About this Event

After winning a Grammy® for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer-songwriters. Cohn combines the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man. His music is grounded in the richness of American rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel, and his lyrics flow from a deft storyteller’s pen.  

Cohn followed up his platinum-selling debut with two more releases in the ’90s, at which point TIME magazine called him “one of the honest, emotional voices we need in this decade” and Bonnie Raitt declared, “Marc is one of the most soulful, talented artists I know. I love his songs, he’s an incredible singer, and I marvel at his ability to mesmerize every audience he plays for.”  

Cohn revisited another corner of American music’s rich heritage with gospel legends Blind Boys of Alabama on the Grammy®-nominated song “Let My Mother Live,” and he worked with David Crosby on the album Lighthouse. In 2019, Cohn released a collaborative record with The Blind Boys of Alabama, titled Work to Do. Cohn continues to do what he does best: infuse American music with both a fresh perspective and a reverence for its deep roots. 

Chelsea Williams 

With a vocal-coach mother and that Joni Mitchell-inspired name, it’s hardly surprising that Chelsea Williams embraced music early on. By 12, she was writing songs and hitting open-mic nights. At 14, she joined a band of blues players closer in age to the grandfather she never knew. At 21, she started busking at Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade. Finally, with comparisons to Sheryl Crow and a couple of record deals, Williams was eventually able to make a living playing her dreamy pop. 

The release of Beautiful and Strange, Williams’s second album for L.A. independent label Blue Élan Records, brings even more attention for Williams’ musical charms. Her airy, elegantly nuanced vocals carry reminders of Sixpence None the Richer’s Leigh Anne Nash and the Sundays’ Harriet Wheeler. There are also tangential comparisons to jazz chanteuse Kat Edmonson and the recent work of genre-fluid Hymn for Her singer Lucy Tight. If those references seem esoteric, that’s a good thing, because having to stretch for comparisons reinforces the unique allure of Williams’ delivery. 

“If I had to define my style, it would be Americana with a bit of modern pop, topped off by a healthy dose of reckless abandon,” Williams says. “I never want to confine myself creatively, and I apply these categories very loosely.”