Date and Time
Friday May 25, 2018
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT
Every Friday night from Memorial Day through Labor Day. 7-9 p.m.
Location
Bridge Park Pavilion. Sylva, NC
Fees/Admission
Free with donations encouraged
Contact Information
828-586-2155
Description
Ian Ridenhour will kickoff the ninth season of Concerts on the Creek on Friday, May 25 from 7-9 p.m.
Ridenhour's music is an energetic and dynamic celebration of rhythm and lyrics. He writes smart, piano-driven alternative rock music with pop sensibilities and a dark streak, or as Sav Buist of The Accidentals puts it: “like Jack White and Ben Folds had a baby.”
After establishing himself in North Dakota fronting his own band and playing with others like Tigirlily (winning a North Dakota Music Award at age 14), Ian moved to the Asheville, N.C., area, where he developed a devoted following. His first album, "Quietly Making Noise," was followed in 2016 by "Cry About It," a dark pop-rock tour de force that juxtaposes infectious hooks and complex arrangements with raw, real-life lyrics that engage with the psyche’s shadowy side. The video for “Dancing Children,” one of the two vanguard singles from "Cry About It," won top honors at the 2017 Music Video Asheville Awards.
"Ribcage," the new EP, was released in January 2018. Recorded at Echo Mountain Studios and produced by Nomatic Studio, the album features the talents of Jacob Rodriguez and Justin Ray (of Michael Buble), Asheville artist Brie Capone, and others. “You Help Me Fall Asleep,” the first single off the album, will be released on December 1, 2017 with an accompanying video produced by All Around Artsy.
Bolstered by his powerhouse band, Ian’s performances are, as the Mountain Xpress says, “dynamic, with hooky melodies, frenzied riffs, and kinetic, danceable energy.” As well as playing festivals across the southeast and headlining listening rooms in western North Carolina, Ian has shared the stage with The Accidentals, BJ Leiderman, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and Third Eye Blind, among others.
PopMatters says that Ian is “easily one the more diverse piano-centered rock acts of modern times,” which is perhaps what jazz legend Jimmy Cobb meant when he said of Ian, “in a couple of minutes, he’s gonna be a monster.”
Concerts on the Creek are held every Friday from Memorial Day through Labor Day from 7-9 p.m., at the Bridge Park gazebo stage in Sylva. The Town of Sylva, Jackson County Parks and Recreation and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce team up to produce the Concerts on the Creek series.
These events are free and open to the public with donations encouraged. Please bring a chair or blanket. Food trucks will be at most of this year's events.
Concerts on the Creek is a Blue Ridge Music Trail partner.
Check www.mountainlovers.com or Facebook for updates and more information.
