By Rick Zeigler, Founder/Organizer, Muncie Three Trails Music Series—
MUNCIE, Ind.—The Muncie Three Trails Music Series is pleased to officially announce its 2022 lineup. This will be the 9th season in which the series presents critically acclaimed national recording artists in four FREE concerts at Canan Commons in downtown Muncie. All shows begin at 7 PM and are all ages. And this season, we will also be presenting a special “Bonus” concert at Cornerstone Center for the Arts. Complete information on the series and all artists, including samples of their music, can be found at www.munciethreetrails.com.
Americana artist James McMurtry will open our series on Saturday, July 30th. With eight albums, including American Music Awards’ “Album of the Year” winner Childish Things, a Grammy nomination, and having one of his songs, “We Can’t Make It Here” named by famed music critic Robert Christgau in 2010 as “Song of the Decade,” McMurtry’s list of accolades is impressive. His latest release, The Horses and the Hounds, continues his tradition of writing hardscrabble songs about good people at bad extremes and the disintegration of small towns in flyover America. Muncie native Mike Martin and the Beautiful Mess will open the show.
Canadian duo The Small Glories will grace the Canan Commons stage on Saturday, August 13th.
Featuring Cara Luft, a founding member of the Wailin’ Jennys, along with partner JD Edwards, the folk duo have what American UK has labelled “Lennon-McCartney syndrome,” writing, “Some things just work together… to witness a performance by The Small Glories is a rare opportunity to experience that indefinable quality that creates perfection.” Apparently critics agree as the group walked off with Album of the Year, Ensemble of the Year, and Vocal Group of the Year at the 2020 Canadian Folk Music Awards, along with an “Artist of the Year” accolade from the International Folk Music Awards. In addition, Paste Magazine has selected them as one of the “Top 10 Folk Artists You Need to Know”. Opening the show will be Flatland Harmony Experiment. This concert is sponsored by Defur Voran.
2021 Grammy and Latin Grammy nominees Flor De Toloache, an all-female mariachi ensemble, will return to the Canan Commons stage for our third concert of the year on Saturday, August 27th. Flor De Toloache, which translates as “deadly flower” and also refers to a main ingredient in traditional love potions, was founded in 2008 and is lead by singers Mireya Ramos & Shae Fiol. They weave a variety of influences (e.g., salsa, bactata, cumbia, gypsy, Latin jazz, pop, hip-hop, soul) into their unique sound, giving them an edgy, versatile and fresh take on traditional Mexican music. They perform original songs, new arrangements of classic Mariachi tunes, as well as an eclectic selection of covers that can include songs by artists such as Adele and Erykah Badu. Pavel & Direct Contact will open the show. This concert is sponsored by Ball State University.
Three Trails’ favorite Pokey LaFarge will be featured at Canan Commons in the fourth concert of our 2022 series on Saturday, September 10th. Mr. LaFarge’s appearances at the 2016 and 2017 Muncie Three Trails Music Series attracted some of the biggest crowds in our history, so we were anxious to have him back. However, we have had to wait, as he first had some personal travails to deal with, self-described as “a fall from grace,” that was then swiftly followed by the Covid pandemic. LaFarge states, “Before the pandemic, I was in a dark place, but the pandemic actually created the much needed space for me to reflect. … I found peace in the stillness. I was able to recalibrate what it is I do and why I’m doing it. Who I’m to do it with and most importantly, who I’m doing it for.” His newest album, In the Blossom of Their Shade, signals yet another stylistic shift for Pokey, adding influences from the Southwest, South America, and the Caribbean to his mix of hot swing, ragtime, country blues, and Americana. The Ball State University Jazz Ensemble will open the show. This concert is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County.
Finally, on September 24th, the Muncie Three Trails series will present a special “bonus” fifth concert at Cornerstone Center for the Arts’ E.B. Ball Auditorium. This show will feature Wales- born and London-based solo acoustic guitarist Gwenifer Raymond. Raymond’s specific field of solo guitar is known as “American primitive,” a term coined by acoustic guitarist John Fahey in the late 50’s to describe his own music, intended to somehow convey an ineffable and ever-evolving amalgam of influences. For Gwenifer, this means she melds Appalachian folk, Southern pre-war country blues, Indian ragas and drone-based music, along with hints of vintage gothic horror films and a good dose of Welsh folkloric strangeness. The sound she makes is so cavernous, evocative and frenetic it seems as though at least two more guitarists must be hiding somewhere in the wings. Be prepared for a completely unique and spellbinding experience when Gwenifer Raymond takes the Cornerstone stage. Lonesome With Company will open the show.
The Muncie Three Trails Music Series is a non-profit partnership between Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, Muncie Arts and Culture Council, and Rick Zeigler, series founder and organizer. The mission of the series is to bring critically acclaimed, national recording artists to perform at Canan Commons, Muncie’s premier outdoor performance venue, located in the heart of Downtown Muncie. A second mission is to promote the many recreational, artistic, and cultural attractions located along, or in close proximity to, Canan Commons and Muncie’s popular “Three Trails” — The White River Greenway, Cardinal Greenway, and Muncie Arts and Culture Trail. We hope attendees will heed our slogan, “Explore the Trails, Enjoy the Music”.
