ANDY WHITE with RADOSLAV LORKOVIC
KELLY JOE PHELPS
Born in Belfast, socially political and romantically poetical, Andy White is widely regarded as one of the most gifted singers and songwriters in Irish music today. His output is lush yet edgy, a tender, biting mix of Celtic eloquence and rock passion. In performance he imbues his work with both gospel spirituality and political insight. Says the Toronto Star, "White's rhapsodic, Celtic-dusted folk-pop is loaded with the kind of brainy, dry humour the Irish have patented ... giddy, sardonic and precocious." An inspired performer of notable passion, White has won all of Ireland's top songwriting awards, along the way collaborating with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Stephen Fearing and Tim Finn.
Drawing on a multitude of influences, from classical and jazz to the rawest, most basic blues and soul, pianist Radoslav Lorkovic has taken on a broad musical spectrum and refined it into a powerfully distinctive style. His 20-year tenure on the R&B and folk circuits has culminated in five critically acclaimed solo recordings, as well as frequent appearances with Greg Brown, Richard Shindell, Dave Moore, Catfish Keith and Bo Ramsey. His touring, meanwhile, has taken him from the taverns of the upper Mississippi to the castles of Italy, from the Yup'ik villages of Alaska to Carnegie Hall.
Kelly Joe Phelps plays acoustic country blues with an achingly beautiful melancholy that is the emotional core of the music. He  lives and breathes the blues of his Delta upbringing, of Skip James and Blind Lemon Jefferson, of Mississippi Fred McDowell and Robert Pete Williams. Yet Kelly Joe does not treat this music as a blueprint that must be followed meticulously. Every time he plays, he puts a different spin on his music. “As life moves constantly forward, so should music, if it's to contain vitality and genuine emotion respectfully relayed in an honest fashion,” he has said. Phelps plays with fire, with the raw energy of country blues. He combines his smoky baritone voice and lap-style acoustic slide guitar with dazzling intensity.
As deft and creative a slide guitarist as you'll find anywhere in America, Kelly Joe Phelps has played on albums by Greg Brown, Rory Block and Townes Van Zandt. On his own he's released seven critically acclaimed albums in nine years. "Phelps' songwriting mirrors the subtlety that distinguishes his guitar work," says the Washington Post. "His songs are infused with poignancy, passion and spirituality."
Thu Mar 27 | 8 pm
CSPS | 1103 Third St SE | Cedar Rapids
$12 advance | $15 day of show

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