Strings & Wood, local music and art non-profit, throws a 2-year anniversary tonight at the Oriental
February 4, 2011If you’re unfamiliar with Strings & Wood Concerts, and your tastes run towards the more melodic and folksier side of acoustic rock, this weekend may be the perfect opportunity for you to get to know the local promoter and community advocate. Strings & Wood is celebrating their second anniversary in business with a concert and benefit that features a stellar lineup of local solo artists and musicians at the venerable Oriental Theater (44th and Tennyson in NW Denver) TONIGHT, Friday, February 4th. The show will feature some of Colorado’s best acoustic and vocal bands, singer/songwriters and collaborations, as well as visual and design artists, silent auctions and even a professional on site massage therapist.
Strings 7 Wood COncerts has thrown many a prty featuring great art and music over the past two plus years. (Poster: Strings & Wood)
Founded by – and still run by – local professional photographer Art Heffron, Strings & Wood Concerts’ non-profit mission, according to their bio, is to promote “… live music, visual arts and social justice in the local Denver community.”
“Strings & Wood produces intimate, living-room style concerts at Denver’s top venues while striving to support the featured artists. Musicians take home 90% of the total ticket sales and 100% of merchandise sales,” the bio continues. Besides supporting the bands and musicians of Denver, the organization also arranges and provides free wall space for visual artists in the venues where S&W holds shows. The artists also receive 100% of commission for their art that sells – a practice that sets S&W apart from many other artist agencies and promoters. Of course, these guidelines also create need for the organization, if it’s to go on supporting the community in the ways it does. Hence the benefit part of this Friday night’s show. In order to add to the organization’s funding year round, S&W has aligned itself with NW Denver’s Highlands Church, and the Church helps in both maintaining S&W’s non-profit status and in some fund raising.
There is also a silent auction being presented during the evening to support the organization, wherein people can bid on items such as vintage furniture redesigned and renewed by Jeanne Connolly of Vintage Renewal (bidding starts at $25) and a photography session hosted by Heffron himself (for which bidding starts at $100).
The Anniversary Show will feature an impressive lineup of bands and musicians that vary in local influence and popularity across a really wide swath. Headlining will be Fort Collins’ vocal foursome S H E L, and Denver’s popular (and getting more so) Jen Korte and the Loss. There will also be a Songwriter Showcase that will feature eight singer/songwriters that have begun to dominate the local scene over the past eighteen months or so. That list includes Megan Burtt, Rob Drabkin, Mark Tidd, Dave Preston, Dave Tamkin, David Rynhart, Ayo Awosika. One newer artist on S&W’s roster, Justin Roth, will also make a introductory appearance.
Visual art will be provided by local artist Laurie Maves, and there will be more examples of renewed and redesigned vintage furniture on display redone by Vintage Renewal.
If this sounds as entertaining and endearing to you as it does to us, you’ll want to show up at the Oriental at about 6:00, for a 7:00 start. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 day-of-show, and can be purchased online.
