Little Village Presents: Laura Gibson with The Lonelyhearts and Alexis Stevens
The Englert Theatre — Thursday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m.
On May 19, the Englert Theatre, with presenting sponsor Little Village, welcomes songwriter Laura Gibson to the stage. The Portland, Ore. singer is currently based out of New York, and is touring in support of her fourth studio album, Empire Builder. Gibson birthed this album with contributions from a host of supporters, out of the wake of the loss of all of her possessions — including lyrics notebooks and instruments — in a fire in her New York City apartment.
Gibson’s songs are steeped in lyricism and imagery; she is currently pursuing an MFA in fiction writing at Hunter College, and it shows. In addition to her evocative songwriting, Gibson made a bright mark on the music world by inaugurating NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. The series, which passed 500 recordings this January, got its start in 2008 with a whimsical request to Gibson and her surprising follow-through. Since then, NPR’s All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen has opened his desk to everyone from Graham Nash to Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings to Wilco — and that’s just the past six months.
Opening for Gibson are Iowa-born, Nashville-based Alexis Stevens and the Fort Collins, CO/Iowa City split duo The Lonelyhearts, whose new album is out on Friday. The combination of these acts is a storyteller’s dream come true. All are rooted in a literary love affair, painted both lyrically and musically.
Tickets for this show are $10 in advance/$12 at the door. They’re available today for pre-sale to Friends of the Englert; they will go on sale tomorrow, Apr. 20, at 12:30 p.m. to the general public.
