(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Urban folk singer-songwriter Damien Jurado will headline an Outpost In The Burbs show in Montclair on Friday, May 18 at 8:00pm. He has quietly built up one of the strongest catalogs on the indie scene, earning high critical praise yet somehow never quite getting his proper due. Naomi Wachira will open the night.
Nick Drake had a definite impact on much of Jurado's work, but Jurado modeled his career on more idiosyncratic, unpredictable figures like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and Randy Newman -- songwriters who followed their own muse wherever it took them, whether fans and critics enjoyed it or not.
Damien's independence was born at least in part from the influence of punk, and one of the results was a concern for emotional authenticity that led him to delve into other people's lives instead of his own. Many of Jurado's best songs spun concise, literate tales of quiet, everyday despair, which often earned him comparisons to short story writer Raymond Carver. But his storytelling bent -- not to mention his ambivalence toward confessional material -- arose from a stronger grounding in traditional folk than spiritual compatriots like Elliott Smith or Cat Power. And with detours into pop, roots rock, full-fledged electric indie rock, psychedelia, and even found-sound experiments, Jurado ensured that his body of work was impossible to accurately pin down.
Afro-Folk singer/songwriter Naomi Wachire stated, “I am an African girl, well I know where I’m coming from, and I know who I want to be...” That defiant soul-anthem jumpstarted the artist onto a whole new path and calling. The words, from the title track of her first EP African Girl (2012), paved the way for this Kenyan-born, Seattle-based artist, who is determined to make a contribution in the world by offering music that is poignant, hopeful and life-giving. Five years later, after a critically acclaimed self-titled album Naomi Wachira (2014) and an acoustic EP I am Because You Are (2015), comes her sophomore album Song of Lament, which she says, “was born out the many tragic losses we’ve witnessed globally - ranging from cases of police brutality to the refugee crisis - that made me grieve about who we’ve become, but also burned a desire in me to create art that would serve society at large and hopefully lessen the chaos around us.”
“Naomi Wachira is an artist of formidable talent and heart. Her music & songwriting brings together harmonies that speak across continents and cultures,” said Northwest Music Scene.
The Outpost in the Burbs show will take place at the First Congregational Church of Montclair (40 South Fullerton Avenue) in Montclair, New Jersey. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased online.
Outpost in the Burbs is a non-profit outreach organization dedicated to building community through music, community service, and cultural programs.
PHOTO: Damien Jurado by Elise Tyler
