Jillian Bessett Acoustic Showcase
($10-$15 | 7pm show) Jillian Bessett’s Acoustic Showcase with special guests Sweet Ghosts!
**Jillian Bessett**
Jillian Bessett is a vocal loop artist from Tucson, AZ who uses the Boss RC-505 to create a lush audial landscape beneath layers of intricate harmonies. Her evocative lyrics and charming stage presence has endeared her to audiences throughout the southwest music scene–opening for nationally touring acts like Lake Street Dive and The Messthetics (ex Fugazi). The keystone, however, is that instantly recognizable smoky alto voice that has prompted comparisons to Amy Winehouse, Feist, Nina Simone, and Adele.
**Sweet Ghosts**
Sweet Ghosts is the project of singer-songwriter Ryan Alfred and vocalist Katherine Byrnes. At once familiar and mysteriously unique, they combine “stunning, unpredictable harmonies” (Tucson Weekly) with a colorful instrumental palette where acoustic folk instruments blend with orchestral touches and subtle Brian Eno-inspired synthesizers, with songs that “sound like late afternoon…when winter’s coming” (MySpiltMilk.com).
Their last album, “An Endless Blue”, built on the foundation of their “gloriously heartwrenching debut” (Zocalo Magazine). Recorded mainly in a single 3 day session with Steven Tracy (St. Cecilia Studios) at the console, the album is built around live takes of the 6 piece band, featuring Angelo Versace (piano), Ben Nisbet (violin), Gabriel Sullivan (bass), and Winston Watson (drums). The result is a warm, colorful album that flows like one complete piece, moving from gentle, contemplative songs to darker, more turbulent moments. Also featured are a string quartet led by Ben Nisbet, and sonic contributions from Karima Walker (electronics) and Mike Moynihan (woodwinds).
Ryan and Katherine are both veterans of the thriving Tucson music scene. Ryan has travelled the world as the upright bassist and harmony singer in the celebrated Tucson band Calexico, toured with Telluride Bluegrass Festival winners Run Boy Run, and has collaborated on recordings with the likes of Ryanhood, Carlos Arzate, and Gabriel Sullivan. As a sound engineer, he has toured with The Jayhawks, Nick Lowe, The Swell Season, and many others. Katherine has traveled as far as China as the lead singer of The University of Arizona Big Band, as well as a stint as a background singer for Americana star Amos Lee. She has an album of duets with famed pianist-arranger Jeff Haskell (Linda Ronstadt), and routinely headlines theaters all over the southwest singing the music of Carole King, Barbra Streisand, and Janis Joplin.
Together, they have toured as far east as New Orleans, as far north as Seattle, and crossed the southern border for a concert in Hermosillo, Mexico, sharing their unique brand of Americana. They’ve opened shows for Calexico, AJ Croce, Head For The Hills, and Shane Alexander, as well as live spots and airplay on radio stations like LA’s KCSN, Tucson’s KXCI, New Orleans’ WWOZ, and many others.