The Red Dirt Concert Series will continues its eighth season of free performances at the Posse Grounds Pavilion on Friday, May 10, with opening act Craig Yarbrough taking the stage at 5 p.m. and headliner FoxyKoshka closing out the evening by 8 p.m.
Parks and Recreation Special Events Coordinator Jason Vargo said he was focusing on booking musical acts that complement one another this season, with the May 10 concert’s focus being unique takes on acoustic sets.
“FoxyKoshka is an acoustic duo [based in Flagstaff] that has unique takes on a wide range of songs that you may or may not be familiar with,” Vargo said. “By the end of the show they’ll be singing in multiple languages … Craig Yarbrough has unique instrumental solo guitar takes on similar [songs]. He also plays a wide range of genres and styles, and has a unique take with his classical guitar style.”
The duo is composed of Annette Morrison on acoustic bass and Vincent Ziegelbaum on acoustic guitar and has a typical setlist drawing from reggae, swing, cumbia and world music. The globe-trotting nature of their act also sees the duo performing songs in several languages including English, Spanish and Russian. “Koshka” means “cat” in Russian.
“All of the music has our sound, because of our instruments being both acoustic, and our voices, so it creates unity because it’s coming from us,” Morrison said. “Even though our repertoire is super-eclectic. it’s high-energy music. And it’s just two people, but we have lots of rhythm.”
“If people want to dance, if they want music that transports them and have wonderful moments as the day’s ending because that’s when we perform and see the transformation of the sky above us and the mountains around,” Ziegelbaum said on why people should attend the show. “It’s a wonderful experience. It’s a beautiful moment to share.”
The duo have been sharing their own beautiful moments with each other since forming the group in October 2013 and becoming romantically involved by December.
“Anette was a belly dancer [with the Gypsy Chicks], and I was a musician, so I approached [her] company and offered a collaboration of dance and music, and what happened is, Annette and I really liked working with each other, so we dived into [this] project that we built,” Ziegelbaum said.
“I’m excited to have FoxyKoshka back,” Vargo said. “We had them booked last year, but unfortunately, we had to cancel the performance [due to weather]. So we waited an entire year to have them back on the stage, and I’m super stoked about that. They’re wonderful people and brilliant musicians.”
Yarbrough said that being nylon string players is another commonality between his solo act and that of FoxyKoshka.
“I try and connect on just a musical level,” Yarbrough said. “I try not to put anything into the ether besides the music. If you’re looking for someone doing Pete Townsend-style windmill theatrics, FoxyKoshka might … have that part of the equation.”
“With gigs like this, I tend to play Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Steely Dan, Beatles, [Eric] Clapton, things that people recognize,” Yarbrough said. “Mostly covers everything from the ‘60s on up to modern days. Right now I’m working on a tune from Madonna and Journey.”
“It’s going to be a beautiful afternoon in the sun with great music and kind folks,” Yarbrough said. “I know a lot of Deadheads who come to hear my sets. And so it’ll be nice to have some of my Verde Valley friends come out to hear me play. So I’m looking forward to seeing all the people and just enjoying a nice afternoon with them.”
Up next at the Red Dirt Concert Series on Friday, May 17, will be indie blues band the Swamp Poets and Jack OC and The Alien out of Tempe.
