terry and Kat Quinn will share a bill during the next Hard Luck Café series concert at the Cinema Arts Centre on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Established in 1973, Huntington’s 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.
