On Friday, April 11, acclaimed Providence, R.I., rock group Low Anthem returns to the Edmond Town Hall, performing the next Live At Edmond Town Hall concert.

The band has had quite the journey since its last Newtown appearance in 2011. To name but a few, they have played to huge festival crowds the world over with the likes of The National, Emmylou Harris and Bruce Springsteen; they have experimented with new, kaleidoscopic soundscapes for their latest album; and they have helped restore a historic theater in their hometown. This week’s show will be one of the last they play before the release of their newest offering, and a great chance to hear the band debut its 2014 sound.

Mark Barden and Alternate Universe will open. Mr Barden and band have been a staple for years at Proud Mary’s, the lounge at The Inn at Newtown, and their music is equal parts masterful guitar playing and get-up-and-boogie grooviness. 

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.edmondtownhall.org.

Ticket sales will benefit ongoing improvement efforts at the Edmond Town Hall. The power, lighting and a Blu-Ray projector system are now state-of-the-art for the historic building, but there is much still to be done. The latest focus is on fleshing out the sound system so that it can support all theater performances, big and small.

A Heavy Heart

“With a heavy heart, this show will be dedicated to the memory of Brown Bird’s Dave Lamb,” Live at ETH Founder Hayden Bates announced on April 7.

Brown Bird is an acoustic indie folk rock band made up of Mr Lamb and his wife, Newtown native MorganEve Swain. They played the opening set for the June 20011 show by Low Anthem — the first in the Live at ETH series — and then returned to headline 14 months later.

Likened to blues, early Americana Appalachia, European folk, and old time country, Ms Swain and Mr Lamb pull from many music styles when writing their original lyrics and music.

“Each song is kind of its own thing,” Ms Swain told The Newtown Bee in July 2012. Ms Swain plays upright bass and cello, as well as the fiddle for which she is best known in Newtown. Mr Lamb added acoustic guitar, banjo and percussion, and both of the musicians provide vocals to songs that are as haunting as they are lyrical. The duo was forced to take a hiatus from their touring, performing and recording when illness stuck Mr Lamb last year.

Family, friends and fans had been helping Brown Bird with medical funds since last May, after Mr Lamb was diagnosed with acute mylogeneous leukemia.

Mr Lamb passed away on April 5.

“A Drink For Dave” was going to be part of this month’s Live at ETH, and the next fundraiser to help duo with their growing medical bills. Friday will instead be a celebration of Mr Lamb’s “life and music, and raise funds to help his widow, MorganEve Swain, during this difficult time,” said Mr Bates.

The Inn at Newtown will sell wine, beer, and mixed drinks in the lobby of the Edmond starting at 6 pm.

Edmond Town Hall is at 45 Main Street, with parking available behind the building.