Flagpole Radio Café will continue its sixth season with a performance by Sloan Wainwright on Saturday, February 8. The show will begin at 7 pm at Edmond Town Hall Theatre, 45 Main Street.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for senior citizens and students, and are on sale at www.flagpoleproductions.org. For further information send email to info@flagpoleproductions.org or call 203-364-0898.

Flagpole Radio Café features music by Jim Allyn and The Flagpole Radio Café Orchestra (Rob Bonaccorso, Rick Brodsky, Howie Bujese, Dick Neil and Francine Wheeler), radio style comedy sketches by the Flagpole Shakespeare Repertory Theatre (Martin Blanco, Barbara Gaines, Kate Katcher and David Wheeler), and appearances by guests artists. Previous guests have included Livingston Taylor, Peter Yarrow, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Jonathon Edwards, Elisabeth Von Trapp, Christine Lavin, Deborah Henson-Conant, Patty Larkin, Vaneese Thomas, Roger Ball (Average White Band), and Yale's internationally acclaimed male choir The Whiffenpoofs.

“Sloan Wainwright’s appearance is highly anticipated and long overdue.  She was supposed to perform last February, but sadly we were compelled to cancel the show in the wake of [12/14],” noted Flagpole Radio Café Producer Martin Blanco.

“She could not have been more gracious and I am grateful that we are back and that she is able to join us this year,” he continued. “She possesses a rich voice and a rare ability to interpret song.  She brings folk music to a very distinctive place and I expect our audience will take much delight in her artistry.”

Ms Wainwright has been a pioneer all her life.  A forerunner in the independent music scene long before it became hip to walk the road less traveled, Wainwright is an artist whose passionate work and extraordinary life have fused to burn a new definition for women in music: grown-up girl style. An outstanding and highly original singer, Wainwright is a compelling performer best known for her rich contralto voice, intensely personal lyrics, and an innovative approach to song.

Hard to categorize, her musical style melds the best of pop, folk, jazz, and blues to create a soulful hybrid. Her personal appearances are forceful and uplifting; her stage persona self-described as “we take our audience on a journey; we come in full tilt and do our show.”

 Born into a highly acclaimed musical family (youngest sister to Loudon Wainwright, aunt to Rufus and Martha Wainwright), Wainwright’s teenage years were largely influenced by a constant flow of diverse artists, writers and musicians. She learned to play the piano and watched brother Loudon (and the father of Rufus and Martha) become successful. Writing and performing throughout the Greenwich Village hipster scene, Wainwright developed her unique style.

“There was an effortlessness about the flow of creativity at that stage of my life. I didn’t think; I was just fearlessly flowing,” she has said.

In the mid 90s Wainwright began to collaborate with guitarist Stephen Murphy. From their instant creative synergy, a band was put together and within no time, Wainwright released a self-titled debut CD in 1996. The CD was a critical success and introduced the music to a national audience.

The Sloan Wainwright Band followed with a second release in 1998, a tribute in memory of her mother titled From Where You Are. The third band release from early 2001, titled The Song Inside, is a pivotal work in its merging of traditionally based folk music and more eccentric, creatively evolved variations.

Her 2004 release, Cool Morning, sees Wainwright take on myriad musical challenges. Songs like “Word of The Day” showcase her unique singing voice and vocal styling. One of the most memorable cuts on the CD is her rendition of U2’s “Where The Streets Have No Name.” Her performance of this classic not only radiates the greatness of the song, but also gives the listener the clear vision of Wainwright as a modern day interpreter of lyrics and music.

December 2005 saw the release of the first-ever live in concert CD for Sloan and bandmates, Sloan Wainwright and Friends On A Night Before Christmas. This holiday celebration CD features the performing concert along with guest performances by The Kennedys, Cadence Carroll, Penny Nichols and Gandalf Murphy, and The Slambovian Circus of Dreams.

Ms Carroll, a resident of Newtown, is a regular accompanist of Ms Wainwright. The percussionist will be among the musicians accompanying Ms Wainwright for her show in Newtown.