concert preview   Patty Larkin with special guest Merrie Amsterburg September 18, 2010 When I sit down to write these web updates I often wonder what is more effective: the slick, professionally written excerpts from the artist’s promotional materials or a personal endorsement? Surely with an artist as outstanding as Patty Larkin, there’s room for both. Patty Larkin is…. “riveting” (Chicago Tribune) “hypnotic” (Entertainment Weekly) “a drop-dead brilliant performer” (Performing Songwriter) Patty Larkin grew up in a musical and artistic family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Descended from a long line of Irish American singers and taletellers, her mother was a painter, her sisters both musicians. She began classical piano studies at age 7, and became swept up in the sounds of pop and folk in the 60s, teaching herself the guitar and experimenting with songwriting. An English major, Larkin sang throughout her high school and college career, starting out in coffeehouses in Oregon and San Francisco. Upon graduation, she moved to Boston and devoted herself to music, busking on the streets of Cambridge and studying jazz guitar at Berklee College of Music and with Boston area jazz guitarists. Patty Larkin has been redefining the boundaries of folk-urban pop music with her inventive guitar wizardry and uncompromising vocals and lyrics since 1985. Her award winning songs have appeared in films and television shows and she receives radio airplay worldwide. In 2010, she celebrates a quarter of a century of music making with her latest recording. “25” features unplugged versions of 25 classic Patty Larkin love songs, created with a dream team of some of acoustic music's heroes. Some of the guest artists included are Janis Ian, Suzanne Vega, Greg Brown, Shawn Colvin, Willy Porter, Bruce Cockburn, Chris Smither, John Gorka, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Rosanne Cash, Cheryl Wheeler, and David Wilcox. Patty Larkin is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Music degree from Berklee College of Music; recognized for her outstanding contributions to contemporary music. Over the years, other recipients of this prestigious honor have been Duke Ellington, Sting, Natalie Cole and synthesizer pioneer, Dr. Robert Moog. Patty Larkin has won an unprecedented 11 Boston Music Awards. She is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnae Award from Berklee College of Music and “Patty Larkin Appreciation Day”, a proclamation by Boston’s mayor Thomas Menino. Just so you know, my personal CD collection holds 10 Patty Larkin CDs plus one from her days with the Four Bitchin’ Babes. My iPod has over 70 of her songs in the rotation. What can I say? It was hard to pick my favorites. I have driven to Austin twice to hear her play but as far as I know, this is her first appearance in San Antonio. This show has been a long time in the making. If memory serves me, we started contacting Patty Larkin’s booking agency in1999! Now thanks to you, our growing Urban Campfires family, we were able to show numbers that proved we could handle this show. We are happy to bring in Guitar Tex as a partner on this show to lend the necessary technical backing. We encourage you to get to know Mark and the great folks at Guitar Tex by visiting their website. Or better yet, stop by the store at 4330 McCullough and check out their impressive inventory of new and used instruments, strings and accessories. This show will fill up fast! For information about reservations email: urbancampfires@swbell.net Please put Patty Larkin in the subject line. www.myspace.com/urbancampfires.com         Concert proceeds benefit the performer.