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Imagine hearing a classic AC/DC song covered by a female singer and delivered in a soul and R&B mode. That’s what Morgan James’s “Soul Remains Tour” aims to deliver at the Spire at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10. The tour highlights her sixth album, “Soul Remains the Same” – a reinterpretation of songs by bands such as Metallica, AC/DC, Pearl Jam, and Smashing Pumpkins. (You can check out a sample here.)
“All my studio albums are in the soul and R&B space,” James told the Independent. “Even this latest album.” Although the material is heavy rock tunes from the ‘80s and ‘90s, she said, “We’ve put them through a soul lens, so it’s still a soul and R&B album.”
After graduating from the Juilliard School, James embarked on a Broadway career. When she appeared in “Motown: The Musical,” she met her mentor, the legendary Berry Gordy Jr., who helped her land a recording deal. That’s when she started making records and touring fulltime.
“I’m always on tour,” James says. “I sing anything from huge shows with symphony orchestras to shows with big bands to shows with my own band in small clubs, theaters, and everything in between.” Although the schedule is “relentless,” she loves what she does.
James’s favorite singers include Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, and Mariah Carey. Songwriters she finds inspiring include Jeff Buckley, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Donny Hathaway, and Otis Redding.
Switching to interpretations of heavier rock music may seem like a stretch but James said she has diverse interests. “You know, a great song is a great song – it doesn’t matter who wrote it,” she says.
She has also covered and reinterpreted iconic albums, such as the Beatles “White Album,” Mitchell’s “Blue,” and Buckley’s “Grace.”
James says she’s excited to kick off her tour on the east coast, and looks forward revisiting the Spire, which was undergoing renovations when she was here last year.
“We need live music now more than ever,” she says, adding, “We need to keep those amazing live music spaces alive.”
Tickets are $41.80 and $46, and you can buy them here.
Monday, September 29
“Eleanor the Great,” directed by Scarlett Johansson and starring June Squibb, continues screening at Plimoth Cinema in Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave. It’s the story of a 94-year-old woman in Florida who loses her best friend and moves to New York City, where she assumes a new identify and connects with a young journalism student, played by Erin Kellyman. The film explores themes of loneliness, truth, and storytelling. Also screening at the cinema is “Downton Abbey: the Grand Finale,” which follows the Crowley family and their staff as they adapt to “modern times” in the 1930s. Show times for both films are 4:30 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $12.50, $11 with a club card, $10 for seniors or members, and $8.50 for seniors with a club card.
Bring your pet rock (no, really) to “A Geologist’s Intro to Rock Collecting” in the Fehlow Meeting Room at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St. from 6 to 7 p.m. This hands-on presentation will demonstrate how to start your own rock and mineral collection. The presentation will include a selection of local (and exotic) specimens to examine close-up. Registration is encouraged, and you can do so here.
Tuesday, September 30
Join Amy Davies and others for the weekly “Plymouth Walk and Sip” along the waterfront with a group of people who enjoy walking at their own pace. Meet at Surfside Smokehouse at the marina in time to set off at 4:30 p.m. The walk lasts about an hour and covers between one and three miles. (Dogs are not invited.) The “sipping spot” at 5:30 p.m. is at Surfside. Free parking is available in the marina or on the street. In bad weather, the walk will move inside to the Kingston Collection Mall. If you have questions, you can direct message Davies via Facebook.
Wednesday, October 1
The Teen Craft Club at Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., will present Chocolate Fondue for Teens from 6 to 7 p.m. There will be snacks to dip in melted chocolate, and boxes to take pieces home. Registration is required. You can do so here.
The Plymouth chapter of NAMI (National Association on Mental Illness) is starting a free, in-person “Family to Family Course” from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings for eight weeks (through Nov. 19). The first class will be held at the Salvation Army Building, 52 Long Pond Road. Other classes will be held at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St. The course is for family members and caregivers of individuals who live with a mental health condition. Taught by trained volunteers who are also family members, the program covers mental health conditions, coping skills, handling crises, communication techniques, and finding local resources. (Since the first class falls on Yom Kippur, attendees may start on Wednesday, Oct. 8, if that presents a conflict.) For more information, contact Laura at 508-333-6727. Preregistration is required and you can do so here.
Thursday, October 2
Jazz pianist Stephen Page will perform in the Fehlow Meeting Room at Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., from 4 to 5 p.m. Page has been performing and teaching jazz piano for more than 30 years and has worked with legends such as singer Sheila Jordan and saxophonist Archie Shepp. Page teaches at Amherst College and Deerfield Academy. Registration is required. You can do so here.
“An Evening with Amy Grant” comes to Memorial Hall at 8 p.m., featuring songs and stories by the pop star with gospel music roots. Grant’s 40-year career includes several platinum and gold albums, and six number one hits, Grant is also known as “The Queen Of Christmas” for her sales of Christmas albums. She is also credited with putting contemporary Christian music on the map, and has received numerous awards, including six Grammys. Tickets are $56, $67, $89, $111, and $144, and you can get them here.
It’s a “Witches Broom Craft Night” at Plymouth Bay Winery, 114 Water St., from 6 to 8 p.m. Participants will get crafty with guidance by Christine from Green Star Mercantile, creating these decorative, seasonal “brooms.” All supplies are included with the price of a ticket, as is well as a glass of wine. Tickets are $44.52 and you can buy them here.
Friday, October 3
Downtown’s First Friday event takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. Enjoy “Dutch Treat” at Pilgrim Hall Museum, 75 Court St., with free admission to a special showing of an heirloom needlework, “Exile in Leiden,” depicting the Pilgrims’ 12-year stay in the Netherlands by artist Elizabeth Creeden. You can also see two recently restored massive 19th century paintings. Historic houses will be open for free mini tours, including at the Spooner House, 27 North St., the Mayflower House, 4 Winslow St., and the Jabez Howland House, 33 Sandwich St. At the Plymouth Center for the Arts, 11 North St., view the 58th Annual Juried Art Show as the Irish band Slainte Plymouth plays. Enjoy a demonstration of anime at the center by artist Teri Kole. The boutique hotel Sisu, at 7 Lincoln St., will host a pop-up “s’mores toasting around the fire” until 9 p.m., so that might be a good place to end the evening.
Saturday, October 4
Learn about wildfires and controlled burning at a free panel discussion on “Forest Fires in Massachusetts: Myths and Reality” from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Gallery Room at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave. The presentation, with fire and conservation experts David Foster, Michael Kellett, Bill Stubblefield, and George Wuerthner, will cover issues and misunderstandings about the risk of wildfires and controlled burning in the area, as well as simple steps to protect homes. There’s also an optional in-person reception and lunch costing $35 per person from 1 to 3 p.m. The discussion will be available on Zoom as well. You can register for the event in-person, on Zoom, or for the lunch here.
The town’s Swap Shop, at 33 Hedges Pond Road, is open from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, staffed by volunteers and maintained by the Plymouth DPW and Recycling Committee. The shop gives donate and pick up items, helping to cut down on waste that would go to the landfill. The Swap Shop be open Saturday mornings through the end of October. Find out more about the guidelines – like what can and can’t be donated or volunteer opportunities – here. You can also read Independent reporter Fred Thys’s story about the Swap Shop here.
A “Blessing of the Animals” to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis will be held at Christ Church Parish, 149 Court St., at 5 p.m. Pet owners are welcome to bring their caged or leashed animals to receive the blessing.
The public is invited to a free screening of the documentary “Single-Use Planet,” at 12:30 p.m. at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St. The 56-minute film explores the impact of the manufacture and use of single-use plastics on our health, environment, and the economy. The film takes a balanced look at how the product and the industry that creates it came to play such a huge role in our daily lives. The event is hosted by Sustainable Plymouth, League of Women Voters Plymouth, First Parish Plymouth’s Social Action Committee, and Citizens Climate Lobby.
Sunday, October 5
If you missed it Saturday, the “Blessing of the Animals” will take place again outside the Christ Church Parish, 149 Court St., at 10 a.m. In case of inclement weather, the event will move inside. Pets must be caged or leashed.
As part of the Spire’s “Sunday Serenades,” pianist/composer Laszlo Gardony will perform at the venue at 3 p.m., with doors opening at 2 p.m. Gardony is a professor at Berklee College of Music who’s on the faculty at Harvard University’s “Jazz Combo Initiative” program. He was called, “A formidable improviser who lives in the moment,” by JazzTimes. Tickets are $22 and $24, and you can get them here.
Tuesday, October 7
The “A Fall of Music” series returns to Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave., at the Craft Center Pavilion, from5 to 7p.m., with music and dance performances by Red Hawk Singers & Dancers. Enjoy lawn games and music and bring your chairs or a blanket to sit on, a picnic or purchase pizza and beverages from Plentiful Café. Tickets are $5 each, available for purchase at the door.
Thursday, October 9
“The Fab Four – The Ultimate Tribute,” a Beatles tribute band (duh!), will perform at 8 p.m. at Memorial Hall. Tickets are $45.25, $56, $67, and $89 (includes fees) and are available here.
Friday, October 10
“Roofman” will begin screening at the Plimoth Cinema at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave. The film stars Channing Tatum as an Army veteran and father struggling to make ends meet who starts robbing MacDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs (thus the nickname, “Roofman.”) The film also stars Kirsten Dunst as a divorced mom attracted by the thief’s charm. Film times are 4:30 and 7 p.m., and tickets are 12.50, $11 with a club card, $10 for seniors or members, and $8.50 for seniors with a club card.
Singer/songwriter Morgan James performs with her band at the Spire at 8 p.m. Check the lead item in this column for more information.
Saturday, October 11
Pilgrim Hall Museum, 75 Court St., will hosta benefit performance of “Revolutionary Voices: Plymouth Debates Liberty & Loyalists,” from 6 to 8:30 p.m. It’s an original one-act play by historian Patrick T.J. Browne, executive director of the Plymouth Antiquarian Society. The play recounts the deliberations of Plymouth’s Committee of Correspondence leading up to the American Revolution, and is drawn from authentic resolutions, letters, and documents, with commentary from Plymouth patriot and trailblazer, Mercy Otis Warren. Immediately after the performance, Mercy Otis Warren biographer Nancy Rubin Stuart will take part in a Q&A with the audience and the play’s author and cast. There will be an “Adopt an Artifact” silent auction, with opportunities to donate to the conservation and exhibition of objects owned by Mercy Otis Warren. The event is sponsored by Eastern Bank, and presented in partnership with the Plymouth Antiquarian Society, the Mercy Otis Warren Society, and the Duxbury Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. Light refreshments are included. Tickets are $75, and are available for purchase here.