Whistling Swan Productions presents Cheryl Wheeler and Kenny White in two shows: at Vagabond Blues in Palmer on Saturday, March 3, and at the Sydney Laurence Theatre at the PAC in Anchorage on Sunday, March 4.  They’ll  perform a third show at Latitude 62 in Talkeetna on Wednesday, March 7.

Cheryl Wheeler’s concerts are more like what you would find at a comedy club than expect to find at a folk music show. She’ll tell a story that has you rolling in the aisles, and then sing a song that leaves you wiping tears from your eyes. She’ll talk about some serious current event, and then sing a song that’ll have you howling with laughter.

Wheeler has recorded numerous albums, most recently Pointing at the Sun (2009). Dan Seals, Peter Paul and Mary, Kenny Loggins, Garth Brooks, Suzy Boggus, Melanie, Bette Midler, Maura O’Connell, Sylvia, Kathy Mattea, and Holly Near have all recorded her songs — but no one does them better than Cheryl herself.  About half of the songs she performs in concert are unavailable on any of her albums. Many are never recorded, and eventually fade from her set list. Other songs have a long lifespan and wide influence.  Her song “If It Were Up to Me,” written shortly after the 1998 school shootings near Jonesboro, Arkansas — with the closing line “If it were up to me, I’d take away the guns” — was the first single from her 1999 album Sylvia Hotel.  The song received national attention after the Columbine High School massacre in April 1999. Wheeler released the recording into the public domain to exempt radio stations from paying royalties.

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For the first time in Alaska, Cheryl will share the show with her long time accompanist, Kenny White, a gifted singer-songwriter in his own right, with five albums to his credit, most recently Comfort in the Static (2010).  Formerly a writer of music for radio and TV commercials and a producer and session keyboard player, he released his first album in 2002 and began touring to promote his albums. In 2008, his song “How Long,” from his 2006 album Never Like This, took the award for Best Social Action Song in the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards.

“.. Kenny White has earned a place among my favorite singer/songwriters…and particularly, lyricists. As we say in the trade “he goes deep.” A true wordsmith AND musician who reveals a fine sense of humor, as well.” – David Crosby

Official website | Wikipedia | Amazon

Concerts

The Palmer and Anchorage events are part of Whistling Swan Production’s 2011-2012 season. Order your own subscription here or call CenterTix at 263-ARTS (1-877-ARTS-TIX outside Anchorage).

Palmer

• Date/time: Saturday, March 3, 7:30-9:30 PM
• Location: Vagabond Blues, 642 South Alaska Street, Palmer (see map)
• Cost of admission: $25.00. Tickets at Centertix
• Further info: see Whistling Swan’s website

Anchorage

• Date/time: Sunday, March 4, 4:00-6:00 PM
• Location: Sydney Laurence Theatre, Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, 621 West 6th Avenue, Anchorage (see map)
• Cost of admission: $27.50. Tickets at Centertix
• Further info: see Whistling Swan’s website

Talkeetna

• Date/time: Wednesday, March 7, 7:00 PM
• Location: Latitude 62, Talkeetna, AK (see map)
• Cost of admission: Call (907) 733-2262 (Latitude 62 Lodge) for tix.
• Further info: seeLatitude 62 Lodge website

Is your event not on our calendar? No matter where you are in the state, if you’re running an event of interest to the LGBTQA community, we’d be glad to put it on the Bent Alaska events calendar. If you use Google Calendar, you can subscribe to our calendar at http://bit.ly/bentcalendar.

Photo credit: Cheryl Wheeler, from the photo shoot for Mrs. Pinocci’s Guitar (1995). Official press photo by Gwendolyn Cates. Kudos and thanks to William R. (Bill) Pringle, a “huge” fan of Cheryl Wheeler who maintains her website.