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DIG INFINITY! The Return of Lord Buckley—The Hip Messiah

  • The Lilypad 1353 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA, 02139 (map)

$20 Cover (Advance Tickets) / Start 5:30pm / Doors 5pm / Seated Show

Legendary bohemian icon Lord Richard Buckley (1906-1960) was the prototype hepcat and a truly original American performer. Cosmic jazz storyteller, earthy philosopher and gospel rapper, he combined a BeBop slang and sensibility with the King’s English in celebrating Bible stories, Shakespeare, the Classics, myth, legend, and history in a vision and embracing worldview that anticipated psychedelia and Hip-Hop by cultural light years.

In “Dig Infinity!” Lord Buckley biographer Oliver Trager is possessed by His Lordship’s spirit, spins the artist’s life story, breathes renewed life into the sacred riffs, and ventures to the Dark Lands and back as he bargains for Buckley’s very soul.

"Dig Infinity!" is an immersive theatrical experience and will feature original and improvised musical accompaniment performed by multi-instrumentalist Jerry Gregoire.

Lord Buckley’s life and art remain so resonantly timely and why each new generation seems to rediscover and revere his legacy are the ways in which they confront and comment on controversial components of contemporary American life: politics, religion, language, art, sex, drugs, and, perhaps most saliently, race. Yet despite being a secret subterranean hero to the likes of Bob Dylan, Lenny Bruce Robin Williams, the Beatles, Grateful Dead, Bill T. Jones, Ken Kesey, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Julie Taymor, George Carlin, Jimmy Buffett, Joan Baez and scores of others, Buckley’s achievement remains neglected.

Oliver Trager

Oliver Trager (Lord Buckley, Playwright) is a writer, performer, visual artist, educator and Dig Infinity! playwright/performer. He has staged numerous Lord Buckley events over the past twenty-five years on both coasts. Dig Infinity! earned Outstanding Production & Outstanding Actor awards at the 2014 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity and was staged at the 2015 FringeNYC International Festival. He is also the author of three books: Dig Infinity! The Life & Art of Lord BuckleyThe American Book of the Dead: The Definitive Grateful Dead Encyclopedia and Keys to the Rain: The Definitive Bob Dylan Encyclopedia.

Jerry Gregoire

Jerry Gregoire (Bass, Percussion & Voices) has been a member of the Lord Buckley’s Royal Court and swung with the hip semantic from the jump as little kiddy. A guitarist, bassist and song writer who has performed most recently with a doo wop band Doo-Wop Deville. Jerry looks forward to getting back to performing as the Covid bad jazz winds down and venues open up.

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diglordbuckley.com

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Advance Tickets

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Earlier Event: January 6
Avant-Ungarded
Later Event: January 10
Jerry Bergonzi Quartet