Grants Pass Museum of Art
2018 Schedule of Music Events
Sara and Kenny
April 27th, 2018 7pm
Born into a multicultural and musical family, Sara grew up in Calabria, Southern Italy. After obtaining her degree in classical guitar from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, she moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A native of Wisconsin, Kenny began his study of classical piano at age five and guitar at age twelve. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, and returned to Wisconsin to finish his degree in Economics. The two met in Milwaukee and started composing music together in 2015, finding an outstanding sympathy.
Their style is a meltdown of classical music (Bach, Satie), jazz (Snarky Puppy, Gilad Hekselman, Billie Holiday) and folk (Joni Mitchell, Neil Young). Their diverse and yet unique style portrays music as a form of constant dialogue between our intimate selves and the universe, between the strings of a guitar and the emotions of an audience.
Oliva Millerschin & Co. West Coast Tour
Back by popular demand
May 8th 7:00pm - 9:00pm
With a celestial voice and lyrics only an old soul can write, singer/songwriter Olivia Millerschin is racking up the accolades. Most recently, Olivia’s blend of vintage folk and modern pop earned her a second John Lennon Songwriting Award and the opportunity to showcase her music with a mainstage performance at NAMM 2018. She was a quarter finalist on America’s Got Talent, won the Great American Song Contest, is featured on Republic Records soundtrack to Mitch Albom’s latest novel alongside musical greats Ingrid Michaelson and Tony Bennett, and has music placed in national and international film and tv. Her achievements extend nationally as she was selected to perform at Milwaukee’s Summerfest, and has been a finalist in both the LA Music Critics Awards and The Detroit Music Awards. Her voice will also be heard in the 2018 Olympic Free Dance Program of US Pairs skaters Madison Chock and Evan bates.
Claude Bourbon
From over the pond (the UK) a fusion of classical jazz
May 18th, 2018 7pm
Claude’s inimitable style incorporates all five digits on each hand dancing independently but in unison, plucking, picking and strumming at such speed and precision that his fingers often seem to melt into a blur. Thousands of people in the UK, Europe and USA have enjoyed listening to this virtuoso and for the majority of his audience it is an experience that compels them to return again and again to hear and watch him play, as his fingers lightly dance over the strings of his guitar and create a unique sound that is ’Claude’.
Paul Sprawl
Singer, songwriter from Texas
June 15th, 2018 7pm
Paul Sprawl has owned and operated his own full-time music career since Sept. 1997. He plays all over North America and several countries in Europe. He's got nine full-length recordings of his own songs (so far), the first on a German label and the rest on his own. He's also produced three full-length cds for other artists. Born and raised in California, he and his dancer/choreographer wife are currently building a place for artists to find refuge and inspiration in Big Bend, Texas. He's been playing guitar, singing and writing songs since he was a boy. His music uniquely combines percussive guitar techniques with bottleneck, tapping, harmonica and a baritone voice.
Lipbone Redding
One man orchestra unplugged - soul, boogie, and blues from New York
July 12th, 2018 7pm
Since 2012, in order to maintain a travel lifestyle 200 engagements per year, Lipbone has returned to his roots and has sprouted new shoots. An uncanny vocal range, a nylon string guitar, a wooden spoon duct-taped to his foot and a lifetime of stories are all he needs to get the party started.
Lipbone has taken his singular vocal instrumental style to a new level by playing guitar and producing all of the instrument sounds while simultaneously singing and storytelling without the use of electronic effects nor a loop.
Rupert Wates - Vocal/guitar Solo
August 31st, 2018 7pm
Photo: Marco ProzzoRupert Wates was born in London and studied at Oxford University. He has been a full time songwriter since the late 1990s, when he signed a publishing contract with Eaton Music Limited. His contract required him to write material in all kinds of styles and genres, for all kinds of artists. He worked extensively with Jazz vocalist Liz Fletcher, and wrote the album 'Blue Afternoons' (Mainstem, 2002) specially for her voice. Moving in 2001 to Paris, Wates formed his own quartet and began playing live regularly. In fall 2006 he came to the US. He is now based in New York City and Colorado.
His music is an eclectic mix of acoustic, melodic art/folk, with flavors of jazz, vaudeville and cabaret. He has released seven solo CDs. They have been very well reviewed in the online press and tracks from them have been played on radio all over the world. In addition, Wates' songs have been covered by other artists in the UK, Canada and the US. No less than two full length tribute CDs to his material have been recorded: 'Crazy Puzzle' (2015) by Nashville-based performer Roxie Rogers, and 'Wide Open Heart' (release date TBA) by Los Angeles vocalist Susan Kohler. Both CDs comprise exclusively songs taken from Rupert Wates' back catalog.
https://www.rupertwatesmusic.com
Danika and Jeb - Vocal/guitar
August 24th, 2018 7pm
Danika - Don’t let the optimistic take on life in Danika’s music fool you into thinking she’s never endured hardship. She has... and plenty of it. She just chose to focus the message of her music on overcoming challenges and getting through life’s hardest moments in one piece, and being better for it. Danika believes music has the ability to heal. But that’s not all. A well written song and performance can lead you to sing along, to laugh, or to bop your head and groove with the beat. That’s what you can expect from a Danika Holmes show... not just songs, but an experience to remember.
Jeb - Jeb Hart is the creator of Six Month Guitar. He started playing music at age 9, starting with saxophone and then later adding guitar, bass, and drums. Throughout the years he has learned many more. In his college days he spent many hours in the studio writing and recording songs.
Jeb also filled in with hundreds of bands including blues, rock, metal, country, and even a 2 1/2 year stint with a big band. He has taught for 16 years, and has decided to perform full time with Danika Holmes. Jeb stated, "It's taken a long time to find a band that was worth pulling away from teaching for. I'm excited to see where we go in the next few years."
Tina and Her Pony
September 13th, 2018 7pm
Tina & Her Pony met in Asheville, N.C. in 2009. Tina Collins (tenor banjo, tenor ukulele, guitar, vocals) and Quetzal Jordan (cello, guitar, vocals) spent two years holed up in the high desert mountain town of Taos, New Mexico, making music and friends, and becoming one of the iconic artist colony’s most beloved performing acts.
Collins and Jordan are classically trained musicians who first toured together as part of Over Under Yonder, a five piece band that played songs from Collins’ debut album Journey Onward.