Long Island’s Own

A Double Header of Rockin’ Americana/ Urban Country & Bluegrass featuring:
The Mary Lamont Band & Buddy Merriam and Back Roads.

Who says that things don’t get better with age? Now in its fifth installment, IMAC Theater presents its local artist series Long Island’s Own (formerly known as Local Artist Deserving Wider Recognition), with a new host: WFUV’s John Platt.

Don’t let the name change fool you! Long Island’s Own still offers everything that Local Artist Deserving Wider Recognition did but without the tongue – twister of a name. As the host of Long Island’s Own, WFUV radio personality John Platt continues to be a driving force behind the support and promotion of local talent. Thanks to a generous grant and tremendous support from the Town of Huntington, IMAC’s quarterly series will take a genre such as singer/songwriter, blues, jazz, folk, country or dance and will offer a sampling of two to three artists in an evening’s performance. The series is meant to challenge Long Island audiences to take a chance, have their horizons expanded and experience a pleasant surprise that they might not have considered in the past.

Canadian-born singer-songwriter Mary Lamont is one of the very finest female vocalists in country music today accompanied by one of the most polished bands working in any genre. Always upbeat and ‘gall danged’ fun these folks are! Mary Lamont presents a mix of songs inspired by the struggles and joys of her life. There’s plenty of twang, teardrops, hope and heart to satisfy discriminating country fans. Buddy Merriam formed Buddy Merriam and Back Roads in 1980 out of his love and respect for traditional Bluegrass music. He became close friends with the Father of Bluegrass music, Bill Monroe, and got to learn and eventually perform with him. Buddy brought Back Roads down to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville to perform. They’ve also performed at the grand opening of the Bluegrass Museum and Hall Of Fame. Buddy is proud that the year 2005 marks his 25th year leading one of the regions top traditional bluegrass acts.