Eliza Gilkyson at Friday Night Folk at All Souls

Eliza Gilkyson in concert, October 21, 2011, presented by Friday Night Folk at All Souls.  The concert starts at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 21, in Unity Hall at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 19 Jay Street, New London. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.. Tickets: $20 if reserved in advance, $23 at the door, and $10 for students with a current ID. Buy or reserve tickets at www.fridaynightfolk.org.

Eliza Gilkyson is a politically minded, poetically gifted singer-songwriter who has become one of the most respected musicians in roots, folk and Americana circles. The Grammy-nominated artist has appeared on NPR, Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage, etown, XM, Air America Radio and has toured with Richard Thompson, Patty Griffin and Mary Chapin Carpenter. In February of 2003, she was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame. The induction placed Eliza alongside an exclusive list of Austin Music Hall of Fame greats, including Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Nanci Griffith, Billy Joe Shaver, Butch Hancock, Joe Ely and others. In 2006, she was recognized with 3 Austin Music Awards and 4 Folk Alliance Music Awards, one of which was for “Song of the Year” for her tune “Man of God.” A scathing indictment of the Bush administration’s use of religion to manipulate the public, the song has become a political anthem to many and has received wide airplay around the world. Recently, Eliza’s meditative tune “Requiem,” written as a prayer for those who lost lives in the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia, was recorded by both folk legend Joan Baez and the nationally recognized choral group Conspirare Choir, and was nominated for two Grammys on different recordings. It was also featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered”.

In the past year, Eliza has been busy, recording two new albums. In 2010, she released the Billboard-charting “Red Horse” with friends John Gorka and Lucy Kaplansky, and this year she released “Roses at the End of Time”. She is an active member of the Austin music community, and is involved specifically with water conservation issues and The Worker’s Defense Project, which advocates rights for undocumented workers in the United States. In 2010, she co-founded 5604 Manor, a community center in Austin that promotes political activism and community involvement around issues of race, patriarchy, and global injustice.

About Friday Night Folk at All Souls: Bringing quality folk music and performers to Southeastern Connecticut, Friday Night Folk concerts began at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Congregation in New London in 1989. After a 10 year hiatus, Friday Night Folk came back, and has presented Bill Morrissey, Bill Staines, Geoff Kaufman, Richard Shindell, John Gorka, Work o' the Weavers, Ida Red, emma’s revolution, and Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, among others. Visit www.fridaynightfolk.org for the complete 2011-12 concert line-up.