Tickets: $20
When Nicholas Gunty and Brian Powers put their songs and their voices together, there is a delicate and powerful magic that commands the room to attention. The duo is known as Frances Luke Accord, and they are what NPR’s Mountain Stage calls “the definition of lean-in music.”
Their soulful, effortless branch of indie-folk is orchestrated with spare and sophisticated acoustic threads woven into a lush backdrop for their intimate melodies. Rich, up-close tenor harmonies lend their timeless songwriting an urgency that honors the Simon & Garfunkel comparisons but pushes beyond into the world of Bon Iver, Jose Gonzalez, and progressive folk music.
Both raised in South Bend, IN, Gunty and Powers met and began performing together during their time at the University of Notre Dame. Their first release, Kandote, was a bold intercultural collaboration with the Barefoot Truth Children’s Choir in Uganda, a not-for-profit effort which provides ongoing support to the choir to this day.
Relocating to Chicago in 2013, the duo honed their songwriting craft while releasing two more self-produced EPs, laying the groundwork for their breakthrough debut full-length, Fluke, in 2016. This immersive, philosophically rich album set them off on their first national tour, which included support dates with Darlingside, Anaïs Mitchell, and The Ballroom Thieves.
Now a distance band, Gunty and Powers continue to explore their combined voice with a renewed sense of growth and brotherhood from their respective homes in Philadelphia and Chicago. “Maria” (2018) and “Silver & Gold EP” (2019) reflect this evolution with a fresh vitality and set the bar high for their upcoming sophomore LP, coming in 2020.
“…ARE THE DEFINITION OF LEAN-IN MUSIC.”
– JONI DEUTSCH, NPR’S MOUNTAIN STAGE
“…ARE SOME OF OUR VERY FAVORITE MUSICIANS, SONGWRITERS, AND PEOPLE.”
– DARLINGSIDE
“…AN ECHO OF SIMON & GARFUNKEL, THE QUIRKY WEIRDNESS OF SUFJAN STEVENS, AND THE MELODIC PROGRESSION OF JOSH RITTER…FLA HAVE TAKEN ALL OF THIS AND TURNED IT INTO SOMETHING ENTIRELY UNIQUE.”
-PURE M MAGAZINE
“Indie folk at its finest” – Milk Crater
“People should hear this music and say this is something I want to hear more of and know more about. This is not foreign music – this is music that’s got a precedent set many years ago. And when you hear somebody do it this well, you kind of just have to pay attention to it.” – Richard Milne, WXRT Chicago
‘If you like killer harmonies, you will LOVE Frances Luke Accord’ – Jeanette Sangston, The Revue
[Frances Luke Accord] have their fingers in a sound that’s timeless yet absolutely necessary in an increasingly static musical landscape. – Joshua Pickard, Nooga
An intimate concert in a relaxed setting on Saturday, November 17th at 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:15 pm) in the Uptown Theatre.
Songwriter and instrumentalist Dave Moore (guitar, accordion, harmonica) and finger-style guitarist extraordinaire Phil Heywood. Recently Dave Moore and Phil Heywood have been sharing stages, trading songs and embroidering rich instrumental accompaniment on each other’s songs and melodies.
Eastern Iowa’s Dave Moore writes and plays guitar, button accordion and harmonica in a country blues/folk and conjunto style. He is a veteran of A Prairie Home Companion, winner of Iowa Arts Council grants and recipient of the 2017 Folk Tradition Midwest Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM).
One of the finest songwriters to come out of Iowa, Moore has recorded three albums with Red House Records and has written songs recorded by Lowen & Navarro, Greg Brown and Larry Penn. His instrumental prowess on harmonica and accordion makes him an in-demand session player as well; he has appeared on recordings with Greg Brown, Garrison Keillor, David Zollo, Brother Trucker and many more. Moore has opened for such greats as Townes Van Zandt, John Hammond Jr. and Los Lobos, and shared the stage with Chet Atkins, Nick Lowe and Beausoleil, among others.
While born and bred in Mount Vernon, Iowa, Heywood has been based in Minneapolis-St. Paul since the mid-1980s, performing locally and regionally while also establishing himself in the greater guitar and acoustic music world. In 1986 he won the National Fingerpicking Championship, and followed up a year later by winning the American Fingerstyle Guitar Festival Competition. He has played on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion with guitar legend Chet Atkins, performed with fellow acoustic guitar luminaries Tim Sparks, Pat Donohue and Peter Lang, and opened shows for such artists as Norman Blake, Greg Brown, John Renbourn, Chris Smither, and John Hammond.
Phil Heywood has recorded six solo CDs, some of which will be available at the concert.
Heywood and Moore will be available for phone interviews and other press inquiries in advance of the show by calling or texting Nancy Emrich Freeman at 847-256-0000.
NOTE: If you reserve an early dinner before the concert at the Palisades Café, mention LilFest, and receive the evening’s LilFest special.
Advance concert tickets may be purchased at:
Bauman’s of Mount Vernon
Helios Stitches’ n Stuff
or online via Brown Paper Tickets
or you can by tickets at the door.
$5 Student / $20 Gen. Admission / $50 VIP Seating
Questions? Call: 847-256-0000 or Email: [email protected]
Starmites is a delightfully over the top sci-fi 80’s rock musical that uses a fantasy world to drive home poignant lessons about the awkwardness of growing up when you don’t quite fit in.
Outsider, Eleanor Fairchild has built an imaginary world around the sci-fi comic books she collects. On the same day her Mom convinces her to give up her fantasy of becoming a superhero, Eleanor instead finds herself mysteriously thrust into the world of her favorite comic book, Starmites. She lands in the middle of the battle between evil villain Shak Graa, and the Starmites, guardians of Inner Space. She and the Starmites team up on a quest to keep power out of Shak Graa’s greedy hands.
Along the way they meet a colorful assortment of Bowie-esque villains including the flamboyant Diva, Queen of Inner Space and her Banshee warriors – Destiny’s Childish sirens.
Starmites’ music and lyrics are by Barry Keating. It was first presented in 1980. It opened off-Broadway in 1987 and on-Broadway on April 27, 1989, where it ran for 60 performances. It received six Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.
According to the Starmites website:
With the timeless appeal of THE WIZARD OF OZ and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, yet unique, STARMITES is exciting, touching, and great fun for the entire family.
With multiple show dates you can pick the day and time that best fits your busy schedule:
The Cast of STARMITES, in order of appearance:
Tickets are available at the performance and online. Purchase tickets online here.
