Stephin Merritt (of the Magnetic Fields)

“A contrarian pop genius.”—New York Times

Magnetic Fields front man Stephin Merritt returns to the Wex for an intimate concert accompanied by his longtime bandmate, cellist Sam Davol. One of America’s most talented songwriters, Merritt’s droll, piercing wit and artfully crafted lyrics and melodies have won him legions of devoted fans worldwide. For this concert the wordsmith extraordinaire presents a unique set of acoustic versions of selected songs from his extensive catalog. Hear him up close as he performs exactly 26 songs—with each song title starting with a different letter of the alphabet, and the set list running in alphabetical order.

A singular talent for our times, Merritt delights not only in working with his many bands, including the Gothic Archies, Future Bible Heroes, and the 6ths, but also participating in varied collaborations. He contributed music and lyrics for the off-Broadway adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel Coraline (for which he received an Obie Award), composed music for dance and films, and also recently published the Scrabble-inspired 101 Two-Letter Words, a volume of Edward Goreyesque poems illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast.

Solo artist Owen Ashworth, formerly Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, performs an opening set of bittersweet, minimalist songs under his moniker Advance Base.

Note: This show is standing room only.