Up Next Flagstaff: Sleep Stampede and Prawn Party
2024-04-20 19:30 (America/Phoenix) | Coconino Center for the Arts, 2300 North Fort Valley Road, Flagstaff, AZ, 86001, United States
Buy Tickets
Up Next Flagstaff is a new series at Coconino Center for the Arts that is proud to showcase local emerging artists
Sleep Stampede a singer-songwriter folk duo based in Flagstaff, Arizona. Their sound has been described as “the feeling you get after a good long day in the mountains,” which reflects their love for wild places that bring them inspiration. Sleep Stampede’s imagery-rich songwriting, intimate performances, and community-centered events evoke familiarity, hope, and sadness, bringing listeners into a dream-like state of both comfort and heartbreak.
Jacqueline and John, the team behind Sleep Stampede, are both frequently covered in dirt, fond of early mornings, and feel most themselves while songwriting over coffee. Jacqueline is a guide, teacher and facilitator focused on nature reconnection and creativity, and John manages river restoration projects in Arizona. Their original music continues to grow and change with the tides of their inspirations.
Prawn Party is an emerging indie band based out of Flagstaff, AZ. Formed in March of 2024, the group consists of Kevin Coronado (Guitar/vocals), Marley Wall (Bass/vocals), Preston Luce (Drums/wizardry), and Anthony Chesney (Guitar/vocals). As a newborn Frankenstein monster of psychedelic sounds, they have formed an alliance to perform open heart surgery on your mind and bring you medium octane, low fidelity music designed to make you dance while existentially contemplating the void.
Save 10% with membership! Members use SP24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Interference Series Presents: Positive Knowledge (Oluyemi & Ijeoma Thomas)
2024-04-21 18:30 - 20:30
Buy Tickets
The Interference Series is honored to present Bay Area-legends Positive Knowledge for a multi-day residency.
“Positive Knowledge” is a performance duo that features multi-instrumentalist Oluyemi Thomas (bass clarinet, saxophones and percussion) and Ijeoma Thomas (voice and percussion).Their compositions emerge from a long, intense, and ongoing involvement with American improvisational and jazz traditions, as reconfigured through their participation in the musical life of other cultures. Both performers have undertaken extended musical travels, in sub-Saharan and northern Africa, the Middle East, and South America (particularly Brazil), as well as Europe and North America. For many listeners, their performances themselves resemble a journey, though not to any known places. The works of “Positive Knowledge” undertake an ecstatic quest of the spirit, seeking the uncommon sounds of sense, correspondence, and borderless harmony. While in Flagstaff, the duo will collaborate with NAU students and Flagstaff community members in various events, including this featured concert at Coconino Center for the Arts. This residency is supported by a generous contribution from John and Lynn Schiek.
Save 10% with membership! Members use PK24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Live from France: Pierre Bensusan
2024-04-26 19:30
Buy Tickets
Winner of the Independent Music Award for his triple live album “Encore”, voted Best World Music Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine reader’s Poll, winner of the Rose d’Or at the Montreux Festival for his debut album, Pierre Bensusan is recognized as one of the greatest guitar players of the 21st century.
When Michael Hedges titles one of his compositions “Bensusan”, you know that the inspiration behind it must be special and Pierre Bensusan certainly is. Guitarists from Leo Kottke to Larry Corryel, to Tuck Andress, Tommy Emmanuel, Mark Knopfler, Andrew York, Andy Timmons, to Steve Lukather… have sung his praises, and Steve Vai released three Bensusan albums on his label Favored Nations. And it’s not just guitarists who are so inspired by Pierre’s music, as a recent studio collaboration with him on Donny Osmond’s latest album “Start Again” goes to show.
If World Music means the fusion of traditional, contemporary, jazz, classical and pop music, then Bensusan is one of the most eloquent World Music musicians of our time. A pianist in his beginnings then self-taught on the guitar, the originality of his style makes him one of today’s greatest guitarists and composers for the instrument. Also called “The Prince of DADGAD”, his story is far from trivial and it is on stage that this artist has earned his stripes: among others, the Rose d’Or of the Montreux Festival, and being elected Best Guitarist of World Music by the readers of Guitar Player Magazine! His triple album “Encore” won the Grand Prix of the Independent Music Awards in the category Best Live Album… Since his first performances in 1974 in France, the guitarist has sold half a million albums and given thousands of concerts around the globe, both solo and through numerous collaborations.
Born in French Algeria, Pierre Bensusan is an adventurer of unusual lands. His almost “sacred” music is an intimate and orchestral hymn, a solo crossing on a multi-shell Lowden guitar subjected to the natural elements with sound molecules and finger pulp on an ebony fingerboard for open tuning – an unique and transparent technique, under the fingers of an adventurous pilgrim. Big emotion guaranteed.
“For me, Pierre can only justly be compared to someone of the stature of Keith Jarrett; so total is his mastery of the solo instrument, his dazzling harmony, his many innovations, and his deft command of counterpoint, the jazz idiom, folk expression, and all genres between and beyond. An entire history unfolds as he plays. But really, like Jarrett, the emotional depth – and this is where true artistry often likes to live – of many of his songs and compositions is all, well, breathtaking. With only his steel-string-acoustic guitar – and sometimes his rich, affecting voice – Mr Bensusan can disassemble your heart and hand it back to you restored and renewed. As he did to mine tonight. A true giant.”
-James Volpe Rotondi (editor at Guitar Player Magazine)
Save 10% with membership! Members use PB24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Mariee Siou
2024-05-10 19:30
Buy Tickets
Mariee Siou has been a fixture in the Neo-folk scene since her 2007 debut “Faces in the Rocks”—now acclaimed as a cult classic in the indie music world. She is revered for her delicate finger picking and poetic mysticism, often drawing, as from the ether, immense feeling through a voice of soft potency and otherworldly wordsmithing. She is known as a healing singer and as being a visionary artist, channeling and transmitting medicinal qualities through her music. Mariee Siou has extensively toured Europe and the US, and opened for acclaimed artists like Mazzy Star, Buffy St. Marie, Bert Jansch, Brightblack Morning Light, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, and Joanna Newsom. In 2021 she played Le Guess Who? In Utrecht, Netherlands, at the invitation of Phil Elverum of The Microphones/Mt. Eerie, and she continues to tour the US and Europe.
Save 10% with membership! Members use MS24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Larry & Joe
2024-06-13 19:30
Buy Tickets
These two virtuosic multi-instrumentalists fuse their respective Venezuelan and Appalachian folk traditions on the harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, upright bass, guitar, and maracas to prove that music has no borders. Their engaging bilingual (esp / eng) program includes storytelling, humor, singalongs, and dancing.
Larry & Joe were destined to make music together.
Larry Bellorín hails from Monagas, Venezuela and is a legend of Llanera music. Joe Troop is from North Carolina and is a GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass and oldtime musician. Larry was forced into exile and is an asylum seeker in North Carolina. Joe, after a decade in South America, got stranded back in his stomping grounds in the pandemic. Larry worked construction to make ends meet. Joe’s acclaimed “latingrass” band Che Apalache was forced into hiatus, and he shifted into action working with asylum seeking migrants. Then Larry met Joe.
Currently based in the Triangle of North Carolina, both men are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters on a mission to show that music has no borders. As a duo they perform a fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music on harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, upright bass, and whatever else they decide to throw in the van. The program they offer features a distinct blend of their musical inheritances and traditions as well as storytelling about the ways that music and social movements coalesce.
Save 10% with membership! Members use LJ24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Pride Film Showcase: Women & Non-Binary Individuals In Film
2024-06-14 19:00 - 21:00
RSVP

FREE EVENT! RSVP is encouraged.
Welcome to the first Flagstaff Pride Film Showcase at Coconino Center for the Arts.
Presented by Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival, Arizona Women’s Film Festival, and NAU Women & Non-Binary Individuals in Film. Join us to celebrate 28 years of Flagstaff Pride with a FREE film night celebrating the LGBTQIA2S+ community in film from around the world.
Doors open at 6pm, show 7-9pm.
Film lineup: This lineup includes youth film, and three local filmmakers including NAU graduates. Mama Has a Mustache, 10 min (2021) A short animated documentary about identity and family outside of the traditional gender binary, as seen through children’s eyes.
—
Miles to Go, 8 min (2022)
Trans trail runner Perry Cohen forms a team with fellow trans men with the aim to compete in trail races in states proposing and passing hateful anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
—
Revelucien, 5 min (2021) // LOCAL
Revelucien AKA Revel Lucien is a drag performance artist and painter who lives and works in Flagstaff, AZ. With stages and in-person events closed during the Covid-19 lockdowns Revel took their performances to the streets.
—
SHRED, 12 min (2023)
A group of queer Latinx skaters struggle with crippling mental health and societal expectations in Southern California. In their local skate community, they find cathartic release, chosen family and mastery of empowerment.
—
Femme Rage, 3 min (2023)
A rally cry to all QTBIPOC Femmes, across the gender spectrum, to unleash their rage about living, surviving, and thriving within a cishetero-capitalist-white supremacist-patriarchy.
—
Fade to Blue, 10 min (2023) // LOCAL
Follow the story of Jason Libby, a Trans man who found his home through the world of Drag where he transforms into the remarkable “Jay Blue.”
—
All Dressed Up, 14 min (2022)
Leo, a man in his early twenties, decides that he wants to try doing drag. When he confides in his friend Dani, the two make a deal to perform on the same night and help each other prepare for the show. However, Leo’s confidence is shaken when those around him begin to seem suspicious, so he turns to the local drag queens to find the strength within himself to explore uncharted territory.
—
The Right to Joy, 20 min (2022)
Trans-masculine cyclist Izzy Sederbaum survived a cougar attack near Seattle in 2018, facing hateful rhetoric and trauma. Despite struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, he finds solace and support in the Seattle cycling community, reigniting his passion for the sport. The film documents Izzy’s journey as he advocates for diversity and trans inclusion in cycling nationwide.
—
TransGenerations, 10 min (2023)
In the face of rising anti-trans hate, trans actress and singer Brady Peeti embarks on a journey of discovery to chart the future by learning lessons from the past. In this eight part series Brady spends time with trans New Zealanders, ranging in age from their 70’s to their 20’s, to uncover how each generation built something beautiful and valuable for the next.VIP Tix RaffleBring some dollars for the raffle! There will be two VIP tickets up for grabs! VIP tix includes: meet and greet with headliners, massage, dinner, 4 free drinks, free after party at the O & glorious schwag!Not to be missed, let’s celebrate 28 years of Flagstaff Pride supporting, uniting and strengthening our LGBTQIA2S+ community.

Interference Series Presents: Southwest Collaborative Music Convergence
2024-08-30 - 2024-09-02
Buy Tickets
Please join us at Coconino Center for the Arts to celebrate the 10th anniversary season of the interference Series with the opening event, the Southwest Collaborative Music Convergence, a one-of-a-kind experience including three days and nights of concerts and presentations in the theater, gallery and around the outside of the CCA. Along with co-director Thollem McDonas, we have invited 23 individual musicians from around the Southwest to create unique sonic experiences in response to the spaces, artwork in the Center, and the times we are living in, all through the perspective of the Southwest. We are grateful for the opportunity to create together over the Labor Day weekend with artists who have spent their lives honing their craft through collaboration with others, and excited to share it all with the community.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday—Large Ensemble Concerts in the theater, 7:30 pm
Saturday—Sonic Events in and around the CCA, 1-4 pm
Sunday—Artist Talks in the main theater, 10am-1pm
ARTIST ROSTER
Abby Fisher, Betsy Hamill, Carlos Santistevan, Chelsey Trejo, Chris Jonas, Chris Woodward, Dylan Tenorio, Edie Tsong, Eric Matchett, Gabby Isaac, Igloo Martian, Jeremy Schroeder, Kai Natseway, Lauren Sarah Hayes, Michael Begay, Owen Davis, Rob Wallace, Sage Bond, Thollem, Vicki Brown
$40 ›› 3-Day Pass
(No one turned away for lack of funds)
NOTE: Only 3-Day Passes Sold in advance. Individual tickets will be available the night of each show. Passes are transferable if you cannot attend all three shows
The Convergence is an extension of a concert held Feb., 2023 in Tucson that Thollem curated as part of the Peaceful Sky Benefit (www.peacefulsky.us). PSB was organized in order to raise awareness of the increasingly dangerous exercises the U.S. military is conducting in the southern desert. Based on the enthusiasm of the participants and the audiences, it became clear that the Convergence needed to happen again. The artists for this year’s Convergence include most everyone who participated in Tucson as well as a handful of local musicians. See/hear you out there!
Save 10% with membership! Members use SWMC24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Greenhouse Production Presents: The Martin Sexton Abbey Road Show
2024-09-11 19:30
Buy Tickets
Martin Sexton puts his signature style on his rendition of this iconic Beatles album combining what Rolling Stone calls his “soul-marinated voice” with his inventive guitar prowess.
We are all invited to Come Together to experience these brilliant songs celebrated in such a compelling reimagined way.
Save 10% with membership! Members use AR24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Coyote Makes a World, featuring the Forest and čnaq'ymi (Lone Eagle)
2024-09-22 19:30
Buy Tickets
As the central figure within Indigenous storytelling traditions of the Interior Northwest, Coyote navigates the tenuous and tumultuous present in Coyote Makes a World, a collaborative project between the Forest, a cooperative percussion ensemble featuring Gustavo Aguilar, Leah Bowden, Andrew Drury, and Michael Wimberly and storyteller/vocalist čnaq’ymi (lone eagle). Centered on stories that embody the qualities of long held Native storytelling traditions, here Coyote encounters the contemporary crises of our times, oblivious to the consequences of his actions in ways that are familiar, unsettling, and often humorous. Set within a wide-ranging rhythmic landscape layered with songs and mesmerizing vocalizations, Coyote Makes a World reflects the world we’ve made while taking the listener to places they’ve never been..
$15 General Admission
$7 Students

Save 10% with membership! Members use CMW24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Greenhouse Productions Presents: Masters of Hawaiian Music
2024-10-09 19:30
Buy Tickets

Master slack-key guitarist George Kahumoku Jr., Hawaii’s renaissance man, is a multiple Grammy and Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner. The vocalist, storyteller, songwriter, author, teacher, sculptor, farmer, and chef is also the producer and star of the long-running weekly Slack Key Show, which features the best Hawaiian slack-key guitarists and other leading musicians.
Led Kaapana has been thrilling audiences for more than 40 years with his playful stage personality and technical expertise. His mastery of stringed instruments, particularly the slack-key guitar, and his extraordinary baritone and leo ki‘eki‘e (falsetto) voices have made him a musical legend. He has earned four Grammy nominations and was featured on two Grammy-winning slack-key compilations.
Born and raised in upcountry Maui, Jeff Peterson mastered the paniolo (cowboy) guitar tradition and also became accomplished in multiple guitar styles, including classical and jazz, which has allowed him to develop a unique and transcendent voice on the guitar while remaining deeply rooted in the traditions of his Hawaiian heritage. His skill in multiple slack-key tunings is evident, and he explains the character of each tuning as he changes them during the show.
“Virtuosic keepers of a cultural flame. . . . Bringing folklore and cultural memory into a performance that unfolded as breezy entertainment.”
—New York Times

Save 10% with membership! Members use HM24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Alejandro Brittes
2024-10-12 19:30
Buy Tickets

Hailed by the Boston Globe as a “premier exponent of Chamamé,” composer and researcher Alejandro Brittes explores his chamamé heritage, an ancestral rhythm connecting us with the Earth and the Universe through music and dance, which was born of the encounter between the ritual musicality of the indigenous Guaraní and Baroque music. Having toured extensively in South America and Europe, Brittes recently completed a Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Iber Exchange-supported 2023 U.S. East Coast Tour: Library of Congress, Georgetown University, Hamilton College, The Trust PAC (PA), Levitt Pavilion (CT), and other venues.
Alejandro’s concerts establish a connection with the earth, with the origins of the music of his home region and with the universe, in primordial verticality. His trademark is to employ his accordion as if it were a bandoneón, in conversation between the left and right hands, achieving that the instrument be utilized in its highest performance. The basses of the left hand are masterfully explored, because according to Alejandro, the low basses connect us with the earth, and the right hand button keyboard, beyond providing melody to the music, elevates us to the Universe.
Save 10% with membership! Members use AB24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Stargazer Collaborative Theatre Presents: Cabaret
2024-11-08 19:30, 2024-11-09 19:30, 2024-11-10 14:00, 2024-11-15 19:30, 2024-11-16 14:00
Buy Tickets
In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the Emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken with English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally’s boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish. Musical numbers include “Willkommen,” “Cabaret,” “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Two Ladies.”
CABARET is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC. www.concordtheatricals.com
CABARET
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten and
Stories by Christopher Isherwood
Music by John Kander Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Originally Co-directed and Choreographed by Rob Marshall
Originally Directed by Sam Mendes
Cabaret, sponsored by local arts patron Shari Snodgrass and 2024 season sponsored by the Art Flores Memorial.
Viewer discretion advised due to adult content, language, and sexual references.
General Ground/Floor Seating (90/Performance): $20, general floor seating
Cabaret Table (8/Performance, Seats 2): $100, seats 2 patrons at a cabaret table for an immersive experience. The purchase of this ticket also comes with 2 drink tickets for either beer, wine, or seltzer during the performance, lite bites, and service to the table from the Kit Kat Club. One Cabaret Table ticket will be redeemed at the door for the admission of 2 patrons. IDs will be checked at the door. Must be 21 or older to drink alcohol.
Additional Notes for the Ticketing:
1. Handicapped seating is available for both General Seating and at two Cabaret Tables per performance. If you are in need of handicapped Cabaret Table seating, please reach out to both dcommanda@creativeflagstaff.org and jgallegos@creativeflagstaff.org to check availability.
2. Please note that handicapped floor seating requires using the exterior ramp to then come back inside for restroom use.
3. With an immersive theatre experience, we ask that you do not use the restroom during the performance; just before, during intermission, and after.
Save 10% with membership! Members use SG24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Greenhouse Productions Presents: The Brothers Reed with special guests: Sean Golightly & The Bandits
2024-11-23 19:30
Buy Tickets

With their comedic brotherly banter, impeccable harmonic expression, and widely varying influences, a Brothers Reed performance will have you reflecting on lost lives and lovers, laughing hysterically and leaving completely entertained.
The bros will soothe your soul with songs that are familiar yet original. Whether they are finger picking their way through a lamentable ballad or bringing you around full-speed with a barn-burning bluegrass number, The Brothers Reed are masters of their craft.

Save 10% with membership! Members use BR24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Greenhouse Productions Presents: The Songs & Stories Of John Prine featuring Billy Prine
2024-12-04 19:30
Buy Tickets

Billy Prine is a natural-born storyteller just like his late, great brother John Prine was a natural-born songwriter. John was a great communicator of the human experience whittled down to the best words. His big, little brother, owner of a rich, booming voice yet full of subtleness, is one of the finest orators you’ll ever hear – also choosing just the right turn of phrase.
During these concerts celebrating John’s life in song, Billy will tell stories about or surrounding some of John’s most beloved songs before leading his band through his version of John’s timeless masterpieces. As an example, fans will get to hear the first time John played his classic song “Paradise” for their father as the family sat around the kitchen table.
Songs are stories, novellas, if you will, and stories often become songs. It is only fitting that in the course of each show during this tour, that Billy relates – as only he can – the stories that surround the songs of his dear brother John.

Save 10% with membership! Members use BP24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Interference Series Presents: Chuck Johnson with special guests The Caverns
2024-12-09 19:30
Buy Tickets

On his new album Sun Glories, Oakland-based musician, composer, and producer Chuck Johnson explores themes of time, memory, and illusion through his unique blend of pedal steel, synths, organs, strings, and drums. Opening track “Teleos” explores the linear and cyclical qualities of time itself through episodic sections and motifs, which evoke the bittersweet relief and nostalgia that flood the senses with the arrival of the first warm and sunny day after a long, dark, and rainy stretch of winter. According to Johnson, the piece “took a surprising turn when I started adding guitar textures that recall the music I played and listened to when I was much younger.” Evocative fields of guitars and pedal steel conspire to spark an intoxicating palimpsest of memories, before being ushered forward by an improvisatory and propulsive drum performance from Ryan Jewell.
The Caverns are a pedal steel, bass, and drums trio. Travis Bruner, on pedal steel, weaves sparse vocals in with the steel over an intricate and melodic rhythm section built by Brian Gregory on bass and Matt Tress on drums. Improvisation is the guiding force, and the feel moves from meditative to deep grooves, constantly transforming like clouds moving across the Arizona sky. The lyrics, inspired by everything from the band members’ shared mission of fatherhood to the political upheaval of our times, are concise and pointed. As a recent music critic said on instagram, The Caverns make some “campfire under the moon coyote howlin’ old western psychedelic ambient stuff.”
Save 10% with membership! Use unique member number at checkout. Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

A Winter’s Eve with David Arkenstone & Friends
2024-12-10 19:30
Buy Tickets
Multi-GRAMMY Award® Nominee David Arkenstone returns to Flagstaff with his enchanting holiday concert A Winter’s Eve with David Arkenstone & Friends.
Join David Arkenstone and his band of virtuoso musicians for this lively winter celebration of beloved holiday classics reimagined, blending world music, Celtic, cinematic, new age, and neo-classical crossover. David will debut songs from his epic new release Quest for the Runestone, and captivate audiences with joyous seasonal tunes from his treasured holiday albums Celtic Christmas, Christmas Lounge, and Winterlude. These fan favorites of this magical season are sure to delight and dazzle your holiday senses.
Since the release of his first album Valley in the Clouds, David Arkenstone has become one of the most engaging and prolific multi-instrumentalists of our time.
With 5 GRAMMY® nominations to date, over 1.1 billion streams worldwide, 70+ albums, film and TV scores, game score compositions for World of Warcraft, and unforgettable NBC Sports themes such as The Kentucky Derby, The British Open, and Premier League soccer, David’s music has become the soundtrack to millions of listeners’ lives across the globe.
Quotes from recent tours:
“David Arkenstone and his fantastic band absolutely wowed the TLCA audience last year with their amazing Christmas concert event” ~Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts, Palmer Lake, Colorado.
“The most enchanting and magical music ever to be on our stage” ~Yuma Historic Theatre, Yuma, Arizona.
Save 10% with membership! Members use DA24 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount

Interference Series Presents: Manos Percussion + Davis/Wallace Duo
2025-01-13 19:30
Buy Tickets
Arizona Philharmonic principal timpanist, Maria Flurry along with award-winning Bensen Kwan on steel pan (a participant in the Panorama Semi-Finals Competition in Trinidad/Tobago) and Joshua Ferrell on percussion (a Master’s Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas in Denton) comprise Manos, a percussion ensemble dedicated to performing a variety of different genres. Flurry notes that, “we are all classically trained musicians, unleashing our creative sides to explore this rich collaboration.”
Percussionists Owen Davis and Rob Wallace have performed together as a duo since 2016. Their aesthetic draws on eclectic musical traditions, infused with the spirit of free improvisation and the exploration of sound and timbre. Davis and Wallace co-curate the Interference Series, and have performed and recorded with a wide variety of artists from around the globe.
Save 10% with membership! Use unique member number at checkout. Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Greenhouse Productions Presents: Tommy Castro & The Painkillers
2025-01-14 19:30
Buy Tickets
“The hardest thing to do,” says internationally beloved soul-blues rocker Tommy Castro, “is be yourself, take some chances and bring your fans along with you.” Throughout his long, constantly evolving career, guitarist, singer and songwriter Tommy Castro has always remained true to himself while exploring, growing and creating new music, and he has taken his thousands of devoted fans right along with him. Since his solo debut in 1994, he’s made 16 albums—the last seven for Alligator—each its own unique chapter in the book of Tommy Castro. Ranging from horn-fueled R&B to piping hot blues to fiery, stripped-down rock ‘n’ roll, each release is solidly built upon Castro’s unshakable musical foundation—a dynamic mix of 1960s-influenced guitar-fueled blues, testifying Memphis-soaked blue-eyed soul and Latin-tinged East San Jose funk, all driven by Castro’s grab-you-by-the-collar vocals and passionate guitar work. Blues Revue declared, “Tommy Castro can do no wrong.”
For Castro’s new album, a roots music odyssey entitled Tommy Castro Presents A Bluesman Came To Town, he tells a timeless story. This special project was composed by Castro along with Grammy Award-winning producer Tom Hambridge. Through its 13 songs, A Bluesman Came To Town tells the tale of a young man working on his family farm who gets bitten by the blues bug. He masters the guitar and heads out on the road seeking fame and fortune, only to find what he’s left behind is the treasure he’s been looking for. Each memorable song—from the blistering title track to the pleading Child Don’t Go to the hopeful I Caught A Break to the emotional Blues Prisoner—stands on its own, as well as contributing to the larger story.
“I like to keep things fresh and interesting,” says Castro, “Tom and I have talked about making a record together for a long time. Collaborating with him was even better than I imagined. I had an outline for the story and then Tom and I talked it out and the songs just started to organically grow out of each other.” Castro continues, “A Bluesman Came To Town isn’t a story about me. It’s pulled from some of my friends’ and my experiences though. I’ve seen first-hand for a lot of years what it’s like out there on the road.”
The road has always been Castro’s home away from home. He’ll instantly ignite a crowd, turn them into loyal fans and then keep those fans coming back for more. He has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles and performed thousands of gigs, leading his bands at clubs, concert halls, and festivals all over the world. Famed guitarist Joe Bonamassa says, “Tommy has always been top of the heap among blues guitar players. He always puts on a great show.”
Born in San Jose, California in 1955, Tommy Castro first picked up a guitar at age 10. He fell under the spell of Elvin Bishop, Taj Mahal, Mike Bloomfield and other blues artists of the day. Almost every major rock and soul act, from Ike and Tina Turner to Janis Joplin to the J. Geils Band to Tower Of Power, toured through the area, and Castro was at every show. He saw John Lee Hooker, Albert King, and Buddy Guy and Junior Wells at the same local blues bar, JJ’s, where he often jammed, dreaming of one day busting out. Mixing the blues and rock and roll he loved and the soul music he heard blasting from lowriders in his neighborhood Tommy started to create his own personal sound and style. He honed his guitar skills and intense, gritty vocals, learning how to capture an audience as he performed on San Francisco’s highly competitive club scene. As his reputation spread, Tommy played in a variety of Bay Area bands, soon making a name for himself as a hotter-than-hot live artist bursting at the seams with talent. In 1985, he was recruited to become lead singer and guitarist for the regionally popular blues band NiteCry, gigging regularly throughout Northern California. Castro joined Warner Brothers’ artists The Dynatones in the late 1980s, performing all over the country. He formed the first Tommy Castro Band in 1992 and has not stopped touring since. In 1995, soon after releasing his first album on Blind Pig Records, The Tommy Castro Band was selected as the house band for three seasons on NBC Television’s Comedy Showcase (airing right after Saturday Night Live). The show brought him in front of millions of viewers every week and cemented his reputation as a not-to-be-missed, nationally touring live performer.
After a series of successful releases on the Blind Pig, Telarc and 33rd Street labels, Tommy Castro joined Alligator Records in 2009. His label debut, Hard Believer, was released to massive popular and critical acclaim. With the album, Castro won four of his six career Blues Music Awards, including the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year Award (the very highest award a blues performer can receive). In 2012, Castro stripped his music down to its raw essence, creating a high-energy, larger-than-life sound with the formation of The Painkillers. Tommy Castro & The Painkillers’ initial release, The Devil You Know, was embraced by his legion of fans and discovered by hordes of new ones. With the current version of The Painkillers (bassist Randy McDonald, drummer Bowen Brown and keyboardist Michael Emerson), Castro released Method To My Madness in 2015, Stompin’ Ground in 2017, and the irresistible Killin’ It–Live in 2019, with critics shouting praise and admirers cheering the group’s every move. The band has coalesced into one of the telepathically tightest units Castro has ever assembled, making them one of the most in-demand live roots music acts performing today, delivering soul-shaking, muscular music.
Castro’s relentless road-dog approach—gig after gig, night after night—has won him loyal, lifelong fans everywhere he plays. The Washington Post says Castro is “phenomenal and funky” with “soulful vocals and inspired blues guitar.” The San Francisco Chronicle describes Castro’s music as, “funky Southern soul, big city blues and classic rock…silvery guitar licks that simultaneously sound familiar and fresh.” No Depression says “Castro plays gritty, string-bending blues like a runaway train…a glorious blend that rocks the soul and lifts the spirits.”
Upon release of A Bluesman Came To Town, Castro will hit the road with The Painkillers, performing fan favorites as well as songs from the new album. “I’ve made seven albums for Alligator,” Castro says, “and I’ve never made the same record twice. I will always try to be my most authentic self. I give it all I’ve got every time we hit the stage!”
Save 10% with membership! Members use TC25 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Greenhouse Productions Presents: John McEuen & The Circle Band
2025-01-28 19:30
Buy Tickets

Often referred to as ‘the String Wizard’, he weaves stories of his travels and family life (he has raised 7 kids), taking us through where his musical path has taken him.
A founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1966, John McEuen instigated the 1972 classic Will the Circle Be Unbroken album, (inducted in to the Library of Congress as ‘one of America’s most important recordings). He has earned Emmy nominations, Grammy Awards, CMA acclaim, The Western Heritage Award, and many other accolades can be found on his website: www.johnmceuen.com.
Proud to be an integral part of the first American band to go to Russia (in 1977!), John’s love of performing is evident when during his shows he takes us ‘behind the curtain’ of the music world that so many of us know of only as listeners, and shows us how we have all been a part of it, more than we may know.
McEuen’s XM radio show, Acoustic Traveller, is in its 6th year, and you can find his new Americana Music Show on Syndicatednews.net (of which he is CEO)
As winner of the 2010 Best of the West Performer award from the Folk Alliance organization, John’s show is sure to be one enjoyed by all. He also won Best Bluegrass Album Grammy that year for his production of The Crow – Steve Martin). John in June of 2013 was honored with the Charlie Poole Lifetime Achievement Award in North Carolina.
With music from 1860’s to now, original songs laced with known hits, and a special tribute to the ‘Circle’ album music (and the stories behind it), it all comes to life in an evening of acoustic music in overdrive.
Save 10% with membership! Members use JM25 as their promo code prefix (followed by unique member number). Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Interference Series Presents: Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica
2025-01-29 19:30
Buy Tickets

The Interference Series is beyond excited to present Boston-based Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica. Join us for an electric evening featuring instruments and music from around the world.
In the same way a chef de cuisine runs a kitchen, percussionist Brian O’Neill leads a team of five musical creators who deftly collaborate on instruments foreign and domestic to form modernist delicacies for hungry, curious listeners. From the high arts of jazz and chamber music to adaptations of mid-century exotica and pop art, the quintet version of Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica renders O’Neill’s original compositions and curious arrangements of Bach, Gershwin, Shostakovich and John Adams into cinematic, layered music for armchair travelers ready to journey off road.
While the quintet eschews most of the musical forms, rhythms, and styles of the 1950s exotica sound that inspired O’Neill, it fully embraces the unique genre’s love of escapism, whether through deliberate, out-of-context use of global sounds or through jazz improvisation that doesn’t swing and deliberately imitates the rhythm of a skipping record. On the listener’s plate might be equal parts scratch and sniff, bongos with a fugue, and a cat fight at a piano recital. On the stage, the ensemble skillfully negotiates detailed compositions and arrangements of classical works while relying on listening and instinct to drive passionate improvisation. The quintet has delighted ears across the US and internationally and was awarded a $15,000 touring grant from SouthArts’ JazzRoad Tours program in 2024.
“If John Zorn is an exotica Picasso, O’Neill is his Georges-Braque counterpart in cubism’s transposition to music.”—AllAboutJazz
“No other band on the planet sounds anything remotely like Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica.”—Lucid Culture
Save 10% with membership! Use unique member number at checkout. Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Luca Ciarla Mediterramìa
2025-01-31 19:30
Buy Tickets

Italian violinist Luca Ciarla draws a new musical route in the Mediterranean with a loop pedal, his voice and a few toy instruments.
In this performance, Luca Ciarla plays all of his band’s music solo, using the violin like a guitar, a cello or a percussion instrument. In this imaginative musical landscape Luca sings, whistles, plays other instruments or adds new improvisations; music is continuously evolving into a dazzling solOrkestra. The program Mediterramìa features unusual arrangements of traditional Italian folk tunes, music from the Mediterranean area and original compositions. “…a magical acoustic seduction where everybody can find familiar influences…from genuine folk to sophisticated jazz.” – Il Fatto Quotidiano (Italy)
A creative and surprising violinist, Luca Ciarla easily transcends the boundaries among genres to trace an innovative musical path, a magical acoustic seduction in perfect balance between written compositions and improvisation, traditional and contemporary sounds. He has successfully performed in jazz, classical and world music festivals and concert series in more than 70 countries around the world; from Montreal Jazz Festival to the Hong Kong Performing Arts Centre, from Celtic Connections in Scotland to the Villa-Lobos Festival in Rio de Janeiro, from Melbourne Jazz Festival to the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Italy. “…one of the most interesting violinists nowadays on the international scene, capable of browsing around different sounds and genres without ever losing his unmistakable style.” – la Repubblica (Italy)
A native of Termoli, Italy, Luca began playing violin and piano at the age of eight. By twelve he was studying at the conservatory and few years later began exploring jazz and improvisation. He received his violin degree in 1993 and then studied at the Fiesole School of Music and the Scuola di Alto perfezionamento of Saluzzo. In 1996 Luca moved to the United States to pursue a master’s at the Indiana University and to study jazz with David Baker. Subsequently he also completed a doctorate in musical arts at the University of Arizona where he taught violin for few years. Winner of several competitions in Italy and abroad, in 1999 he was awarded by the prestigious New York-based Chamber Music America. Over the years Luca Ciarla has worked with artists such as Greg Cohen, Chris Jarrett, Daniele Sepe, Joshua Bell, Edgar Mayer, Daniele Scannapieco, Danilo Rea, Sylvain Gagnon, Anthony Fernandes, Luciano Berio, Andrea Piccioni, Meklit Hadero, Simone Zanchini, Marina Rei, Blaine Whittaker, Mimmo Locasciulli, Luciano Biondini, Fabrizio Bosso, Sergio Cammariere, Rodolfo Maltese, Paola Turci, Luigi Tessarollo, Ferruccio Spinetti, Mark Rush, Peppe Voltarelli, Javier Girotto, Antonio Forcione. After recording with several prestigious labels, Luca Ciarla founds Violipiano, a production company that takes care of his artistic activity at 360 degrees. He regularly collaborates with visual artist Keziat with whom he has envisioned the performance Music for your Eyes, presented also in Johannesburg under the invitation of South African artist William Kentridge. Numerous national and international media have talked about him, including la Repubblica, New York Times, Rai 1, Il Fatto Quotidiano, The Sydney Morning Herald, RadioRai 2, TGcom Mediaset, Il Giornale della Musica, RTHK Hong Kong, Neue Musikzeitung and many others. At the invitation of the Fiesole School of Music, Luca has recently performed in Florence for the Strings City Festival, in the same spaces dedicated to the retrospective on Marina Abramović at Palazzo Strozzi.
Save 10% with membership! Use unique member number at checkout. Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount
Thank you to Americana Motor Hotel, our lodging partner for visiting artists and performers.

Nolan McKelvey and Mark Zubia
2025-02-01 19:30
Buy Tickets
Over the course of his twenty-five-year career, Nolan McKelvey has covered nearly every corner of the country and traversed all roads of Americana. From the pavement of alt-country, to the dusty trails of bluegrass, to the gravel roads of classic-country, to the interstate highway of rock-n-roll. Nolan has received critical acclaim along the way from magazines like No Depression, Country Standard Time, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, and Performer Magazine among many others.

Nolan has opened for luminaries of Americana like Greg Brown, Peter Rowan, Odetta, Fred Eaglesmith, Los Lobos, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Tim O’Brien, Jerry Douglas, and Leon Russell. He has also opened for contemporary artists like Leftover Salmon, Railroad Earth, Cowboy Junkies, Gregory Alan Isakov, Jack Johnson, Infamous Stringdusters, Jeffrey Foucault, Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Son Volt, Josh Ritter, David Grisman and the list goes on and on…
Nolan performed in several bands in Boston, including The Benders, The Resophonics, with Kris Delmhorst, Ry Cavanaugh, The Vinyl Avenue String Band, Jabe, Bow Thayer, and his own 33. He was dubbed “Central to the (Boston) roots-rock revival” by WBUR radio. His bands won two Boston Music Awards (BMA) and were nominated for BMA’s 7 times in his 5 years in the city. Since returning to Arizona, Nolan was named “Best Musician” by the readers of the Arizona Daily Sun and has been dubbed “One of the best songwriters in the southwest,” and “Flagstaff’s Poet Laureate.” (FlagLive)
Nolan’s studio credits include recording with grammy-winner Levon Helm (The Band), Dana Colley and Billy Conway (Morphine), Paul Q. Koldrie (Pixies, PJ Harvey, Radiohead and more), Jennifer Kimball (The Story, Wayfaring Strangers) among many others. Nolan’s songs have appeared on 21 cds to date, he released five solo albums, five albums with The Benders, six with Muskellunge, four with former band Onus B. Johnson and a duo disc with Dave Desmelik. Nolan’s work as a bass player and harmony singer pushes the release list over 75 recordings.
Nolan has performed at the Newport Folk Festival (RI), Cambridge Folk Festival (MA), Boston Folk Festival (MA), Telluride Bluegrass Festival (CO), Sedona Bluegrass Festival (AZ), Tweed River Music Festival (VT), Roots on the River (VT), Tilted Earth Music Festival (AZ), Musical Instrument Museum Music Festival (AZ) and Pickin’ in the Pines Acoustic Music Festival (AZ) among many more. His music has aired on nationally syndicated radio shows like World Café, Nashville Bluegrass Breakdown, and Car Talk.
Nolan currently performs his own songs solo, with Nolan McKelvey Trio, with Muskellunge, and he is the bass player in Tramps and Thieves. He performs regularly in the Southwest, and occasionally on the east coast.

Born and raised in the overheated environs of Phoenix, Arizona, Mark Zubia has become a veritable institution in the state, helping lead a series of popular and successful combos.
Notable among these groups were the Chimeras, a powerhouse Zubia formed along with his brother Lawrence, longtime friend Doug Hopkins – co-founder of Gin Blossoms – Scott Andrews and Mark Riggs.
The Chimeras eventually morphed into the Pistoleros and with the name change also came a major label recording and EMI publishing contract. The group’s Hollywood Records debut “Hang On To Nothing” found the Zubias collaborating with a number of notable names, including Gary Louris & Marc Perlman (Jayhawks), Radney Foster (Foster & Lloyd) and Pat DiNizio (Smithereens).
In July 2019, Mark was inducted into The Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame.
MZ continues to write, record and perform solo, with his band Los Guys and various acoustic projects.
Save 10% with membership! Use unique member number at checkout. Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount

Greenhouse Productions Presents: Tinsley Ellis
2025-02-20 19:30
Buy Tickets

“A legend of American blues music…An American music treasure…Ellis delivers a sermon on the power and glory of the blues.” –Premier Guitar
“Powerful, spine-tingling guitar and gritty, soulful vocals.” –Relix
According to Atlanta-based blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Tinsley Ellis, his new, first-ever solo acoustic album, Naked Truth, is both “a departure and an arrival.” Ellis has been recording and travelling the world for over four decades, delivering his feral, guitar-fueled, original electric blues-rock to ever-growing audiences at concert halls, festivals, and clubs. Naked Truth is steeped in the folk blues traditions of Muddy Waters, Skip James, Son House, Robert Johnson and even Leo Kottke. To the casual fan, this might seem to be a new direction, but for Ellis, it’s an extension of his music, as he taps into the raw essence of the blues. “This is a record I’ve always wanted to make, and one that my longtime fans have been asking for,” he says, noting he’s included an acoustic mini-set in his concert performances for years. In the last 12 months, Ellis has already performed over 100 solo shows, many as co-bills with his Alligator label-mate Marcia Ball. “I’m having so much fun playing these shows,” he says.On Naked Truth (his 21st album), Ellis swaps his blistering, guitar-fueled full band workouts for equally passionate, soul-searching acoustic folk blues. His famed guitar chops and musical creativity are on full display throughout the album’s 12 songs, including nine newly written originals. Naked Truth was produced by Ellis, with the foot-stomping cover of Son House’s Death Letter Blues produced by Atlanta roots musician Eddie 9V. The album was recorded live in the studio using Ellis’ beloved 1969 Martin D-35 (a gift from his father) and his 1937 National Steel O Series guitars. Whether intricately fingerpicking the Martin or playing hair-raising slide on the National Steel, Ellis delivers each song with unvarnished intimacy.
The opener, Ellis’ original Devil In The Room, comes from an expression Ellis’ close friend, the late Col. Bruce Hampton, would tell his musicians just before a show was about to begin (“We’re here to put the devil in the room,” he’d say). From the original, Skip James-inspired Windowpane to the Delta-styled Tallahassee Blues, to the humorous Grown Ass Man, Ellis goes deep, singing and playing the blues’ honest truths. The inclusion of four introspective instrumentals (including a transcendent cover of Leo Kottke’s A Soldier’s Grave On The Prairie, a song he’s been playing live for almost 50 years) adds even more depth and substance to an album overflowing with riches. Each song carries the weight, experience and hard-earned wisdom Ellis learned over four decades on the road, infusing Naked Truth with an emotional authenticity that is palpable from start to finish.
Tinsley Ellis has been immersed in music his whole life. Born in Atlanta 1957 and raised in southern Florida, he acquired his first guitar at age seven, inspired by seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. He took to guitar instantly, developing and sharpening his skills as he grew up. Like many kids his age, Ellis discovered the blues through the back door of British Invasion bands like The Yardbirds, The Animals, Cream and The Rolling Stones as well as Southern rockers like The Allman Brothers. One afternoon after high school in 1972, he and a friend were listening to Al Kooper and Michael Bloomfield’s Super Session record when his friend’s older brother told them that, if they liked Super Session, they should go see B.B. King, who was in town that week. Tinsley saw that show from the very front row. As fate would have it, King broke a guitar string while playing, and after changing it without missing a beat, he handed the broken string to young Tinsley. And yes, Tinsley still has that string.
Less than three years later, Ellis, already an accomplished teenaged musician, left Florida and moved to Atlanta. He soon joined a hard-driving local blues band, the Alley Cats. In 1981, along with veteran blues singer and harpist Chicago Bob Nelson, Tinsley formed The Heartfixers, a group that would become Atlanta’s top-drawing blues band. After cutting four Heartfixers albums (three for the Landslide label), Ellis was ready to step out on his own.
Georgia Blue, Tinsley’s first Alligator release, hit the unprepared public by surprise in 1988, as press and radio brought his music to more people than ever before. His next four releases—1989’s Fanning The Flames, 1992’s Trouble Time, 1994’s Storm Warning, and 1997’s Fire It Up—further grew his reputation as well as his audience. (His song A Quitter Never Wins, a highlight of Storm Warning, was recorded by Jonny Lang, selling almost two million copies.) Features and reviews ran in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and in many other national and regional publications. And he backed it all up performing hundreds of nights per year. Rolling Stone declared, “Feral blues guitar…non-stop gigging has sharpened his six-string to a razor’s edge…his eloquence dazzles…he achieves pyrotechnics that rival Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton.”
In the early 2000s, Ellis released albums on Capricorn Records and on Telarc, returning to Alligator in 2005 with Live–Highwayman, which captured the fifth-gear energy of his roof-raising live show. He followed it with two more incendiary studio albums, 2007’s Moment Of Truth and 2009’s Speak No Evil. He self-released four successful albums on his own Heartfixer label before coming back home to Alligator in 2018. That year, he released the fan favorite Winning Hand, followed by 2020’s Ice Cream In Hell just before the pandemic sidelined all touring. With 2022’s Devil May Care, Ellis embarked on another relentless, coast-to-coast tour, further cementing his reputation as one of the most prolific and exciting blues rockers on the scene.
Tinsley Ellis has brought his music to fans live in person to all 50 United States, as well as in Canada, across Europe, Australia and South America. He’s earned the love and respect of many of his fellow musicians, having shared stages with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, The Allman Brothers, Warren Haynes, Oliver Wood, Buddy Guy, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Gov’t Mule, Widespread Panic, and more. Over the years, legends including Otis Rush, James Cotton, Gregg Allman, Jimmy Buffett, Son Seals, Koko Taylor and Albert Collins invited Ellis to join them on stage. Mega-star guitarist Joe Bonamassa calls Ellis “a national treasure.”
Now, with Naked Truth, Ellis will bring his music directly to his fans. “Two guitars and a car,” he says of the simplicity of his North American touring situation. “When folks come to see me, I’ll have the guitars I used on the record with me, so what fans hear on the album is what they’ll get live. It’s not easy. Now I’m the whole band and there’s nowhere to hide. It’s scary every single time I go up on stage alone. But nothing could be more honest.”
Naked Truth is a revelation. Stripped of the electric fervor that defined his previous works, Ellis’ acoustic music carries a rawness that speaks directly from his soul. The songs unveil another side of Tinsley Ellis, but one that is totally recognizable to his fans. His gruff, full-throated vocals intertwine seamlessly with the bare, acoustic arrangements, creating an album that is both timeless and immediate. No Depression says, “Ellis shines. When the tempo slows, the intensity doesn’t waver.” Blues Music Magazine states, “Tinsley Ellis is a powerful and commanding presence. His music is impossible not to enjoy.”

Save 10% with membership! Use unique member number at checkout. Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount

POSTPONED - David Huckfelt and Dirt Rhodes
2025-03-02 18:30
Buy Tickets
Due to unforseen circumstances this performance has been postponed. New dates will be announced just as soon as we are able to reschedule. Sorry for any inconvenience.

David Huckfelt is a singer/ lyricist /activist and founding frontman of Minneapolis indie-folk cult favorites The Pines. An Iowa native and former theology student, Huckfelt attended the Iowa Writers Workshop before turning his attention to songwriting and performing. With improvisational mastery, Huckfelt’s shows and songs of no-spiritual-surrender have earned him a devoted following from small-town opera houses & theaters to national festival stages like Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Edmonton and Calgary Folk Fests, and the legendary First Avenue mainroom, sharing stages with Mavis Staples, Emmylou Harris, Bon Iver, Calexico, Trampled By Turtles & more. An early encounter and collaboration with radical Native American poet John Trudell introduced Huckfelt as friend & partner to an array of Indigenous artists & activists including Winona LaDuke, Louise Erdrich, & Keith Secola, working for climate justice and tribal sovereignty under the banner of music + resistance. With roots in the same fertile Midwestern soil that produced legendary folk singers like John Prine and Greg Brown, David’s new solo work preserves a rugged optimism that blasts through layers of dark in real time with songs that speak volumes, soft & clear.

Dirt Rhodes is a Diné musician from Fort Defiance, Arizona, located on the Navajo Nation. His first release “Navajo Country Music” was released in September of 2020. Since, he’s graced stages of the southwest with Rez Country sounds. With influences from Texas, Nashville, and The Navajo Nation, Dirt Rhodes aims to highlight Indigenous peoples’ long history with Country and Western music.

Save 10% with membership! Use unique member number at checkout. Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: https://www.coconinoarts.org/member-discount

Wild World Irish Fiddle: Immigrant Solidarity Concert for St. Patrick’s Day
2025-03-15 17:00 - 19:30
Buy Tickets

Pay-What-You-Will – $20 suggested donation. All proceeds to benefit Northern Arizona Immigration Legal Services.

Interactive activity: 5:00pm – 5:30pm
Music & Dance: 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Panel discussion and talkback to follow performance: 7:00pm – 7:30pm
Irish Tunes with Latin Beats. 19th-century Ireland saw massive emigration to the U.S. by people fleeing starvation, poverty, and oppression. They took great risks to gain better lives for their children. Many of us are their descendants. How can we honor what they endured? By extending empathy to those struggling today at our borders!
Join us for a musical expression of connection. When we travel deeply into the roots of specific cultures, we reach a deep place where all our human roots intertwine. Drawing from Kate’s heritage and years of learning fiddle and dance in the traditional way in County Clare, Ireland, and Armand Ramirez’s masterful and wide-ranging guitar experience in jazz, classical, flamenco, and Latin rhythms, this new, innovative sound will be sure to move you in body and soul!
Kate Rose learned a rooted, earthy, living tradition of fiddle-playing from farmers on the west coast of Ireland, gathering tunes and stories from the older generation in the 1990s. Her shows engage the audience, teaching dance steps, telling stories, and bringing the community together. Believing that all our roots connect when we go deeply, she journeys into vibrant, complex, and universal experiences through melody, mostly on fiddle but also some mandolin and Irish whistle, song, lilting, and dance.
Armand Ramirez’s masterful and wide-ranging guitar experience in jazz, classical, flamenco, and Latin rhythms, this new, innovative sound will be sure to move you in body and soul!
Panelists:
Luis Fernandez, PhD, Chair of Criminology and Criminal Justice at NAU
Eva Putzova, Leader of Catch Fire Movement of Flagstaff
Grace Vaughan, Legal Services Program Director at NAILS

Interference Series Presents: Mother Told Us To Dance
2025-03-28 22:00 - 23:59
Buy Tickets

Album Release “Warehouse” Party for Betsy Vee
Join us this Friday for a late-night dance party in the empty gallery space! Get ready to move with electrifying EDM sets from Betsy Vee, Quick Kay, and Kalt.
16+. Everyone will be carded at the door.
Save 10% with membership! Use unique member number at checkout. Household members receive two tickets at a discount and individual members receive one. To learn more about membership and how to find your discount code, visit: coconinoarts.org/member-discount
