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Acoustic Evening with Bruce Mandel

Bruce Mandel's acoustic guitar, keen lyrical ear, and intimate and honest voice have traveled with him across the country and through musical territory both new and familiar. Lyrically driven, the diverse sounds of his recordings straddle and expand the Contemporary Folk, Americana, Singer/Songwriter genres, reflecting the breadth of Mandel's experience.

Bruce grew up in the suburbs of northern New Jersey, rocking out to the Beatles and playing in bands. Listeners familiar with the great singer-songwriters of the '60s and '70s won't be surprised to learn that at a young age Mandel happily absorbed the rich and varying styles of music played on the FM airwaves of the day. Next came college and the folksy coffeehouse scene, followed by Rock and Top 40 bands playing New York City on down to Philadelphia and some of the New Jersey Shore's hottest spots. After attending a songwriting convention in Durango, Colorado, in 1992, Mandel felt the pull of the area's open musical community and soon relocated there. The impulse proved a good one as he quickly became a true presence in his new home, opening in concert for nationally and regionally touring songwriters, as well as performing a mix of choice covers along with his growing repertoire of soulful originals in bars and saloons around the four corners. Mandel's work in Durango culminated with his co-founding of the Annual Durango Songwriter's Expo in 1996, that features listening sessions, showcases, seminars, panels, and networking opportunities.

Mandel picked up his guitar and returned east in the early part of the new century, where he has settled deep into the artistic community of the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. Produced and recorded in his own studio, his second and third albums "Between Dreams and Regrets" and "Sketches" traverse the musical and emotional ground between Colorado and the Berkshires. The songs are both personal and probing, whether Mandel is writing from his own experience or weaving the ballad of another's, as in "Irene Kibbe," about a young Polish emigrant during World War II. Throughout these records, the acoustic guitar maintains its constant presence, as does Mandel's warm voice and distinct style.

"Reminiscent of the singer/songwriters who penned the soundtrack of the '60s and '70s, Bruce Mandel brews up a coffeehouse sound that's espresso rich in inspiration and experience." Singer & Musician Magazine