Gregory Alan Isakov at the Codfish Hollow Barn -- August 14.

Sunday, August 14, 8 p.m.

Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa IA

Revered for contemporary-folk hits including "Words," "The Stable Song," "Big Black Car," "If I Go, I'm Goin," and "San Luis," the South African-born singer/songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov headlines an August 14 concert at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, the artist's most recent recording Evening Machines lauded by Paste magazine as "an album of small intentions with a grand sweep, intimate and boundless at the same time."

Isakov was born in Johannesburg on October 19, 1979, and immigrated with his family to the United States in 1986 during the apartheid era when his father Nissen started an electronic-engineering business in Philadelphia. He began touring with a band at the age of 16, later moving to Colorado to study horticulture at Naropa University, and having played musical instruments his whole life, Isakov began a life as a professional musician playing occasional gigs while also working as a gardener. He became more focused on his musical career when he began touring with Kelly Joe Phelps, and in 2003, Isakov self-released his first album Rust Colored Stones. Two years later, he self-released Songs for October, and in 2007, That Sea, the Gambler. Meanwhile, in 2009, Isakov self-released This Empty Northern Hemisphere, which featured vocals by Brandi Carlile on five tracks and a cover of Leonard Cohen's "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong," and was deemed by Sputnik Music "both aesthetically gorgeous and emotionally powerful." The album's song "Big Black Car" was featured in a 2012 McDonald's commercial, and Isakov donated the proceeds to non-profit organizations that help further sustainable farming and nurture community.

In 2013, Isakov created his independent label Suitcase Town Music on which he released The Weatherman, and two years afterward, the musician released Gregory Alan Isakov with the Colorado Symphony, an album boasting 11 of his earlier songs orchestrated by several composers and recorded with the full symphony. In October of 2018, he released Evening Machines on his label, and the following November, the recording was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. Throughout his career, Isakov has been influenced by the likes of Leonard Cohen, Kelly Joe Phelps, and Bruce Springsteen, and he has played at many music festivals around the United States, Canada, and Europe. And In addition to owning his independent record label and maintaining a hugely successful recording and touring career, the artist also manages a small farm in Boulder County, Colorado, which provides produce to the farm’s CSA members and to local restaurants.

Gregory Alan Isakov headlines his August 14 Maquoketa engagement with an opening set by Daniel Rpdriguez, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $41, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.

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