The Live Acoustic Venue Association presents Big Wide Grin in concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at Abounding Grace Sanctuary, 2450 S. Kolb Road.
This talented trio first played at Abounding Grace last February, and it won over audience with its big hearts and big smiles.
Everything about this award-winning trio is big, from its stage presence to its sound to its message.
All the members write and sing, and they each play a variety of instruments - guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, strum stick and djembe - that they pass around during their concerts.
They trade off on lead vocals, and their three-part harmonies are as beautiful as they are precise.
Elaine Dempsey, Lawrence Lambert and Karl Werne are Big Wide Grin. When this bicoastal trio from California and Virginia gets together it's more than just a tour - it's a celebration.
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They write and perform contemporary acoustic music with a feel that is both familiar and nostalgic, recalling the peaceful and loving vibes, the great harmonies, and the social consciousness of groups such as Crosby, Stills and Nash, The Mamas and The Papas, Peter, Paul & Mary, Poco, Pure Prairie League and Simon and Garfunkel.
Big Wide Grin has shared the stage with artists such as Janis Ian, Richie Havens and Bruce Hornsby, and has toured with legendary bluesman Keb Mo.
If you go
• What: Big Wide Grin in concert
• When: 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday
• Where: Abounding Grace Sanctuary, 2450 S. Kolb Road
• Tickets: $15 in advance at www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/98302 online or $20 cash at the door
• Info: Email bonnie@lavamusic.org, call 647-3234 or go to www.lavamusic.org
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