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Road to Rock Boat w/ Red Wanting Blue + Kristopher James – 8pm $22/25
January 27 @ 8:00 pm
$22 – $25
8pm $22/25
Red Wanting Blue (Alternative, Rock)
Hailed as “Midwestern rock heroes” by American Songwriter, Red Wanting Blue has spent the last twenty years establishing themselves as one of the indie world’s most enduring and self-sufficient acts, notching appearances everywhere from Letterman to NPR and reaching #3 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, all while operating largely outside the confines of the traditional music industry. For their powerful new album, ‘The Wanting,’ the band handed production duties over to acclaimed singer/songwriter Will Hoge, who helped them create their most ambitious, fully realized collection yet. Recorded in Nashville, TN, the record draws on many of the group’s traditional strengths—indelible melodies, infectious hooks, explosive performances—even as the making of it pushed them far outside their comfort zone and forced them to take an unprecedented, nearly year-long break from touring.Alternately triumphant and melancholic, the songs on ‘The Wanting’ are both muscular and nuanced, with frontman Scott Terry’s epic, heartfelt vocals soaring above the band’s gritty brand of driving rock and roll. The record opens with the rousing “High and Dry,” a feel-good rocker that also serves as something of a mission statement for a fiercely independent group that’s as much a band as they are a family, with Terry singing, “I want to stand on my own two feet again / And when I mess up / That’s when I hope my friends will pick me up.” On “Ulysses,” the band channels early Phil Collins with pulsing synths and larger-than-life drums, while the tender “Glass House” crescendos from a delicate whisper to a triumphant roar, and the dreamy “I’ve Got A Feeling It Hurts” calls to mind the hypnotic drive of REM mixed with a touch of Jayhawks jangle.
“This is really the most collaborative album our band has ever made,” Terry says of the wide range of influences. “It’s the first record where every member contributed to the writing, and I feel like we all matured as artists because of it.”
Over the course of ten previous studio albums, Red Wanting Blue brought their passionate, unforgettable live show to every city and town that would have them, blazing their own distinctive trail through the American heartland as they built up the kind of fanatically dedicated audiences normally reserved for arena acts. In 2016, they celebrated with a 20th anniversary retrospective album/concert film entitled ‘RWB20 Live at Lincoln Theater,’ which captured the band in all their glory at a sold-out hometown show in Columbus, OH.
Red Wanting Blue is:
Scott Terry (Vocals, Tenor Guitar, Ukulele)
Mark McCullough (Bass, Chapman Stick, Vocals)
Greg Rahm (Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals)
Eric Hall (Guitar, Lap Steel, Vocals)
Dean Anshutz (Drums & Percussion)
https://www.redwantingblue.com/ ,
+ Kristopher James As a kid, sitting in the doorway of his room, Kristopher spent hours making mixtape after mixtape of songs he heard on the radio that began to mold his young musical mind. From Boys II Men’s “cooleyhighharmony” to Garth Brooks’ hits, Kristopher swam in the lyrics and melodies. His knack for music, matched with years of filling composition books with personal poetry, improvised lyrics, and dream-like short stories, pushed Kristopher towards his calling —as a songwriter.
It wasn’t until he sat behind a drum set, fueled by teenage angst, that Kristopher began his musician’s journey. From there, he taught himself guitar, piano, and bravely – how to sing. What is seen now, on intimate stages, like the iconic Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Georgia, to theater stages, such as the Capitol Theater in Clearwater, Florida, is the concentrated influences and earnest emotional exposition that solidify Kristopher – as an Americana-Soul force to be encountered and experienced.
Shortly after becoming a father, Kristopher wrestled with the dualities of parenthood, and under the catharsis of writing, he penned) his first song —a 3 verse, 2 chorus, 1 bridge tune, that would breakdown the floodgates of his pent-up musical creativity. “My Heart Wasn’t Ready”, which became a breakout song, was the first of four to be written, recorded, and produced in the following weeks — his first EP “Movement,” which also features the highly-praised “Runaways”. Expounding as a songwriter, Kristopher garnered local acclaim, “His vocals are perfectly reined in to suit his range and his easy gift for melody is unrivaled in the Bay area singer-songwriter space,” (Creative Loathing Tampa 2017). It was at this support from the Florida musical community that pushed Kristopher to dive back into the studio for his second EP “Find Me”—featuring the titular track, as well as songs like the moody “Fire & the Fuse,” the anguished “Heart Shaped Grave,” and the critically praised “Humming Hallelujah.” Kristopher sustains his soulful exchange with an ardent substance that is uniquely his own.
Though he’s lived in the Sunshine State, for most of his life, Kristopher’s talent for melody and song (now) extend far past the state’s line. Like his influencers Otis Redding, Amos Lee, and Roberta Flack, Kristopher’s voice is clear, controlled, and full of all-the-feels. As with all artists, Kristopher’s sound has ebbed and flowed, evolving yet remaining instantly recognizable. With the growth he’s experienced as an artist, Kristopher felt it was time to capture his songs, in their fully-imagined sound!
With his debut album “Kindness Never Quits”, featuring members of Scary Pockets, Kristopher caught the attention of Relix & Glide Magazine, Spotify Playlist curators and continued praise, such as “vocals are so powerful and as the song progresses, he showcases why he is one of the best singers out there. All that soul in one artist is just unbelievable” from Reignland Magazine.
Continuing through the COVID years, Kristopher partnered with musicians to keep the music and community alive. Along with composer and keys player Mike Hicks of Rascal Flatts, The War & Treaty’s Max Brown on guitar, as well as talented artists Kyshona Armstrong, Jonathan Huber, DeMarco Johnson, Kristopher released 3 acclaimed singles: “Never Had to Find Our Way”, “Feelings” and “I Can Only Love You in a Song” https://www.kristopherjamesmusic.com/home