03/20/2016 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm –

We love singing and playing in the cafe at Paradise City Marlborough. Surrounded by beautiful crafts and tasty snacks and drinks, Mary Witt (vocals and bass) will be joined again by Liza Constable (vocals and guitar, one of the duet singers on Groove Duets) and Bob McKelvey on guitar. Fun vocal harmonies as well as sultry leads on vocals and guitar!

04/01/2016 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm –

If you haven’t been to Lumber Yard Restaurant in Amherst, do yourself a favor! The food is fantastic and we love playing music here for an appreciative audience. Mary Witt, vocals and bass, will be joined by Ann Percival, vocals and rhythm guitar, and Rob Fletcher, vocals and lead guitar  for a fun assortment of music from Jazz and Swing to Soul and Motown.

04/23/2016 @ 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm –

A Dance Concert to Kick off the Spring Season!

Mary Witt will be the featured artist paired with Samirah Evans for the next installment of “Ladies in Jazz”

Arts Block, Greenfield, MA

Mary Witt is well known as the band leader, vocalist, and bassist for the popular New England-based band, The O-Tones. For over 20 years they have delighted dancers with their unique blend of swing, jazz standards, R&B, Motown, and soul. They have also released four CDs, with the latest being the 2015 “Groove Duets,” on which Witt sings in tandem with a dozen of her favorite area vocalists,
including Evans on “Drop On Me.”

Evans and Witt will perform that song along with other duets as well as solo performances, showcasing danceable swing, pop, R&B & soul.

And for an extra added treat, guitarist/vocalist Anand Nayak (also featured on “Groove Duets”) will lend his sweet,
soulful vocals to create the extra harmonies that The O-Tones are famous for.

Accompanists for the evening include: guitarist/vocalist Anand Nayak, bassist Wayne Roberts, drummer Jason Arnold

Advance tickets can be purchased for $15 at theartsblock.com
Tickets will also be available at the door the evening of the concert for $18.
The Arts Block is located at 289 Main Street in Greenfield, Massachusetts.

Jazz Weekly’s George Harris describes Witt’s voice as “rich and earnest”.

Mary Witt grew up in North Carolina listening to soul and Motown on the radio. She began singing with her older sister, who was given a guitar as a high school graduation present, then developed an ear for harmonies in junior high while singing in the Southern Baptist Church choir. Witt’s musical world expanded to jazz while in high school, and she studied classical French horn for 20 years. She took up electric bass as an adult to have an instrument she could play while singing,
and in the 1990s formed the six-piece band,
The O-Tones. (theotones.com)

Samirah Evans was a fixture on the New Orleans music scene for more than 15 years before relocating to Brattleboro, Vermont in the wake of hurricane Katrina. She formed Samirah Evans & Her Handsome Devils in 2007 and has performed at clubs, concert halls and music festivals throughout the northeast. In 2011, Evans released Hot Club: Live at the Vermont Jazz Center (Misha Records), her third CD and first one recorded outside of Louisiana. She has shared stages with legendary artists James Brown, B.B. King, Irma Thomas, Sheila Jordan, Terence Blanchard, and Donald Harrison, Jr., among others in her career, and has toured Europe, Asia and South America as a headliner. (samirahevans.com)

Ladies in Jazz is a musical series conceived by Silktone Productions and co-produced with the Arts Block. Every other month, the series brings Samirah Evans together in concert with another female jazz vocalist or instrumentalist. The goal is to introduce new women artists to audiences in western Massachusetts, as well as bring established women artists to the area. Featured artists have included Sheila Jordan, Evelyn Harris, Jill Connolly, The Valley Jazz Divas, Maricel Lucero, Rebecca Holtz, Elizabeth!, and Becca Byram.

05/01/2016 – 11/01/2016 @ All Day –

We are thrilled to be playing people’s weddings and parties this celebratory season! From MA to CT to VT to RI to NH and NY state, we will be helping people honor their friends and family for the momentous moments in their lives. Music makes the party! We are told over and over how our music makes the event special and people leave feeling happy and content to have been part of their friends’ or families’ special day. We love the music we play and are thrilled that it can add joy to a celebration with dancing and listening. We’ve joined The Knot wedding site and look forward to connecting with lots of brides and grooms this season. We also have a Wedding Page on our website now where you can see and hear music for weddings and parties. Join the fun!

05/13/2016 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm –

The O-Tones trio is playing music for the opening of Market 9.5

a mixed use new building in Northampton. Market 9.5 will be a cool new space in Northampton, including Click Workspace (http://clickworkspace.org/) and Mary Yun Architect (http://www.maryyunstudio.com) and Peter Irvine Law (http://www.peterirvinelaw.com/). Mary Yun has developed her vision of an intown maker space, as well as other offices at 9 1/2 Market Street in Northampton. The May Arts Night Out (http://www.artsnightout.org/monthly-listing) will include the opening and tour and celebration of this great new collaboration space. Come check it out with music, food, and fun! Mary Witt, vocals and bass, with John Caban on guitar and Stephen Page on piano.

05/30/2016 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm –

Come join our band to celebrate this wonderful art and craft fair originating in Northampton, Paradise City Arts Festival. The music is in the food tent so you can sample delicious items from local restaurants while being serenaded by the band. Trio vocal harmonies backed by sax, guitar, piano, bass, and drums, this band knows how to swing on the 40s hist and hit a soulful tone on Motown grooves.

06/15/2016 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm –

Come bring a picnic and join the full 6-piece O-Tones for a lawn concert at historic Forbes Library in Northampton, MA. This is a great summer music series and a beautiful site to enjoy being outside. Enjoy the community of people in one of the most popular small town arts towns in the country!

06/17/2016 @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm –

Wistariahurst Museum gala fundraiser

The O-Tones full 6-piece band play for Wistariahurst Museum gala fundraiser in Holyoke. It will be a 1940s dance hall theme, a perfect match for our band! Food, dancing, and more. Come help us celebrate and raise fund for this wonderful local historical landmark.

This year we’re heading back to the post-war days when Holyoke’s dance halls were hoppin’! Don your best mid-1940s Dance hall attire and join us to jitter and jive as we celebrate another year of art, music, and history at Wistariahurst.

We’ll have food, cash bar, prizes, bottomless glasses of bubbly, and more!

The funds raised from this evening go to support public programming, preservation of the building and grounds, exhibitions, and family programs.

Music by the O-Tones and food provided by The Log Cabin/Delaney House. Graphic designs by Caleb Wetmore.

Get your tickets here

 

Wistariahurst is dedicated to preserving the history of Holyoke and inspiring an appreciation of history & culture through educational programs, exhibits & special events.

Wistariahurst Museum, originally the home of prominent silk manufacturer, William Skinner and his family, has stood as an example of elegance and fine architecture since 1874.