**Take advantage of advance ticket prices, as they go up the day of the show!** ADV: $18/$15 MEM; D/S: $21/$18 MEM
As a tunesmith, Kelly Joe Phelps already has a proven track record, with a catalogue of original songs infused with what the Washington Post calls “poignancy, passion and spirituality.” With his sixth studio album, Tunesmith Retrofit, he offers a dozen compositional gems that show him at the peak of his songwriting powers, tackling engaging story songs and soul-baring ballads with equal aplomb. Although his musical foundation remains country-blues and folk music, there’s nothing traditional or predictable about Kelly’s lyrical approach, which features distinctive images and refreshing turns of phrase. Beyond the rich wordplay, his latest album serves up several musical surprises, including the first original instrumentals he’s ever recorded. His lyrics are integral to his music vision. “I’m always trying to identify parts that could use improving,” he once said, “and figuring out what it might take to accomplish that.”
Tunesmith Retrofit is his Rounder Records debut and is the latest step in the evolution of a consummate artist. Kelly launched his recording career in his early 30s, after immersing himself in Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and free improvisation and then discovering the blues of Skip James, Robert Pete Williams, and Mississippi Fred McDowell. His first three albums, Lead Me On, Roll Away the Stone, and Shine Eyed Mister Zen, featured just him on guitar and vocals, performing a mix of traditional and original songs. With 2001’s Sky Like a Broken Clock, he moved to strictly original compositions, adding bassist Larry Taylor (Canned Heat, Tom Waits) and drummer Billy Conway (Morphine).
Slingshot Professionals, another album of all-original material, added renowned guitarist Bill Frisell and three Canadian musicians: slide guitarist Steve Dawson, fiddler-mandolinist Jesse Zubot and keyboardist Chris Gestrin. The talents of Dawson, Zubot and Gestrin show up again on Tunesmith Retrofit. Kelly’s music comes alive thanks to masterful musicianship and superb songwriting, and his newest album is one of a musical depth and poetic charm that seems destined to bring this gifted artist the larger audience he deserves.
Gregory Alan Isakov, who has been described by the Boulder Weekly: "Strong, subtle, a lyrical genious" and has been compared to his influences, Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Joe Phelps, Iron & Wine, and Gillian Welch, will open for Kelly.
