• Rocky Votolato & Brooke Waggoner - Indie & Wine Series
• 9:00pm

$15 in advance/$17 at the door

Continuing our successful Indie & Wine series which pairs upcoming Indie artist with City Winery's handcrafted wines, we are excited to announce the talented Rocky Votolato and the incredibly appealing Brooke Waggoner.

We will be offering specials on our new wines with $5 glasses/$15 carafes of our wine and a meet and greet with the musicians after the show.

ABOUT ROCKY VOTOLATO

Seattle musician Rocky Votolato is a soft-spoken, very kind, very hard-working father of two, born in rural Texas and raised in the Pacific Northwest indie scene (where he fronted the acclaimed rock band Waxwing). In his decade-plus life as a songwriter and musician he has sought to articulate something essential about life, writing songs that seem to have been scratched into a boxcar wall by a worn-out and lonesome ghost. His gravelly, sandpaper smooth voice and introspective lyrics mark him as that most rare of punk-rocker-turned-acoustic-troubadours: Votolato writes graceful, understated, human, unpretentious songs, demonstrating that simplicity is still a viable option for accomplished songwriters.

His last two releases, "Makers"(2006, Barsuk) and "The Brag & Cuss" (2007, Barsuk), found him exploring and paying homage to the folk and country music that shaped his early life in Texas (Alternative Press described the former as “the disc Ryan Adams keeps threatening to make but never quite delivers,” and Harp praised his “harmonies that would make Gram and Emmylou proud” on the latter). "True Devotion", his new album, is a passionate, stripped down, and mostly acoustic reflection on moments from his current life; showing us where he is, where he has just come from, and where he’s going.

Where he’s going has to be better than where he’s coming from: In the years following the release of The Brag & Cuss, Votolato’s private lifelong battle with depression and anxiety started showing up in ways he could no longer hide from or disguise. Unable to write music or keep up the busy touring schedule that he’s been known for, he cut himself off from almost all outside contact (at one point barely leaving his apartment for over a year). Spending his time reading, studying existential philosophy, history, physics, and theology, he gradually overcame his demons. He began writing again, and through the making of the new album (recorded almost entirely on his own, and then mixed with the help of longtime production collaborator Casey Foubert [Sufjan Stevens, David Bazan] and old friend John Goodmanson [The Blood Brothers, Sleater-Kinney]) found some long sought-after understanding and peace of mind.

Walking the line between autobiographical fact and fiction, True Devotion is deceptively simple, peppering impressionistic narratives with moments of lyrical wisdom that can knock the wind out of you. The first half of the album is full of dark psychology and social-critique themes that feel similar in approach to Votolato’s 2003 release “Suicide Medicine”.

Listen to Rocky Votolato

ABOUT BROOKE WAGGONER

Brooke Waggoner began playing piano at the age of 4. She began experimenting with song structures and melodies at the age of 9 and wrote her first original song at 10. Now, at the age of 23, Brooke has a college degree in Music Composition & Orchestration and recently released her own EP entitled "Fresh Pair of Eyes". Her musical journey is as interesting as her future is bright.

With no conscious thought or decision made to ever go into the "music business," Brooke, a Louisiana native, entered Louisiana State University in 2002 to pursue a higher level of music education. There was never any question as she notes, "Music was just going to be my future. The question everyone has of 'What am I going to do in life?' never really crossed my mind. I always knew music was it." Her intent was to study orchestration and hopefully one day have a career in scoring films, soundtracks and musicals. However, it was in college where her musical interests broadened immensely.

Brooke's exposure to live performances while in school opened up a whole new world for her. She notes, "I was sheltered musically growing up. Seeing different styles of music live was like two worlds coming together for me. After going to my first punk rock show, it clicked. That was the moment where I realized I did want to perform and have an emotional connection with an audience." Brooke forced herself to attend more live shows to gain the confidence to perform her own music live. "I had stage fright and I made myself go to shows to see bands, whether I liked the music or not, to help me gain the confidence in being able to do it myself," she describes. Her decision to soak up as much live music as she could left her poised to go and do it on her own.

Brooke's musical influences can be found throughout her music and arrangements. Citing Chopin as her most influential classical composer, she also includes Simon & Garfunkel, ELO, as well as Roger & Hammerstein musicals, as strong influences. "Chopin is incredibly influential. His melodies can be really soft, but he delivers them in such a powerful way. I love his stuff, but at the same time an ELO song could have just as much of an impact on me in the way they utilize orchestral elements and combine them with catchy, rock melodies,".

With these powerful capabilities and talents as a musician, writer and composer, comes a humbled and genuine person of character. Brooke's personality is one of sincerity. It's this sincerity, emotion and character that comes together and spills over into her music.

Listen to Brooke Waggoner