The following three concerts will be presented by Crossroads Cultural Connections at Bishop Hill Creative Commons:
Saturday, May 4th – Zach Pietrini & Christopher Gold
Zach Pietrini’s Midwestern, indie americana songwriting aesthetic is the sonic embodiment of a well-worn denim jacket. At the forefront of the Americana resurgence, Pietrini—lead vocalist and guitarist for his namesake band—takes an everyman’s approach to the genre with a knack for honest storytelling and a wistfulness that comes across in both the music and lyrics. The band takes its cues from Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and David Ramirez, reinterpreting and rejuvenating American roots styles through a contemporary lens. Pietrini’s songs “situate him at the confluence of all that an urban Millennial audience finds relatable” (Milwaukee Magazine), performing old-soul themes of ennui, regret, disappointment, and nostalgia with a modern twist.
Christopher Gold is a Kentucky-born songwriter living in Wisconsin. Together with his band The New Old Things he has written and recorded folk songs, country songs, rock & roll songs, and everything in between citing a love for songwriters like Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, John Prine, and anybody else whose work begins with paper and pen. He travels primarily as a solo act, carrying on the folk tradition of performances that blend music, storytelling, and humor. Suggested donation is $20-30.
Sunday, May 5th – The Finns
The Finns are a highly successful folk music duo from Laois, Ireland, brothers Hugh and Ciaran Finn. Their roots lie in traditional Irish music but their original songs have been described as alt-folk roots, or indie folk music, with strong hints of rock. They have incredibly catchy, lovable, and seriously impressive original songs that are easy to fall for and they cover Irish folk classics and sea shanties like no other band. This has allowed them to travel the world with massive popularity especially in the USA. The Finns have released a host of successful singles off their debut and charting No. 1 album “Creations”, which has turned heads with the highest quality of production involved produced by The Finns. Their second album Remember This Day released in Autumn 2023 is produced by Bill Shanley and is making huge waves through the Irish music industry with so many strong songs. The Finns play banjos, guitars, percussion, bouzouki, tenor guitars and harmonicas making the live set very interesting and with their strong harmonies shining through, the brother vibe is very enjoyable to watch as they entertain very organically. Suggested donation is $20-30.
Monday, May 6th – Stephie James & Sophie Coyote
Stephie James has been a steadfast musical powerhouse since her teens. She’s toured with Anita Baker and Nikki Lane, worked production for Buddy Miller and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, has written with John Bettis (songwriter for Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, The Carpenters and more) and even shared the stage with Michael Bolton. Sophie Coyote is a singer/songwriter from the small mid-western town of Waddams Grove, Illinois. Born in an old farm house on seven acres of land surrounded by rolling fields. She was raised on a broad range of musical influences that include classic rock & roll, honky-tonk country and a bit of blues. This open mind of influence has led to a songwriting style that is reminiscent of the raw and honest age of music; lyrically driven with interesting stories, unique twists and word-play.
Suggested donation is $15-25.
A potluck, starting at 6:00 PM, precedes each concert, with music beginning at 7:00 PM. All concerts are family-friendly and open to guests of all ages.
The venue and art cooperative, located at 309 N. Bishop Hill St, Bishop Hill, Illinois, also contains and has for sale the works of local and regional artists, who work in a variety of mediums. It is open Friday through Sunday, 11:00 AM until 4:00 PM.
For more information please visit xroadscc.org.
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