Winner of a Grammy Award for her 2022 album Revealer, the brilliant singer-songwriter-guitarist Madison Cunningham will headline Sonic Lunch on Thursday, June 27th!

     

When I first had the pleasure of hearing Madison’s debut major-label release Who Are You Now, her inventive guitar playing, compelling lyrics and soaring vocals brought to mind none other than Joni Mitchell, which is about as high a compliment as I can pay a musician.  And speaking of compliments, Cunningham got high praise when she was on a tour earlier this year as the support act for John Mayer.  Writing on Instagram, Mayer said, “She is a monster guitar player who’s found new ground on her instrument.  When she plays, I feel like if I’d never played a guitar before, I would race out and buy one the next day.”

     

Now 27, Cunningham was all of 7 when she started playing guitar.  The oldest of five sisters, she did not make much headway on the instrument until she was a teenager, when a family friend showed her some unusual tunings, which opened up her brain to new sounds and new possibilities.  Influenced and inspired by Joni, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Ry Cooder and the Beatles, Madison released Who Are You Now in 2020 to great critical acclaim, the album garnering a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album.

     

Revealer contains more of Cunningham’s introspective lyrics, intricate rhythms and mind-bending guitar stylings, with the album winning her a Grammy for Best Folk Album.  Many of her songs do have a folk element to them, but there are also elements of jazz and rock in there as well, and all of her tunes have a smart, sophisticated feel while remaining confessional and personal, like a secret told to you by your best friend.

    

Opening the show at 11:30 a.m. will be Kate Pillsbury, the Michigan musician best known for her work with Americana band the Crane Wives.

   

Pillsbury is the lead vocalist and guitarist of the Grand Rapids based group, who will be releasing their much-anticipated new studio album Beyond Beyond Beyond in early September.  And it just so happens that the Crane Wives will be headlining the final Sonic Lunch show of the season on August 29th, so Kate’s solo performance on June 27th will be a preview of her band’s appearance later this summer.   

 

Here’s hoping that Kate will play Arcturus Beaming, the impressive first single from Beyond Beyond Beyond.    

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- Martin Bandyke, host of Fine Tuning on

ann arbor’s 107one.