This concert is presented by the Freight & Salvage at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, please see map and directions below. Door tickets will be available for purchase with a credit card only.

Sometimes there’s just too much great music to fit under one roof and we couldn’t resist the opportunity to bring Tracy Grammer back to the Bay Area. Since the much-anticipated Gamelan Summit was already in place at the Freight, we’ve partnered with First Unitarian Church of Oakland to make this concert possible.

“Tracy Grammer is a brilliant artist and unique individual,” says Joan Baez. “Her voice is distinctive, as is her mastery over the instruments she plays.” The Boston Globe calls her “one of the finest pure musicians anywhere in folkdom.” She rose to acclaim playing in a duo with the late Dave Carter; since his untimely death in 2002, she has recorded three solo albums and released four collections of songs that she and Dave recorded together, including her latest, Little Blue Egg, which was the most played album on folk radio in 2012, and included the most played song, “Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key.” Her clear alto voice carries a depth of powerful emotion, and her playing on fiddle, mandolin, and guitar conveys subtle nuances of feeling. As one fan put it, “With her, it’s never just about the music. It’s a soul journey.” Her taste in songs is impeccable, with many selections from the Dave Carter song book, as well as from the work of artists like Jackson Browne, Tom Russell, and Paul Simon, and her own lovely originals.
 
Tracy grew up in Southern California and majored in English at Cal. “Music is my channel of authenticity,” she says. “I know I'd only be telling half the truth without it.” She’s also a masterful storyteller with a sneaky sense of humor. In addition to touring, she directs the Dave Carter Legacy Project and serves as the publishing administrator for his catalog of music. The songwriter Richard Shindell says that she “has that elusive quality of being able to speak directly to another person's heart – instantly bypassing all of the usual infrastructure – the moment she starts singing.” That’s a moment you won’t want to miss!

visit the Tracy Grammer website

First Unitarian Church of Oakland is located at 685 14th Street between Castro Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way and is six blocks from 12th St. Oakland City Center BART station.