Two concerts are scheduled this week at the Creative Commons in Bishop Hill.
First up, Quebec artist Seán Dagher will perform a live concert on Wednesday, Nov. 19.
Seán Dagher is widely known for his recordings with the Assassin’s Creed video game series, including Black Flag. His renditions of sea shanties and other songs from the games have been streamed over 70 million times.
His own “Shanty of the Week” video series receives thousands of views each week and has a loyal following the world over.
Dagher is an active performer, arranger, and composer of music from various folk and classical music traditions: Celtic, Baroque, Medieval, Arabic, French-Canadian and Maritime. He is a member of Skye Consort and is the co-artistic director of La Nef. Seán sings and plays Irish bouzouki, mandolin, oud and banjo.
He has been nominated for numerous OPUS and ADISQ awards and participated in the ADISQ-winning CD, La Traverse Miraculeuse with La Nef and Les Charbonniers de l’enfer. He has won OPUS awards for Creation of the Year (Leave Her, Johnny), Album of the Year (Skye Consort & Emma Björling) and Youth Production of the Year (Le chat et le gondolier, La Nef).
For tickets and more information visit xroadscc.org.
Cultural Connections will welcome Laid Back Country Picker for a one-of-a-kind concert on Friday, Nov. 21, at the Creative Commons in Bishop Hill.
Laid Back Country Picker plays good music — and treats everybody right. A cult favorite with national reach, he’s performed and recorded alongside Grammy winners and graced legendary stages including the Ryman Auditorium, Bonnaroo, and Red Rocks.
His sound blends ’70s guitar rock, honky-tonk and punk, all filtered through an unmistakably hillbilly sensibility.
Sharing the stage is his silent yet thunderous partner, Honey, whose powerhouse drumming — and signature curlers-and-moo-moo style — keep both the band and audience in line.
Together, Laid Back and Honey attract fans from across the spectrum: rockabilly diehards, punk and metal enthusiasts, and traditional country and rock-and-roll purists. Their music is regularly featured on SiriusXM Outlaw Country, and their live show is unlike anything else on the road today — rejecting the modern for the surreal in the best possible way.
Even Johnny Knoxville calls Laid Back Country Picker his “favorite new band.”
For both concerts, the evening begins with a potluck supper at 6 p.m., followed by the performances at 7 p.m. Suggested donations for each concert at $20-$30.
