Event is 21+
$15/$20 Door
8pm doors/9 start
As one of Boston’s leading singer-songwriters, Jill McCracken paints with strokes of compassion and warmth, using her long-standing love of songcraft to grip listeners to the soft spots of her heart. Her ears are trained to translate tenderness into works of art — and so is her eye for sentimental visuals, thanks in part to her BFA in Fine Art Photography.
Originally from western New York, McCracken’s obsession with strong songs began at just eight years old, long before she began tinkering on the guitar and drums as a preteen. It wasn’t until she was 19 that the world got to hear her strongest instrument – her voice – but she’s been using it to embrace crowds ever since. Now rooted at the core of the Boston music community, McCracken’s passion for writing, arranging, and producing music remains front and center in her career, although her knack for pivoting between sparse solo sets and boisterous big band performances is just as impressive.
McCracken’s outreach has clearly resonated with the Boston scene. Following her win for “Soul/R&B Act of the Year” from the New England Music Awards, the Boston songwriter scored nominations for “Female Performer of the Year” (NEMA) as well as “Singer/Songwriter of the Year” and “Vocalist of the Year” (Boston Music Awards).
It takes a true explorer to simultaneously traverse a familiar path and the road less traveled, but Baxter Hall is nothing if not a musical multi-tasker. With one boot planted in his family’s path of professional musicianship, and another kicking up dirt in the realm of roots rock, the Boston singer-songwriter wields a carefree rock ‘n’ roll spirit fortified by a lifetime of discipline and dedication to his craft. Hall’s hard-earned chops have established him as an old soul offering modern wisdom against an inviting backdrop of shape-shifting rock.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Hall has honed his sound for most of his life. Music was a way of life in Hall’s childhood home, where he was surrounded by multiple generations of professional classical musicians. Symphony Hall would serve as his childhood playground, where he was weaned on the wonders of live music while his father performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops. Peeking at performances from backstage, he learned the meaning of world-class musicianship at a young age, as he watched legendary instrumentalists like Yo-Yo Ma take the stage. But another sound spoke to him as well – a rugged fusion of folk, roots, and rock from visiting acts like James Taylor and Warren Haynes.
