Arlen

×

Expand

Michelle Bennett/Wolfskull Creative

A close-up of the band Arlen.

Arlen (from left): Soren Staff, Lee Henke and Kyle Shelstad.

$15 ($10 adv.).

media release: It's adventure time at Slowpoke. Not a night where you know exactly what you're coming to see. Where you could write the set list in advance and predict the encore with assurance. This is a night where you come out because you trust the artists to show you something new. Something you haven't heard yet. They've done amazing work in the past. They're all special songwriters and talented musicians. They are all artists whom you have come love in their other bands. 

But what about this one?

I thought about putting some videos here. Stuff from Them Coulee Boys, The Last Revel, Barbaro. But that doesn't seem quite fair. This is that moment in the middle of your favorite artist's concert. When they say, "want to hear a new one?" or maybe, "alright, we're gonna try out a new one for you - not sure if it's gonna work," and you roll with it and feel something special at the birth of something new.

I wish I could tell you more. I don't have videos. I don't have recordings. They don't even have a facebook page. This is maybe their third or fourth live show together. This is something brand new from artists we've come to know and love. Be there for the birth!

This is how they describe themselves: Midwestern folk rockers rooted in harmony, songwriting, and not taking themselves too seriously.

Kyle Shelstad | Barbaro | Lee Henke | The Last Revel | Soren Staff | Them Coulee Boys |

A keen group of three of the Midwest’s finest Americana singer-songwriters – Kyle Shelstad (Barbaro), Lee Henke (The Last Revel), and Soren Staff (Them Coulee Boys). The trio blossomed during a chilly February weekend last winter. The three longtime songwriting friends met at a studio in Minneapolis to see what would happen if they tried creating music together. The chemistry was immediate, the vulnerable early stages of song-crafting were easy, and the new group found enjoyment in the freedom to express themselves in an environment where no idea was a bad idea. As one would expect, the vocals are strong, the harmonies close-knit and the songwriting poignant.