WESTMINSTER WEST-On Saturday, Feb. 1, two regional singer-songwriters will be playing at the Congregational Church of Westminster West. Bellows Falls native Dylan Patrick Ward and Keene-based Ian Galipeau will each play a set of original songs, with an intermission in between.
Ward "writes consoling songs for a cruel world," say event promoters in a news release. "Inspired by do-it-yourself pioneers like Daniel Johnston and the Mountain Goats, and by great musical tragicomedians like John Prine and Randy Newman, he draws most of all from his own first-hand experience with the humor and heartbreak of life in America's lower middle-class," they say.
Featured in the Monday Discover Series at Club Passim and the Emerging Artist Showcase at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Ward has shared the stage with national acts like Bill Callahan, Guy Davis, and Jeffrey Lewis.
Galipeau is "a folk-rock songwriter for hopeful cynics." On his bandcamp page, he says he writes "songs about ideas and characters I find interesting. I've always been fascinated by the grey areas in life, and writing music is one of the best ways I've found to explore the nuances."
Musically, he leans toward indie-rock, but there are also strands of retro-pop and Americana.
Since starting to focus on his solo project in 2018, Galipeau has shared stages with regional acts including Arc Iris, Dietrich Strause, Belle-Skinner, and Ian Fitzgerald.
He released two sister EPs, titled Raze and Raise, in March 2018, a full-length album Like We Were Never Here At All in September 2022, and a series of singles and an EP over the course of 2023 and 2024.
The show will run from 7 to 9 p.m. Doors will be open at 6:30. Admission is by donation.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.