Mark Mandeville and Raianne Richards
April 20 @ 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
JEL is pleased to welcome Mark Mandeville and Raianne Richards back for a free concert!
Little by little, you will get to know Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards through their unmistakable vocal harmonies, poetic lyrics, and down-to-earth personae. They are a married musical couple based out of Webster, Massachusetts. These prolific and hard-working Massachusetts-based artists have contributed over seventeen albums within their first decade and toured consistently throughout the US and Canada.
Their songs poetically reflect personal experiences as factory workers, teachers, community organizers, and natives of post-industrial mill towns in central Massachusetts. The memories of days gone by and toils of history can be better remembered through songs such as “That Old Machine” or “Winds of Change.” Listeners feel refreshed lyrics with references to elements in nature. Accompanying themselves on guitar, harmonica, ukulele, penny whistle, electric bass, and most uniquely clarinet, their live performances are both musically captivating and spiritually uplifting as audiences are carefully balanced between serious songs and humorous commentary – concert-goers will leave feeling a bit more human, as if they have experienced something genuine.
Each summer since 2010, Mandeville & Richards have organized the Massachusetts Walking Tour where they hike the roads and trails of the Commonwealth, more than 100 miles in less than two weeks, in support of the arts in local communities along the way. Each evening they stop over in yet another Massachusetts town, putting on a free concert there, along with local performers and fellow artists who accompany them on their journey. These annual two-week treks raise awareness of the trails and greenways in Massachusetts, including daily public hikes through recreational properties.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Southbridge Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.