Spencertown, N.Y. — In collaboration with the Capital Region Blues Network (CRBN), Spencertown Academy continues its Roots & Shoots Concerts Series with “Blues Women of the Capital Region ll.” The two organizations presented the first such show in February and are continuing the series with appearances from Gina Coleman, Leslie Barkman, and Robin O’Herin on Saturday, November 25.
Gina Coleman is known to Berkshire audiences as the founder and lead singer of Misty Blues, a Berkshire County band that plays traditional blues and original music with hints of jazz, soul, funk, and “tent revival” gospel (the kind with sawdust on the floor). In fact, two Misty Blues members will accompany Coleman on November 25: guitarists Seth Fleischman (founder of GratefulGuitarLessons.com) and Diego Mongue, Coleman’s son. Misty Blues has performed throughout New England and has toured the continental U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom. They have recording credits with Eric Gales, Charles Neville, and Joe Louis Walker, opening for contemporary blues acts like Tab Benoit, James Montgomery, John Primer, Roomful Of Blues, Albert Cummings, and Michael Powers.
Leslie Barkman is a pianist and vocalist who loves everything about the blues. She represented CRBN at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis as a solo act and also performs with her band Lou’s Blues and with the Hammerhead Horns. On November 25, she will sing both “lady blues covers” and originals.
Robin O’Herin has an extensive discography of EPs and full-length albums. She plays bottleneck and fingerstyle guitar, as well as mountain dulcimer. She was a finalist in the International Blues Challenge, Memphis Blues Challenge, and the 2022 Capital Region Blues Challenge. Her concert tours have included stops at the Resophonic Blues Festival in Pilzen, Czech Republic, and at the Tropea Blues Festival in Italy. Robin teaches singing, guitar, ukulele, and songwriting and, in collaboration with CRBN, offers a “Blues in the Schools” program.
As an affiliate of the Blues Foundation, according to its president, Richard Green, CRBN’s mission is to “preserve blues heritage, celebrate blues recording and performance, expand worldwide awareness of the blues, and ensure the future of this uniquely American art form.” Based in Albany, CRBN also serves western Massachusetts, the Catskills, the Adirondacks, and the Hudson Valley.
Founded in Memphis in 1980, the Blues Foundation is known as the world’s premier organization dedicated to honoring, preserving, and promoting the blues. Its programs include Blues In Schools, International Blues Challenge, The HART Fund, BMA Awards, and the Blues Hall of Fame Museum.
Hear blues artists Gina Coleman, Leslie Barkman, and Robin O’Herin at Spencertown Academy, 790 Route 203, Spencertown, NY, 12165, on Saturday, November 25, at 7:30 p.m. Seating is cabaret style with complimentary beverage service. Tickets, $25, $20 for CRBN members, are available here or by calling (518) 392-3693.
