Music

Derek Fawcett

Ebenezers Coffeehouse
Sat Feb 6 7pm - 8pm Ages: family friendly
Derek Fawcett

About Derek Fawcett


Though "The Winter Clothes" is Derek Fawcett's solo debut, he should be no stranger to you. His powerful, thoughtful singing and skin-splitting djembe-playing have electrified stages across the country. For over a decade, Fawcett toured with Chicago's beloved acoustic quartet Down The Line (shared stages with Ben Folds, Peter Frampton, Lifehouse, America, Pat Benatar, and Colin Hay, XRT & WGN-TV darlings, and beyond.)

As a soloist, Fawcett's music is informed by his tenure with Down The Line, and further influenced by Tom Petty, John Mayer, James Taylor, Bon Iver, and Fountains Of Wayne. He has switched from djembe to keys, but apparently hits just as hard: At a recent show at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, he broke the piano mid-set.

Though his aggression on piano may occasionally channel the angst of Ben Folds & Billy Joel, similarly, many of his songs tell thoughtful, poignant love stories: warm to cold, faithful to un-, fits and starts, admiration from afar, even "love of country." Fawcett's hallmark warmth and strength as a singer are on full display in The Winter Clothes: comparisons to Mayer, James Taylor, Jakob Dylan, and Gavin DeGraw come quickly and frequently (and are always appreciated).

His first solo American tour covered both coasts, including opening spots for Blues Traveler in New York, and Kate Miller-Heidke (on tour with Ben Folds) in Chicago. After a brief tour in Europe in January, 2013, he returned to Chicago to officially release The Winter Clothes at Schubas, on January 27th. The Winter Clothes has been featured multiple times on 93XRT and received a recent plug on Huffington Post. His summer 2013 tour included performances in Chicago, Vienna, Feistritz, Ettiswil, Amsterdam, Paris, Prague, and Ann Arbor, and fall highlights include returning to The Ark in Ann Arbor, and opening for Brit-Pop phenoms Lawson and the legendary Lisa Marie Presley.

Fawcett's infectious songs and enthusiastic performances have re-captured long-time fans from his Down The Line days, while inspiring all-new dedication too. At this year's Ann Arbor Summerfest, after being forced to cease a performance mid-set due to rain, Derek quickly packed his gear and made the command decision to relocate the show to a thrift store just down the street. Not surprisingly, most of those in attendance followed right along. The audience left this memorable show enthralled, appreciativeā€¦and perhaps a little wet. So, no, Derek shouldn't be a stranger to you. But if he is, it's about time you got better acquainted, rain or shine.

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