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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260815T200000
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SUMMARY:Story Songs of the 70's at The Kate
DESCRIPTION:Story Songs of the 70’s at The Kate brings Maine singer-songwriter Tom DiMenna to Old Saybrook on Saturday\, August 15\, for a concert devoted to three of the era’s great musical storytellers: Gordon Lightfoot\, Cat Stevens\, and Harry Chapin. The 8 p.m. summer edition moves through songs including Lightfoot’s “Carefree Highway\,” Stevens’ “Peace Train\,” and Chapin’s wonderfully improbable “30\,000 Pounds of Bananas.” (CTvisit) \nThis isn’t a greatest-hits impersonation show. DiMenna built Story Songs of the 70’s around the thing these three writers shared despite sounding quite different: they could put a character\, a journey\, or an entire life inside a few minutes of music. The arrangements keep acoustic guitar and vocals at the center while expanding into a fully amplified folk-rock performance. (Tom DiMenna) \nThe summer program also changes the mood from other editions of the show. DiMenna rotates songs seasonally\, and this version leans toward maritime stories\, warmer rhythms\, and songs suited to a summer night. The Kate’s intimate theater should fit the concept particularly well. These are songs where the words matter as much as the melody. \nAbout Tom DiMenna\nDiMenna is a Maine-based singer-songwriter\, guitarist\, and performer whose route to the stage has been anything but conventional. \nHe played guitar in college while also playing football\, then spent a year in Italy quarterbacking the semi-professional Bologna Warriors. Comedy followed. DiMenna studied improv at Second City and schools in Chicago\, Los Angeles\, and New York\, eventually developing a sketch about the ghost of actor Telly Savalas into an Off-Broadway production that ran for several years. \nMusic eventually pulled him back. \nDiMenna released his album You Know Me\, My Devil Says in 2020 and began performing a show centered on the music of Cat Stevens. That production sold out opera houses along the Maine coast in 2021. He later expanded the concept to include Gordon Lightfoot and Harry Chapin\, creating the foundation for Story Songs of the 70’s. \nHis background in comedy hasn’t entirely disappeared\, either. Humor and storytelling remain part of the concerts between songs\, giving the performance more personality than a straightforward sequence of covers. \nTom DiMenna official website \nThree Very Different Storytellers\nThe concert works because Gordon Lightfoot\, Cat Stevens\, and Harry Chapin approached storytelling from different directions. \nGordon Lightfoot could turn landscapes\, travel\, relationships\, and historical events into remarkably visual songs. His catalog ranges from the restless motion of “Carefree Highway” to sprawling narratives such as “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” \nCat Stevens often looked inward. Songs such as “Father and Son” and “Peace Train” combine memorable melodies with questions about family\, identity\, change\, and the world around us. \nHarry Chapin frequently built his songs around characters. “Taxi\,” “Mr. Tanner\,” and “Cat’s in the Cradle” unfold almost like short stories\, while “30\,000 Pounds of Bananas” proves a story song can also be funny\, strange\, and increasingly chaotic. \nDiMenna’s show puts those approaches beside one another rather than separating them into three individual tribute sets. \nThe Summer Edition\nStory Songs of the 70’s is designed as a seasonal concert series\, so the repertoire changes throughout the year. \nFor summer\, DiMenna and his collaborators lean into an easier-going\, coastal folk atmosphere while keeping enough tempo changes and sing-along material to prevent the night from becoming two hours of quiet acoustic ballads. The official summer repertoire includes songs such as “Peace Train” and “30\,000 Pounds of Bananas\,” with Lightfoot selections varying across performances. \nDiMenna’s Story Songs project is also supported by Gibson Guitars and John Pearse Strings\, two names closely associated with acoustic guitar music. \nA Show for People Who Still Listen to the Words\nThere’s plenty here for someone who simply wants to hear familiar music from the 1970s. But the premise goes a little deeper. \nLightfoot\, Stevens\, and Chapin emerged during an era when a popular song could take several minutes to introduce characters\, establish a place\, let a story wander\, and occasionally end without tying everything into a neat bow. \nThat’s the thread DiMenna follows. \nThe arrangements and vocals matter\, but so does sitting in a theater and listening to these songs as stories again. \nEvent Details\nDate\nSaturday\, August 15\, 2026 \nTime\n8:00 p.m. \nLocation\nThe Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (The Kate) \nAddress\n300 Main St.\nOld Saybrook\, CT 06475 \nAdmission\n$40 \nPerformance\nTom DiMenna’s Story Songs of the 70’s – Summer Edition \nFeatured Songwriters\nGordon Lightfoot\nCat Stevens\nHarry Chapin \nFeatured Summer Songs\n“Carefree Highway”\n“Peace Train”\n“30\,000 Pounds of Bananas” \nImportant Notes\nThe repertoire for Story Songs of the 70’s changes seasonally\, so the complete setlist may vary. \nMore Information\nFor more information\, visit the event website using the Event Website link below. \nFor ticket purchases\, click on the Ticketing link below. \n\n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/story-songs-of-the-70s-at-the-kate/
LOCATION:The Kate\, 100 Main Street\, Old Saybrook\, CT\, 06475\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Kate
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Story-Songs-of-the-70s-at-The-Kate-Saturday-August-15-8pm.jpg
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