On Friday, October 25, the me & thee will have an all Marblehead night. Mason Daring and Jeanie Stahl are celebrating their 40th year of performing together. Their "Marblehead Morning" is one of the most exquisite songs of all time. Mason is known for his gorgeous movie soundtrack work and Jeanie is a master of ballads and hot jazzy torch songs. Another Marbleheader, Rachel Taylor, perhaps best know as a member of Maeve but a fine performer in her own right, will open the show. Doors open at 7:30 PM for this 8:00 PM show at the me&thee coffeehouse which is located at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead at 28 Mugford Street.
Mason Daring moved to Boston after college and a collapsed record deal. He spent the next year as a subsistence folk singer, becoming the house act at the famed Bull & Finch Pub - the model for the TV show Cheers. But the coffeehouse circuit was not quite big enough to break into pop radio, and Daring decided it was time to move ahead. He enrolled at Suffolk Law School, but soon thereafter met folk-singer Jeanie Stahl. Her extraordinary vocal talent persuaded him to renew his performance career while maintaining his status as a full-time law student. The duo quickly became a staple on the Northeast singer/songwriter circuit, playing as far afield as Chicago and New York. Their signature song, “Marblehead Morning,: became a hit on regional radio and they released a pair of albums on Philo Records. Daring graduated from Suffolk Law School in 1976, and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1977. But it was his law work that led, ultimately, to his first film score. He served as legal counsel to first-time filmmaker John Sayles during the production of The Return Of The Secaucus Seven. Sayles had heard Daring's recordings, and at the end of editing came to Mason with an offer to write the music score for the film and he has since gone on to compose all the scores for the films of John Sayles right through 2013’s Go For Sisters.
Marblehead based songstress Jeanie Stahl was on the crest of a promising solo career, in 1983, when a tragic wind surfing accident prevented her from performing for two years. The release of her debut solo album, I'm Just Fooling Myself, came about at that time. In addition to performing frequently at New England folk music clubs and coffeehouses, Jeanie and Mason periodically joined together with Bill Staines, Guy Van Duser and Billy Novick in the folk super-group, The Passim All-Stars. With the increased demand for Daring's time as a producer and soundtrack composer, Stahl began to perform as a soloist in the early-1980s. Although she's turned the songs of such songwriters as Gordon Lightfoot, Robin Batteau and Randy Newman into heartfelt experiences, Stahl remains as effective singing jazz standards from the 1930s and 1940s.
Rachel Taylor has honed her creative blend of alternative folk, 1950’s country and thoughtful unplugged pop, through Jazz performance and the study of songwriting at Berklee College of music. Mentored by critically acclaimed singer / songwriter / producer, Michael Been, Rachel has gone on to work with producer/songwriter and Grammy winner Charlie Peacock. This musical journey led her to be a founding member of the trio, Maeve, whose music has been in regular rotation on college radio. Through her love for the art of songwriting, she explores the intimate and challenging portions of her own journey, believing that transparency and revealing what she would rather hide, is the most universal. The result is a beautiful, vulnerable and poignant reflection of human connection. Rachel Taylor’s release Heartbreak is for Everyone, produced by Peter Hayes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, is what she believes to be her best work yet. Vocals reminiscent of Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, are what sets this compilation of sultry, haunting and yet familiar songs apart. Its soaring melodies, combined with profound lyrics and vocals are resonating with her rapidly growing audience
Tickets for the performance by Mason Daring and Jeanie Stahl with Rachel Taylor opening are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Tickets are available online at www.meanthee.org and can be purchased in person in Marblehead at either the Spirit of ’76 Bookstore or the Arnould Gallery As at all me & thee coffeehouse events, refreshments are available, including homemade pastries, coffee, and teas. The me & thee has a handicapped-accessible entrance and an accessible bathroom, is a smoke-free environment, and is easily reached by MBTA bus. The me & thee is the oldest continually running acoustic coffeehouse in New England, and probably the country. The me & thee has been and will always be a volunteer, non-profit organization sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead. For information and directions, call 781-631-8987 or check the website www.meandthee.org.
