Massy Ferguson, Kelly Shirey and Chris Ward - Storytelling Through Music

Saturday, March 11, 2023, 7:00 pm
Riverside Playhouse
General Admission Only - $15

On Saturday, March 11, Riverside Playhouse turns into Wenatchee City Limits for the third Singers, Songwriters, Storytellers show in this series of productions. Staged in an intimate black box setting, these artists will each take the stage to tell their stories, sing their songs and create a true connection with each and every member of the audience. You will laugh. You will cry. You will leave knowing you experienced a very special event.

Chris Ward moved his family to Nashville over 30 years ago, where he began working as a staff songwriter and studio vocalist. Signed by Giant/Warner Bros, his 1996 single Fall Reaching made the Billboard Magazine charts. He toured and shared the stage with The Charlie Daniels Band, Mark Chestnut, Billy Ray Cirrus and dozens of other major artists. Now living in Chelan County, Chris is a NCW favorite and still performs throughout the U.S. He connects with every audience by still living his message from Fall Reaching: If you’re gonna win, win graceful. If you’re gonna love, love faithful. If you’re gonna learn, learn teaching. If you’re gonna fall, fall reaching.

Kelly Shirey is a folk-rock singer/songwriter who performs throughout the Pacific Northwest as both a solo artist and a band leader. Kelly has been the front man and songwriter for many bands over the years including Midnight Sun, Eden, 3 Shades of Gray (3SG) and Woodrush. Woodrush consistently made the list of top bands in Evening Magazine’s Best of Western Washington. His performances showcase his gift for wordplay and storytelling, an appreciation for all musical genres, and his lifelong love of music. Kelly’s music is a study in raw passion and down home acoustic rock.

Massy Ferguson’s songwriting duo of Ethan Anderson and Adam Monda are international torchbearers of Americana, having toured in 14 countries. Based in Seattle, with deep roots in Wenatchee (ask them about Joe’s Meat & Grocery), their songs spin stories of small-town adolescence, big-city adulthood, and the long miles of highway that stretch in between. Continuing a tradition of northwest blue-collar, the songwriting of Ethan and Adam takes on a montage-form, zooming into various scenes from their lives. The details are rich, the context implied, and the writing is stunningly simple. Having shared stages with Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Cowboy Junkies, Kiefer Sutherland, and Pavement, they are masters of their craft. Every performance by Ethan and Adam is magical.

As the audience from the first two shows repeatedly described their experience, “This is the way music should be performed and heard.” We know you will agree.

Presented by Mountain Music Productions and Avalon Music.