Friday, October 25, 7:30pm
Nevada Theatre, Nevada City, CA
$30 premium reserved seating
$20 general admission
An evening of original music by some of Norther California’s best songwriters featuring Justin Farren, Velvy Appleton and Rebecca Chourré.
JUSTIN FARREN
WINNER of the Kerville New Folk Competition 2016
WINNER of the Wildflower Arts & Music Festival People’s Choice 2016
“I was thrilled to hear Justin Farren at a folk music conference a couple years ago. He is an incredibly original artist with a lot of verve and energy, and a terrific guitarist. He will absolutely charm you with the strange humor and cleverness of his lyrics.” – Rich Warren, Folk Stage Chicago
Justin Farren was raised on the outskirts of Sacramento. Riding bikes up dirt hills with his brother and the neighbor kids. He was always a person of intense focus.
The story goes that he learned to read at three, and ride a motorized dirt bike at four. But legends are common in his family, from grand larcenist to circus perfomer ancestors and a solo pilot grandma.
Justin was the lead shot putter at his school, and had a perfect basketball shot. He loved sports, football, soccer, basketball, and hoped to play professionally one day.
Then, there was a bend in the road when his brother decided they should start a band. Justin got a bass and his brother a guitar. They bought a book of basic chords, and Justin switched lanes. His master focus shifted from sports to songs and, since then, songs have been what mattered most. He learned albums by ear from start to finish, it was the real beginning of ‘doing it yourself’ for what became a do it yourself man.
At 15, he bought Yellow, the truck of his life. He rebuilt the engine, twice. (The first time it burst into flames.) This is just one example of how he became an independent, stable person well before his peers. In truth, Justin seems to be aging in reverse, younger and younger as the years pass. He is way more likely to toilet paper a house now than he ever was as a kid.
Justin wanted to record albums, so he became a recording engineer. Justin wanted his own house, so he built it from the ground up. Justin wanted to work for himself, so he took his house building knowledge and became a handyman extraordinaire. Really, he’s like what many of us may think of our grandparents: Intense, hardworking, autonomous, highly skilled in their pursuits.
Which leads us back to songwriting. He looks at a song in a multidimensional way, but the end result is enchanting, and feels effortless. Justin plays a cheap guitar, but is often asked about its tone.
Justin lives a humble life in small house in the most working class part of town. Still driving old Yellow, and wearing mostly previously owned clothes. He lives abundantly, he eats real food, and plays music with his favorite people.
VELVY APPLETON & REBECCA CHOURR
Velvy Appleton is a singer-songwriter, photographer, filmmaker living in Grass Valley. For the past 25+ years, Velvy has been writing and performing with a wide array of Bay Area bands, including Spark & Whisper, Monica Pasqual & the Handsome Brunettes, Little Gems, The Dolly Mamas, Howie’s Persuasion, The Valley Blues Brothers, and the seminal SF Brazilian dance band, Nobody From Ipanema. Velvy’s original songs strike a unique balance— dynamic musical composition and thoughtful lyrics, combined with a groovy, rock-n-roll sensibility– creating work of a singular artistic style and vision. His 2013 Ghost Towns album with Spark & Whisper, co-produced with Monica Pasqual, was sited on a dozen+ ‘Top Ten Folk Albums of the Year’ lists.
Rebecca Chourré has been writing and performing with Velvy for the past 10 years. Rebecca’s background in classical voice and coral music have molded her musical identity and vocal style. (She once sang for the Pope!) Her love of folk, soul, and funk influences combine to create super strong vocal leads, rich harmonies, and original melodies. Having performed with bands like the Dolly Mamas, Little Gems, and The Valley Blues Brothers, Rebecca is excited to connect with audiences in more intimate, pared down performances with Velvy.