Portraits in Song is an intimate concert series highlighting the craft and storytelling of exceptional emerging artists. Each limited-capacity evening invites audiences to experience songwriting up close — sharing not only original music, but the stories and creative journeys behind it.
The third concert in the series features Canadian-American Roots-Folk duo Dan Frechette and Laurel Thomsen, prodigious players whose soaring violin, diverse guitar styles, and unique vocal rapport make for a dynamic, polished performance. Opening the evening is Kito Rayburn, a Monterey-based multi-instrumentalist crafting a solo sound that blends indie folk and neo soul.
The performance will be held Thursday, June 18th, at 7:00pm, doors open at 6:30. Tickets are $25 (wine and light fare provided), available on Eventbrite.com.
About the Artists
Meeting in 2012 via a chance YouTube sighting and fueled by a once-in-a-lifetime musical chemistry and friendship, Canadian-American husband-wife Roots-Folk duo Dan Frechette and Laurel Thomsen are “prodigious players with songwriting that sets them apart.” With soaring violin, diverse guitar styles, compelling storytelling, a dash of harmonica and humor, and unique vocal rapport, they deliver a dynamic, engaging, polished performance. Based in the mountains above Santa Cruz, California, their third album, Between the Rain, was top ten on Canada’s Roots charts for 2016. Touted for being both “lyrically refreshing and musically diverse,” their original songwriting and composing spans the range of Roots-based genres, “pondering contemporary subject matter with vintage sensibility.” They have toured North America extensively — from Home Routes house concert tours of the Canadian Prairies to headlining spots at The Listening Room Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida, BBC Radio in Liverpool, UK, Canada’s definitive Winnipeg Folk Festival, Northern California’s beloved Kate Wolf Music Festival, and opening for The Wailin’ Jennys at a sold-out theater in Grass Valley, California. Beyond the US and Canada, they’ve toured Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, and Germany.
Kito Rayburn grew up in El Paso, TX and Monterey, CA in a musical household. A multi-instrumentalist, he has participated in a number of different local projects, including Bayview, Pan Dulce, The Rayburn Brothers, The Fragonards, The Dead Cassettes, and the Danny V Project. More recently he has been focusing on developing his solo project and finding his own sound, a blend of indie folk and neo soul. He has released a number of singles, an EP Reach Out, and is currently working on writing, recording, and producing a full-length album.
