Maverick Saturday Night: Tracy Bonham And Friends

Tracy Bonham, vocals and violin
Olivier Manchon, violin
Alvester Garrett, drums
Rene Hart, bass

Born and raised in Eugene, OR, Tracy Bonham is a classically trained violinist and pianist turned alternative singer-songwriter who rose to fame in 1996 with her twice GRAMMY™ nominated album, The Burdens of Being Upright (Island Records). This debut album cast Bonham into the global spotlight with MTV fame and major radio airplay with her #1 alternative chart-topping song Mother Mother, an anthem for disgruntled teenagers of all ages. Bonham’s album achieved Gold Record status in The US, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands.

For the past 28 years, Bonham has shown what it is to be an ever-evolving artist. With seven subsequent albums, each achieving critical acclaim, Bonham shows uncompromising growth as a songwriter and a musician. Her live performances show her artistry and her talent as she connects easily with her audiences. On stage, she moves from guitar to violin, from violin to piano, and back again and she continues to restyle her older material, staying relevant without losing the original fire and passion.

Later this year, Bonham will be releasing her eighth full length album entitled Damn The Sky (For Being Too Wide). Many of these new songs were written about loneliness and isolation before the pandemic. Tracy admits to being lonely for a very long time and the pandemic forced her to make difficult but necessary changes in her life. “This album is most certainly a reclamation” Tracy says. “The new songs are coming from a very deep place. It is a reclamation of my power and my voice. It is a call to action so that I may move in the direction of my heart and not allow anyone else to determine what that path is”.

The album was recorded and mixed at Applehead Recording in Woodstock with her NYC trio; upright bassist Rene Hart (David Amram, James Hunter) and drummer Alvester Garnett (Regina Carter, Abbey Lincoln). Most of the new songs are written and performed on the piano giving her the chance to lean back to what made her fall in love with music in the first place. Borrowing harmonic structures and beautiful melodies from her favorite classical romantic composers, Bonham stretches herself artistically to combine this rediscovered passion with her unique and quirky songwriting style to create musical alchemy. This purifying process most certainly acts as a vehicle for her inner transformation, as a person and as an artist.

Bonham speaks of her current line-up “playing with incredible jazz musicians like Rene and Alvester has opened my mind and is now giving me the support I have always needed to spread my wings and fly. I am really enjoying exploring the intersections and overlaps of where classical music and jazz meet without excluding my alternative rock sensibilities. These dudes can rock too. The three of us playing together is definitely my happy place”.

In April 2024 Bonham’s new music will be premiered in an original ballet performed by Tracy and her band and the Eugene Ballet.

Tickets:

Reserved Hall Seats: $35.00, $25.00, $22 (partial obstruction)

General Admission/Outdoors/Uncovered: $20.00, Students: $10

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