Wesley Stace w/ special guest Dag Juhlin

FITZGERALDS NIGHTCLUB PRESENTS: Wesley Stace (formerly John Wesley Harding) w/ special guest Dag Juhlin $25 General Admission / Reserved Tables Available One Last Heist: he thought he was out, but they managed to reel him back in for one final job, the big payday. If all goes well, he gets to retire, hang his holster up by the fire, maybe tend the garden, play some Yahtzee, get to know his granddaughter. But what if it doesn’t? And just like that, a new album from Wesley Stace, formerly (and occasionally still) known as John Wesley Harding. One Last Heist: Metaphor? Reality? Doesn’t matter. It’s being released by the venerable Pravda Records, September 2 on 12” LP vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming services. Recorded at Studio 1935 in Philadelphia’s historic BOK Building, One Last Heist is produced, arranged and written by Wes and longtime collaborator David Nagler. The core band comprised Nagler himself (keyboards), Eddie Carlson (bass), and Stéphane San Juan (Caetano Veloso, David Byrne, Marcos Valle) on the drums. These backing tracks were supplemented by stellar guitar work from Joe Gore (Tom Waits, Tracy Chapman) and Justin Mazer (Bob Weir), extra drums from Patrick Berkery (The War on Drugs) and backing vocals by Chris von Sneidern. The bells and whistles – string quartets, clarinets, flutes, flugelhorns etc – were contributed later by friends all over. This heist began with frustrations about the one before, Stace recounts: “We'd intended the previous album Late Style to be the most elegant record imaginable, but COVID was a scruffy time and much of it was recorded in isolation in far-flung locations, without the chemistry and esprit de corps of musicians playing together in real time in the same space. It just couldn’t be done how we wanted. So the prime motive here was to go one better, to arrange the songs first, then record them as a band, playing live in the studio, to let it be a ‘players’ record, allowing for expressive solos, room to relax a little. Studio 1935 is open plan, very welcoming, not lots of isolated booths, so we were all able to congregate, interact, and improvise.” The sound is expansive, generous, lush, even groovy, by turns dramatic and mellow, a far cry from Stace’s strummy folk-rock records of yore. What’s happened? “There’s no reason why my songs shouldn’t swing like I want them to, despite all their words, like those CTI and Kudu records I listen to in the kitchen. Check out Esther Phillips doing Gilbert O’Sullivan, Johnny Hammond doing Cat Stevens. Why not? Grab dinner before the show at BABYGOLD BARBECUE (link to restaurant website) Or enjoy full service dining inside the club when doors open. ***PARKING*** There is rather limited street parking in the area, we recommend arriving by rideshare, bicycle, or rickshaw. ***AGE RESTRICTIONS*** 21+, minors admitted with guardian