Presented by KGNU
Doors: 7:30
Showtime: 8:00
Sturtz
Sturtz’s music stands out for its distinctive, soothing instrumental and vocal harmonies. The acoustic quartet – Andrew Sturtz [vocals, guitar], Jim Herlihy [banjo], Courtlyn Carpenter [cello], and Will Kuepper [bass] – falls somewhere at the intersection of folk and soul, with lead singer Andrew Sturtz’s melodic vocals soaring over the lower string instrumentals. Sturtz is based in Boulder, CO, and has toured across the U.S. opening for groups like the Eli Young Band, Trout Steak Revival, Lillie Mae, the Band of Heathens, and Smooth Hound Smith. NPR’s All Songs Considered described the band as “a reassuring breath of fresh air that pulls me back to simpler times” in their April 2020 blog. Sturtz released their debut album You’ve Done This Before in August 2021, and now they are hard at work touring on this album and writing songs for their next album. When they’re not playing music, you’ll probably find them milling flour, farming, laying in a creek, or eating native foliage.
Natalie Spears
Natalie Spears brings listeners in touch with the warmth of community, the quiet awe of wild places, and the intimate corners of humanity. Inspired by her father’s English Folk heritage and talents as a Jazz pianist, Natalie carries a deep love for porch-picking music and music that swings. Drawing on these roots and pulling from a quiver of instruments (banjo, piano, and guitar), her performance is dynamic as she navigates between these tonal worlds. Natalie’s angelic voice threads together a sonic language of both nostalgic and contemporary colors, creating a vibrant musical narrative of her own. In 2021, Natalie’s duo, Lizzy Plotkin & Natalie Spears, released their debut EP, “Just Over the Ridge,” which reached #10 album of the year on the Folk Alliance International Dj Folk Charts, and her song, Seasons Change, reached #4 song of the year.
