MEDIA ADVISORY/Calendar Listing

The artists and staff mentioned herein are available
for interviews and on-air appearances regarding this event.
Please consult a media contact to arrange scheduling.

BROADSIDE ELECTRIC AND MARGO HENNEBACH TO PERFORM
JUNE 9 AT DEBAUN AUDITORIUM

Hoboken, NJ (18 April 2000) – Progressive folk ensemble Broadside Electric and dynamic songwriter Margo Hennebach are pleased to announce a concert at 8:00pm on Friday, June 9th at the DeBaun Auditorium on the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology.

Tickets are available to the public for $5. Reservations can be made by contacting the DeBaun box office at +1 (201) 216-8937 or by visiting the DeBaun web site: <http://www.debaun.org/>.

The concert is part of a series designed to showcase music and theater from emerging local artists. It is also designed to promote DeBaun as New Jersey's newest 500-seat, state-of-the-art auditorium with a focus on the performing arts, the only active theater of its kind in Hudson County.

"DeBaun has in fact been a musical and theatrical showcase for nearly a century," explains Managing Director David Zimmerman. "Combining the performing arts with the technical knowledge fostered at Stevens has been a natural fit since DeBaun began as a lecture hall and part-time campus theater. Eventually, the auditorium was used almost exclusively in support of the arts at Stevens."

While at Stevens (class of 1990), David was unusually dedicated to theater and music, so it's no surprise that he returned to lead DeBaun into new territory. "DeBaun's Emerging Artist Series signals our next phase of evolution. We serve as an incubator, placing our entire staff and crew at the artist's disposal from start to finish. Ultimately, their success is everyone's success."

David concludes, "DeBaun takes great pride in presenting talented artists of uncommon quality, some who otherwise may never reach a large audience. In fact, while DeBaun has hosted large-scale orchestras, troupes and ensembles, it also possesses an intimacy acoustic artists and audiences quickly connect with."

Connecticut-based Margo Hennebach couldn’t agree more: "It's wonderful to see that Hoboken finally has a premier acoustic room! We can't wait to play at DeBaun Auditorium again!"

Hennebach (piano, guitar) developed her craft while living in Hoboken and backing up several artists on the New York Fast Folk scene. Together with Mark Saunders (guitars), they combine award winning songs, highly evolved musicianship, and a playful but commanding presence on stage to make them a favorite of critics and audiences alike.

Margo and Mark can be heard combining Celtic, gospel, pop and folk influences in Margo's fourth release on Prime CD, "Big Love," which Sing Out magazine called "Captivating."

Philadelphia-based Broadside Electric is currently celebrating their tenth anniversary year of "Folk Music With Teeth." The quintet lovingly researches material from a wide range of countries and traditions. Then they "drag it all out back and mercilessly smack it around." The result is an inspired modern sound with distinctly traditional roots, one that even "gives members of the usual folk audiences something new to talk about."

Broadside Electric features Ashley D'Andrea (drums, percussion, vocals), Amy Ksir (flute, tin whistles, oboe, vocals), Tom Rhoads (vocals, guitars, cittern, dulcimer), Jim Speer (Chapman Stick®, bass guitar, recorders, crumhorn) and Helene Zisook (violins, violas, mandolins, vocals). Their fourth release is appropriately entitled "With Teeth," available on Clever Sheep Records.

For Broadside percussionist Ashley D'Andrea, performing at DeBaun bears extra significance. Not only is Stevens Tech his alma mater (class of 1990) but Ashley also performed often at DeBaun long before its present-day renovation.

"In DeBaun, Stevens offered an ideal antidote to day-to-day college life," Ashley says. "Opportunities abounded in music, acting, directing and everything in-between. My experiences on stage, in the orchestra pit and behind the scenes at DeBaun continue to play a valuable role."

Located on 5th and Hudson Streets in Hoboken, DeBaun Auditorium is easily approached from public transportation such as PATH, train or bus. Automobile parking is available on the Stevens campus and at nearby public facilities.

Media Contacts:

  Sandra Roberts                                             DeBaun Auditorium
  http://www.debaun.org/                       Stevens Institute of Technology
  debaun@stevens-tech.edu                               Castle Point On Hudson
  +1 (201) 216-8960, ext. 2                                 Hoboken, NJ  07030

  Ken Beasley                                                  Margo Hennebach
  http://www.primecd.com/margo.htm                          c/o 1 800 PRIME CD
  mail@primecd.com                             111 East 14th Street, Suite 300
  +1 (212) 366-5982                                        New York, NY  10003

  Jim Speer                                                 Broadside Electric
  http://www.broadside.org/                           c/o Clever Sheep Records
  info@broadside.org                                                PO Box 331
  +1 (610) 649-7994                                         Ardmore, PA  19003

Chapman Stick is a registered trademark of Stick Enterprises, Inc. 

MARGO HENNEBACH

Described as "gritty and glamorous, awesome and accessible," Margo Hennebach and her partner Mark Saunders blend world folk, pop, rock and Celtic sensibilities into an exciting folk fusion. Crisscrossing the country with guitarist/husband Saunders, pianist and guitarist Hennebach has captured the attention of critics and fans alike with her wide-ranging vocals, award- winning songwriting and commanding presence.

Hennebach has been a finalist at numerous songwriting competitions, including Kerrville New Folk (TX), Telluride Troubadour (CO), and Napa Valley (CA). Conservatory trained as a pianist at Oberlin Conservatory, and earning a master's degree in Music Therapy from the Guildhall of Music and Drama in London, England, Hennebach brings a wealth of talent and life experience to her writing and performing. Her self-titled first album features many songs based on her experiences as a music therapist with children diagnosed with cancer, and has given rise to some of her most touching songs. In Michaelean, she navigates the mysterious boundaries between real life and the countless supposed realities we create for ourselves, an obsession she attributes to being adopted.

In Mark Saunders, she's found a perfect partner. A graduate of Hartford Conservatory in classical guitar and long time Motown R & B player, he weaves electric and acoustic guitar parts around Margo. He brings oomph and groove to her material as well as the songs they've co-written. Audiences are struck by how they perform so one-mindedly, and how easily they move from a signature heartfelt ballad to uptempo Celtic instrumental.

In 1999, Prime CD has released Comfort & Joy, Margo and Mark's 1998 self-released Christmas Album. In 1998, Hennebach and Saunders released Big Love, Margo's third album on 1-800 Prime CD, the stunning follow up to Michaelean (1996) and Margo Hennebach (1994). Co-produced by Jim Chapdelaine and featuring artists such as Cliff Eberhardt and Seth Farber, Big Love is an exciting and sometimes personal collection, which takes a closer look at love in its many forms.

For more information about Margo and her albums, you can visit her web site at <http://www.primecd.com/margo.htm>.

BROADSIDE ELECTRIC

Despite the youth of its membership, Broadside Electric is Philadelphia's leading and longest-lived electric folk band, celebrating their tenth anniversary of "Folk Music With Teeth" in 2000. They have earned a solid reputation for thoroughly original arrangements and painstaking research into traditional English, Celtic and Eastern European music. A band equally at home with folk tradition and modern rock innovation, Broadside’s unique hybrid sound successfully blends the music of different countries and cultures with a striking consistency.

Broadside Electric has been called "Pennsylvania’s answer to Steeleye Span," "folk music’s answer to death metal" and a band that "gives members of the usual folk audiences something new to talk about." The quintet has captivated audiences and earned critical praise at dozens of concerts across the northeast. Recent appearances include the Philadelphia Folk Festival (PA), the Baltimore Folk Festival (MD), and venues such as Club Passim (MA), The Cherry Tree (PA) and The Minstrel Coffeehouse (NJ).

The release of Broadside’s self-produced first album, Black-edged Visiting Card (1993), brought them regular airplay on local folk radio shows. The recently re-released second album, Amplificata (1994), captures the band in a live in-studio setting. Their third album, More Bad News (1996), adds an even darker and heavier quality to thirteen songs, and was cited by WXPN folk DJ Gene Shay among his top five albums of 1996. Their newest release, With Teeth (1999), finds Broadside Electric in full-tilt progressive folk mode, and the ride never lets up from the first track to the last. The band promises, "This is the only record you'll hear that has a Croatian dance, an English music hall song and a Bob Dylan cover."

Broadside Electric features Ashley D'Andrea (drums, percussion, vocals), Amy Ksir (flute, tin whistles, oboe, vocals), Tom Rhoads (vocals, guitars, cittern, dulcimer), Jim Speer (Chapman Stick®, bass guitar, recorders, crumhorn) and Helene Zisook (violins, violas, mandolins, vocals).

Publication-quality TIFF photos (150/300 dpi) and high-quality full-length MP3 audio of Broadside Electric are available: <http://www.broadside.org/debaun/>.

DEBAUN AUDITORIUM

The Grace E. and Kenneth W. DeBaun Auditorium is part of the Edwin A. Stevens Building, located on the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. Originally called The Old Stone Mill, it was designed by renowned architect Richard Upjohn and built in 1870. The theater first served as a lecture hall, then a gymnasium, laboratory and workshop. In 1880 it was home to the founding ceremony and meetings of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering.

Campus theater was established in 1909 when the junior class performed the very first show, sparking a more general interest in dramatics. March of 1912 saw the first production of the Stevens Dramatic Society (SDS), "The Professor’s Daughter." The show was conceived and written entirely by students, a trend that would continue for decades. The Stevens Theater began to realize its full potential in the 1920s with the addition of a balcony.

By the 1930s the Stevens Theater gained a countrywide reputation for technical innovation. The fall 1934 production, "The Sound Show," showcased cutting edge techniques in sound and theater acoustics. The SDS began receiving grants for further research, leading to the development of the first 3D Stereographic Sound system, later used for the first 3D movie. Theater technicians attended performances and incorporated what they learned into their own productions, even on Broadway. Throughout the 1930s and well into the ‘50s, the SDS remained one of the largest experimental theatrical organizations in the country.

Russian writer, playwright and director Yelena Petrovna joined the Stevens Theater in the 1940s and remained an inspiration to and moderator for the SDS until her death in 1971. Due, in a great part, to Petrovna’s guidance and Stevens’ reputation for technical innovation in theater, Theta Alpha Phi, the national performing arts honor society, offered Stevens membership in 1960. As home to the first New Jersey chapter, Stevens is the only technical school to receive this honor. As time went on, the theater continued to be used by the SDS and Stevens Glee Club, as a meeting place for various organizations, and as the site of concerts, productions and events by on- and off-campus groups.

Years of heavy usage took its toll, and the theater was closed for renovations in 1991. When funding ran out, Kenneth DeBaun (’49) challenged alumni to help raise the remaining money, a challenge that was met by October 1996. Alumni and undergraduates worked with Stevens to complete the project and, in October 1998, the Stevens Theater reopened as the Grace and Kenneth DeBaun Auditorium.

The DeBaun Auditorium, currently the only remaining stage theater in the Hoboken area, continues to expand. A new "black box" backstage area provides additional performance, rehearsal and meeting space. Since reopening, DeBaun has hosted many Stevens and Hoboken community events. Theatrical groups, opera companies, orchestras, soloists and bands avail themselves of DeBaun’s location and resources. In addition, state-of-the-art facilities enable DeBaun to host conferences and meetings. Managing Director David Zimmerman and his staff are intent on making the future of DeBaun Auditorium as exciting as it’s past.

To learn more about DeBaun, visit <http://www.debaun.org/>.