Submitted by Alchemy Arts Center
Summer is here, and San Juan Island is buzzing with cultural offerings! Music lovers have no shortage of shows to attend, but at the end of July, Alchemy Arts encourages everyone to venture off the beaten path, both geographically and musically, for a very different type of concert experience. On Friday, July 28, Alchemy Art Center will feature an evening of burgeoning indie folk songwriters and experimental sound in the entrancing dome space at their whimsical woodland campus. This is a listening experience that does not come along often and is not to be missed.
Arrington de Dionyso is based in Olympia, Washington, but has been deeply inspired by the music of Tuva and Indonesia where he has resided for periods of time. Arrington inhabits a space of multiphonic vocal work and minimalist instrumentation. His work calls to mind both shamanic seance and rock and roll ecstasy; combining traditional ritual trance, electrified experimental approaches, dancehall rhythms, gamelan scales, and mystically inspired Indonesian incantations.
Emerald Vernon-Lapow (Ephemerald) and Rob Summerlin are two songwriters currently residing at Alchemy Art Center as part of their Artists in Community program. During their stay, Emerald and Rob have taken on the challenge of creating a new body of work and are looking forward to sharing it with the SJI community. The foundation of Ephemerald’s songwriting was initially composed via omnichord, a vintage electronic autoharp of sorts made by the Suzuki Corporation. She has more recently put her discipline into guitar and hovers her soft emotive lyrics above suspended picking progressions. Rob is focusing on a new musical, working out his songs on piano. His lyrics are often character-based and narrative-driven. Rob just celebrated a recent album release of his songs by hosting an all-inclusive Prom in the Bay Area community.
Local John Bellows, featuring flute and harmony from Alchemy Co-Director/artisan Glenn Hendrick, will fill out the bill with his finespun, finger-picked tunes.
Show begins at 8 p.m., and costs $15 at the door.
Arrington de Dionyso – https://arrington.bandcamp.com/
Ephemerald – https://on.soundcloud.com/k4JgD
Rob Summerlin – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBNYYONG20lbVhWBuQh7KQw
John Bellows – https://johnbellows.bandcamp.com/
Glenn Hendrick – https://www.glennhendrickart.com/
Please visit https://alchemyartcenter.com/events for more information. For more frequent programming updates, follow Alchemy on Instagram at @alchemyartcenter or sign up for their newsletter on their website.
Alchemy Art Center, founded by Maria Michaelson and Eben Shay in 2017, is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to creating a thriving arts community on San Juan Island.
