GRASSROOTS ACOUSTICA #18:
2ND ANNUAL LOTTA LOVE EDITION –

FAMILY, FRIENDS & FANS REMEMBER NICOLETTE LARSON [1952-1997]
Saturday, December 13, 2008
7-10 p.m.
Talking Stick Coffee Lounge
1411C Lincoln Blvd
Venice, CA
310/450-6052
www.thetalkingstick.net

FEATURING:
ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Byron Pfeifer
HOST Mark Islam
RESIDENT RHUMBA GIRL GUEST OF HONOR Elsie May Larson-Kunkel
SPECIAL GUEST Rosemary Butler
WELCOMING Paul Zollo, Lisa Nemzo, Mark Pocket Goldberg, Randy Sacks, Jeff Kossack
IN REPERTORY Debra Davis, Dudley Saunders, Freebo, Lisa Turner, Lois Blaisch, Mare Lennon, Robin Pearl, Gary Stockdale, Severin Browne

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12/03/2008

ALL ABOARD THE LOTTA LOVETRAIN!
NICOLETTE LARSON TRADITION TRACES CAREER, CARRIES ON COMMITMENT TO CHILDREN

[VENICE, CALIFORNIA] – Family, friends & fans of the late Nicolette Larson assemble at The Talking Stick Coffee Lounge on Saturday, December 13th, three days shy of the 11th anniversary of the singer’s death, for Grassroots Acoustica #18: 2nd Annual Lotta Love Edition, a Rhino-worthy retrospective raising donations for The Nicolette Larson Pediatric Endowment at Mattel Children’s Hospital.

Guest of honor Elsie May Larson-Kunkel, the late musician’s daughter who’s now a college freshman as well as a performing songwriter clearly carrying on a family tradition (her dad just so happens to be legendary rock’n’roll drummer/producer Russ Kunkel), returns as resident rhumba grrrl to commemorate her mother’s catalog that boasts 8 studio releases, 1 credible best-of, 1 posthumously released live album, 1 tribute album, 9 charting singles including 1 pop top 10 & 1 country top 10, and a Zelig-like array of guest appearances on treasured tracks ranging from the Doobie Brothers to the Dirt Band, Little Feat to Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young to No Nukes, Emmylou Harris to Hoyt Axton.

Opening the 3-hour Lotta Love-fest at 7 p.m. sharp with the song that turned Nicolette into a 1979 NARAS nominee for Best New Artist, special guest Rosemary Butler joins an ever-expanding Lotta Lovetrain whose coachcars of collaborators & colleagues, acquaintances & aficionados will feature host & curator Mark Islam, artist-in-residence Byron Pfeifer; first-time appearances by Lisa Nemzo, Randy Sacks, singing upright bassist Mark Pocket Goldberg, Jeff Kossack, and Paul Zollo, who himself spearheads similar single-artist survey tributes; and, from the repertory stable of strummers, return visits from Freebo, Severin Browne, Debra Davis, Dudley Saunders, Lois Blaisch, Gary Stockdale, Lisa Turner, and, trekking in from the Twin Cities, Mare Lennon, who promises to bring Robin Pearl with her.

Grassroots Acoustica #18: 2nd Annual Lotta Love Edition is free & open to the public. While there is no admission charge, any voluntary donations into collection baskets will be donated directly to the Nicolette Larson Pediatric Endowment at Mattel Children’s Hospital/UCLA.

The pass-the-hat hootenanny presented on the second Saturday of every month by Islam, Pfeifer & a team of virtuoso vaudevillians & behind-the-scenes elves has raised $9,810 in sofacushion sparechange, 100% contributed to L.A.-area non-profits.

Opening in 2008, the child-centered & family-friendly Mattel Children’s Hospital/UCLA, designed by I.M. Pei & Didi Pei, is a model of medical technology & scientific progress where UCLA pediatricians bring the best possible care to seriously ill & injured children. Private donations ensure that its future as a leading pediatric care center.

To learn more about Nicolette Larson’s career & commitment to children’s causes, or to make a donation to the pediatric fund bearing her name, please visit: http://www.nicolettelarson.com/main.html

LOOKING AHEAD:
SAT, JAN 10, 2009
Grassroots Acoustica #19: 2nd Annual Auld Lang Syne Edition – One Degree To Edward Tree
FEATURING: Karen Tobin, Ben Carr, John Stowers, Jeff Kossack, Wendy Conrad, Brad Colerick, Spencer Davis, Jane Bolduc, Byron Pfeifer, et al TBD
SPECIAL GUEST Lisa O’Kane
GUEST OF HONOR Edward Tree
To benefit House of Hope

GRASSROOTS ACOUSTICA NON-PROFITS TO DATE
Children Of The Night
The Blank Theatre Company
Project Angel Food
WeSpark
The Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation for Animal & Human Welfare
The Nicolette Larson Pediatric Endowment at Mattel Children's Hospital/UCLA
A New Way Of Life Reentry Project
Echo Park Film Center
Friends Of The Los Angeles River
Showing People Learning & Technology
School On Wheels
The Celebration Theatre
Shoes That Fit
Alzheimer's Association California Southland Chapter - Memory Walk
Braille Institute