“Rollicking, playful, good-time blues and intimate, reflective balladry…her songs ring with emotional depth” –Rolling Stone 

“A welcome ray of sunshine…Ball is a killer pianist, a great singer and songwriter. Potent blues, sweet zydeco, soulful, fast and furious Texas boogie…heartfelt, powerful and righteous” –Billboard 

“Fifty years have passed in a flash,” says Texas-born, Louisiana-raised pianist, songwriter and vocalist Marcia Ball of her long and storied career. Ball, the 2018 Texas State Musician Of The Year, has won worldwide fame and countless fans for her ability to ignite a full-scale roadhouse rhythm and blues party every time she takes the stage. Her rollicking Texas boogies, swampy New Orleans ballads and groove-laden Gulf Coast blues have made her a one-of-a-kind favorite with music lovers all over the world. With each new release, her reputation as a profoundly soulful singer, a boundlessly talented pianist and a courageous, inventive songwriter continues to grow. Her love of the road has led to years of soul-satisfying performances at festivals, concert halls and clubs. The New York Times says, “Marcia Ball plays two-fisted New Orleans barrelhouse piano and sings in a husky, knowing voice about all the trouble men and women can get into on the way to a good time.” The Houston Chronicle says simply, “She’s as perfect as an artist can be.” 

With her new album, Shine Bright, Ball set out to, in her words, “Make the best Marcia Ball record I could make.” In doing so, she has put together the most musically substantial, hopeful and uplifting set of songs of her five-decade career. Produced by Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) and recorded in Texas and Louisiana, Shine Bright contains twelve songs (including nine originals), ranging from the title track’s rousing appeal for public and private acts of courage to the upbeat call to action of Pots And Pans, a song inspired by renowned Texas political writer and humorist Molly Ivins. From the humorous advice of Life Of The Party to the poignantly optimistic World Full Of Love, the intensity of Ball’s conviction never wavers while, simultaneously, the fun never stops. Shine Bright is exactly the album Ball set out to make. “It is a ridiculously hopeful, cheerful record,” she says, in light of some of the album’s more serious subject matter. The secret, according to Ball “is to set the political songs to a good dance beat.”  

Thank you to our show sponsors: Community Foundation for South Central NY, R.C. Smith Foundation, WAER FM Radio, Preferred Mutual, Sidney Federal Credit Union, Hamilton Community Chest, Bruce Ward, Architect, and NBT Bank. 

Special thanks to our hospitality sponsor Poolville Country Store Restaurant Bed & Breakfast. 

NOTE: Make it an evening out and receive 10% off dinner at Poolville Country Store by presenting your EOH show ticket, or receive 10% off your show ticket by presenting your Poolville dinner receipt at the Box Office! Call the Poolville Country Store at 315-691-2677 for dinner reservations!  

ALSO: Show your ticket at Huff Brau llc before or after the show and get $1 off your first drink!  

Earlville Opera House Arts Center is located at 18 East Main Street in the charming Village of Earlville, NY. We are handicap accessible and the 1892 theater has a Hearing Loop system provided by Hamilton Hearing LLC, NY. Please check our website for the latest information on our programs and services, also like us on Facebook and Instagram! 

Events are made possible, in part, with public funds from New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor of New York and the New York State Legislature, and through the generosity of EOH members.