LAPOMPE feat. Jeremy Mohney

LAPOMPE feat. Jeremy Mohney

Presented by KGNU

Doors: 7:30 PM
Showtime: 8:00 PM

The tradition of gypsy jazz is alive and well in Colorado. Denver-based LAPOMPE combines rustic gypsy swing with vintage blues and soulful originals to create a unique sound and style. This special performance features Boulder native & virtuosic alto sax player Jeremy Mohney. Be prepared for a special night of vintage swing.

Megan Burtt & Gabrielle Louise with Ryan Dilts

Megan Burtt & Gabrielle Louise with Ryan Dilts

Presented by KGNU

Doors: 7:30 PM
Showtime: 8:00 PM

Megan Burtt:

Megan Burtt is an international touring singer/songwriter decorated with national recognition. She is the winner of the Kerrville NewFolk, Rocky Mountain Folk Festival and Westword Music Award and a finalist in Mountain NewSong, Songwriter Serenade and Great American Song Contest.

Megan is a performing songwriter. She has played music on almost every continent, summited Mt. Kilimanjaro and survived a gluten free diet for a decade now. She and Oprah share the same enneagram number. She wishes she’d learned music in a Southern Gospel church and dreams of becoming an olive farmer in Spain. And, you never know, life is a long time… and longing is a great source of inspiration.

Megan is currently working on her fourth and five full-length albums in Colorado.

Gabrielle Louise and Ryan Dilts:

Gabrielle Louise and Ryan Dilts are a pairing of sensitivity and force, performing songs that combine americana, folk and bluegrass traditions. Gabrielle’s emotive vocal delivery and songwriting is elevated by the nuance and precision of Ryan’s guitar work. It seems to dance in pattern with her, weaving a hypnotic spell that transports the listener and suspends the sensation of time.

Gabrielle and Ryan create a full landscape of sound using only their two guitars and voices, employing deep listening to create dynamic arch in their arrangements. Duo acts like Gillian Welch and David Rawlings or the Milk Carton Kids have served as templates for how to merge their skill sets and strengths.

Gabrielle joins Ryan in this project on the heels of a long career as a recording artist, songwriter, and touring musician. Known for her authenticity and candor on stage, Gabrielle is notably more soul than sparkle. Her performances are present and sincere, a professional presentation of her private creative world.

Grown from the bluegrass tradition, Ryan’s flatpicking has a crystalline quality that converses with Gabrielle’s voice eloquently. While their material harnesses the authenticity of folk music, it is arranged with a sophistication that aims to honor both of their personal heroes: Tony Rice and Joni Mitchell, respectively.

*All tickets subject to service fees

Lauren Monroe with Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Rick Allen

Lauren Monroe with Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Rick Allen

Presented by KGNU

Doors: 7:30 PM
Showtime: 8:00 PM

Authentic. Poetic. Conscious. Raw.

Moved and inspired by artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, and Janis Joplin, Lauren Monroe developed a style producers, musicians, and rock historians have compared to those legendary women of rock and blues. Her sound and vocal quality — raw, sawdust-on-the-floor honesty — combined with the emotional and spiritual power of her performance draws audiences in, invigorates, and speaks to us on so many levels.

MESSAGES FROM APHRODITE, Lauren Monroe’s third album—and her second in collaboration with acclaimed producer Jim Scott—widens the aperture opened by its predecessor, 2021’s Under the Wolf Moon, bringing her musical and spiritual vision into even sharper focus. The title, which references the ancient Greek goddess of love in its myriad aspects, signifies the emotional expanse of Monroe’s songs, to which she brings a rarefied degree of insight and compassion, enabling her to nimbly plumb the depths and scale the heights of the human condition in her songwriting.

That may sound like a tall order, but Monroe is singularly well-equipped to handle it. The New York-born, California-based polymath conducts parallel careers as a gifted singer-songwriter and a renowned mental-health advocate. She approaches these intertwined roles with equal passion, her nuanced understanding of human behavior informing her music, which she sees as “a heart-based experience” that is “not just about listening—it’s about feeling and connecting.”

Scott, who’s worked with more than his share of legends over the years, bears witness to Monroe’s alchemy. “Lauren is a special artist,” he asserts. “She’s tuned in to the spiritual workings of the heart and the mystical nature of the universe. She’s an empath, a healer, a teacher, visual artist, producer and songwriter; I also think she’s a time-traveler. Her songs guide, direct and uplift and are sonically beautiful.” 

Monroe draws on her deep well of accrued knowledge in her songs, which she delivers in a luminous alto that resonates with empathy. Her experiential lyrics, emotionally authentic and free of pretense, are embedded in vibrant folk-rock settings, immediate in their impact and timeless in their sound.

The buoyant roots rockers “Kiss Me Now” and “Dream Again,” the lilting shuffle “Beautiful World” and “If You Want,” with its old-school Americana groove and splash of Southern soul, would slide seamlessly into a 1970s playlist featuring Fleetwood Mac, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt. The unmistakable parallels between rock’s halcyon days and Monroe’s music are rooted in her neoclassic songcraft, replete with ecstatic, harmony-laden chorus hooks and imbued with the unfettered joy of being alive and in the moment. 

Monroe wrote “Kiss Me Now,” the lead single, in a matter of minutes, as if it had been beamed down to her gift-wrapped. “The message of the song,” says Lauren, “is kiss the person you love now, because as we all know, life is very unpredictable and there’s no guarantee that they’ll always be there. So it’s a celebratory song that reminds us to be grateful and to never take our time together for granted.” 

“Big Love Lullaby,” a gentle reimagining of one of Under the Wolf Moon’s linchpin songs, serves as a bridge between the companion-piece LPs. “A ballad version of ‘Big Love’ wasn’t something I premeditated,” Monroe acknowledges, “but a whisper can sometimes reach into the heart deeper than an exclamation. This new version has the same words and meaning as the original, but it’s a more intimate expression that came from a moment of reflection, as I sang the words to myself: ‘Everybody’s fine living in anger/From sunset to dawn, we’re taking it home.’” 

The songs are enlivened by Scott’s deft sonic sculpting of song-serving performances from a stable of thoroughbreds. These simpatico players include guitarists Greg Leisz (k.d. lang, Matthew Sweet, Bill Frisell), Tyler Bryant (Larkin Poe, Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown), Brian Whelan (Dwight Yoakam), Doug Pettibone (Lucinda Williams, Nora Jones, Keith Richards, John Mayer) and David Garza (Fiona Apple, Watkins Family Hour), who also plays vibes on one track; bassists Bob Glaub (Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Warren Zevon), Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing, Fiona Apple) and Mai Leisz (David Crosby),  keyboardist John Ginty (Neal Casal, the Allman Betts Band); and backing vocalist Tammi Brown (Bobby McFerrin, Quincy Jones). Def Leppard’s Rick Allen—Monroe’s husband and frequent collaborator—the Heartbreakers’ Steve Ferrone and young dynamo Beth Goodfellow (Iron and Wine, Allison Russell) anchor the proceedings from behind their drumkits.

Scott is proud of what they’ve accomplished together. “All the incredible musicians on the project brought our vision to life and helped create wonderful pieces of music that speak to the heart and soul,” he says. 

Monroe and Scott met in 2018, after the manager of one of the producer’s clients caught her performing at Hollywood’s Hotel Café. Impressed by her songs and singing, she approached Monroe after the set and offered to hook her up with Scott. Monroe was aware of Scott from his work with Tom Petty, one of her favorite artists, and when they met, they immediately clicked. 

Their ongoing studio collaboration has been—and continues to be—enormously fruitful, yielding not only the two albums but a number of additional tracks too inviting to be categorized as mere outtakes. “Since we first got together, I’ve been sending Jim iPhone demos of songs as I write them. So now we have an abundance of tracks, and I’m thinking of releasing some of them as singles in 2023—songs that didn’t fit on the new album because they’re so rocking or outside of the box that they’d throw off the balance.” 

Those outtakes must really kick ass, given the visceral impact of the hardest-hitting tracks on Messages From Aphrodite, notably an electrifying rendition of Lucinda Williams’ “Can’t Let Go” and Monroe’s smoldering “Void of Course”; both are powered by Allmans-style double drumming from Allen and Goodfellow and topped off by Monroe’s urgent vocals. The latter track derives its Physical Graffiti-like exoticism from the droning of a djembe played by Monroe, further deepened by the bowed cello and upright bass of Steve Uccello and lightning-flash guitar riffs of Tyler Bryant. These sounds deepen the mood of the astrology-inspired lyric—“void of course” is a term that refers to the moon’s transition away from one planet and toward another, functioning as a metaphor for disconnection.

Interestingly, each of these songs examines the push-and-pull of a romantic relationship turned toxic that nonetheless continues to hold a seductive grip on its protagonist. Indeed, the need to let go of what Monroe describes as “unhealthy narratives about ourselves” in a quest to “see ourselves clearly, accepting our imperfections and humanness” is one of the album’s overarching themes.

Another is easing the pain of loss, which Monroe addresses directly in the elegiac ballads “Sparrow” and “Gold.” “Most of the songs I write are empathetic, but ‘Sparrow’ specifically concerns dealing with grief,” she says. “That’s also what ‘Gold’ is about. During the pandemic, I kept hearing about families unable to be with their loved ones—husbands and wives, parents and siblings—as they spent their last days on a ventilator and died in a hospital bed, completely alone. In those horrible circumstances, the pain is overwhelming. So when I wrote this song, I cried with them—every person who had to say goodbye over the phone. Because from my experience the only way to get through the pain of loss is to experience it deeply with love and support, not run away from it. To me, music has always been a way through, a guide, a messenger from the other side.” 

When Monroe and Scott were brainstorming outside material that echoed the messages of her own songs, she immediately thought of Jane Siberry’s “Calling All Angels,” whose narrator seeks divine intervention in hopes of coming to terms with heartbreak. “If you could/Do you think you would trade it all/All the pain and suffering?” Siberry asks. “But then you’d miss the beauty of the light upon this earth/And the sweetness of the leaving.” 

“I’ve taught hundreds of healing workshops over the years, and ‘Calling All Angels’ is one of the songs I always use,” Monroe points out. “Jane Siberry is a very theatrical singer, and I wanted to put my own spin on it—give it a more rootsy feel. But by putting it on the record, I also wanted to show people what an incredible songwriter she is.”

“My Love” dates back to Monroe’s debut album, 2008’s The Freedom Sessions, a family affair produced by Allen five years after they married. Americana mainstay Stoll Vaughan, who co-wrote the song with Lauren, plays acoustic and electric guitar on this shimmering new take, which features evocative pedal steel accents from Greg Leisz. She was inspired to write the lyric after Rick went on tour. “He’d left his boots by the front door,” she recalls. “I sat on the stairway taking in the feeling and questioned what I would do if he didn’t come home. 

“My mind then went to the hearts of military spouses and families of soldiers who are in combat far away from home; how strong they need to be to live without certainty of the person they love coming back to them. The lyrics came with a strong sense of the silent strength that nature gives me, the connection to something greater, so that I can carry on and move forward in the face of tragedy with openness and purpose.”

Monroe brings increased awareness of issues like this one not only with her words but with her actions. Earlier this year, she and Allen played some intimate East Coast club dates during which they also displayed their mixed-media art, which was then auctioned online to benefit the couple’s Raven Drum Foundation, whose mission is to serve, educate and empower veterans dealing with PTSD and combat trauma, people in crisis and other at-risk individuals.

 

Zivanai Masango – RESCHEDULED DATE

Zivanai Masango – RESCHEDULED DATE

Presented by KGNU

THIS DATE HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FROM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9.  If you have already purchased tickets, please hold onto them as they will be honored on the November 11 date.

 

Doors: 7:30 PM
Showtime: 8:00 PM

THE BAND’S FRONTMAN, ZIVANAI “ZI” MASANGO, welcomes his audience with his kind words, soulful vocals and masterful guitar playing. Zi’s humble demeanor belies his heavyweight status on the African and American music scenes. Zi was recognized with two awards; “Best Zimbabwean Musician in the US” and “People’s Choice” in the spring of 2021. From stadiums and music halls in Zimbabwe to the Hollywood Bowl, Central Park Summer Stage, The Blue Note, Dimitrou’s Jazz Alley and Red Rocks, and everywhere in between, Zi has toured the world, sharing stages with legendary artists such as Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Cliff, Habib Koite, Hugh Masekela, Giovanni Hidalgo, the String Cheese Incident, Bushman, Playing For Change, The Motet, Jyemo Club, and many others. His first three albums; Pachedu (2005), Dutu-Storm (2007) and It’s Time (2013), showcase Zi’s fresh, yet familiar sound. Check out his “Basement Studio” videos and stories on his Zivi Music Youtube channel.

ZiMBiRA is a 10-piece genre-defying AfroJam band playing music steeped in the traditional music of southern Africa with modern instrumentation. Audiences are immediately set into motion by the intoxicating rhythms and melodies. The band is at home both on large festival stages like Arise, ZimFest, Boulder Creekfest, and Sounds of Centerra, Chapungu Concert Series, and Louisville Concerts in the Park; and on cabaret stages like the Fox Theatre in Boulder, Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox in Denver, The Lariat in Buena Vista, and more. The band has also been featured on NPR’s Science Friday. The band is a diverse collection of experienced players who all share a love of Zimbabwean music and culture. Helen Masvikeni, Allison Keller, and Evelyn Keller sing, dance and rock the hosho (shakers). Catherine Hunziker is master of the mbira. Grant Peck plays the guitar with panache. Noah Randall crushes it on marimba. Mark Keller lays it down on the conga and backing vocals. Jon Stubbs artfully doles out the low-end on bass guitar. Jonny Jyemo grooves on the drum kit.

*All tickets subject to service fees

 

David Wilcox

David Wilcox

with special guest Justin Farren

Presented by KGNU

Doors: 7:30 PM
Showtime: 8:00 PM

David Wilcox

More than three decades into his career, singer/songwriter David Wilcox continues to push himself, just as he always has. Wilcox, by so many measures, is a quintessential folk singer, telling stories full of heart, humor, and hope, substance, searching, and style. His innate sense of adventure and authenticity is why critics and colleagues, alike, have always praised not just his artistry, but his humanity, as well.

That’s very much by design. It’s the result of a man giving himself over in gratitude and service to something bigger than himself. An early ’80s move to Warren Wilson College in North Carolina set his wheels in motion, as he started playing guitar and writing songs, processing his own inner workings and accessing his own inner wisdom. In 1987, within a couple of years of graduating, Wilcox had released his first independent album, The Nightshift Watchman. A year later, he won the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Award and, in 1989, he signed with A&M Records, selling more than 100,000 copies of his A&M debut, How Did You Find Me Here.

In the 30 years and more than 20 records since — whether with a major label, an indie company, or his own imprint — Wilcox has continued to hone his craft, pairing thoughtful insights with his warm baritone, open tunings, and deft technique. He’s also kept up a brisk and thorough tour itinerary, performing 80 to 100 shows a year throughout the U.S., and regularly deploying his talents by improvising a “Musical Medicine” song for an audience member in need. In recent years he’s taken that process a step further, carefully writing and recording dozens of his “Custom Songs” for long-time fans who seek his help in commemorating and explaining the key milestones in their lives.

Lest anyone think that he’s lost his touch, Wilcox pulled no punches on his most recent release, 2018’s The View From the Edge. Not only does the song cycle find him delving into mental health, family legacies, spiritual contemplations, and topical concerns, the song “We Make the Way By Walking” also won him the Grand Prize in the 2018 USA Songwriting Contest.

Wilcox’s honesty is why Rolling Stone has written that his “ongoing musical journey is compelling and richly deserving of a listen.” It’s also why Blue Ridge Public Radio has noted that, “The connection people feel with David’s music is also the connection they feel with each other.” As Wilcox himself puts it, “I’m grateful to music. I have a life that feels deeply good, but when I started playing music, nothing in my life felt that good. I started to write songs because I wanted to find a way to make my life feel as good as I felt when I heard a great song. I don’t think I’d be alive now if it had not been for music.” And we’re all grateful for the result.

 

Justin Farren

Justin Farren was born and raised in Sacramento, where he lives in a house built with his own two hands – or as he likes to refer to it, “a living museum of my own mistakes”. Justin’s twin brother is yellow truck named Yellow. Two round trips from California to Alaska, infinite dead-end, soul sucking jobs and god knows how many miles of touring have forged an unbreakable bond between the two that no number of blown transmissions could ever sever. A wiser man would have driven that piece of junk into the Sacramento River the first time the engine caught fire, but wisdom’s just another word for knowing how to quit and thanks to Justin, Yellow is going to run forever. Still, one gets the feeling that Justin’s songs might just outlast her.

Justin Farren writes multidimensional songs that are both enchanting and seemingly effortless. Songs that are uniquely personal but endlessly inventive and highly relatable. Songs filled with the kind of sudden twists and turns that you never see coming but will never forget. Rich Warren of Folk Stage Chicago said “Justin Farren is an incredibly original artist with a lot of verve and energy and a terrific guitarist. He will absolutely charm you with the strange humor and cleverness of his lyrics.”

“Justin Farren is the avatar of the age and the only true path to enlightenment” says David Wilcox. “If you want to attain total self realization, get to know Justin Farren… and maybe he’ll do you a favor and pull some strings with his cosmic connections”. In the last few years he’s won a bevy of awards including the Kerrville New Folk Competition, Songwriter Serenade, and Wildflower. He’s shared the stage with David Wilcox, Anna Tivel, Sam Baker, Matt Costa, Pierce Pettis, and many other outstanding performers. He is way more likely to toilet paper a house now than he ever was as a kid.

Justin’s fourth Full Length album, Pretty Free, was released on October 23rd, 2020. It’s a homespun masterpiece featuring 11 original songs crafted and recorded in a shed in Justin’s own backyard. The majority of the songs on the record have won awards In various songwriting competitions around the country, and the album features some of the finest musicians on the planet, Including Brian Chris Rogers, Anna Tivel and Andre Fylling among others. The Sacramento News & Review described him as “a storyteller with an impeccable voice, a guitar and a head-full of funny, tender and engaging observation”. Justin says, “songwriting is a way of reminding myself what’s important.” He plays a cheap guitar, but everyone always asks him about his tone and how to get it. They don’t know that the sound they’re hearing is in his fingers. It’s in his playing – a combination of unboxed fluidity, unbridled creativity and muted space. The only way to get Justin Farren’s tone or to write songs like him is to be him. He can write a song about anything. Just watch.

*All tickets subject to service fees

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