The O-town Scene

Acclaimed songstress to play theater Boston-based Eilen Jewell may be the next big thing. Her newest al- bum, “Queen of the Minor Key,” was released June 28, and is already get- ting accolades. Even Tom Hanks put her album on his Summer Must List for Entertainment Weekly magazine. Her debut album, “Boundary County,” was released in 2006, and she’s been gaining acclaim since. The Oneonta Theatre will add to its menagerie of performances by noted musicians when Jewell plays in its Balcony Ballroom on Saturday, July 9. Boise-bred Jewell wrote the14 songs on her new album at a cabin in the woods a la Bon Iver, who had succes with his album “For Emma, Forever Ago” after retreating to a cabin in Wisconsin. Jew- ell’s cabin was in her native Idaho, and the result could be described as a cross between Norah Jones and the Squirrel Nut Zippers, with her sultry, breezy vocals and the cheeky horns on some of the album’s tracks. She mixes various genres _ country, gospel, blues, jazz _ to create a sound that’s slightly dark and nostalgic, some- thing that skirts the modern Americana trend. “Warning Signs” has sweeping horns and vocals that make it sound like it could fit into a road-trip scene on “True Blood” (HBO’s sexy vampire series for those who live the simple life, free of T.V. or popular culture). “Only One” has the sad longing of a torch song to play in a dark night club with old red velvet booths and curtains smelling of cigarette smoke. Erik Jacobs Eilen Jewell will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday, July 9, in the Balcony Ballrom at the Oneonta Theatre. Her songs inspire imaginary vignettes. They’re song stories, and Jewell is an inti- guing storyteller with her sensual vocals and gritty instrumentations. She will perform, one with longtime trio of drummer Jason Beek, guitarist Jerry Miller and upright bassist Johnny Sciascia at the Saturday show. For ticket information, visit www.oneontatheatre.com or call (607) 643-4022. _ Cassandra Miller 6 O-Town Scene July 7, 2011

• Cover