Fri. Dec. 14

 It might get a little jammed at First Act Guitar Studio Friday Dec. 14 around 6:30. Lori McKenna, who just won the Boston Music Award for her album "Unglamorous," is playing a special Toys for Tots gig presented by WXRV/The River. Your admission? An unwrapped toy. This is a pretty fair deal, but we're guessing you may want to line up along Boylston street a bit early, hit Starbucks to carry a hot cup with you, because we just have a feeling more than the 100 persons or so First Act can fit will be there. Can't get there? The sessions will be recorded and available for download at www.newburycomics.com with the purchase of "Unglamorous" through January. Hit the "read more" button for more McKenna details.

745 Boylston Street, 617-226-7859 www.firstact.com

     McKenna is a songwriter and performer from Stoughton,where she lives with her husband of 18 years, Gene, and her five children ranging in age from 2 to 17. At the age of 27 - really old in the youth-obsessed music world - Lori began singing at open mike nights in Boston, and eventually started headlining her own shows. Her songs were passed along to a music publishing company who played them for Faith Hill. Although Hill had just finished recording her new album she was so taken that she went back into the studio to add three of Lori’s tunes, including what became the title track, "Fireflies." Can you see a launch pad? This success resulted in a now famous appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" along with Hill, and a record deal with Warner Brothers Nashville, which re-released her album "Bittertown." Having spent this past summer touring with Hill and Tim McGraw on the Soul2Soul Tour, Lori’s "Unglamorous" was released in August to critical acclaim around the country.