Event

Cahalen Morrison & Greg Spatz

Cahalen Morrison, born and raised in northern New Mexico, now residing in Seattle, writes songs that sound like a Cormac McCarthy novel: simple, beautifully crafted, and seemingly formed from raw natural elements. A student of everything from Jazz and poetry to Dwight Yoakam and rodeo, Cahalen tugs at the taproot of American music, and takes it one step further. Equally at home on fingerstyle guitar, clawhammer banjo or singing unaccompanied, his styles range from old-time, bluegrass and country blues, to honky-tonk and avant-garde folk. Not a virtuoso, or anything of the sort, but a hard working student of music drawn to the subtleties and basics of American music.

Born in New York City, Greg Spatz begged for violin lessons and began playing at six years old. Now he plays fiddle with the renowned John Reischman and the Jaybirds, and bouzouki with the old-time world-folk stringband Mighty Squirrel. He is hailed as a "world-class bluegrass fiddler" by Fiddler magazine. His subtly sinuous backup style and wide-ranging chops have made him a popular West Coast player for years, including stints with the legendary Frank Wakefield, and resophonic guitarist Rob Ickes and many others.

Greg is also the author of novels Inukshuk, Fiddler's Dream and No One But Us, as well as short story collections, Half as Happy and Wonderful Tricks. His short stories have appeared in literary journals and magazines such as Glimmer Train Stories, New England Review, Kenyon Review, Epoch, Santa Monica Review, The New Yorker, etc., and he's the recipient of numerous grants and awards including a Washington State Book Award and 2012 fellowship in literature from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Together, the two wordsmiths will explore a catalogue of Cahalen's original songs and tunes, and a handful of traditional tunes from America and abroad.