Fairfield Theatre Company Weekly Round-up: 4 shows announced, Mississippi All Stars returns

Fairfield theatre company in Fairfield Connecticut photos • Finding Connecticut

Fairfield Theatre Company announced Eric Gales, Sam Grisman Project, North Mississippi Allstars, The Faster Things Band this week. Tickets are on sale now at manicpresents.com

Eric Gales
Fairfield Theatre Company • 70 Sanford St, Fairfield, CT 06824
August 22, 2026
Click here to purchase tickets

Eric Gales

Eric Gales’ time is now. A rule-breaking, genre-fusing force of nature, hailed by giants like Joe Bonamassa, Dave Navarro and Mark Tremonti as one of the best guitarists on the planet, you’ll find the Memphis blues-rocker’s thumbprint on everything from his Grammy-nominated solo catalogue to the soundtrack of director Ryan Coogler’s smash-hit horror movie, Sinners.

Yet there comes a time when every musician must look their past squarely in the eye. And while Gales’ latest release, Tribute To LJK, is a thrillingly modern record for the here-and-now, it’s also a nod to his bloodline and the roots of his family tree. “This record has been a long time coming,” he says of the speaker-rattling release co-produced by Bonamassa and Josh Smith. “I wanted it to be the ultimate tribute to my late brother, Little Jimmy King, to keep his memory alive and make sure people remember who he was and still is. All of these songs except one are his originals. I wanted to deliver his tunes to the world, through my eyes. And I wanted it to be badass – and that’s exactly how it turned out.”

The blues is an ecosystem, and it’s a measure of the respect commanded by both Eric – and his fabled older brother, real name Manuel, who sadly passed away in 2002 – that these ten explosive covers are delivered by an all-star cast with deep ties to the project. “Buddy Guy and Little Jimmy played together, so he guests on the track ‘Somebody’,” explains Gales. “Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram has gone on record to say my brother was a big influence, so he’s on ‘Rockin’ Horse Ride’. They also both make pretty significant cameos in Sinners. So it all interweaves.”

To understand why Tribute To LJK might be the proudest moment of Gales’ meteoric career, you have to follow the thread back to the late-’70s and a hectic family home in Memphis, Tennessee. “I’m the youngest of five siblings, so I grew up with all my brothers and everybody played guitar,” he recalls. “Manuel was ten years older and it was a great to have him to look up to. I was so proud when he started his own band, got into his career and he was off to the races. And then, after all his years of grinding away at his craft, to hear that he was touring with Albert King’s band in the late-’80s was awesome.”

Eric turned out a fierce guitarist himself, taking chief inspiration from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson, while developing a unique style sparked by flipping his right-hand Hagström electric so the thickest string was nearest the ground. “I just picked it up that way,” he shrugs.

And while Manuel made his mark in the world – graduating from King’s lineup to front his own ’90s outfit, Little Jimmy King & the Memphis Soul Survivors – Eric and his sibling Eugene signed to Elektra Records for 1991’s debut album, The Eric Gales Band. “I had a deal at 15 and the record came out when I was 16,” he recalls. “Even at that age, I already felt this was what I was gonna do in life.”

A supernova amongst the shoegazers of the grunge era, there was simply nobody like Gales on the scene, and he was saluted in Guitar World’s readers poll as that year’s Best New Talent. “We weren’t the typical I-IV-V blues group,” he reflects. “We were trying to set ourselves apart, to make people start talking. A 16-year-old black kid coming out playing blues-rock and wailing: that just wasn’t happening at the time. And I didn’t see it happen again until Kingfish came around. I think The Eric Gales Band definitely left our mark on the world.”

Sam Grisman Project
Fairfield Theatre Company • 70 Sanford St, Fairfield, CT 06824
October 1, 2026
Click here to purcahse tickets

Sam Grisman Project

Sam Grisman is a bassist and bandleader leading a commanding improvisational ensemble performing live acoustic music in the tradition shaped by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman and many others heroes. Known for deeply attuned interplay and dynamic performances, Sam Grisman Project brings together a rotating cast of exceptional musicians to create listening-room experiences rooted in musicianship, storytelling, spontaneity, and collaboration. With frequent guest appearances and ongoing collaborations with bluegrass pioneer Peter Rowan, the band continues a living tradition of great American acoustic music.

North Mississippi Allstars
Fairfield Theatre Company • 70 Sanford St, Fairfield, CT 06824
October 4, 2026
Click here to purchase tickets

North Mississippi Allstars

NMA started by brother Luther and Cody Dickinson in 1996 as a loose collective of musicians from their North Mississippi home inspired by their father Jim Dickinson as well as neighbors and musical elders of their community; RL Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Otha Turner and Fred McDowell.

Luther’s first national tour was the RL Burnside Ass Pocket of Whiskey tour in 1997, selling out shows in the US and Canada. “Kenny Brown hired me to tour with RL and Cedric and showed me the ropes. That experience blew my mind. Cody and I have been on the road ever since.”

NMA began touring in 1998 and over the years the touring lineup has included, Cedric, Duwayne and Garry Burnside, Chris Chew, Berry Oakley Jr, Oteil Burbruidgem and currently Joey Williams of the Blind Boys of Alabama and Ray Ray Hollowman, guitar player for Eminem and Nee-O.

Since their debut album in 2000 and hitting the never ending road, they have shared the stage with countless legends; Phil Lesh, Mavis Staples, Robert Plant, John Hiatt, the Allman Brothers, The Black Crowes, Buddy Guy, Snoop Dogg, and Jon Spencer to name a few, while earning multiple grammy nominations for their experimental albums of they like to call Modern Mississippi Music.

The Faster Things Band
Fairfield Theatre Company • 70 Sanford St, Fairfield, CT 06824
November 28, 2026
Click here to purchase tickets

The Faster Things Band

Following their SOLD OUT debut in 2025, we welcome back The Faster Things Band – Allman Brothers Tribute for another unforgettable night at FTC StageOne.

The band has built a reputation for channeling the heart, fire, soul and improvisational spirit of the legendary Allman Brothers Band. Featuring exceptional vocal and instrumental skills, the band delivers an ABB experience cited by fans and followers as one of the most authentic and engaging.

Since last year’s appearance at FTC, the Faster Things Band has continued growing a strong following by packing marquee venues such as Daryl’s House in Pawling, NY, Sony Hall in NYC, Park City Music Hall in Black Rock and Black-Eyed Sally’s in Hartford.

If you are a fan of the Allman Brothers Band, you won’t want to miss this night of both classic and deep cuts, including a short acoustic set of rare ABB songs for this special performance.

Don’t miss

• Instrumental rock group Polyphia to perform at Toyota Oakdale Theatre in October
• Goodspeed Musicals adds performances to upcoming run of Crazy For You
• Greensky Bluegrass returns to College Music Hall in November

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June events at Fairfield Theatre Company

6/19 – Greg Hawkes with Eddie Japan
6/19 – FTC Summer Jam
6/20 – Black Uhuru
6/20 – Daniel Glass Trio
6/21 – Make Music Fairfield
6/23 – Caitlynne Curtis
6/25 – Livingston Taylor
6/26 – FTC’s 80’s Dance Party
6/27 – Albert Cummings
6/28 – Midnight North

Click here for more information & order tickets.

June events at Rentschler Field

6/22 – Post Malone, click here to purchase tickets

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Fairfield Theatre Company Weekly Round-up: 4 shows announced, Mississippi All Stars returns