Holiday concert by SimpleGifts with guest Billy McLaughlin, blending Celtic instruments, piano and acoustic guitar with carols and hymns.
SimpleGifts bring their Christmastide Tour to The Parkway Theater on Sunday, December 13, for their 23rd annual holiday run. The show is a holiday concert featuring carols and hymns played with a Celtic flair, and this year it's SimpleGifts featuring guitarist Billy McLaughlin.
SimpleGifts has been touring this particular holiday program since 2015. They describe their sound as "modern Old-World," and the instrumentation backs that up: violin, Celtic whistle, bagpipes, piano, acoustic guitar, and percussion, all paired with angelic female vocals. They've also arranged three-part harmonies for songs by Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Joni Mitchell, and released an album called WinterGrace.
Billy McLaughlin has been redefining the acoustic guitar since the 1980s, known for his work with amplification, unorthodox techniques, and altered tunings. His fluid tone has taken him around the world and onto Billboard's Top Ten. There's a personal story behind his playing, too: after being diagnosed with focal dystonia, he re-learned the guitar left-handed, a journey that's the subject of the award-winning documentary Changing Keys - Billy McLaughlin and the Mysteries of Dystonia.
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Doors open at 6 PM and the music starts at 7 PM. Tickets are $45 for advance reserved seating, $50 for preferred reserved seating, and $50 at the door. There's also a $60 VIP option that includes premium seating and a pre-show reception with Billy and SimpleGifts.
