The great blu yonder
Enjoy a little bluegrass on the green grass with Nu-Blu
The Lincoln City Cultural Center has a lot to offer those in search of entertainment. A great big auditorium for live events, studios for art and exercise and, perhaps most importantly now that summer is here, a great big lawn.
To take full advantage of the space, Executive Director Niki Price added a special item to the budget.
“We set aside grant money that we had received and applied it toward the rental of a large, spacious tent,” she said. “It’s going to be a great venue for our concerts, children's theater, a night market and a picnic.”
Before that tent makes its debut in July, and to get you ready for a summer of live music, the center is presenting a free concert on the lawn on Tuesday, June 22, featuring the touring Bluegrass/Americana band Nu-Blu.
Hailing from North Carolina, Nu-Blu is the married musical duo of Carolyn and Daniel Routh, along with Austin Hefflefinger on banjo and Justin Harrison on mandolin. Together they deliver a warm, layered Appalachian sound, with songs that range from a tender lullaby to the musical equivalent of a freight train.
The band has released four Top Ten Billboard albums, appearing on everything from Fox News to CBS “Sunday Morning,” and hosted their own show, the nationally-syndicated “Bluegrass Ridge.”
There will be food and concessions, and a beer and wine garden. Local favorite Foulweather String Band will open the show. In case of rain, this event will be held in the auditorium, but in case of sun, make sure to bring a chair or blanket.
Nu-Blu delivers upbeat, blazing-finger pick-work and gentle, heartwarming ballads — all with a natural togetherness, forged over hundreds of shows on the road.
It’s that road that ends up best defining the band’s latest release, “Vagabonds.”
“I love that we get to wake up someplace different every day,” Daniel said. “We meet people from all over the country.”
Those people, and their stories, provided the timber for this most recent album and are most present on songs like the poignant “A Lot More Love,” a simple, sincere invitation to build better bridges across a divided America, and “640 Battlefield Drive,” a ballad about love of country, loss and strength. The album’s standout single, the effervescent, unstoppable “Still Small Voice,” was written by Devin Bell, Tony Lopacinski and Jimmy Fortune, who says of the band, “Nu-Blu’s unique sound captures the attention of your heart and soul.”
The band got their start in 2003, the end result of several of Carolyn and Daniel’s previous projects. From the beginning, they’ve embodied the American working band, pushing through a number of challenges. Just a few years after their formation, their original record label folded, and Carolyn suffered a stroke that left her unable to speak, let alone sing. But barreling past those early trials toughened them, and the muscle and calluses that came with them have led Nu-Blu to new heights, like their single “Jesus and Jones,” which had a run on the radio charts as part of their last release, “All The Way.”
Constant traveling has also changed the way they make music. Several tracks on “Vagabonds” found their way to the band almost on their own.
“We were playing this show and we just kinda decided we’d do ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,’” Carolyn said. “We hadn’t rehearsed it; we hadn’t even played it together before. But we pulled it off that night, and the audience loved it.”
That growing relationship with their audience is what fuels the band both creatively and emotionally, making the thousands of miles they’ve traveled an honor instead of a chore.
“If anything, I feel like the road has made us a sunnier bunch,” Carolyn said. “In past albums, we’ve tended to gravitate towards the songs that make you cry, but on this one, there are a number of just happy, happy songs.”
The Nu-Blu and Foulweather String Band concert will begin at 6 pm on Tuesday, June 22, with Nu-Blu taking to the stage at 7 pm.
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The center’s festival-style tent will be the site for five concerts throughout July, each complemented by a different hot food vendor and other concessions.
“I want it to feel like an outdoor music festival, with food, beer, wine and great music, in a colorful and vibrant atmosphere,” Price said. “I want folks to be able to chat, catch up and enjoy the music.”
On Thursday, July 1, the Halie Loren Quartet will fill the tent with a multi-genre, multi-lingual, multi-era celebration of summertime, with food supplied by the deliciously innovative Stoopid Veganz.
On Thursday, July 8, Son de Cuba takes the stage, a quintet of international musicians hailing from Chile, Mexico, Cuba and the US, playing classic and modern tunes through an energetic lens. Grab some authentic Cuban food from Havana Station for the full experience.
On Thursday, July 15, jazz artists Sons of Wonder and The Dmitri Matheny Group featuring Holly Pyle will join forces to celebrate Stevie Wonder. Phill’s Smokin’ Grill will provide delectable and juicy eats.
On Monday, July 26, the Gothard Sisters will utilize multiple instruments to deliver a Northwest Celtic concert to listeners. Calle will be serving its mouth-watering tacos with always-fresh ingredients, juicy tortas and more.
On Thursday, July 29, folk music duo Men of Worth (James Keigher from Ireland and Donnie Macdonald from Scotland) are sure to end the series with a bang. They’re accompanied by the best finger-licking-good pizza you’ve ever had. Hearth & Table Events delivers smoky, wood-fired food items from its mobile brick pizza oven.
Tickets are $35 for general admission; $20 for youth; and $32 for seniors and students. Doors will open at 6 pm each evening and concerts begin at 7 pm.
For more information, including tickets for the Plaza Party Series, go to lincolncity-culturalcenter.org.