Press Release Courtesy of Caf Shows
Sponsored by the Student Activities Center, a new student project titled The Unplugged Series will debut its first show at the LOFT at 939 this Friday, October 23. The first series will feature: Nini & Ben, Black Kettle, and Emily Elbert. Admission is free, doors open at 6:15P.M., and the show begins at 6:30P.M.
The Unplugged Series was developed by Berklee students Nick Riebel and Trevor Paul who came up with the idea when they realized the school needed a weekly and free music venue to see not only Berklee students, but also national touring musicians in an intimate space. “We wanted to book talent that we ourselves loved, and yet, knew would translate well acoustically,” said Riebel, who is in charge of booking for the Unplugged Series. “I knew the first seriesʼtalent bill before I even got the ʻgoʼ from the school.”
The Lineup:
Nini & Ben began as loving partnership between Nini Fabi and Ben Gebert. Nini, a talented vocalist with a classical background and Ben, a strong pianist and gifted music engineer has traveled the world together seeking adventure and music. In 2007 they settled in Boston, Massachusetts to attend Berklee College of Music and bring together their vision within the hotbed of talent of the Boston music scene. Their first show as a steady lineup was to a sold out crowd of 1,200 people at the Berklee Performance Center and since then, their shows have been peaking the interest of fans all around the world. In 2009, Nini and Ben signed to Boston’s Heavy Rotation Records and have just finished recording their second album, The Reasons We Try, at the world famed Avatar Studio in NYC under the guidance of engineer and producer Rich Mendelson (Rhianna, The Cars, Boston), which will be released next month.
Black Kettle is a female duo comprised of Kailynn West (Hershey, PA.) and Keeley Bumford (Seattle, WA.) With folk, bluegrass and indie roots, their eclectic tastes blend to make a unique sound with quirk and charm, which creates a refreshingly youthful sound for their genre. Playing a combination of guitar, piano, ukulele, mandolin, chord organ and other percussive instruments, the two are self-sufficient recording artists as well as producers and engineers; their friendship being rooted in the recording arts. The two met on a common ground where their collaborative songwriting brings new and creative ways to say, “I love you,” and even “I hate you.” Black Kettle is a group that strives to keep music and emotion humble, organic, and most importantly, sincere.
Emily Elbert was raised in Texas on a musical diet of Antonio Carlos Jobim, James Taylor, and oldies radio. Her music has delighted audiences and music critics alike with her jazz-infused sound, which she describes as “acoustic soul-folk.” Fresh off a northeast run with G-Love and Special Sauce and a showcase spot at the Folk Alliance Festival in Memphis, Elbert is already making a name for herself. Elbert’s debut CD, Bright Side, contains eleven original songs that she wrote, arranged, performed and recorded at Bob Gentry’s New Masters Studio in Tyler. Texas Instruments recently licensed videos of two of Emily’s songs to demonstrate their new video cell phones throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. In addition to G-Love and Special Sauce, Elbert has opened for Kaki King, the Wood Brothers, Patty Larkin, Ruthie Foster, Marcia Ball and Ben Taylor and even Ryan Montbleau. When Elbert is not touring, however, she attends Berklee College of Music and is a recipient of a full-tuition scholarship.
