Carole Wise & April Reed-Cox

Carole Wise:

Carole’s music is rich with her life’s experience. She has melded her Maine upbringing, her years among the Hopi and Navajo, her life as an athlete and her 40 year career as an educator into a keen observer of life - its frailty, its beauty and its hope.

Her music reflects this in its honesty, its heartfelt lyrics and its nuanced rhythms. She first picked up a guitar at 8 years old and whatever path she chose, music has always been an integral part of her life. Her first professional performance was at 17, starting a lifetime of sharing with and connecting to her audience. Summer gigs during her years of teaching kept her music playing and during her years of caring for her Mother and Aunt, when her performing was limited her experiences and emotions imprinted on her songwriting. Carole’s musical journey spans 4+ decades during which she has: played in rock bands, trios and chorales, opened for and shared the stage with nationally known touring artists, performed solo, showcased at Womyn Fest, declined a major label offer (2x), and briefly collaborated with an indie label that gave her insight to navigate all things music. Upon retiring, music has once again become her focus.

In 2021, the title song of her new CD, Long Way Home, charted #18 on Folk Radio. In 2019, Carole wrote the music and lyrics to the musical Surrender Dorothy. Due to COVID, it was first performed in May 2022 to excellent reviews. Also in 2022, Carole won the Singer/Songwriter competition at the Rose Garden Coffeehouse in Mansfield, MA. Carole walks her life’s path both literally and figuratively, observing nature, people and what’s happening in the world. Her songs have always been about connection and she invites her audiences to join her, through her music, to listen in.

April Reed-Cox: 

April began playing cello at the age of 4. She studied for 12 years using the Suzuki Method, and entered college at 16 as a performance major. She holds a BM and a MM from Converse College in Spartanburg, SC. She has competed all across the country, and has performed with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic, Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Symphony Orchestra, and the Charlotte Philharmonic.

She moved to Maine in 2009 to be with family and now performs with the Bangor Symphony, Twisted Maple, Pesky J. Nixon, The Ale House String Band, The Early Risers, Putnam Smith, Ashley Storrow, Emily Mure, Jud Caswell, Carole Wise, Lisa Redfern and numerous other folk artists and groups. Since moving to Maine, April has fallen in love with session recording work and has been featured on 17+ albums. April melds both classical and folk playing techniques to create her unique style and sound. She lives on a small dairy goat farm in Waldoboro, and when she’s not teaching or cleaning the barn she enjoys studying Kyudo (Japanese archery), hand-spinning wool and creating one of a kind knitted gifts for friends and family.

Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door general admission; $15 for students and low-income individuals. Children under 12 are free. Advance tickets are available at the link below, or you may purchase your tickets at the door the night of the show.

Doors open one half hour before show time. We accept cash or Venmo only at the door.

The Back Room is an all-ages, BYOB (for those 21+) space, dedicated to (mostly) acoustic music of all kinds. You are welcome to bring your own food and adult beverages with no additional corkage fee. The venue is ADA accessible. If you need more information or have any questions, please call us: #510-381-1997.

To join our mailing list, please click here. Thank you for your support!

A Message About Our Indoor Shows:

Our indoor shows require that you wear a mask except when eating or drinking. The performers will be mask-less and same-day tested.

Host or Publisher The Back Room