Sanctuary Concerts Give Away!

Win Tickets to Michael Smith

The South Orange native appears in the Sanctuary Concert in Chatham Saturday.

The Sanctuary Concerts present Michael Smith in concert at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township Saturday at 8 p.m. Smith was born in South Orange and grew up in Little Falls. He attended Catholic schools at Our Lady of the Valley and Our Lady of Sorrows, and many of his songs are based on his years there. A song writer and composer for over 40 years, Smith has been called "the greatest songwriter in the English language" by Rolling Stone Magazine. His music style is "in the Harry Chapin tradition," in the words of Sanctuary Concerts head Scott Sheldon. Smith formed a four-person band called Weavermania, which performs covers of The Weavers, and has performed with them since 1999. He also formed the folk group Fourtold with Anne …

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Sanctuary Concerts Give Away!

Win 2 Tickets to John Waite

The British rocker comes to Chatham with the Sanctuary Concert Series.

The Sanctuary Concerts presents John Waite, with his band, Saturday night at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township in support of his latest album "Rough and Tumble." Waite began his career as the lead singer and bassist for The Babys in 1980. After he launched his solo career in 1982, his first single "Change" became one of MTV's most popular music videos during the channel's first year.  Waite's second album, "No Brakes," brought international success with the hit single "(I Ain't) Missing You", which reached the No. 1 spot on the US Billboards. The song, rerecorded with Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, charted again in 2008. Several other songs by Waite went on to achieve success throughout the 1980s, especially when featured on …

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Sanctuary Concerts Give Away!

Three Headliners in Sanctuary's 'Most Wanted'

A triple-bill of some of the concert series' most popular performers return to Chatham on Saturday.

The Sanctuart Concert Series kicks off a new season with three performers voted "Most Wanted" by concert-goers: Seth Glier, Julie Gold and Amy Speace. Seth Glier, a 22-year-old Massachusetts native, has performed with Edwin McCain, The Verve Pipe and James Taylor. According to his official biography, he typically performs over 200 dates per year. A dedicated environmentalist, he traveled a recent tour route in his hybrid Toyota Prius, organized tree planting parties and promoted carpools to his concerts. Julie Gold is a singer and songwriter from Philadelphia. She is best known for her song "From a Distance," which has received over four million airplays and was read into the Congressional Record by Californian Senator Barbara Boxer. Amy …

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Folk Duos Delight Full House at Sanctuary Concert

Brooklyn-based Barnaby Bright opened for Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen.

Chris Hillman, guitarist and singer for the 1960s folk/rock band The Byrds and later, The Flying Burrito Brothers, landed at the Chatham Presbyterian Church on Saturday. Hillman teamed with Herb Pedersen, his former bandmate from his days as the leader of the country group The Desert Rose Band for an evening of folk, country and bluegrass to the delight of the ample and appreciative crowd. Opening for the folk icons was the Brooklyn-based duo Barnaby Bright, who received a well-deserved standing ovation following their 45-minute set. The band, consisting of married couple Rebecca and Nathan Bliss, paired their lush vocals with acoustic guitars as well as some unexpected instruments including the harmonium and ukulele. The two, who despite …

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Sanctuary Concerts Give Away!

Win Tickets to Chris Hillman

This original member of The Byrds is playing at the Sanctuary Concert Series on Saturday.

Chatham Patch and the Sanctuary Concert Series have teamed up to offer two pairs of free tickets to see singer Chris Hillman, a folk and country musician whose band had a single reach No. 1 when he was 21 years old. Hillman got his first guitar from his mother while still a child, but soon afterwards he became more interested in the mandolin. Throughout the early 1960s he was in several bands, and in 1964 he was invited to become part of a new band, The Byrds. Their first single, a cover of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tamborine Man," reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1965. Along with Gram Parsons, another Byrds alumnus, Hillman formed the Flying Burrito Brothers in the 1970s, and in the 1980s formed the Desert Rose Band with Herb Pederson and …

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Sanctuary Concerts Give Away!

Win Tickets to Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett!

The duo from Little Feat perform Saturday as part of the Sanctuary Concert Series.

This week the Sanctuary Concert Series features Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett, two musicians who have performed together and independently for over 35 years. The two played together on the Little Feat album "Dixie Chicken" (1973) and subsequently became full members of the band. They have also worked with Taj Mahal, The Wallflowers, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt and Carly Simon, among other artists. Barrere and Tacket will play together as an acoustic duo Saturday at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 each, but Chatham Patch and the Sanctuary Concert Series have teamed up to offer a pair of free tickets to the first two people who can correctly answer the trivia question below: The Little Feat Acoustic Duo will…

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Sanctuary Concerts Give Away!

Win Tickets to Cheryl Wheeler

The comedian and songwriter performs Saturday with the Sanctuary Concert Series.

The Sanctuary Concerts Series presents comedian and comic songwriter Cheryl Wheeler this Saturday at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township. The concert begins at 8 p.m. and begins with opener My Sweet Patootie. Sanctuary Concerts chair Scott Sheldon called Wheeler "perhaps the funniest stand-up comedian, the wittiest comic songwriter, and the most heart-wrenching author of fine-tuned emotional ballads whom you've ever heard." Chatham Patch and the Sanctuary Concert Series have joined up to offer a pair of free tickets to the concert to the first two people to e-mail Chatham Patch Editor Laura Silvius with the correct answer to this question: Cheryl Wheeler’s songs have been covered by artists from Garth Brooks to Bette Midler to …

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Roches Infest High School With Enthusiasm

The Sanctuary Concert Series saw a huge turn-out for Saturday's concert.

The Roches, an enduring folk trio with a passionate cult following, thrilled a full house on Saturday at Chatham High School. The concert, the latest in the Sanctuary Concert Series at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township, moved to the high school there after demand for tickets exceeded the church's capacity. Every chair was filled in the auditorium, which seats more than 700. Scott Sheldon, the Series producer who also functioned as M.C., joked about the sell-out in his introduction. He noted that only one ladies room could be located near the packed house, adding "We'll take a longer intermission." Then, to much laughter, he said, "When you go into the lavatories, you will remember what high school was like." Most of the audience …

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The Roches: A Study in Supply and Demand

The Sanctuary Concert Series switched venues for Saturday's concert featuring The Roches to meet the high demand for tickets.

 Manager Scott Sheldon wasn't surprised three weeks ago when his normally well-attended Sanctuary Concert Series sold out. It happens for about 80 percent of their shows, he said. But this is the first time he's been forced to move the venue to accommodate an ever-increasing demand for tickets. "We were getting calls once an hour from people just pleading for tickets," said Sheldon. The act causing all the uproar is the folk band The Roches, consisting of Suzzy, Maggie and Terre, three sisters from New Jersey, and special guest and daughter of Suzzy Roche, Lucy Wainwright Roche. The 425-seat sanctuary of the Presbyterian Church where the concert series is usually held simply wouldn't be able to squeeze in the amount of people wanting to …

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Folk Singer Jonathan Edwards Returns to Chatham

Jonathan Edwards performed at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township.

Jonathan Edwards, whose line-up of collaborators is always changing, gave fans an extra treat when he performed Saturday night at the Sanctuary Concert Series not with a quartet but a quintet, rounded out by drummer Pat Manning. The concert at Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township was a treat to Michel Beliveau, who said it was "the best I've ever heard him." Beliveau has seen Edwards more than ten times, including solo performances and with other groups. "He obviously has a lot more fun with guys to play with…with his buddies, it's on steroids." Edwards clearly had fun at the performance. With band members changing instruments almost every song–Charlie Rose switching between pedal steel guitar, bass guitar, and banjo, and Stuart …

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