Returning to The Focal Point June 3rd! John Batdorf is a singer-songwriter solo artist and one half of Las Vegas Rock and Roll Hall Of Famers folk-rock duo Batdorf & Rodney. He’s also a successful film and TV composer, session vocalist, and inspirational musician in the substance recovery community. In his five-decade career, he’s worked with icons such as Ahmet Ertegun, David Geffen, Clive Davis, Roger Birnbaum, Adele, James Horner, Jimmie Haskell, Bill Conti, Bob Ezrin, Tom Werman,…

    Hiroya is a one-of-a-kind composer, guitarist and singer-songwriter from Kyoto, Japan. He began playing the five-string banjo when he was thirteen, and took up the guitar shortly after. In 2000, Hiroya received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music and came to the United States. He formed his own group in Boston “INTEROCEANICO (inter-oceanic)” which consists of unique musicians from different continents including Latin Grammy Colombian singer Marta Gomez. The group released three acclaimed records (“The Other Side…

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT HIROYA'S CONCERT OR AT THE DOOR Hiroya Tsukamoto is offering a guitar class in the afternoon for all playing levels. Come and learn from a master!

    Rupert Wates was born in London and studied at Oxford University. He has been a full time songwriter since the late 1990s, when he signed a publishing contract with Eaton Music Limited. In London he worked with some of the best performers in the city. Moving in 2001 to Paris, Wates formed his own quartet and began playing live regularly. In fall 2006 he came to the US. He is now based in New York City and Colorado.…

    The newly formed U City Klezmer Experience features veterans from the klezmer and St. Louis scene. Their high octane dance music and poignant Yiddish song were recently featured as part of St. Louis’ annual Hanukkah Hullabaloo. Will Soll (guitar, mandolin, vocal) has long been one of St. Louis’ most passionate and prolific advocates of Yiddish music. Gabe Segal (clarinet, saxophone), originally from Seattle, has played in several klezmer groups including The Schmaltz Street Klezmer Band and Jumbo Knish…

    Hailing from the St. Louis region, The Mound City Slickers have played festivals, house concerts and more than a few contra and square dances throughout Missouri and Illinois over the past few years. Steeped in tradition, their concerts are a unique mix of hard-driving Midwest fiddle tunes, old country songs, rags, and other surprises that have made them favorites of the old-time string band scene. The band is Sean Belt (ukuleles & vocals), Lindell Blackford (fiddle & mandolin),…

    Jake’s Leg’s annual appearance(s) on our stage has become a Focal Point tradition. Spanning the generations, Jake’s Leg has been performing the music of The Grateful Dead for 46 years. (That’s only 11-ish years less than the Dead played the Dead themselves!) This will be an acoustic performance, but the show will likely not be the perfectly silent listening experience we are known for. We promise however that it will be great fun for all. Dancing is recommended…

    In August 2020 writer, guitarist and vocalist Walter Parks was invited by The Library of Congress to archive his research on and perform his arrangements of music made by Southeast Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp homesteaders – hollers, hymns and reels. For 10 years Parks, a Florida native, served as the sideman guitarist to Woodstock Festival legend Richie Havens. Now based out of St. Louis, Walter has recently co-written with Stan Lynch, former Tom Petty drummer and has performed at…