Larry Kolker, an American roots musician with a post-modern edge who grew up in Huntington, shares a bill with Scott Cook, a prairie balladeer from Alberta, Canada, during the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s monthly Hard Luck Café series at the Cinema Arts Centre at 423 Park Avenue in Huntington, on Thursday, May 15.
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 $10 for Cinema Arts Centre and FMSH members; $15 for non-members. For more information, visit www.fmsh.org or call (631) 425-2925.
Kolker is an American roots musician with a postmodern edge and a style that ranges from rhythmic folk and soulful blues to power pop rock. His lyrics run the gamut from the personal and passionate to the ironic and political, and evoke emotions that span the spectrum from desperation to joy. Larry is also a versatile guitar player and blues harpist whose musical influences include artists such as Bob Dylan, John Prine, Jerry Garcia, Bonnie Raitt, David Bromberg and Elvis Costello. Originally from Huntington and a graduate of Huntington High School, he now lives in New York’s lower Hudson Valley.
Kolker has performed at the Huntington Folk Festival, the Montauk Music Festival, the Borderline Folk Music Club Picnic, and the Bob Dylan Festival at the Warwick Valley Winery, among other events. His 2012 album, Awful Smart Man, is a musical tour de force co-produced with Fred Gillen, Jr. that features Gillen on bass guitar and backing vocals by The YaYas.
Cook is a prairie balladeer from Alberta, Canada whose straight-talking tunes weave together folk, roots, blues, soul and country music with spacious fingerstyle guitar and clawhammer banjo arrangements. He brings humor, a disarming honesty and a deep love of humanity to his songwriting and storytelling, drawing on a wide range of roots music influences.
Since 2007, Cook has been performing all over the world — touring extensively in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Acclaimed Canadian songwriter David Francey has noted that “Scott Cook has distilled his travels down into songs powered by a sharp eye for imagery, a healthy dose of humanity, and that unforgettable voice that at the same time intones the rigors of the road and the most comfortable couch you’ve ever slept on.” Cook’s latest album, One More Time Around, features his song “Pass It Along,” which earned top honors in the Folk and Acoustic category of the 2013 UK Songwriting Contest.
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.
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 at 30 Washington Drive, off Route 25A, in Centerport, on June 7 will feature acclaimed singer-songwriter John Gorka, who returns by popular demand.
