PUTNEY, Vt. – Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present a singer-songwriter showcase featuring Joy Clark, Luke Concannon, Midnight Betty, and Lizzy Mandell at Next Stage on Saturday, Aug. 8, at 7:30 p.m. Concannon, Mandell, and Midnight Betty will open the concert with an in-the-round set before Clark’s quartet performs.
Clark is a Louisiana-born singer-songwriter whose warm, honest vocals and masterfully crafted songs captivate the heart and soul. Exploring themes of freedom, love, and self-acceptance, Clark’s music blends orchestral guitar work with bluesy lead guitar, creating a sound that is uniquely her own. Like many of her peers, her musical journey began in her father’s church, where she led the congregation in song and created an inviting atmosphere with her gentle, disarming approach. Her debut album, “Tell It to the Wind,” released on Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records, garnered critical acclaim, and marked her arrival on the national stage. She has toured with living legend and Grammy winner Cyril Neville and as a member of Allison Russell’s backing band, The Rainbow Coalition, earning opportunities to jam with superstars Brandi Carlile and the Indigo Girls.
Concannon’s musical roots trace back to Irish family gatherings filled with guitars, singing, and dancing. As lead singer and co-writer of the U.K. No. 1 chart act Nizlopi – best known for “The JCB Song” and as a key influence on Ed Sheeran, who interned with the duo – Concannon now thrives as a solo artist. His 2022 album, “Ecstatic Bird in the Burning,” debuted at No. 12 on both the U.K. and U.S. folk charts, earning widespread acclaim.
Midnight Betty – multi-instrumentalists and singers Chelle Martinez and Oriana Barros – mix folk, country, indie, and pop music, gilded with shimmering vocal harmonies, on songs that run the gamut from woeful to whimsical.
Mandell has released two albums: “Made for Flying,” which won Times Argus/Rutland Herald Tammie Awards for Best Singer-Songwriter and Best Album in 2012, and 2025’s “To the Moon,” created in partnership with fellow Vermonter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, vocalist, and tunesmith Colin McCaffrey.
Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, Vt. Advance tickets are available discounted at www.nextstagearts.org. Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar. For information, call 802-387-0102 or visit www.nextstagearts.org.