You’re invited to the “cast party” as singer and songwriter Celia Slattery celebrates the release of her new CD, Cast of Characters with a concert at Scullers Jazz Club on Tuesday, October 7, 8:00 PM. Scullers ( www.scullersjazz.com ) is located at the Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel, 400 Soldiers Field Road, Boston, 617-562-4111.Tickets are $18.

Celia's original music weaves catchy pop melodies typical of a Brill Building classic with perceptive lyrics inspired by artists like Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Richard Thompson, all of whom she also covers on the album. Some of the themes her music touches upon include enduring relationships (SeaGlass); treasuring friendship (Cast of Characters); and overcoming cynicism (A Happy Ending). Bamboo Bar tells the story of Celia's stint at a famous hotel in Bangkok, while Distant Thunder addresses the suffering of veterans and their families. Also included in the album are two songs by British songwriter David Rotheray, formerly of the popular UK band The Beautiful South. (Rotheray also plays a guitar solo on the album in SeaGlass.)

Celia will be backed by a band that includes local favorites Mark Shilansky, keyboards, Greg Holt, bass, and Steve Kirby, guitar; along with well-known drummer Dave Mattacks. Mattacks, who has recorded with legends like Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Richard Thompson, was a member of the folk-rock group Fairport Convention and played on the original recording of Farewell, Farewell, a song covered on the CD.

JPEGs, MP3s, PRESS KITS, & CDs AVAILABLE
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www.celiaslattery.com

Contact: Celia Slattery 617-666-3495
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Melanie Arzt 617-312-2660
 

These experiences shaped a dramatic sensibility which found expression as a solo acoustic act, launched at the former Peterborough, NH club, The Folkway. Throughout the 80's, she performed in clubs throughout New England, including Passim in Cambridge and The Iron Horse in Northampton, as well as playing a large assortment of lesser known bars and coffeehouses.

Later, she returned to school to earn her Masters Degree, combining Theatre with Voice and Jazz Studies at New England Conservatory. The bars got a little better, including a seven-month stint in 1991 singing at the Bamboo Bar in the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, often cited as world's #1 hotel. (The experience is immortalized in the song, "Bamboo Bar" on her new CD, Cast of Characters.)

With help from nationally-known director Bill Castellino, Celia wove her autobiographical songs and stories into a one-woman show, Moving Target. A classic tale about growing up amidst the turbulent political and social changes of the 60's and 70's, Moving Target toured from 1997 - 2004 at venues such as the Montreal Fringe Festival, First Night Boston, and Jimmy Tingle's Off-Broadway Theatre. Music from the show was featured on Celia's 2001 debut CD, Movin' On. In addition to performing, Celia currently teaches voice and performance skills in her private studio and has given workshops and master classes in many settings including New England Conservatory Summer School, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, and the Northeast Folk Alliance Conference.

Mark Shilansky has been Celia's accompanist, producer and songwriting partner for over a decade. A rising star in the Boston jazz scene, Mark holds an M.M. in Jazz Studies from New England Conservatory, and has been featured as a composer, arranger, and pianist with such artists as Luciana Souza, Lisa Thorson, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, and Kenny Wheeler.