Luise and Richard Beringer John and Karen Foster David Hasbargen Wayne Zimmerman Fern Letnes Robert Lewis Greg Soleim Tom Steen Carol Cook Devera Warcup Jeff Weatherly Shari Weisz Robert and Barbara White
Concerts in the Garden 2012 Limited Edition Print
by Becky Uglem Edition of 25 Available at the concerts or online
June 19, 2012 Dessa Opening: The Sob Sisters Sponsored by Donovan and Shannon Widmer, Bryan Hoime and Greg Martin
Dessa is one part of the seven-member Minneapolis-based hip-hop collective Doomtree. Dessa's first full-length record, A Badly Broken Code, introduced her to a national audience as a rapper, a singer, and a potent, imaginative lyricist. It earned her a binder of superlative reviews from sources like NPR, The Seattle Times, and AM New York.
Blitzen Trapper is a Portland-based experimental folk/country band signed to Sub Pop Records. At an early age E. Earley, lead singer of Blitzen Trapper, dropped out of school to focus on writing music. In 2007, Pitchfork named Blitzen Trapper "Best New Music" for their album Wild Mountain Nation. With the success of their debut album, Blitzen Trapper began touring Europe and the US with bands such as The Hold Steady. With the release of Furr, the band's second full-length album, they toured relentlessly with Wilco, Iron and Wine, plus television appearances on The Late Show, and performances at festivals such as Coachella. In 2011, the band released its latest album American Goldwing.
July 17, 2012 William Elliott Whitmore Opening: Burlap Wolf King Sponsored by Madelyn Camrud
William Elliott Whitmore has been building a reputation as an absolutely stirring live performer able to convert crowds with just his banjo and voice. Creative Loafing stated, "Whitmore writes songs as honest as Abe Lincoln, takes to the road to share these songs with rooms full of people who've likely never heard of them, and turns these strangers into fanatics nightly," while the Seattle Times offered, "You hear the diesel engine growl of his voice, the century of blues and folk tradition behind his banjo-driven stomps, the everyday relevance of his lyrics, and you succumb.
Rising out of the prairies of the Midwest, The Pines are one of the most distinct and powerful indie-rock/Americana groups to hit the national scene in years. Emerging from the same Minneapolis music world that spawned such notable acts as The Jayhawks, The Replacements, and Bob Dylan, The Pines have gathered a stunning line-up of musical talent, in both their live shows and on record, that has gained them a faithful and growing following. Frontmen Benson Ramsey and David Huckfelt share a common musical language rooted in the songs and songwriters of their native Iowa, while each bringing a distinct voice and sensibility to the sound that Rolling Stone senior writer David Ficke called "quietly gripping" stark-country."
August 7, 2012 The David Wax Museum Opening: The Sewer Rats
Recently anointed Boston's Americana Artist of the Year (2010 Boston Music Awards), the David Wax Museum has been called "pure, irresistible joy" (Bob Boilen, NPR) and hailed by TIME.com for its "virtuosic harmonies." It is no surprise that its acclaimed performance at the 2010 Newport Folk Festival was hailed as one of the highlights of the entire weekend by NPR. The Museum fuses traditional Mexican folk with American roots and indie rock to create an utterly unique Mexo-Americana aesthetic.
August 21, 2012 She Keeps Bees Opening: The Mystical Overtones
Brooklyn-based She Keeps Bees have recorded and released music made at home since 2006. The Guardian said that "they're like the White Stripes in reverse." Drowned in Sound said of Larrabee that "she has amazing control over her vocals, able to simultaneously be fiery and reserved, seductive and vaguely crude", and fellow Brooklyn musician Sharon Van Etten said "she has one of the best voices I have ever heard and she has more soul in one finger than most female singers have in our scene." The New York Times's ArtsBeat compared her to PJ Harvey, but added that "far from Ms. Harvey’s theatrical poise, Ms. Larrabee is loose, vehement and unchoreographed, jittering around the stage."
