UNDER THE SUN is the new album by the Upstate music stalwarts EVAN’S DILEMMA, their first release in 12 years, and when you hear these eleven tracks of infectious guitar-driven alternative power pop rock with inspirational lyrics and spiritual overtones, it’ll seem like they never left, even though they’re coming off of a decade-plus hiatus. We’re celebrating the return of a beloved band by throwing the first annual Dilemmafest at Horizon Records in The Bohemian Cafe on Saturday, December 8th at 3 p.m. And not only will Evan’s Dilemma be taking the stage to show off their new record, they’ll be preceded by one of our favorite award-winning bluesmen, J. MICHAEL KING, and the brilliant and beloved singer songwriter guitarist Niel Brooks!
J. Michael has a new CD in tow, Shake That Butter, an accomplished set of Piedmont blues in the time-honored style of Reverend Gary Davis, Blind Willie Walker, Josh White, and Pink Anderson. Earlier this year, J. Michael won the Jean Haney Folk Heritage Award, which was created by the state legislature in 1987 to recognize lifetime achievement in the folk arts.
If you’re a fan of acoustic Upstate music, you already know of the genius of NIEL BROOKS, but his new album Sewn Into The Sky is a bit of a curveball. Stretching into more experimental territory, the largely instrumental builds Niel’s guitar-wizardry into something more complex and haunting than he’s ever done before. Call it avant-garde folk or acoustic prog, but it’s spellbinding, regardless of genre-labels.
This performance gives us a chance to check out some musicians who are doing #gvlmusic right, all on one stage starting at 3 p.m.
HORIZON RECORDS has all three new albums by these great local artists in-stock now on CD and, in the case of Niel Brooks, vinyl LP.