Thursday, January 18, 8 p.m.
The Redstone Room, 129 Main Street, Davenport IA
Performing blues, folk, country, and Americana music that, according to NPR, “evokes the old-timey spirit of a thousand crackling 78 RPM records” whose “energy makes them feel new and alive,” Midwestern singer/songwriter Pokey LaFarge plays Davenport's Redstone Room in support of his most recent album Manic Revelations, described by Paste magazine as “all sass and swagger, with plenty of juke-jump energy to spare.”
A Bloomington, Illinois native currently based in St. Louis, the 34-year-old LaFarge developed an early interest in American literature and history, as well as roots music of the 20th century. By his teens, he was combining his passions into his own music, accompanying himself on guitar, mandolin, and banjo. After graduating high school LaFarge adopted an itinerant lifestyle – as well as the nickname Pokey – and traveled around the United States, often performing on street corners. LaFarge also crossed paths with a handful of like-minded musicians and he was soon touring with his own combo the South City Three, featuring Adam Hoskins on guitar, Joey Glynn on standup bass, and Ryan Koenig on harmonica, washboard, and percussion.
In 2006, LaFarge released his self-produced debut album Marmalade, and after several additional independent releases, Jack White invited LaFarge's trio to accompany him on the song “I Guess I Should Go to Sleep” from White's 2012 album Blunderbuss. LaFarge and his band also opened several dates on White's subsequent tour, and in 2013, White signed LaFarge to his own Third Man Records label, which released his eponymous debut album. The respected roots-music label Rounder Records, meanwhile, released LaFarge's 2015 Something in the Water and Manic Revelations, an album that found its artist drawing inspiration from 1960s soul music.
Pokey LaFarge's January 18 concert begins at 8 p.m., tickets are $20-25, and more information and reservations are available by calling (563)326-1333 or visiting RiverMusicExperience.org.
