Some people are born to entertain—charismatic, witty, folk who are fun-to-be-with. John Latini, who will perform at Arcanum Historical Society’s Wayne Trail House on Thursday, Feb. 9 as part of Darke County Center for the Arts’ Coffeehouse Series, is one of those people.
Fortunately for DCCA, the Michigan-based performer is an extremely talented musician and songwriter as well. His dexterous guitar-playing and soulful vocals illuminate his incandescent persona to create a vibrant experience for audiences throughout the Midwest and beyond.
Our community has enjoyed Latini’s irresistible charm and abundant talent in the past, each performance earning requests for his return. Latini, a three-time winner of the Detroit Blues Challenge (most recently in 2016), sings and writes award-winning songs that tell stories about real people. His guitar style has been labeled “blues-soaked and economically hard-driving,” and his voice has been described as “at once smooth and rough, alternately celebratory, remorseful, seductive, and dangerous,” “falling somewhere between Tom Waits’ growl and Bob Seger’s croon.”
The motivation for DCCA’s Coffeehouse shows is two-fold: To offer audiences the opportunity to enjoy quality performing artists who are not (at least yet) famous but who deserve broad exposure, and to provide an inviting informal social gathering where the arts are enjoyably accessible to eclectic local audiences. Latini is a perfect fit for the Coffeehouse Series of concerts, held in intimate spaces allowing for easy interaction between the artist and the audience. The performance space at Wayne Trail House is pretty much like a living room where friends can get together to enjoy each others company as well as good music. The Arcanum Historical Society will offer up food and drink cleverly crafted to coordinate with the performance and enhance the extremely comfortable yet invigorating Coffeehouse vibe.
Simply put, the 7 p.m. show by Latini will provide a really good time for people seeking an evening of pleasant interaction with others, and will entertain, delight, and inspire aficionados of the blues and rootsy Americana music. Tickets cost just $10, and can be reserved by contacting DCCA at 937-547-0908 or [email protected], or purchased at DCCA’s office located within Greenville Public Library or online at www.CenterForArts.net, as well as at the Ben Franklin store in Arcanum. If any remain by showtime, tickets will also be available at the door.
