On May 28, three acclaimed Midwestern songwriters, David Huckfelt (formerly of The Pines), Pieta Brown, and Erik Koskinen will be joined by Indigenous poet Ray Young Bear for an evening of music and poetry at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow. The concert is being presented by Iowa Public Radio.
On his second solo offering, Huckfelt gets support from his Iowa homeland, with appearances by both Greg & Pieta Brown whose vocal performances appear alongside contributions from an array of Indigenous artists and other notable guests. Praise for Room Enough, Time Enough has been widespread and enthusiastic. In its review, Americana Highways proclaimed, "David Huckfelt tells us we can transcend our country’s troubled past if we come together with honesty and a healthy respect for each other and in the process, gives us a glorious American masterpiece for our times."
Hailed as a "self-styled poetess, folk goddess and country waif" by the BBC, Pieta Brown first came to international prominence with the release of her self-titled debut in 2002. With relentless energy and vision, over the course of ensuing years, she’s gone on to tour the US, Australia, and Europe extensively and release another eight critically lauded records, prompting NPR to applaud her "moody, ethereal" songwriting, and the New York Times to praise her “sweet, smoky voice.
Knowing but not didactic, Koskinen channels the ways of Whitman and Woody Guthrie to create music that deftly combines rock, folk, and the blues to form, what he describes as, “all American roots music.” Over the last decade, Koskinen has released five albums and an impressive slate of singles. His most recent release, 2019's Burning the Deal drew critical acclaim, and The Minneapolis Star Tribune called Koskinen “the real deal” and “the best country songwriter in Minnesota.”
Ray Young Bear was raised on the Meskwaki (Red Earth People) Settlement in central Iowa. As the '60's drew to a close, he began writing poetry while attending Pomona College. Young Bear cherishes the ability to speak and write in his first language and he was first published in 1975 with the collection, Waiting to be Fed (Graywolf Press). Over the years, his poetry and prose have received numerous notable awards and honors including a 2016 American Book Award, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and an honorary doctorate in letters from Luther College, Decorah, Iowa.
Tickets for the event are still available via the Codfish Hollow website. To cover the show or schedule interviews with any of the participating artist, please contact Steven Foxbury. |
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