Unplugged View
By Aaron Rowan
The A-Force Awakens
I got my first taste of the touring lifestyle last summer, when I joined a songwriter friend on a train adventure through the Southwest to play a few venues I helped set up. It was she who gave me the name ‘A-Force’ when I first did booking work for her years ago. We spent much of that tour getting lost – in a sprawling musical instrument museum in Phoenix; in a massive, surreal, interactive art installation in Santa Fe; my travel partner even got lost on the train one day, even though you can only go in two directions; and I found myself lost many times in the haunting melodies she makes.
In recent weeks, tour managing has become a much more prominent part of my work as a music curator, with more escapes on the horizon with new companions. I’ve got some world-class musical friends who I’ve shared with Modesto before, and can’t wait to help share with other parts of the country. And of course, while here at home, I’m looking forward to giving many more traveling artists from across the world a creative refuge in the intimate listening-room concert series Modesto Unplugged has become known for.
May’s lineup at Moon & Sixpence is all about the world-traveling artist. Wednesday 5/2, Canadian-American duo Dan & Laurel will be with us, with broad influences ranging from folk, classical, old-time and Celtic, to gospel, jazz, vintage country, rock n’ roll, blues, and bluegrass. Opening for them is gritty Americana songwriter Samm Bones, who can be found touring all over when not busy getting lost in the wild of Alaska or the desert of Peru. 7 PM, $10.
Friday 5/18, we’ll be presenting Grizzly Goat, on tour from their home base in Utah. Five multi-instrumentalists hailing from five different states come together to form this young band, making undomesticated Americana music focused on good stewardship of the earth, geography, and caring for others. 8 PM, $10.
Saturday 5/19, one of New Zealand’s established songwriting stars, Mel Parsons, appears solo on our stage. Mel is a two-time NZ Music Award finalist for Folk Album of the Year, and a winner of the 2016 APRA NZ Country Song of the Year. 7:30 PM, $15. Check out our intimate performances and infinite playlist at 500 9th St. between E & F, and visit www.modestounplugged.com for more.
