Shier playing tune-up to nationwide tour

With a little help from his friends, Fairfield?s own singer-songwriter Theo Shier returns to the stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts.

The concert will celebrate the release of his highly anticipated debut album ?Love the War of Love? before he begins a nationwide tour. Due out later this summer, the record is an eclectic mix of reflective acoustic realizations and soulful electric riffs.

After having picked up the guitar when he was just 11, Shier spent the remainder of his teenage years honing his talent and making a name for himself around Fairfield ? in Fairfield Musician?s Club shows celebrating the music of Motown and John Lennon, sitting in on acoustic or electric guitar with visiting touring acts and performing open mic nights around town.

Shier?s focus now is on expanding the reach of his music, and he is looking forward to embarking on his first nationwide tour. Shier and tour mates Heather Mae Foard and Michelle Annette Craft kick the tour off July 2 in Sterling, Va.

But before that, musicians David Hurlin, Eric Hurlin, Owen Blake and Eddie Raines will help Shier make Thursday?s concert an experience Fairfield won?t soon forget, said Fairfield Arts and Convention Center executive director Rustin Lippincott.

General admission tickets for Theo Shier and Friends are $13 for adults and $8 for students. Tickets are available at the convention center?s ticket office and online at www.fairfieldacc.com.