Posts Tagged ‘Brandon’

For First Friday Scranton in May we have one of your favorite artists returning to Scranton’s favorite Art Gallery.  That’s right, Jennifer Hamby-Brandon is coming back with some exciting work.  So make sure to check back over the next few months for updates on this sure to please exhibition.

And for your musical enjoyment at Scranton’s finest musical venue, we will be featuring the folky sounds of Matt Burke.

And for more information on the May artists, see below:

Jennifer Hamby-Brandon

Originally from New York, Jennifer is now a local artist of the Scranton, PA area. She graduated from Luzerne Community College, and Marywood University with a BA in Illustration.

She credits her love for the arts to her Lord, Jesus Christ, whom she knows to be the source of her love and desire to work through the medium of paint and the power of design.

Her greatest inspirational moments are derived from trips to Sante Fe, where she studied under David Leffel, and Italy, where she stood before the great works of the masters, walked through the beautiful city streets, and relaxed amidst the stunning landscape of Tuscany.

Jen specializes in pet portraits, where she loves to express the individual personality of every pet. As a proud Dane owner and animal lover at heart, she thoroughly enjoys presenting fellow pet owners with an original oil painting of their loyal friend.

Jen is also a published illustrator of several children’s books. She is the Art Director of Lamplighter Ministries International, and works as a freelance graphic designer through her design company, Jaché Studio.

Whether through painting, illustration, or design, it is her desire to take part in, and share with you . . . a piece of a beautiful moment

Matt Burke

Nashville based folk-rocker Mat Burke is a blue-collar kid who wears his heart on his sleeve. His songs are short excursions on the well-traveled roads of pain, disappointment, heartbreak, and desperation. At 21, this old soul meets his audience in life’s darker regions where shadows appear real, then points to the light peering through the cracks above.

Raised on the streets of Philadelphia, Burke neared a breaking point at age 16 and left high-school for a short time. A caring teacher introduced him to the music of Bob Dylan. This proved to be a lightning strike across the bow of Burke’s wayward ship, and he returned to high-school with a new identity seared into the palm of his hands. Standing firmly on the shoulders of the folk giants, Burke inhaled all things Dylan then expanded his musical diet to include a long roster of folk-punk troubadours, most notably The Gaslight Anthem and UK-based Frank Turner. Following in the footsteps of Turner, Burke started playing basement house-parties in Philadelphia, and only twelve months later he was the only solo artist featured in the finals of the annual World Café Live “Philly Rising” contest in January 2008.

Relocating to Nashville in 2009, Mat Burke is about to release his debut full-length record entitled Kill or Be Killed. Relentlessly infectious, Kill or Be Killed is a seamless pastiche of traditional folk, folk-punk, and raw emo more reminiscent of Roger Waters than Conor Oberst. Early praise for Kill or Be Killed is pouring in, and the respected underground Nashville website Listen!Nashville calls Kill or Be Killed “a formidable debut from a young songwriter firmly rooted in the prophetic folk-rock tradition…both political and emotional, Kill or Be Killed will remain relevant for years to come….”

The official release date for Kill or Be Killed is March 2, 2010, which also marks the beginning of Mat Burke’s non-stop US tour in support of the record.

Praise for Mat Burke:

“Intelligent and thought-provoking, with stinging lyrics reminiscent of the early folk movement…. A formidable debut from a young songwriter firmly rooted in the prophetic folk-rock tradition…both political and emotional, Kill or Be Killed will remain relevant for years to come….” — listennashville.com

“[Burke’s] songs ring with the sincerity of a singer-songwriter who means what he writes and sings what he means.” – syracuse.com

“It was as if he had walked right out of the pages of Kerouac’s On the Road and climbed up on stage in Spring City with a guitar and started playing some folk songs.” – allaroundphilly.com

For booking please email Mat’s agent: bookingmatburke@live.com