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UA's E.J. Thomas Hall schedules varied artists at new 400-seat venue
By Malcolm X Abram
Beacon Journal music writer
Published on Friday, Oct 17, 2008
In the past year, the University of Akron's E.J. Thomas Hall has raised its profile among area pop music fans with several rock and pop concerts, including Stone Temple Pilots, Colbie Caillat, Seether and the Black Keys.
Sunday night, the venue begins a new venture as it inaugurates Stage Door performance space, with a concert from singer/songwriter Raul Midon.
The space seats 400 and is designed to provide a comfortable and intimate setting for the upcoming slate of music, comedy and experimental theater, at an affordable price of $10 for all performances.
Midon, a blind soul/pop singer/songwriter/guitarist from New York, is well known in the music industry. He has been a backup singer for Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and Shakira and recorded with jazz artists Herbie Hancock and Dave Samuels.
Since the 2001 release of his independently produced debut Blind to Reality, Midon has been carving out a space among mature R&B fans for his uplifting mix of soul, jazz, Latin music and pop with a healthy dose of his flamenco and Latin-flavored acoustic guitar playing.
Midon's third album, World Within a World, was released last year. It is a collection of his soothing original tunes sung in English and Spanish, highlighting his velvety smooth tenor and guitar playing on songs such as the bouncy Pick Somebody Up and the minor-key Peace On Earth, with its delicately picked arpeggios and Midon's soulful, pleading voice.
Co-produced with Joe Mardin, son of legendary Grammy-winning producer/arranger Arif Mardin, World Within a World keeps it fairly simple. Throughout the disc's 10 tracks the pair never strain to maintain Midon's eclecticism and never obscure the rightful focus of the music, Midon's voice and guitar.
The remainder of the Stage Door schedule, which stretches into spring, is an interesting mix of music and theater. On Nov. 8 the New World Performance Laboratory will present Frankenstein (A De-Monstration), which allows Mary Shelley's classic fictional characters to mingle with the author's real-life husband, Percy Shelley, and peers Lord Byron and his lover Claire Clairmont.
Music returns Nov. 12 with UA Cabaret, featuring jazz pianist and UA artist-in-residence Joe Augustine delving into the Great American Songbook. Rootsy Americana music rules on Nov. 20 when Athens, Ga.-based singer/songwriter Corey Smith performs.
Back Stage takes a break until Feb. 19, when Black Violin, a pair of classically trained violinists and their DJ, melds orchestral music with hip-hop and R&B grooves. Black Violin has opened for rappers Common and Jay-Z.
On March 7, young and hip ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, who has played on recordings by Ziggy Marley and Jimmy Buffett, will bring his originals and interpretations of classic rock tunes to the stage. Later in the month, jazz vocal veteran Diane Schuur will perform March 11 as part of Jazzfest 2009.
Comedians Louis Johnson, Billy D., Vince Morris and BT, collectively touring under the heady rubric the ''S.E.L.L.O.U.T. Comedy Tour: Removing the hype from the stereotype'' will make folks laugh March 26. The venue's inaugural season closes April 2 with Los Angeles-based pop singer/songwriter Ry Cuming.
All tickets to Stage Door events are $10 for general admission, $5 for UA students.
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758.
In the past year, the University of Akron's E.J. Thomas Hall has raised its profile among area pop music fans with several rock and pop concerts, including Stone Temple Pilots, Colbie Caillat, Seether and the Black Keys.
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