Event

John Mark Nelson in Duluth

8pm Doors
9 Mary Bue
10 John Mark Nelson

$8, 18+

The past may be prologue, but for John Mark Nelson, the present is something else entirely: a gateway into a new era of life and the new sound that defines his upcoming album, I'm Not Afraid. Having released two critically lauded albums of melodic, lilting folk songs the ages of 17 and 19, Nelson, now 21, is set to take listeners on a leap forward into a new sonic landscape of propulsive rhythms and bright, complex instrumental arrangements.

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There is a curious power in the ability to view one's life with an unjaundiced eye. It's not about being fearless, although that doesn't hurt, it's about the ferocity of spirit required to accept the world as it is and move forward from there. Singer/songwriter Mary Bue's songs crackle with this power, mixing piano and guitar, folk and pop, and redolent with private tragedy and shared elation. Her voice, described as "marvelously sultry and cool," lends her vivid, sometimes existential lyrics a texture that is both intimate and expansive. This intimacy is Mary's calling card.