Vance Gilbert and Susan Werner to Perform in Lake Charles, LA on March 14, 2008

Vance Gilbert and Susan Werner will perform at F.G. Bulber Auditorium on the McNeese State University Campus in Lake Charles, LA on Friday, March 14, 2008 at 7:30pm.

The Fort Worth Star Telegram has said that Vance Gilbert's songs are "quirky, yet touching." The New Yorker said that Susan Werner "brings literacy and wit back to popular song."

Vance Gilbert became popular in the early 1990s. A buzz circulated in Boston about an ex-multicultural arts teacher and jazz singer who was impressing a lot of people at open mikes. He was born in raised in Philadelphia and the news of his performances in Boston reached New York. He was invited by Shawn Colvin to be a guest on her Fat City tour.

The Fort Worth Star Telegram described his performances "with the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god."

Gilbert now has eight albums and a DVD. Seven of those CDs are Gilbert's original songs and one is a CD of covers of songs by other artists.

Then Susan Werner has six CDs. She is a classically trained and jazz inspired singer who was born and raised as a farm girl in Iowa. She self released her first album and her second album by BMG/Private Music.

While she would perform, she would incorporate cabaret style songs into her performances. Instead of playing her guitar, she would play a piano if one was available.

Werner's latest endeavor was started in 2007. It is entitled "The Gospel Truth." She describes it as "hymns for the spiritually ambivalent." The album will survey the attitude towards the church in America. It includes songs for the extremely spiritual ("My Lord Will Trouble Me") down to the agnostics ("Probably Not").

Now Gilbert and Werner will share a stage in Lake Charles, LA. This will be a night of songs that can make people laugh and cry at the same time. With these two on stage, both having great singing voices and wacky senses of humor, whatever happens will be unpredictable, but probably beautiful, touching, funny, and outlandish.

This performance is part of the Banners Series.

Tickets to this performance are $20 for adults, $5 for students, and free to students with McNeese ID.