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Rock & Roll Hall Of Famers Give New Bands A Break In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — As founding members of both Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth know how much it means to catch a break as new artists.

Xeno and Oaklander

Xeno and Oaklander

Photo Credit: Contributed

And as Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, they’re about to give a leg up to promising up-and-comers by hosting the new Emerging Artist Series at Fairfield Theatre Company.

The Fairfield-based husband-wife duo, in partnership with Brody Wilkinson, will introduce some exciting performers in FTC’s intimate StageOne venue.

The series launches on May 18 with synth-pop duo Xeno and Oaklander.

“These two perform like the last three decades never happened, strictly analogue, with piles of vintage gear strung together with patch cables,” according to Brooklyn Vegan. “Squint and you might think you’ve been transported back to Sheffield, England circa 1979.”

The pair are French/Norwegian Miss Liz Wendelbo and Sean McBride, who hails from Maryland. They record their songs live in their Brooklyn studio and exclusively play analogue synthesizers and instruments.

The duo has toured Europe and the U.S. numerous times, and they play extensively in New York in music venues, lofts and festivals.

Wendelbo is married to Frantz and Weymouth’s son, Egan Frantz. and will be moving to Southport this summer.

Since 2004, FTC has brought artists from all genres and walks of life to their multiple stages. From The Lumineers to Conor Obert to First Aid Kid, these artists have all performed on StageOne before hitting the mainstream.

The Brody Wilkinson Emerging Artist Series will bring more of these on-the-rise artists to Connecticut. Contributing member of the committee and curator of this series is renowned indie-rock producer Peter Katis, who produced The National’s last two albums and co-produced Phish frontman Trey Anastasio’s 2012 solo album Traveler.

In an effort to keep things more intimate and less formal, Frantz, Weymouth and Xeno and Oaklander invite ticket holders to a pre-show meet & greet. For more information on the show and series, visit fairfieldtheatre.org.

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