Neil Welch photo by Bryan Lineberry.
The 2021 South Hudson Project Staycation Festival continues, featuring live solo and duo performances by Seattle-based musicians and improvisers. Concerts air every Sunday evening at 7:30pm PDT, livestreamed from The Royal Room via loudswell.com. Donations to artists are encouraged.
Sunday, April 4, 7:30PM PDT
Staycation Solos: Neil Welch, Robin Holcomb, Sheridan Riley
Saxophonist and composer Neil Welch, whose work is rooted in improvisation, embraces multiple styles including avant-garde jazz and Soundpainting. Guided by the natural environment, Welch on soprano, tenor, and bass saxophones evokes the extremities and beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Vocalist, pianist, and composer Robin Holcomb, who came to prominence in New York, brings her vast experience performing at such venues Carnegie Hall and The United Nations back home to Seattle. With a style that The New Yorker characterizes as “fascinatingly eclectic,” she has “few qualms about mingling folk, jazz, chamber music, and points between and beyond.”
Drummer and percussionist Sheridan Riley, known for her work with Sub Pop indie artist Avi Buffalo, utilizes acoustic and electronic textures to explore the contradictions, discomforts, and pleasures that give form to the human condition.
Sunday, April 11, 7:30PM PDT
Music for Solo Guitar: Betsy Olson, Jeff Fielder, Thaddeus Turner
Blues guitarist and vocalist, Betsy Olson, originally from Montana, draws from a wide range of influences from Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix to The Black Keys. As well as fronting an all-women blues and rock band—The Betsy Olson Band—Olson is known for her gritty, stripped down music as well as her compelling, ethereal ballads.
Guitarist and producer Jeff Fielder, renowned for his work worldwide, has collaborated with such diverse artists as Tekla Waterfield, Nick Cave, Sera Cahoone, and Pearl Jam’s drummer Dave Abbruzzese. One of Seattle’s most in-demand artists, Fielders style traverses musical domains from rock to mood-music.
Guitarist and producer Thaddeus Turner—front man for Thaddillac—has toured with Shabazz Palaces, Digable Planets, Lauryn Hill, and Dave Matthews, among others. Turner easily blends an array of styles from rock, techno, to R&B and soul. Turner is also cofounder of the local youth mentor organization, Totem Star.
Sunday, April 18, 7:30PM PDT
Staycation Solos & Duos: Remy Morritt and Christian Pincock, and Eric Eagle Solo
Christian Pincock (trombone, electronics) and Remy Morritt (drums) are forever seeking to create new means of expression, both through their original composition and improvisation. Combining trombone music and sounds generated through a variety of electronics and technology, Pincock expands the possibilities of his artistry. While Morritt is known for his energy and deft balancing of chaos and order.
One of Seattle’s most in-demand drummers, Eric Eagle is known for his adaptive and fluid approach with an ability to play in a multitude of musical contexts. He has worked with Dave Peck, Jesse Sykes, Kate Olson, Wayne Horvitz, Naomi Siegel, and many others. For this performance, Eagle will present an intimate set of solo percussion.
Sunday, April 25, 7:30PM PDT
Wayne Horvitz’s “Little Pieces For The Piano”
A group of talented Seattle pianists will play from Wayne Horvitz’s book of compositions, “Little Pieces For The Piano.” Originally published in 2013, the 2020 edition includes 40 new pieces composed during the first months of the pandemic. Horvitz, known as a musician who creates a “dazzling sonic playground full of some wild rides…[who] stretches the art of sound collage into new frontiers” (NPR), will perform alongside luminaries such as Cristina Valdés, Alex Guilbert, Kate Molloy, JingCi Liu, Robin Holcomb, Daisy Zajonc, and Alex Guy.
For more details, visit shmproject.org and theroyalroomseattle.com
