Lodging Special:
Chautauqua Winter Wonderland – Save 15%
- Pet-friendly lodging options
- Flatirons hiking and snowshoeing
- Dining and concerts
Door time: 7:30
Show time: 8:00
Songs, at their best, reflect something of where we are, where we’ve been, or where it is we’re going. Sometimes all at once, right when we need it.
Humbird makes music in pursuit of exactly this phenomenon. With deep roots in the midwest heartland, Humbird also travels like a bramble, fusing experimental folk and environmental Americana genres in a mosaic of theaters, clubs, gardens, festivals, barns, caves, and other strange locations. Siri Undlin, the songwriter behind the moniker, forges an explorative embodiment of the narrative folk song and balladry tradition for these modern times, inviting a whole host of collaborators and listeners to add and expand the music.
Formed in the foothills of Northern Colorado in early 2020, Alex Woodchek and Cor Wright of Frail Talk are creating a blooming universe of squiggly indie music for squiggly people. Like the kind surprise of a backyard garden, their songs spring up from the dirt with folk roots, soft pop colors, and burgeoning lyricism ready to welcome every listener with daydream-love.
In mid-2020 Woodchek & Wright entered hibernation by way of total immersion into honest and intricate home recording, leading to their self-produced debut record, New Creation Myths, a movement through the personal and social mythologies seeded into humanity. This album has allowed them to tour parts of the country, meet many new music creatures, and connect with thousands of listeners on streaming platforms.
In 2023, they embarked on a new set of dreams surrounding their sophomore album. Recorded in seven days of heat-sweat-friend-magic in Silsbee, TX alongside producers Hannah Read (Lomelda) and Tommy Read, this new collection of songs are anticipated to release in 2024. There are still small moments yet to capture and many more dogs yet to meet, but the same honesty Frail Talk has always valued continues to bleed through.
Through the art of mashing folk-pop sensibilities with strange spacey synthetic sounds, Frail Talk offers a landscape where one’s self, surrounding, and experiences are as much a part of the songs as the music itself.
Door time: 7:30
Show time: 8:00
Hot Buttered Rum, a souped-up, left-coast string band, is the brainchild of uniquely gifted musicians who weave their love of bluegrass, folk, jazz and soul into a riveting strain of Americana. String bass and five-alarm fiddle merge with guitar, banjo, mandolin, drums and keyboards to frame the voices of its two contrasting writers, fueling a dance party with roots in Appalachia and its branches in California. It’s a sound that’s as tough to describe as it is easy to love. Twenty years into its journey, HBR’s music, dreamed up in the backcountry of the High Sierra and the basements of San Francisco, has found its way into the hearts, minds and bodies of fans nationwide. The band continues to tour year-round in support of its many albums and social causes. Don’t miss the chance to see them soon!
Door time: 7:30
Show time: 8:00
Some combos are a match made in heaven: Peanut Butter & Jelly, Batman and Robin, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. That list would be incomplete without including the incomparable duo of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. The acoustic alchemy they achieved was originally forged in the legendary 60’s bluegrass band, Old & In The Way. Decades later, they resurrected their musical relationship and recorded three classic acoustic albums in the mid-90’s prior to Garcia’s untimely passing.
This very special evening will feature selections from these albums, and showcase an all-star lineup including Chautauqua’s own, Scott Bauer (guitar/vocals), Blake Stepan (Heavy Diamond Ring – bass), Dylan McCarthy (Jake Leg Band – mandolin), and Kevin Matthews (Daniel Rodriguez, Gasoline Lollipops – percussion).
Sans Souci!
Doors: 7:30
Showtime: 8:00
Covenhoven is internationally recognized indie artist Joel Van Horne, a multi-instrumental singer-songwriter whose rich harmonies, reedy baritone, and commanding falsetto have found a home with critics and fans since 2013.
Through 4 full-length albums and 2 EPs Covenhoven has forged a signature style; layered acoustic arrangements that roll with momentum into orchestral peaks, accompanied by lyrics that contrast hard-won wisdom with the inherent hope of the natural world—from Big Sur to his native Colorado.
Covenhoven’s latest album, IV (released in October 2021), is his most collaborative and rock-forward to date—taking a producing partner in Ben Wysocki of the Fray, who also performs on the album. IV features over a dozen musicians including Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov, Luke Mossman of Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, and Bluebook’s Julie Davis.
Bandwagon magazine writes that in IV, Covenhoven reaches “into chamber pop territory, and revealing a wider vocal range…sheltered by a gorgeous, rich string and piano accompaniment, whisks us above the campfire folk…”
Covenhoven’s live performances capture the spirit of his recordings—whether it’s conjuring cascading loops in his solo shows or backed by a full band—Covenhoven’s sound fills the breadth of outdoor spaces, auditoriums, and club stages.
Regularly touring the United States and Canada, Covenhoven has shared the stage with Grammy winners and nominees S.Carey (Bon Iver), Jose Gonzalez, Gregory Alan Isakov, John Paul White (Civil Wars), and Reed Foehl. Covenhoven has also performed with genre-bending artists Lord Huron, Leif Vollebekk, Elephant Revival, Joshua James, Blind Pilot, Esme Patterson, John Craigie, Daniel Rodriguez (Elephant Revival), Shook Twins, Rainbow Girls, Courtney Marie Andrews, Joan Shelley and host of others.
Covenhoven songs have been streamed over 3 million times and reached over 14 million people through television shows including: 13 Reasons Why, Nashville, Teen Wolf, Home Before Dark, Flaked, Kevin Probably Saves the World, and Private Eyes—Canada’s most-watched show for 5 years.
Andreas DeValera is an indie singer/songwriter based in Evergreen, Colorado. Having studied in the songwriting department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachussetts, DeValera is a lover of all things song. With influences such as Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Gregory Alan Isakov, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen, he appreciates great songwriting – and it shows. His devotion to his craft, both musically and lyrically, creates a listening experience that is both old and new – songs that utilize poetic imagery to express emotion and tell a story while feeling fresh, but also like long-lost friends. Most recently, DeValera has toured Colorado with The Riverside, a world-renowned folk group based in Santa Barbara, California.
His new album, Faulty Expectation, was released in November 2022. The album features 12 songs backed by a group of world-class musicians, including Nick Milo (Joe Cocker, Tower of Power) and Jeb Bows (Gregory Alan Isakov). The album has been well received – gaining almost 200,000 streams since release and radio play worldwide.
“…about the sweetest thing I’ve heard all year” – Ear To The Ground Music