LINE-UP

Click band name or images to listen to their music.

6/3 THE SWEET LILLIES

The Sweet Lillies are made up of – Julie Gussaroff, Becca Bisque, Dustin Rohleder, and Jones Maynard – who have combined their individual strengths together to deliver powerful narratives of life in song. The Sweet Lillies have incorporated all of their cumulative life-experiences into their music, their songwriting, and their artistry, crafting an uncommonly-beautiful style they have christened “String-Americana” – a nod to the band’s all-encompassing musical tastes and willingness to experiment with genres. With their acoustic string-band lineup of guitar, viola, and upright bass given flight by ethereal, vocal harmonies that float like a dream, the Sweet Lillies’ music has an old-time soul with a forward-looking eye. The Sweet Lillies were born from Gussaroff’s desire to form a band in which each member would be an equal participant in terms of songwriting, singing, and creative input.

6/10 Fox Royale

Nathan Hurley – Vocals/Guitar Caleb Hurley – Keys/Vocals Chase McGuire – Drums Fox Royale make anthemic, jangly indie-rock that sparkles with the same energy as acts like Cold War Kids, Cage the Elephant and Vampire Weekend. Their debut single, “Don’t Call Me When You’re Lonely,” is about a seemingly isolating phenomenon: loneliness, particularly the kind that affects traveling musicians (or traveling workers of any kind) and their partners. So why does the song sound so big, so full? Because Fox Royale have the ability to make music about things like emotional insecurities, breakups and family breakdowns sound almost joyful. “We’re trying to tackle [millennial anxieties] in such a way that doesn’t sound naive, which is hard because we’re as young as the people listening,” Nathan says. “It’s bright sounding. A lot of it sounds happy. It’s not just one line that’s super catchy. We want every line to get stuck in your head.”

6/17 Innastate

Based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Innastate is gaining attention for their unique brand of reggae and rock that is modern yet honors their indigenous heritage, musical roots and love of music. The band believes in the power of music to connect people, offering heartfelt songs that reflect on the human experience, spirituality and environmental issues. Innastate is formed around the core of Adrian Wall of Jemez Pueblo (guitar/vocal), Rylan Kabotie of Santa Clara Pueblo/Jicarilla Apache (bass/vocal), Lawrence Bailon of Santa Clara Pueblo/Kewa Pueblo (drums), Karlo Johnson of Isleta Pueblo (guitar). Innasate’s lineup expands for live performances, utilizing the talents of, Romeo Alonzo (alto sax) and MC T-Bone (trombone) and Mikey Jaramillo (percussionist). Innastate has shared the stage with reggae greats The Wailers, Native Roots, Tribal Seeds, Pato Banton, Nahko, Natural Vibrations, Stick Figure, Through the Roots, The Meditations, New Kingston, Ballyhoo and Abstract Rude.

6/24 Nu Blu

After releasing four Top Ten Billboard albums, North Carolina based Nu-Blu has quickly established themselves as one of the top Acoustic acts in the music industry, delivering a set of songs that range from the melancholy to the exuberant, and at every step they prove they’ve got a knack for finding their way into the deeper parts of you.

Hailing from Silver City, the textbook definition of a picturesque small southern town, Nu-Blu’s heart and soul is husband-and-wife duo Daniel and Carolyn Routh. Carolyn’s caramel-coated soprano is one of the band’s defining traits, at times a tender lullaby, at times a freight train headed straight for you, but always unwinding a surprising tale. Daniel is the group’s backbone, a multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist who also handles band management. Austin Hefflefinger on banjo, and Justin Harrison on mandolin round out the quartet’s warm, layered, Appalachian sound. Together they deliver upbeat, blazing-fingers pick work just as well as gentle, heartwarming ballads, and they do it all with a natural togetherness that can’t be faked, forged over hundreds of shows on the road.

7/1 Def-i

Hailing from Albuquerque, NM, Def-i represents the Diné Nation as one of the Southwest’s most active and prominent touring artists. His performance styles range wide from Hip-Hop and Spoken Word to Contemporary Native-American Acoustic. Emerging from the Underground Indy rap circuit, his eclectic repertoire of talent has allowed him to single-handedly perform regularly throughout the country as an artist, and an educator. His dedication to cultural preservation and lyrical mastery has earned him the respect of hip hop veterans, industry professionals, academics, and upcoming generations.

Def-i’s performance is brought to you in part by Advanced Air. With direct flights between Gallup and Phoenix, Advanced Air is Gallup Real True

7/8 Lindy Vision

For Albuquerque, New Mexico new wave/synth-pop band Lindy Vision; family casts a shadow over everything. Lindy Vision is a black native (Jicarilla Apache Nation) sister band formed in Albuquerque, NM. The band’s current lineup features Dorothy and Natasha Cuylear, following the departure of longtime member and sister Carla Cuylear in 2021. The band has spent the last decade honing their unique sonic palette, a mix of dark ‘80s new wave, bouncy synth-pop, and ethereal indie-rock that has drawn comparisons to Santigold, M.I.A., ESG, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and more. In that time, their music has landed them on bills supporting The Specials, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Travis Thompson, Spoon, Durand Jones and the Indications, The Halluci Nation, & more. Since 2014, the band has self-released all of their music, including 3 full-length studio albums, 3 EPS, and various singles. They are known for their raw unfiltered honesty in their music and their brave exploration of life as adult children of alcoholics and the aftermath of relationship building and healing their interpersonal relationships, especially as sisters.

7/15 The River Arkansas

Mike Clark is a Colorado native living on the banks of the Arkansas River in Pueblo. In the winter of 2014, he penned a collection of songs about heartbreak, love, and escaping the clutches of day-to-day society. The following spring, Clark decided to make that collection into a record. By good fortune Macon Terry, a bass player and former member of the band Paper Bird, happened to be in the neighborhood the day the studio was booked for recording. Though Terry arrived not knowing any of the songs, what they captured was the beginning of something great. Later they would add Robin Chestnut on drums, Rachel Sliker on violin, and Benjamin Gallagher on piano. The band has hit their stride, traveling the midwest, south, and western United States as well as playing festivals all across Colorado, delivering their distinctive mixture of Country, Blues, Folk and Americana.

7/22 Paa Kow

Having toured internationally, sharing stages with both African and American luminaries including Kojo Antwi, Amakye Dede and Victor Wooten, Ghana born drummer and composer, Paa Kow, (pronounced Pah-Ko), blends rhythm and artistry from his home with jazz and African roots creating his own Afro-Fusion sound. Dubbed “Ghana’s most artistic drummer” (Modern Ghana), he plays a custom, hand-carved, traditionally inspired Ghanaian drum set that is the only one of its kind in the world, guaranteeing an extraordinary cultural and musical experience. Growing up in the small village of Enyan Denkyira near Cape Coast in Ghana, West Africa, Paa Kow began to play music and tour with his family’s concert band at a very early age. He has since grown to be widely recognized as one of the most remarkable drum set players to tour in Africa, Europe, and America. Paa Kow’s deep groove and prodigious talent reveal a unique ability to speak to listeners with his drums, inspiring a profound spiritual conversation and fulfilling his vision to spread the music and culture of his homeland by touring the world with his Afro-Fusion Orchestra.

7/29 The Family Crest

The brainchild of composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Liam McCormick, orchestral indie band The Family Crest was started as a recording project with co-founder John Seeterlin (bass) as a final release before bowing out of the industry. Instead of leaving music, they were inspired by their peers to set out to reinvent how a band could be created, starting The Family Crest with an audacious and bold vision of cultivating a musical community. “We always liked making music with people – getting a bunch of people together and singing. So we put ads everywhere,” says McCormick. “We posted on Craigslist, distributed flyers, and emailed old friends from school.” The outcome was greater than the original duo imagined, with over 80 people credited on the first recording the band produced and over 500 musicians credited throughout their catalog.

This show will be at the Historic El Morro Theater

8/5 Sage Cornelius

Sage Cornelius (Oneida, Navajo, Potawatomi) is a multi-instrumentalist musician from Topeka, Kansas. He learned honky-tonk/Irish fiddle as well as classical violin when he was young.

8/12 Charley Lowry & Levi Platero

Charly Lowry is a singer-songwriter from Pembroke, NC with roots in the Union Chapel Community. Charly received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from UNC Chapel-Hill. Upon graduation, Lowry moved full-steam ahead in pursuit of a career as a professional musician. For over a decade, Charly has attained regional and national success as both a solo artist and lead singer of alternative rock/ soul/ folk band, Dark Water Rising. In addition to performing with Dark Water Rising and The Ulali Project, she often shares the stage with funk/soul band, “The New Mastersounds”.

In 2004, Charly had the opportunity to compete on the wildly popular television show, American Idol. She ventured through several rounds of auditions to make it to the Top 32. Charly enjoys performing, meeting people, and educating others on the Native American experience. Charly served as a Lumbee Ambassador for the Lumbee people in 1997-98; traveling throughout the country to visit Tribal Nations while attending various conferences, powwows, etc. Her reign as Jr. Miss Lumbee was the catalyst that awakened her spirit to an inherent calling as a “Culture Bearer”. Lowry continues to work on her craft; immersing herself in the culture of American music and expanding her listening ear to various genres, all the while composing songs that give a personal account of her experience as an Indigenous woman walking in two worlds.

Levi Platero is steeped in musical lessons as far back as teaching himself guitar at nine years old from a launchpad of the Three Kings and Stevie Ray Vaughn, Platero’s leads and songwriting reflect a lifetime absorbing music. On “Work Hours,” Platero’s guitar work and songwriting style bring a breath of fresh air to a time-worn topic and make it new. I haven’t really had a lot of jobs in my life, other than being a musician. So in that way I’ve been lucky. But about two years ago was one of those times when I had to do it. I had a job at a hardware store for about six months, and I hated it. I just remember thinking, ‘I don’t have enough hours to earn what I need, but these hours I have still feel way too long.’ I’m a Navajo bluesman who grew up in a Gospel circuit, I have this huge cultural background I’m very proud of but, at the end of the day, I’m also a blues guy and I’m trying to fit in. Trying to bring all those diverse influences and different styles of music I love into a blues context. – Levi Platero Platero is from the Navajo Nation in the Southwest region of the United States.