Live music by Shannon LaBrie from Nashville, TN
7-10PM
Music by Nashville chanteuse Shannon LaBrie defies genre and brings to life insightful stories of a woman who remains true to herself in a life where uncertainty is certain. The Lincoln, NE native instantly became a favorite among music fans and critics alike with her powerful 2016 album War & Peace. With lead singles, "Alcohol," and "It's Political" the independent release reached inside the Top Ten on iTunes, Spotify's US viral chart and Triple A Radio charts. Famed music blogger Bob Lefsetz wrote, “This track affected me. Made me believe like the great singer-songwriters of yore, maybe this woman has something to say. That in this crazy, mixed up, shoot-up world she can illuminate her story and people can relate.”
Tracked live at Nashville’s House of Blues Studio D with producer Tom Michael, War & Peace is an emotionally-charged collection of deep Americana soul that gives voice to the love and loss LaBrie experienced throughout her life.
The title track "War & Peace," is inspired by the unwavering love and commitment she experienced while dealing with a tragedy that continues to shake LaBrie’s heart to this day. “I feel very fortunate that I made it through the past five years.” LaBrie continues to explore love in the stirring rocker “It Took My Whole Life.” The smooth and steady “Crumble” addresses how consuming love can feel, and the soulful “Ain’t Just a Feeling” captures the solace love provides. “There was a time when love was a far-off dream,” she says. “Feeling good, feeling like a woman, feeling beautiful wasn’t something that came easily. ‘Ain’t Just a Feeling’ came from a moment when I was able to step out of the sadness and just be happy.”
LaBrie calls out American politicians in the fiery opener “It’s Political,” while “American Dream,” celebrates feeling thankful to live in a country that offers its citizens a life of endless possibility as a basic human right. Anchoring the soul of the album are the deeply emotional “Alcohol” and "Heaven Crashed Down.” “Alcohol” is a moving ballad about trying to save a loved one from a life of addiction, but in trying, only kills the savior. In “Heaven Crashed Down,” LaBrie gives a visual account of the painful loss of her father to cancer when she was only 13.
Rolling Stone, compares LaBrie, to the great late Jeff Buckley saying “her songs unfold with style and subtlety, coasting over the albums lush arrangements via LaBrie's gorgeous voice. It's as if Jeff Buckley and Norah Jones started a band that went a tiny bit country." CMT says "She's part Tom Petty, part folk goddess, with Dylanesque lyrics."
With over 12 millions streams on Spotify and Apple Music, she has toured over 500 dates. Amongst those she has opened for Gabe Dixon, Phoenix, ZZ Ward, Billy Bob Thornton, Rayland Baxter, Robert Randolph, The Head and the Heart, The Wild Feathers, Michael Franti and Valerie June. Her résumé now includes her first album cut, which is the lead single on Robert Randolphs newest album "Got Soul." The album just received a Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary Blues Album."
https://www.youtube.com/user/shannonlabrie
https://www.instagram.com/shannonlabrie/
The Rainbow Connection: Screenprints by Lesley Anne Numbers
Opening Reception August 2, 6-9pm
On View July 29th - September 29th
Artist Statement: I believe art can heal, forge, and redefine relationships – to other people, to the world around us, to ourselves – and this is what I explore in my work. My art practice developed in conjunction with becoming a mother and motherhood, nurturance and hope are common themes. Words are often at the foundation of what I create; song lyrics, fragments of a story or the lines of a poem. The words become guides for building a visual narrative. In all of the work I do, I seek out patterns and symbols, especially symbols rooted in nature.
I am currently pursuing an MFA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I am exploring caregiving, regeneration and the interdependent relationships between people and plants through the media of printmaking, drawing, and community-based art making.
You can see more of my work at lesleyannenumbers.com or follow me on Instagram @lesleyannenumbers.