A Night of Joni Mitchell w/ Zan & The Winter Folk, Girl Blue, Hold on Honeys and Belle-Skinner

A NIGHT OF JONI MITCHELL : Come celebrate the music of one of America’s most beloved singer songwriters, Joni Mitchell with some of the regions best female musicians on one stage. The evening will feature four of the Capital Region’s premier musical acts together for a special tribute to one of the pioneering women of music, with performances by Belle Skinner, Girl Blue, Hold on Honeys and Zan and the Winter Folk.

ZAN & THE WINTER FOLK

Zan & The Winter Folk is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Zan Strumfeld. Formerly a solo performer, Strumfeld carved her own niche of winter folk—anthems for the revivalists, lullabies for the lonely, ballads for the hopeful. In 2017, she brought together an eclectic group of musicians with wide ranging influences, from folk to bluegrass to jazz to rock. Paired with Strumfeld’s seductive vulnerability and soulful lyrics, The Winter Folk creates a unique and captivating sound in both their recordings and live performances. Since forming, they were named “2018’s Best Folk Band” by The Alt and nominated for “Folk Artist of the Year” at the 2019 Capital Region Eddies Awards.

GIRL BLUE

If you like Alanis Morissette, Brandi Carlisle, and crying in public, you’re going to love Girl Blue. Writing deeply emotional songs with strong singable hooks, singer/songwriter/producer Arielle O’Keefe is absolutely one to watch. She’s been featured on top Spotify playlists (New Music Friday) and charts (#2 on US Viral Charts), in national commercials, and on top blogs like the Huffington Post. It’s been said “she…has the kind of spark that makes stars” (The Alt), and most especially as a live performer she has an authenticity that regularly moves audience members to tears. She has based herself in Troy, NY, where she writes and records music with recording collective “Just Pretend”.

HOLD ON HONEYS

Hold On Honeys is an indie folk minimalist vocal trio based in Troy, NY offering tight knit harmonies to nourish the soul & invigorate the senses. The trio is made up of Emily Curro, Raya Malcolm and Shannon Rafferty.

BELLE-SKINNER

Belle-Skinner is a dark nostalgic singer-songwriter based in upstate New York and Brooklyn. With a hauntingly beautiful, lilting soprano and innate sense of melody she crafts tales of songbirds, sirens and desert nomads – nuanced and layered stories which bridge the gap between past and present. Though her influences cover a broad range of genres – from French chansons and Russian folk to contemporary alt-pop and rock – her voice often draws comparisons to the likes of Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Jeff Buckley, Mary Hopkin, and early St. Vincent.

Opening for acts such as Mitski, Cautious Clay, Ondara, Rhett Miller (Old 97s), Sean Rowe, Mikaela Davis, Saint Saviour (Groove Armada), and Bill Ryder-Jones (Arctic Monkeys), she has performed at venerated venues like The Linda Performing Arts Center, Proctor’s Theatre, The Bluebird Cafe, Bowery Ballroom, Caffe Lena, and the Roundhouse Theatre in London.

She has been a finalist in numerous prestigious songwriting competitions including Telluride Troubadour Competition, Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Competition, The Great American Songwriting Contest, SolarFest’s Songwriter Showcase – and most recently the 2022 Grassy Hill New Folk Competition at Kerrville Folk Festival and winner of the 2022 Tarrytown Music Hall Rock the Hall Competition.

She has released 7 records since 2015: Operator, We Shut Our Eyes, Violets, The Early Covers, There Grows A Tree In Paradise, Love Spell – and most recently a live Joni Mitchell tribute album (now streaming everywhere). Her songs have been featured on several Spotify editorial playlists, and have garnered over 1 million streams worldwide.