Grammy-nominated artist Vanessa Carlton is making Bay Shore her local stop on her national tour as she plans to take the stage March 9th at YMCA Boulton Center. She’s already been selling out venues in New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago.
A lot has changed for Carlton since her hit song “A Thousand Miles” garnered her a Grammy nomination. She has moved from New York City to Nashville, married husband John McCauley (Deer Tick) and had a baby girl.
Her last album Liberman, which came out in 2015, was critically acclaimed for showcasing Carlton’s continuing musical evolution. Her wistful vocals, poignant lyrics and simple instrumentation bring you intimately into her world and highlight a new side to this accomplished songwriter.
Rolling Stone said that Carlton had “refined her voice as a songwriter” on Liberman, her fifth studio album, which was “turning heads” for good reason. The Boston Globe said her creation put her “in a better place, artistically.” Pitchfork agreed that the Liberman was “excellent on its own,” adding that her voice is the “key attraction on songs that register between low-key pop, rock and folk.” It noted that “a million years ago,” she had released “A Thousand Miles,” which was “the pop song that launched a generation of piano lessons.” Pitchfork applauded Liberman for being “raw, muted, refreshingly weird.”
As she put it, “the whole message of the album is expressing a lot of philosophies about my life, peace, pain and happiness over the past ten years. I wanted this record to not only be very personal to me, but an expression of these ideas.”
Carlton values the connection between the artist and the audience, even if it means the performer has to be at her most vulnerable on stage, because when it works, it’s worth it.
This tour supports Carlton’s latest album Earlier Things Live, which just dropped in February. It honors her previous artistic work and features a compelling collection of live versions of her fans’ favorites like “A Thousand Miles” and “White Houses.” There’s also a special duet with John McCauley on the Deer Tick song “In Our Time.”
Clearly, the time is right for Vanessa Carlton.
She is slated to appear March 9 at YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, 37 West Main St., Bay Shore. boultoncenter.org
