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  • WDCH
  • LYLE LOVETT BRINGS HIS BAND TO WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL TO RINGS IN THE NEW YEAR IN TWO CONCERTS
  • Dec. 31, 2006
  • SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, AT 7 PM AND 10:30 PM

    Lyle Lovett brings his "large band" to Walt Disney Concert Hall for two memorable New Year's Eve shows on Sunday, December 31, 2006, at 7 and 10:30 p.m. One of America's great singer/songwriters, Lovett has had a brilliantly eccentric career that includes twelve albums, acclaim from the pickiest of critics, a fiercely loyal fan base, four million records sold, and even a second calling as a successful film actor.

    The concert concludes the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association's annual Deck the Hall offerings of holiday presentations. Deck the Hall is a series of festive performances throughout the month of December featuring an array of exceptional artists offering seasonal music. Other Deck the Hall presentations included Christmas with the Canadian Brass; the Holiday Organ Spectacular; 'Twas the Week Before Christmas, the annual family concerts; A Chanticleer Christmas; The Klezmatics: Happy Joyous Hanukkah; Escovedo Family's Latin Holiday Celebration; Holiday Sing-Along; and The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show.

    Of all the artists who emerged in Nashville's mid-1980s whirlwind of experimentation, LYLE LOVETT is one of the few to achieved an enduring, significant career while staying constantly fresh and original. After releasing Lyle Lovett (1986), the certified-gold Pontiac (1987), and the Grammy-winning Lyle Lovett and His Large Band (1989), Lovett moved away from country to explore broader styles. The first of his Los Angeles-recorded albums, Joshua Judges Ruth (1992), is steeped in gospel and R&B. I Love Everybody (1994) features songs he had written as early as the 1970s, while 1996's gold-certified and Grammy-winning The Road to Ensenada found him returning to a mix of western swing, honky tonk, country, and folk. The 1998 two-disc Step Inside This House was a tribute to Lovett's early Texas songwriting influences and was followed in 1999 by his first live album, Live in Texas. In 2000, Lovett released the film soundtrack to Robert Altman's Dr. T. & The Women. When asked to describe My Baby Don't Tolerate, his newest album and his first release via the Lost Highway label, Lovett deadpans: "It's just more of my songs." Music took a back seat until Lovett arrived at Texas A&M University in 1975. The outlaw Texas music scene was in full throttle, fueled by renegade roots artists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker, Michael Murphy, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Kinky Friedman, Willis Alan Ramsey, Steven Fromholz, and others. Lovett was fascinated by the innovative blend of country, rock, and blues, and he often joined artists in informal, front-porch guitar pulls where he honed his musicianship. As a journalism student, he wrote about the local music scene for the college paper. He also was indoctrinated in the local music scene by serving as a booking agent for the student coffeehouse, and as a student, he traveled to Europe, where he toured and performed in small clubs. One of Lovett's early admirers was singer/songwriter Nanci Griffith, who heard his original material and recorded his song "If I Were the Man (Woman) You Wanted" on her Once in a Very Blue Moon album in 1984. Texas native and veteran Nashville songwriter and recording artist Guy Clark was also a fan and managed to have a demo of Lovett's material delivered to MCA Nashville President Tony Brown, who signed Lyle to the label in 1986. By the millennium, Lovett had become known for acting as well, beginning in 1991 when director Robert Altman cast the singer as detective DeLongpre in the film The Player. With his distinctive looks and deadpan delivery style, Lovett was perfect for Altman's stable of eccentric and recurring actors. He has teamed with the director four more times: in Short Cuts (1993), Ready to Wear (1995), Cookie's Fortune (1999), and as music composer for Dr. T. & The Women (2000). Outside the Altman camp, Lovett was cast as a protective uncle in the Anjelica Huston-directed Bastard out of Carolina (1996). In 1998, Lovett played Lisa Kudrow's romantic interest in the witty, provocative comedy The Opposite of Sex. He also made a cameo appearance in 1998's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and appeared in 2001's The New Guy.

    The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music - Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association's involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2006, AT 7 AND 10:30 PM

    WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

    Deck the Hall

    NEW YEAR'S EVE: LYLE LOVETT IN CONCERT

    Lyle Lovett and His Large Band

    Tickets ($53 - $150) are on sale now online at LAPhil.com, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Adam Crane, 213.972.3422; Rachelle Roe, 213.972.7310; Laura Stegman, 310.470.6321; Photos: 213.972.3034