Opera House: John Oates in Concert with Guthrie Trapp, 12/27

23 Dec Opera House: John Oates in Concert with Guthrie Trapp, 12/27

Telluride’s Sheridan Arts Foundation presents an evening with John Oates with special guest Guthrie Trapp on Thursday, December 27. Show time is 8 p.m.; doors open at 7 p.m. The show takes place at the historic Sheridan Opera House and marks the second night of the 2018 Holiday Concert Series. Tickets are $50-60 reserved seats. (A $4 ticketing fee is charged at all ticket outlets.) Tickets are for sale online at www.SheridanOperaHouse.com or by calling 970.728.6363 ext. 5.

Following the main stage performance, the live music continues at the AfterSHOW with Cousin Curtiss in the SHOW Bar.

Please scroll down for a preview of the evening with John Oates.

John Oates

John Oates is one half of the best-selling duo of all time, Hall & Oates, as well as an accomplished solo artist. Singing from the time he could talk and playing the guitar since the age of five, John Oates was destined to become a musician.

Born in New York City, the Oates family moved to a small town outside of Philadelphia, PA in the early 1950s, a change of address that would alter the course of the young man’s life. Soaking up the sounds of the ’60s, Oates was influenced by the nascent folk scene, bluegrass, delta blues, and ragtime guitar styles. He also immersed himself in the sounds of R&B legends such as Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, The Temptations, Curtis Mayfield, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. One of Oates’ biggest mentors was his guitar teacher Jerry Ricks, who had spent time on the road with Mississippi John Hurt and Son House. Ricks introduced his student to the music of Doc Watson and Reverend Gary Davis, passing down their signature finger and flat-picking styles.

John Oates met Daryl Hall while attending Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. The two began collaborating and playing music together, the beginning of an historic partnership. Since their formation in the early ’70s, Daryl Hall & John Oates went on to record 21 albums, which have sold over 80 million units, making them the most successful duo in rock history. The duo scored 10 #1 records, over 20 Top 40 hits, and toured the world for decades. Their involvement in the original “Live Aid” concert and the groundbreaking “We Are The World” charity recording have further established them as legendary artists, who have stood the test of time.

In addition to their numerous American Music, MTV awards, and multiple Grammy nominations, in 2005 Hall & Oates were inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame; in May 2008 they were presented with the prestigious BMI Icon Award for their outstanding career achievement in songwriting. In April 2014, Hall & Oates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Since embarking on a long awaited solo career in 1999, Oates has recorded five solo albums: Phunk Shui, 100 Miles of Life, Mississippi Mile, a live album titled The Bluesville Sessions, and Good Road To Follow, which featured collaborations with Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, Vince Gill, Nathan Chapman, Jim Lauderdale, and Jerry Douglas.

In January 2015 Oates released Another Good Road (Warner/Elektra), a DVD docu-concert that premiered on Palladia Music Channel. Recorded live in a Nashville studio in one session, the video featured some of Music City’s finest musicians and singers as well as rare, seldom seen footage of Oates’ family ranch in Colorado, a glimpse into his world behind the music.

These days, John Oates is active in the Nashville music scene and beyond.

In 2010, Oates created and executive produced the Aspen Songwriters Festival, held at the historic Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, CO. In 2013, he teamed up with Jim James (My Morning Jacket) to curate the Bonnaroo Super Jam with special guests Britney Howard, Billy Idol, R. Kelly, Larry Graham and the Preservation Hall Jazz band.

In April 2017, Oates released his memoir “Change of Seasons,“ co-written with Chris Epting and published by St. Martin’s Press. The acclaimed title was a bestseller on Amazon and received outstanding critical and fan reviews. After completing an extensive book promotion tour in the spring of 2017, Oates resumed work on an important music project that represents the next exciting phase in his burgeoning solo roots music career.

John Oates most recent record album, Arkansas, was released in February 2018 on Thirty Tigers/PS Records.

Originally inspired by the music and legacy of the legendary Mississippi John Hurt, the project expanded to encompass other artists and styles that represent the dawn of American popular music from the early 1920s and 30s. Assembling an band of all-star Nashville musicians, Oates shines a light on music from America’s past long before the birth of rock ‘n’ roll.  Arkansas opened a path for Oates to rediscover his earliest influences.

Rolling Stone hailed Arkansas as one of the “Most Anticipated Country Albums of 2018.” In addition, the publication said the album “pays tribute to the voices that became before him… shining a light not only on the state’s countryside but its contributions to country music, too.”

“Listening to the sonic flavors of Arkansas is akin to a visit to a museum where the early history of music is on display – whether that genre be Country, Blues, or Rock,” wrote Billboard.

About Guthrie Trapp:

Guthrie Trapp is one of Nashville’s preeminent and most innovative guitar talents. He is currently finishing work on a follow-up to his successful solo album, Pick Peace, a 2012 showcase for Trapp’s stellar talent which long supported the careers of superstar artists and his own bands. Pick Peace served as a perfect template for Trapp’s brilliant mix of musical influences, exploring country, blues, Latin, reggae, jazz, rock and experimental sounds.

As a member of dobro legend Jerry Douglas’ band for five years and toured extensively throughout North America and the UK, taking the stage at New York City’s Blue Note, Radio City Music Hall, Celtic Connections and the Montreal Jazz Festival.

Prior to joining Douglas’ crew, Trapp spent several years with revered country artist Patty Loveless, appearing on two studio albums with her including the Grammy-winning Mountain Soul 2. Onstage or in the studio, Trapp has supported the world’s most talented and best-selling artists including Garth Brooks, John Oates, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill, Travis Tritt, Dolly Parton, Tim O’Brien, Delbert McClinton, Randy Travis, George Jones, Alison Krauss, Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Earl Scruggs, Lyle Lovett, Rosanne Cash, “Cowboy” Jack Clement and many others.

Trapp was surrounded by music during his youth on the Florida/Alabama coast, with family exposing him to numerous genres. By age seven, Trapp had taken up harmonica; by age 10, he graduated to guitar, later adding mandolin to his musical resume.

Joining his first band at age 13, Trapp was a regular performer at the clubs, festivals and events throughout the Gulf Coast region. At ages 15 and 16, he won consecutive statewide guitar and mandolin competitions in Alabama. By 18, Trapp travelled to Nashville to record on Gove Scrivenor’s album, Shine On, which also featured John Prine, Nanci Griffith, Lari White and Ray Flacke. Also a young adult, he teamed up with Nick Branch to form the popular band Filthy Rich, touring throughout the US and France.

Trapp settled in Nashville in 2001, paying early dues with the heralded Don Kelley Band at the famed honky-tonk Robert’s Western World. He made his way to Music Row, where one of his first master sessions was playing mandolin alongside industry staples Willie Weeks, Ian Wallace and Tim Hinkley. And he has never looked back, expanding his resume to include participation as one of the most in-demand performers on the popular Artist Works instructional website, serving as music consultant to the “Nashville” TV show, record-producing (singer Rylie Bourne’s debut album) and hosting weekly both a talk-show on Acme Radio and a live-music evening at Acme Feed & Seed, one of Nashville’s hottest venues.

AfterSHOW artist Cousin Curtiss describes his style as John Butler meets John Popper meets Keller Williams. He combines the picking style, soul, and energy of John Butler, the incendiary harmonica style of John Popper, and the multi-instrumentalist-live-looping talents of Keller Williams.

Cousin Curtiss’s life and music has been featured by Business Insider, MSN, Fox News, USA Today, Cosmopolitan and Daily Mail UK.

The Sheridan Arts Foundation was founded in 1991 as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization to preserve the historic Sheridan Opera House as an arts and cultural resource for the Telluride community, to bring quality arts and cultural events to Telluride and to provide local and national youth with access and exposure to the arts through education. The Sheridan Arts Foundation is sponsored in part by grants from the Telluride Foundation, CCAASE and Colorado Creative Industries.