Society Hall will open for in person events in June!
With limited seating and any mandated restrictions.
Michael Hearne and his band South by Southwest
Friday, June18, 2021 7:30pm
Tickets are $20.00 in Advance & $25.00 at the door
Michael Hearne and his band South by Southwest are well known across the southwest, particularly in New Mexico and Texas, but also nationally and even internationally, as one of the main progenitors of a sound and style of music that has come to be called “Southwest Americana”, a blend of country and folk, with influences from rock, blues, and jazz (via western swing) finding their way in as well. And it all seems to be infused with the clear high altitude light and air found in the northern New Mexico area that Hearne called home for 35 years.
Now living in the Austin, Texas area, Hearne spent much of his career based in Red River and Taos, New Mexico, becoming the center (along with his uncle Bill and aunt Bonnie) around which the thriving music scene of Taos and Santa Fe grew, influencing and inspiring countless other artists of the area. Society Hall board member and Alamosa musician Don Richmond says, “I remember the first time I heard Michael Hearne and South by Southwest – they knocked me out and swept me away, and my music has never been the same since. Their music had a blend of elegance and approachability, and seemed to convey some indefinable essence of spirit and place that captured my heart. Plus they were just so darn good!” He continues, “Michael's a great songwriter, but he's also a great collector of fine tunes, and if he plays someone else's song, it will probably be the best version of it you've ever heard.”
Mike Blakley
Saturday, July 2, 2021 7:30pm
Tickets are $20.00 in Advance & $25.00 at the door
As a singer/songwriter, Mike Blakely has released 13 albums, performed all over the U.S. and has made 16 tours to Europe. His songs have been recorded by Alan Jackson, Gary P. Nunn, Red Steagall, Flaco Jimenez and Raul Malo, Walt Wilkins & The Mystiqueros, john Arthur martinez, Randy Brown, Geronimo Trevino III and Johnny Rodriguez, Johnny Bush, Jon Chandler, Bill Barwick and others.
As an author, he has published 20 books with major New York City publishers. He won the Spur Award for Best Western Novel awarded by Western Writers of America. Mike is currently working on the sequel to A SINISTER SPLENDOR, which was released in February 2018.
Mike Blakely's latest musical album, THE OUTSIDE CIRCLE (released June 2018), was nominated for Album of the Year through the Academy of Western Artists (2019). The title cut, "The Outside Circle," (co-written with Damon Rogers) won a Spur Award for "Song of the Year" (2019) from Western Writers of America and was named "Pure Cowboy Song of the Year" by the International Western Music Association in 2020. Another of Blakely's songs from the same album, "The Ballad of Josiah Wilbarger," was a finalist for WWA's "Song of the Year" Spur Award in 2019. Separately, the album was nominated for four awards through the International Western Music Association in 2019.
THE OUTSIDE CIRCLE, features ten songs about the wild west and cowboy life, past and present.
He released his first novel 1988 and his first CD in 1995. One of his co-written tunes landed on a Grammy Award-winning album by Flaco Jimenez in 1995. Another was played on the orbiting International Space Station in 2007.
Mike is now a three-time winner of Western Writers of America’s Spur Award – once for best western novel of the year, and twice for best western song of the year. Mike spent many years touring with his dancehall band, but now plays more shows as a solo artist, or in a duo or trio configuration at listening rooms, house concerts, festivals, and private parties. His career as a novelist leads to many non-traditional concerts at book stores, libraries, writers conferences, and book clubs.
Mike lives in Fredericksburg, TX, with his wife, Annie, and their many animals.
KRAIG KENNING
Singer Songwriter / National Slide Guitar Champion
Saturday, July 10, 2021 7:30pm
Tickets are $20.00 in Advance & $25.00 at the door
Call him Contemporary folk, Acoustic blues, Roots rock, or American fingerstyle. The fact is, Kraig has managed to merge a bit of all the above, while maintaining a close and personal connection with his audience. Kraig has played up to 200 dates a year touring the US for the last 3 decades, showcasing songs from his eight cds containing almost exclusively original material.
Kenning has shaped himself into one of the most capable performers on the planet. "There is an exchange at a spiritual level in a great performance. My goal is to journey with all my listeners to this magical place."
Kenning has inspired comparisons with Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Bob Dylan, and Jackson Browne…to name a few. His finger picking often brings reminders of Kraig's long time hero Leo Kottke. "His overall performance and presentation stand equal with any of today's top singer/ songwriters", states Dave Glynn of the Fox Valley Blues Society. It's hard to be humble when elevated to the ranks of guitar gods and modern poets, but Kraig is quick to point out the logic behind such flattering comparisons: "Those are the guys I listened to, whose music I locked myself in my room with growing up. If I sound like any of them, it's because they were my inspiration and fueled my dreams."
A Kenning show is a guarantee. Chicago Tribune reviewer Dan Kening (no relation) agrees, noting "Kenning's deft finger picking and slide work on acoustic and steel resonator guitar is truly impressive, but so is his flair for crafting intelligent, heartfelt lyrics and memorable melodies. Call his style laid-back music played with a burning passion." From his own perspective, a Kenning show is more like "a gift"…one that is both given and received. "What happens with an audience is like a little miracle. It's awesome to feel their appreciation. It's amazing, like a circle of energy and I'm a messenger or supplier."
At National Guitar's 1st Annual Slide Competition, Kraig took first place honors as Best Unsigned Artist. He has opened for Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones, and slide guitar master Sonny Landreth; and he has shared lineups with club and folk series favorites such as John Gorka and Patti Larkin.
Kraig has played some of the nation's largest, most respected music festivals, as well as classic clubs like the Vic and Fitzgeralds in Chicago. You might also find Kraig performing at traditionally smaller venues including public librarys state parks and dinner clubs. "The atmosphere is genuinely intimate and fits my music and lifestyle."
Upcoming Shows
Saturday, July 17th - Leah Grams Johnson & Mark Dudrow
Saturday, July 24th - SLV Theater - Rosco
Thursday, August 11th - Don Richmond
Friday, August 20th - Gabrielle Louise
Saturday, August 28th - The River Arkansas