2011 Grammy-winner Tinariwen shares its beautiful music, The Dunwells continue the British invasion in the folk-rock genre, Tuvan throat singers of the Alash Ensemble show off their masterful harmonies, and Michelle Shocked returns to Denver.
WHAT: New shows added to Swallow Hill Music’s 2012 line-up
WHEN: Dates vary; see show details below
WHERE: Swallow Hill Music, 71 E. Yale Ave., Denver 80210; L2 Arts & Culture Center, 1477 Columbine St., Denver 80206
TICKETS: Prices vary by show; see show details below
INFO & BOX OFFICE: http://swallowhillmusic.org/, (303) 777-1003 x2
MEDIA & PHOTO CONTACT: Lindsay Taylor, (303) 643-5818,lindsay@swallowhillmusic.org; Gwen Burak, (303) 643-5816,gwen@swallowhillmusic.org
RSS: http://swallowhillmusic.org/news
DENVER - Featuring world music, singer/songwriters, and 2011 Grammy-winners, Swallow Hill Music has added nine new shows to its 2012 line-up. These diverse shows are on-sale Wednesday, February 22 at 10am.
One doesn’t usually associate the Sahara Desert with music. But, Mali band Tinariwencrafts beautiful songs about social justice in their homeland. For their newest album, they’ve tossed aside their electric guitars for acoustic sounds among the desert, and the change was worth it. The band recently won the 2011 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album.
And speaking of world music, Tuvan throat singers extraordinaire of The Alash Ensemble return to Swallow Hill Music for an evening of traditional music with a subtle infusion of modern influences. These world music veterans have shared the stage with many, including Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.
97.3 KBCO presents The Dunwells, who have been taking the UK by storm, and who will begin their tour in the US for their debut album, Blind Sighted Faith. In just two short years, they’ve gone from a pub band in Leeds, England to a record deal. Their folk-rock sound is reminiscent of Mumford & Sons, and they are beginning their British Invasion. What are they looking forward to on their tour? Why, American guitars, American food, and swimming pools, of course.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Swallow Hill Music On-Sale if a bluegrass band wasn’t announced! Missy Raines & the New Hip are known for their jazz-bluegrass fusion. A former member of the Claire Lynch Band, Missy is the most decorated bass player in the history of the International Bluegrass Music Association.
97.3 KBCO presents singer/songwriter Michelle Shocked, who has been bringing her protest songs to the people since 1986. She is proud to be involved in Occupy: LA, and freely talks about her jail-time on her most recent video newsletter. She brings her opinionated songs and hillbilly sophistication to Denver while on her 2012 Roadworks Tour: Roccupy! in May. Michelle Shocked’s show will go on sale February 24 at 10am.
Full show details are below. Thank you for supporting live music at Swallow Hill Music!
Show Details – On-Sale 2/22 @ 10am
Tinariwen
Tuesday, June 5, 8pm – L2 Arts & Culture Center – $32 advance
Winner of the 2011 Grammy: “Best World Music Album”
Tinariwen are often associated with just one image: that of Touareg rebels leading the charge, machine gun in hand and electric guitar slung over the shoulder. The band ditch this cliché on their fifth album Tassili, and it’s for the best. The founding members abandoned their weapons long ago and on this new album they have engineered a minor aesthetic revolution by setting the electric guitar aside, though it’s the instrument which became their mascot and made them famous. Instead they give pride of place to acoustic sounds, recorded right in the heart of the desert – the landscape of their existence, the cradle of their culture and the source of their inspiration. You might even call this radical move a return to the very essence of their art, a return which, paradoxically, has also opened the doors to some intriguing collaborations with members of TV On The Radio, Nels Cline (Wilco’s guitarist) or The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
There is some truth in that old cliché of the soldier-musician. In the 1980s, Ibrahim, Abdallah, Hassan, ‘Japonais’ and Kheddou began to play together in and around the town of Tamanrasset in southern Algeria. They would perform at weddings, baptisms or just simple youthful get-togethers. They then spent several years in the same military training camp in Libya before the Touareg rebellion broke out simultaneously in Mali and Niger and sent them out onto the field of battle in the southern Sahara. In parallel, their songs, recorded on cassettes scattered far and wide, helped to broadcast the message of a rebel movement that set out to promote the rights of nomadic people suffering under the arbitrary policies of repressive and distant central governments.
97.3 KBCO presents
Michelle Shocked – On Sale 2/24 at 10am!
Saturday, May 12, 8pm – $26 advance
Michelle Shocked has transcended class bias, while retaining the parts of her past that make sense, in a 23-year career that has seen critical acclaim at every juncture. In the early 1990s, she famously escaped major-label indentured servitude, subverting the artist-label relationship that helped lead to the current trend toward artistic self-containment. She has made good use of her independence, releasing more critically-acclaimed albums on her Mighty Sound label. In 2010, she launched Roadworks, an ongoing, 5-year touring project which curates audience’s favorite songs while developing new, unreleased material. For example, 2011 Roadwork’s theme, ‘Campfire Girl,’ celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the release of her unauthorized debut album, The Texas Campfire Tapes.
“I regard myself as a true American musician, and I play every style that is my heritage.”
97.3 KBCO presents
The Dunwells – NOW ON SALE!
Friday, Mar 23, 8pm – $14 advance
Utterly natural. There’s no more fitting description for both the music of The Dunwells as well as the story of their magical rise from the pubs of Leeds, England, to an American record deal and a stunning debut album in just two short years. The group is two brothers, two cousins and totalling five best mates who simply love to sing and play music, and do so together.
Striking an organic blend between acoustic and electric roots music laced by luscious vocal harmonies by all five members, their songs and sound feel both bracingly fresh while at the same time as warm and familiar as a dear long-time friend.
From the first time The Dunwells hit American shores at the 2011 International Folk Alliance conference, their impact has been nothing short of astounding. “Anyone that’s seen them has just been ‘Oh My God!’ They’re mind boggling!” raved Folk Alliance Executive Director Louis Jay Meyers to Voice of America radio. “The quality of the songs, the quality of the playing, the quality of the vocals, the harmonies. Man, they’re like Mumford and Sons times 10.”
The Alash Ensemble
Friday, Apr 6, 8pm – $18 advance
The Alash Ensemble are masters of Tuvan throat singing (xöömei), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. What distinguishes this gifted quartet from earlier generations of Tuvan throat singers is the subtle infusion of modern influences into their traditional music. One can find complex harmonies, western instruments, and contemporary song forms in Alash’s music, but its overall sound and spirit is decidedly Tuvan.
Trained in traditional Tuvan music since childhood, the Alash musicians studied at Kyzyl Arts College just as Tuva was beginning to open up to the West. They formed a traditional ensemble and won multiple awards for traditional throat singing in international xöömei (seated) competitions, both as an ensemble and as individual musicians. At the same time, they learned about western music and listened to new trends coming out of America. They have borrowed new ideas that mesh well with the sound and feel of traditional Tuvan music, but never sacrificed the integrity of their own heritage in an effort to make their music more hip.
Alash enjoys collaborating with musicians of all stripes. Béla Fleck & the Flecktones
invited Alash to appear as guest artists on their holiday CD Jingle All the Way (2008). The album won a Grammy, and Alash has toured with the Flecktones to promote the CD.
Missy Raines & the New Hip
Friday, June 1, 8pm – $16 advance
Missy Raines & the New Hip kick up heat by fusing unlikely sources. In the spirit of musical influences ranging from Sam Bush and David Grisman to Miles Davis, the New Hip bridges the musical worlds of newgrass, jazz, singer/songwriter and any others they take a notion to explore. Start with bluegrass virtuosity, add in a jazz-tinged groove and a song-driven sensibility, then dish it up with a hot band of young players. The band moves easily from fun, funky instrumentals to rich, sophisticated ballads. They’re intimate, they’re raucous, they’re groove personified. This is mashup bluegrass jazz like you’ve never heard it.
Missy Raines is the most decorated bass player in the history of the International Bluegrass Music Association- with 7 Bass Player of the Year Awards to her credit. A former member of the Grammy Nominated Claire Lynch Band, the acclaimed duo, Jim Hurst and Missy Raines, Missy is one of the most popular figures in the bluegrass community and a trailblazer in her field for as long as she’s been playing music.
Other Shows Newly On Sale
Fri Apr 27 Dave Preston and Glowing House – $10 advance
Sat June 2 Finnders and Youngberg – $10 advance
Sat June 8 Patrick Dethlefs – Album Release – $14 advance
Fri July 13 Laurie Lewis and the Jaybirds – $18 advance
Swallow Hill Music’s
CURRENT 2012 CONCERT SCHEDULE
All shows at 8pm @ 71 E. Yale Ave. unless otherwise indicated
Fri Feb 17 The Nadas – Acoustic
Sat Feb 18 Ruthie Foster & Paul Thorn as Soul Salvation @ L2 Arts & Culture Center
Sat Feb 18 Jesse Manley feat. Jeff Rady & David Bailey – “Top of the Hill” Faculty Concert
Fri Feb 24 Iris Dement w/ Stephanie Bettman & Luke Halpin
Fri Feb 24 Clay Kirkland’s Beat the Reaper VI
Sat Feb 25 Matt Flinner Trio & Grant Gordy Quartet
Sat Feb 25 Mary Stribling
Fri Mar 2 David Wilcox w/ Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer – SOLD OUT!!
Presented by 97.3 KBCO
Fri Mar 2 Old-Fashioned Hootenanny – 7pm
Sat Mar 3 Maura O’Connell w/ John Mock
Sat Mar 3 Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer – Album Release
Thu Mar 8 Benyaro and You Me & Apollo – Discovery Series – 7:30pm
Fri Mar 9 Laurence Juber
Fri Mar 9 Ginga – World Music Night
Sat Mar 10 The JT Nolan Trio & The Matt Skellenger Group
Thu Mar 15 Pete Kartsounes – Discovery Series – 7:30pm
Fri Mar 16 Gobs O’Phun
Fri Mar 16 Vance Gilbert w/ Jeremy Dion
Sat Mar 17 René Heredia: Solo Flamenco Guitar
Fri Mar 23 The Dunwells
Presented by 97.3 KBCO
Sat Mar 24 Solas @ L2 Arts & Culture Center
Presented by KGNU Community Radio 88.5FM/1390AM and Twist & Shout
Sat Mar 24 William Fitzsimmons w/ Denison Witmer
Sat Mar 24 Big Jim Adams & John Stillwagen
Thu Mar 29 The Belle Jar – Discovery Series – 7:30pm
Fri Mar 30 The Claire Lynch Band w/ Finnders & Youngberg
Presented by KGNU Community Radio 88.5FM/1390AM
Sat Mar 31 Caravan of Thieves
Sat Mar 31 Martin Zellar & Charlie Parr
Fri Apr 6 The Alash Ensemble
Fri Apr 6 Old-Fashioned Hootenanny – 7pm
Sat Apr 7 Owen Kortz Trio
Fri Apr 13 Roshan Bhartiya and Andy Skellenger – World Music Night
Fri Apr 13 Reed Föehl w/ The Good Lovelies – Album Release
Sat Apr 14 Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket w/ John Common @ L2 Arts & Culture Center
Presented by 97.3 KBCO and Twist & Shout
Fri Apr 20 Jack Williams
Sat Apr 21 Gretchen Peters & Malcolm Holcombe
Sat Apr 21 Citrus & Friends feat. Chris “Citrus” Sauthoff – “Top of the Hill” Faculty Concert
Fri Apr 27 Todd Snider
Presented by 97.3 KBCO
Fri Apr 27 The Boxcars and Chatham County Line
Fri Apr 27 Dave Preston and Glowing House
Sat Apr 28 Sandra Wong, Dominick Leslie, Ty Burhoe Trio w/ Special Guest Grant Gordy
Sat Apr 28 Grubstake
Fri May 4 Old-Fashioned Hootenanny – 7pm
Fri May 4 Blame Sally
Sat May 5 John McCutcheon
Sat May 5 Trunko, Kirkland & Briggs
Sat May 12 Michelle Shocked
Presented by 97.3 KBCO
Sat May 12 Mack Bailey & Rachel Levy
Sat May 19 Kyle James Hauser – “Top of the Hill” Faculty Concert Series
Fri June 1 Missy Raines & the New Hip
Sat June 2 Bob Lind and Danny O’Keefe
Presented by Cruisin’ Oldies 950AM/103.1FM
Tues June 5 Tinariwen @ L2 Arts & Culture Center
Sat June 8 Patrick Dethlefs – Album Release
Sat June 8 Claude Bourbon
Fri June 15 April Verch Trio
Sat June 23 Dan Navarro
Fri July 13 Laurie Lewis and The Jaybirds
Sat Sept 29 Small Potatoes
About Swallow Hill Music:
Swallow Hill Music has been helping people make and enjoy music since 1979. As it celebrates its 33rd year, it is proud to be known as one of the largest non-profit organizations in the United States to serve as a source for roots, folk and acoustic music.
Swallow Hill Music serves more than 100,000 people through its concert, school and outreach programming.
Three concert venues at our facility on 71 E. Yale Ave. offer more than 200 performances a year, featuring local, national and international talent. In addition, Swallow Hill Music presents and produces its annual Rootsfest celebration, concerts at the L2 Arts & Culture Center in Capitol Hill, at Four Mile Historic Park, at the Old South Pearl St. summer street fairs, and at the Denver Botanic Gardens for its long-running and esteemed Summer Concert Series.
A faculty of 60+ instructors provides music education to over 5,000 students who participated in hundreds of classes, workshops and private lessons for instruments and interests of all kinds. In addition, the Swallow Hill Music School reaches over 15,000 students through educational K-12 outreach programs in schools across the Front Range.
Swallow Hill Music is proud to be one of the 26 local nonprofits that are recognized as an SCFD Tier II Arts and Cultural organization. In addition to funding from SCFD and program revenue from concerts and classes, Swallow Hill Music relies on foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and the generosity of individual donors and the 2,300 dedicated members of our unique musical community. This support allows Swallow Hill Music to continue connecting people to the power of music by providing a place to celebrate and enjoy music in both the classroom and on stage.
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