Amythyst Kiah with Dan Blakeslee
Oxbow Live: Amythyst Kiah with Dan Blakeslee
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**21+ UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY PARENT OR GUARDIAN**
| Amythyst Kiah |
On her new album Still + Bright, Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter Amythyst Kiah explores the vast expanse of her inner world: her deep-rooted affinity for Eastern philosophies and spiritual traditions, a near-mystical connection with the natural environment, the life lessons learned in her formative years as a self-described “anime-nerd mall goth,” and much more. Produced by Butch Walker (Taylor Swift, Green Day, Weezer) and recorded at his Nashville studio, Kiah’s second full-length for Rounder Records merges her revelatory storytelling with a darkly cinematic twist on the rootsy alt-rock of her 2021 breakthrough Wary + Strange—an LP that landed on Rolling Stone’s list of the 25 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2021 and drew acclaim from major outlets like Pitchfork. With its sonic palette encompassing everything from fuzzed-out guitars and industrial-leaning beats to gilded pedal steel and Kiah’s exquisitely graceful banjo work, Still + Bright makes for a vital new addition to a body of work largely dedicated to exploring the struggle and joy of true self-discovery.
The latest turn in a dynamic career that’s included joining Our Native Daughters (an all-women-of-color supergroup also featuring Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell), Still + Bright emerged from a deliberate transformation of the songwriting process Kiah adopted after composing her first song on a Fender acoustic at age 13. To that end, the album marks her first time opening up her approach and working with co-writers, including punk legend Tim Armstrong, Sadler Vaden (a guitarist/vocalist for Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit), and former Pentatonix member Avi Kaplan. Although her third LP is an undeniable departure from the anguished emotionality of its predecessor (an album informed by losing her mother to suicide at age 17), Kiah imparts each track with a hypnotic intensity born from boldly stating her convictions. Revealing her rare ability to spin her fascinations into songs uncovering essential truths about human nature, Still + Bright ultimately affirms her as an artist of both daring originality and uncompromising depth.
| Dan Blakeslee |
With a suitcase of songs, Maine folk troubadour Dan Blakeslee ventured into the smoke laden subways of Boston in 1995 to practice his craft. His songs of true life adventures combine the essence of early folk music with a dose of country grit. He has toured the U.S. and abroad performing with Josh Ritter, Sean Rowe, David Wax Museum, Lydia Loveless, The Lumineers, Old 97’s, The Black Lillies, Liam Finn and Kimya Dawson among others. In 2015 his dream of playing Newport Folk Festival became a reality, the location where Bob Dylan went electric 50 years earlier. Dan Blakeslee delivers his songs with that same heart of a young, lyric scribbling troubadour, who knows because he’s tried it, can out sing a passing train.
[$22 ADV/$25 DOS | Doors 7 PM | Show 730 PM]