Stage C Denver featuring Laurie Dameron, Robin Richardson, and Valerie Szarek
Featured Musicians: Billboard Magazine award recipient Laurie Dameron has been playing the guitar for over 40 years and singing even longer. Between solo performances and performances with her band, Laurie D and the Blues Babes, she has performed for hundreds of venues in and out of Colorado over the past 20 years. A broad repertoire folk, instrumental, pop, country, blues, and jazz allows her to perform many different venues. Laurie has composed, arranged and produced two CDs, “Utah Dream” (folk and blues) and “Looking Through the Blue” (jazz compositions). Her third and newest CD is a compilation of her favorite jazz standards and one original, the title cut, “I Can’t Wait to See You Again” which received an award of honorable mention for the 16th and 17th Annual Billboard Magazine World Song Contest. “Dameron’s playing is a nice blend of old school Jazz Guitar, Rock n’ Roll double stops and swing blues. Her guitar tone is crisp and smooth, giving her just enough bite for when she does her bluesy jazz thang..." -- Lyle Robinson, Jazz Guitar Life Magazine
As a child, Robin Richardson naturally sang as much or more than she talked. Her passion for music led her to attend Berklee College of Music for Voice and Songwriting, finishing her degree in 1987. Following Berklee, Robin moved to Nashville and joined first the 4-part a capella group, "the Barbie Syndrome", which received local acclaim for both their harmonies, wacky antics, and intelligent spoofs. Later, she co-created the band "Naked Pop" acting as both their lead singer and songwriter. She traveled the world for 10 years with Naked Pop, spending a lot of time in Southeast Asia where they performed many crowd-pleasing American standards and folk songs, jazz, soul, and rock. After moving to Colorado, Robin joined with two other women to form "Mystic Highway" – a group known for their intricate three-part harmonies. Together, they perfomed in Colorado and Europe and created several recordings. Today, Robin's music is informed more from within – by her own spiritual journey, her work as a psychotherapist, and her passion for connection and transformation. Now, she sings and writes chants as often as guitar songs, and leads others in singing them at retreats as much as performing on the stage. Her voice is soul-filled, lush, tender at times, powerful and absolutely beautiful. Through the depths of the deeply personal, her lyrics connect the listener to their own truths while lifting them to touch the transcendent and universal. Come – bring your voice – and be inspired.
Poet: Valerie Ann Szarek was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan before moving to the Colorado Mountains in 1979 and hand building her own home. She is a leather artist by trade, and has owned and operated Breezy Mountain Leather since 1972, located in Boulder, CO. Val is an avid writer, artist, artrepeneur, healer, laugher, poet and minister, and Native American style flute player and ceremonialist. Art = life! chap books: 13 Moons on Turtles Back and Gratuitous Beauty - 14 Days and Nights in Prague (a collaboration).
Hosts: Trinity Demask and Kay Ford Johnsen
Admission: $5 per person, children free
Mercury Cafe, 2199 California Street, Denver, CO 80205
Singer-songwriter Laurie Dameron
Singer-songwriter Robin Richardson
Poet Valerie Szarek
Co-host Kay Ford Johnsen
Co-host Trinity Demask
