The next iteration of G.E. Smith's Portraits will bring Valerie June and Lola Kirke to Guild Hall next Thursday at 7 p.m. Produced by Taylor Barton, the program will feature the iconic guitarist in conversation, verbally and musically, with two accomplished performers.
Ms. June is a Grammy-nominated vocalist as well as a poet, illustrator, actor, and certified yoga instructor. Contemporary Acoustic Roots and Country Blues called her "one of the loveliest, most unique and idiosyncratic voices in the American folk-blues scene today."
She performed for Vice President Kamala Harris at the Kennedy Center, and has been featured on "The Tonight Show," "Austin City Limits," "Later With Jools Holland" on BBC, and many more. In addition to three best-selling solo albums, she has written songs for such artists as Mavis Staples and the Blind Boys of Alabama.
While Ms. Kirke has appeared in films ("Gone Girl," "Winning Time"), as a musician and songwriter her focus is on country music. As she has said, "I wanted to know how I could make the most complicated feelings sound simple, or how to make the saddest things be fun or witty. Great country just does that so well."
Her second album, "Lady for Sale," was released on Third Man Records in 2022, and she played sold-out shows with Jenny Lewis and Margo Price. Of her new EP, "Country Curious," the music blog Highway Queens said, "If you love Dolly, the Judds, and any fun loving country music queen then you're going to find something to enjoy here. . . . 'Country Curious' is a dream."
Tickets are $60 to $125, $54 to $112.50 for members.
A fixture of Guild Hall's summer programming since 2019, Hamptons Dance Project will feature classical dance from a contemporary perspective at the Fireplace Lodge in East Hampton Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The three performances are already sold out.
