The real-time exuberance Tommy Emmanuel brings to every note of every song he plays is palpable and infectious. His fans are in love with his unbound talent as a guitarist of multitudes, his ability to play three parts at once, always with pure heart and real soul. He is a true virtuoso. But he seems as delighted always with the magic of the music as the audience, if not more, and his joy illuminates everything.
It’s one thing to play these multi-dimensional arrangements flawlessly on an acoustic guitar. But to do it with that smile of the ages, that evidence of authentic, unbridled delight, is an irresistibly infectious invitation to feel his music as deeply as he does. “The joy, ” he says, “is there always because I’m chasing it through music. Seeing the surprise in peoples’ eyes is worth living and working for… I can’t help but play to the people with all my heart, which is overflowing with joy of being in that moment that I’ve worked all my life for. And here it is!”
That authentic exuberance Tommy brings to every show and every record is especially powerful, given the profound deficit of real joy in so many lives. Tommy’s happiness, like his music, is pure and expressed in real-time. Nothing is phony. It’s a quality that does reach far beyond any one language, and it’s instantly understood by all his fellow humans. It’s the reason he smiles so much while playing, and why his audience does as well. As many have said, it’s hard not to be happy at his shows. Because his joy, and the timeless river of inspiration, which is the source, is universally recognized. And it feels good.
In 2018, Tommy made the great album, Accomplice One, a series of duets with musicians great and varied, and all at his level. It’s a concept that worked, as the range of artists reflected Tommy’s expansive love of all kinds of music, including Rodney Crowell, Mark Knopfler, Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, Jerry Douglas, Jake Shimabukuro and more. Each of his accomplices seemed as inspired by his energy and passion as much as Tommy was by theirs, and he played with effortless grace.
Now comes the long-awaited sequel, Accomplice Two. It shares the same exuberance, diversity, and sense of adventure as the first album, with a great range of artists. This album features rock legends Michael McDonald, Jorma Kaukonen, and Little Feat; bluegrass superstars such as Billy Strings, The Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Sierra Hull, and David Grisman; country icons such as Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jamey Johnson, and Raul Malo; and guitar heavyweights like Yasmin Williams, Larry Campbell, and Richard Smith. The first single “White Freight Liner Blues” is out now and features the Grammy award winner and claw hammer guitarist, Molly Tuttle.
Tommy also has a new television special called Accomplice LIVE! which begins airing on PBS in March of 2023. This special features some of Tommy’s best-known songs and duets with his accomplices such as Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Sierra Hull, Yasmin Williams, and many others.
Tommy was born in 1955 in Muswellbrook, New South Wales Australia, and started playing the guitar at age four. In his twenties, he was the most sought-after performer and session musician in Sydney. By age 30, he was burning on electric guitar with several rock bands in stadiums across Europe. He could have gone on to live the rock star life. Yet, he yearned for something purer and closer to his heart. Casting off the reliable rock band engine of monstrous sonics blasting, Tommy went acoustic.
The inspiration for Tommy’s transformation was his hero, Chet Atkins, who represented the purity of one man, one guitar, and unlimited passionate for serving the song. Eventually Tommy met his hero and started a lifelong friendship which shaped Tommy’s music forever. Chet welcomed Tommy into guitarist knighthood by bestowing upon him the coveted title of CGP (Certified Guitar Player), an honor awarded only to four other humans ever, and they recorded an album together, The Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World. Receiving the love and esteem of Chet lifted Tommy into a different realm. Because, as Chet recognized instantly and told the world, musicians like this don’t come along that often; pay attention to this man. And people have paid attention from sold out shows all over the world to multiple Grammy nominations, ARIA Awards, IBMA Awards, and countless “Best Acoustic Guitarist” wins in numerous music magazine readers polls…. the world is taking notice.
Adam Trent presents a Magic show unlike any other in the world, fusing modern illusions, music and comedy in an extremely interactive way. Not only will volunteers come onstage to experience magic throughout the show, but certain tricks even happen in the each audience member’s hands across the theatre at the same time.
Adam looks to change people’s perception of magic- he doesn’t want audiences to remember just the “tricks” as much as the laughs and memories made with the performance.
He has been seen by literally billions of people around the globe- in person, and with his own TV series’ on NETFLIX and Disney Plus, and multiple appearances on America’s Got Talent, Ellen, The Today Show, and Disney Channel among countless other TV appearances. He is also one of the most viral content creators on the internet, racking up a staggering 7 Billion views in the last year alone.
Adam began performing local birthday party shows at age 9.
At age 14, he started busking as a street performer, which he says “was the most amazing and brutal training a performer could ever have”, because it taught me an audience’s true attention span- “The audience would just walk away if it got boring!”
At age 18, he moved to Los Angeles, where he got a crash course in LA’s music and comedy scene. “I realized that the most important element in any show is the performer’s connection to the audience. Without that, even amazing skill can fall as flat as a bad boy band.”
After breakout TV appearances launched his career, he began touring 250 shows per year in the biggest and most prestigious venues in the world, including Radio City Music Hall, Broadway, The Sydney Opera House, London’s West End, and The Dolby and the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles.
He became the star of the hit Broadway show ‘The Illusionists’, which broke Broadway box office records made him the only magicians in history to have starred on Broadway 3 separate times.
“Adam Trent is unlike any magician working today, a funny, witty and accomplished entertainer — the next David Copperfield meets Justin Timberlake,” says creative producer Simon Painter, producer of Broadway’s ‘The Illusionists’ and top creative producer at Cirque du Soleil. “He has a knack for electrifying giant television and theatre audiences with his unique brand of magic.”
If the phrase “male a cappella group” conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties, and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again. Straight No Chaser (SNC) are neither strait-laced nor straight-faced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch. They have emerged as a phenomenon with a massive fanbase and a long list of accomplishments including 2 RIAA Gold Certified albums, over 1.5 million concert tickets sold, over 1 billion streams on Pandora, and over 2 million albums sold worldwide. Straight No Chaser is the real deal, the captivating sound of nine unadulterated human voices coming together to make extraordinary music that is moving people in a fundamental sense… and with a sense of humor.
Stop by the General Store from February 9 through the 15th for 40% discount on perfume, candles, stained glass, heart-shaped gem necklaces and gem plant stakes!* Choose the perfect last-minute gift for your sweetheart, your friends, or yourself! The February fun...
Join Ira Flatow and the SciFri crew as they hit the road to uncover and report on the amazing science news and stories happening in Colorado! This is your chance to peek behind-the-curtain of your favorite national radio show and participate in a special live performance with the experts and conversations you love.
This 2-hour program typically features interactive moments, props, audience Q&A, and science demonstrations. As a bonus, the event will be recorded for the Science Friday radio show, so you can be a part of a future broadcast! (We’ll give attendees a head’s up when they can tune in to re-listen to their favorite moments).
By attending this event, you are entering an area where photography, audio and video recording may occur. Your entry and presence on the event premises constitutes your consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded and to the release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction of any and all recorded media of your appearance, voice, and name for any purpose whatsoever in perpetuity in connection with the Science Friday Initiative, KUNC and the Colorado Chautauqua, including but not limited to: brochures, websites, online videos, radio broadcasts, social media, etc.
