By Kyle Brown
The Suburbanite
Thu Nov 26, 2009, 01:01 PM EST
The Akron Canton Regional Foodbank’s “Long Haul Against Hunger” will come to rest in front of the Akron Civic Theatre Dec. 12, where Jackson resident Ryan Humbert will be playing his holiday-themed show “Strung Out for the Holidays.”
Humbert and a 13-piece acoustic band will perform some of his original songs, plus seasonal classics and covers for the fundraiser show.
“I did this kind of a show once before, with Michael Houff out at Kent State University. It was just a very stripped-down show,” said Humbert. “When we realized it went so well, we wanted to do it again.”
With his band, Humbert's concerts are usually high-energy Americana rock, he said. But for this show, “we sort of built the show up as we went.”
Another acoustic show was easy to set up with Houff, said Humbert, but if it was going to happen, they were “going to do it right.”
“We thought, ‘Let's really do this big, what can we really do to make this unique?’” said Humbert.
Connections started to come together for Humbert with the Foodbank's annual drive and the Akron Civic.
“We're coming up on the holidays, when people really take notice of these drives,” said Humbert. “This was a perfect setup for us to be a part of this, even in the small way that we can help.”
The night of the show, the Foodbank will bring a truck to the event to collect non-perishable food, canned goods and financial contributions outside the theatre.
Like coming home to family for the holidays, Humbert's show is a collection of local groups. Beyond the Foodbank, the show is being sponsored by local establishments like the Greater Akron Chamber and the Verge Building in downtown Akron. Humbert, returning from recording his new album in Nashville, is a Jackson resident and has been playing area venues like downtown Canton's First Friday.
“Once we started to see how this show was panning out, we could see that it was truly an Akron event,” he said.
The 35-song setlist's acoustic theme will be built from Humbert and his backup singers, plus a 13-piece acoustic section and a percussionist.
“This is a little bit of a different approach. It's a very acoustic sound,” said Humbert. “It's a little more graceful, natural-sounding. We all know the songs and the parts now, so we're going to have some fun with it.”
Humbert, a graduate of Green High School, finished his new album “Old Souls, New Shoes” last year in Nashville.
For more information about Humbert and the show, visit www.ryanhumbert.com or www.akroncivic.com.
