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Event
The Cowards Choir (Andy Zipf) / Lauris Vidal / Lauren Calve
The Cowards Choir
After ten years on the road, hundreds of shows and shelves of song-filled notebooks, Andy Zipf is taking a new name: The Cowards Choir.
"In 2009 I released The Cowards Choir EP. It was the first time I remember feeling like I'd found my voice.," said Zipf. "Something changed."
Two years later Zipf's voice strengthened and expanded. The "Jealous Hands" LP showcased this seasoned range and clearer vision. "As far as I'm concerned, Jealous Hands is my first record. My friend and producer Jeremy Griffith figured out how to capture the sound I'd been hearing my head all this time." He called it a "new direction", turning down a bit of the aggression, tightening up melodies and honing his true to life lyrics.
"It took me a few years to figure things out. I'm grateful for the time I've had to chip away at some edges. Now I'm ready to begin again."
The Cowards Choir chapter began on August 10th, 2013 with the release of the Reunion EP.
Zipf has always been committed to growth. "I never want to stop learning. I want to be a better singer and songwriter. It takes many years and miles. Not one season of a game show." He's taken that ethic to stages and street corners across the US, and its not gone unnoticed. Zipf's music continues to surface on network television and in independent films, and has participated in campaigns with ONE and To Write Love On Her Arms.
Turning to the people, he has consistently utilized his fan-base to support tours, fund albums and share his story via direct social media connection.
Zipf rewards that loyalty with an unwavering commitment to creating music rooted in honesty. He gets on the floor at shows and sings from the back row. He turns the room into a cinema, coats every surface with colors and old film. Zipf doesn't believe in playing music, rather immersing the audience in it. He is constantly looking for ways to create an experience that taps into equal parts rock and roll and big tent revival.
The Cowards Choir is a new chapter, but it is a chance to keep creating, maintaining that artistic purity and leading a life rooted in the stories of all of us, like he wonders in "Maybe I,"
"Maybe I will have nothin' more to teach them than the story we are livin', passin' up through us from echoes in the earth".
Lauris Vidal
Lauris Vidal has always treated the neck of his guitars like the skate parks of central Florida, where he grew up. Lauris has navigated both instrument and skate session with an aggression and ease of stride that serves not to impress or intimidate, but to inspire and invigorate.
Lauris' lust for living is infectious, and from an early age he found that the best way to spread that infection was through his signature brand of "kitchen sink beat blues". If the ghosts of American soul and folk music are the wind in Lauris' sail, then the urgency and intelligence of Bad Brains and Fugazi are his anchor. The cowboy boots with which he pummels the stage when keeping time have traveled from the swamps of rural Gainesville to the broken streets of D.C. and Baltimore. Each place Lauris goes and every relationship he forms adds a different spice to his narrative stew. He spent time as a volunteer mentor to kids in central Florida, and has braved the rigorous oppression of office life while honing his craft in our nation's capitol.
When not on stage Lauris spends time on the family farm, not tilling the land for crop, but scanning the ruins of fallen trees and old barns for material with which to forge everything from ukuleles to six-string lap steels.
Lauris Vidal isn't just a musician or show, he's a relational and aural experience described by punknews.org as "getting a hug from Tom Waits if you were bump to into him at a Paul Simon concert". His energy onstage and passion for existence in daily life has garnered praise by his friends, family, and fellow musicians.
Lauren Calve
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LocationThe 16th Street music house! (View)
6509 16th St. NW
Washington, DC 20012
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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Contact
| Owner: Ben Tufts |
| On BPT Since: Oct 10, 2012 |
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| Ben Tufts |
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