The Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College welcomes songwriter, Carsie Blanton, and special guest, Edie Carey, to the Concert Hall stage on Saturday, November 5 at 7:30 pm. Inspired by artists including Nina Simone and John Prine, Blanton’s music is a jaunt through American popular song, from sultry jazz to pop-punk protest anthems.
Blanton is a songwriter with hooks, chutzpah, and revolutionary optimism. Her live shows with her Handsome Band — Joe Plowman on upright bass and Patrick Firth on Wurlitzer — seek to delight and galvanize, and her songs meander from Americana and rock to cocktail jazz, Motown, and Elvis-Costello-esque pop punk. The band serves up juicy three-part harmonies and melodic bass lines to drive home each well-crafted refrain.
Blanton explores the political and the burlesque while bringing her audience together in humor, hope, and camaraderie. Her forthcoming album, Body of Work, is an intimately-recorded collection of songs and features fan-favorites such as ‘Fishin’ with You’ and ‘Smoke Alarm’. NPR’a Fresh Air says, “Carsie Blanton is one of those hard-headed, open-hearted protestors who can make revolution sound desirable to your body, even if your mind wants to resist it.”
After keeping her band afloat throughout lockdown with live-streamed ‘Rent Parties’, going viral with a song memorializing John Prine (‘Fishin’ with You’), and releasing her critically acclaimed mid-pandemic album Love and Rage, Blanton and her impeccably dressed band’s live show is one of compassion and humanity. Her opening song, Be Good, invites us to be more like Christ and MLK, while her encore, All My Love, is dedicated to the healthcare workers, social workers, and teachers who pulled the rest of us through the pandemic.
Tickets are $35 and $25 and available online at www.durangoconcerts.com or by phone at 970-247-7657. Posted ticket prices include applicable service charges. All sales final.
The Community Concert Hall is a not-for-profit, multi-use performance venue located on the campus of Fort Lewis College. Its ability to bring a diverse spectrum of shows to Southwest Colorado is made possible through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, and financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.