Split Level Concerts and 90.5 The Night Present: Willie Nile Solo Storyteller Show with Special Guest Robinson Treacher

We are gearing up for the third season of Split Level Concerts at Jersey Shore Arts Center! In what promises to be a memorable opening night, the great Willie Nile will perform a special solo/storyteller show. The New York Times called Buffalo, NY born Willie Nile "one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years." Uncut Magazine called him “A one-man Clash” and “the unofficial poet laureate of New York City”. Robinson Treacher, an award-winning singer-songwriter, will open the evening. The first two seasons of Split Level Concerts at JSAC launched with sold-out performances, with last season’s opener selling out weeks in advance. The pairing of Willie Nile and Robinson Treacher is sure to make this year’s opening night another highly sought-after ticket! Net ticket proceeds from all Split Level concerts support the programming and arts education offered by the Jersey Shore Arts Center, a non-profit organization serving Ocean Grove and its surrounding areas. The second season of the series netted approximately $10,000, money that the Arts Center will utilize to help pay for the presentation of additional arts programs and improvements to its historic building. In addition, Jersey Shore Arts Center and Split Level Concerts are proud to partner with Brookdale Public Radio 90.5 The Night and Musicians On A Mission (MOAM) to promote the concert series. Musicians On A Mission is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating connection and inspiring giving through music. During the shows that made up season two, the volunteers from MOAM collected nearly $4,000 in cash donations and 587 pounds of non-perishable food items to benefit Fulfill (formerly the Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean County). For season three, MOAM has again chosen Fulfill to be the beneficiary of their fundraising efforts. Born (1949) Robert Noonan in Buffalo, New York, Willie Nile studied philosophy at the University of Buffalo before heading for Greenwich Village, determined to make a name for himself as a latter-day troubadour. That he did throughout the ’70s, becoming a fixture in the Village folk and rock scenes and getting tabbed as the next big thing to come out of that long-thriving artistic community. Writing in The New York Times, the great rock critic Robert Palmer called him “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years.” He made his recording debut in 1980 with his acclaimed self-titled LP on Arista Records, following it a year later with Golden Down. He also opened the Who’s North American tour at the personal request of the band. In 1982, he signed to Geffen Records but got caught in record-biz limbo and didn’t manage to release another record until 1991, when Columbia issued Places I Have Never Been. With the EP Hard Times in America in 1992, which became a cult favorite throughout Europe, Nile finally managed to jump off the major-label hamster wheel. Gathering together his resources over time, he managed to put out his first self-released album, Beautiful Wreck of the World in 1999. In 2006, Nile released Streets of New York, which some consider to be his best work to date, due to quality production and clever songwriting. Photo by Cristina Arrigoni