Stone Cottage Studios Presents an Outdoor Evening of Music with Natalie Spears, Gabrielle Louise and Ryan Dilts
Join us on Saturday, July 15th, as we present a special, outdoor acoustic show featuring three of Colorado's premier singer songwriters. Natalie Spears, Gabriel Louise and Ryan Dilts will be performing in the grassy gardens in front of Stone Cottage Studios. Doors open at 5:300 PM and show begins at 6:30 PM, rain or shine. Ticket buyers are welcome to bring seating (lawn chairs, blankets, pillows), drinks, and a picnic.
About Natalie Spears
Based in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Natalie Spears brings listeners in touch with the warmth of community, the quiet awe of wild places, and the intimate corners of humanity. Inspired by her father's English Folk heritage and talents as a Jazz pianist, Spears carries a deep love for both porch picking music and music that swings. Drawing on these roots and pulling from a quiver of instruments (banjo, bass, piano, and guitar), her sound is both nostalgic and contemporary, sassy and sweet, contemplative and playful.
Born and raised in the heart of Washington DC, Spears took after her father, and began playing piano at age five. By fifth grade she was schlepping an upright bass on the school bus, playing saxophone in a band, and taking drum lessons. Music fell by the wayside after high school but in her early 20’s, Spears stumbled upon American Roots music. While playing bass in an Old-Time string band, she became enamored by the driving rhythm of the clawhammer banjo, and since then, has dedicated herself to learning the instrument and its history.
Spears currently performs and tours with her duo project, Lizzy Plotkin & Natalie Spears. In 2021, their debut EP, “Just Over the Ridge,” reached #10 album of the year on the Folk Alliance International Dj Folk Charts and her song, Seasons Change, reached #4 song of the year. She has toured throughout the United States performing at the John Hartford Memorial Festival (Bean Blossom, IN), Blackpot Festival (Lafayette, LA), and Palisade Bluegrass and Roots Festival (Palisade, CO), and has shared the stage with musical greats like Peter Yarrow, the Infamous Stringdusters, Drew Emmit (Left Over Salmon), and Jamestown Revival.
About Gabrielle Louise and Ryan Dilts
Gabrielle Louise & Ryan Dilts are a pairing of sensitivity and force, performing songs that combine Americana and bluegrass traditions. Gabrielle’s emotive vocal delivery and honed songwriting is elevated by the nuance and precision of Ryan’s agile guitar work. His flatpicking has a crystalline quality that converses with her voice eloquently, subdividing the time to create layered rhythmic interest and weave hypnotic spells. While their material harnesses the authenticity of folk music, it is arranged with a sophistication that aims to honor both of their personal heroes: Joni Mitchell and Tony Rice.
Gabrielle joins Ryan in this project on the heels of a long career as a recording artist and touring musician. Known for her authenticity and candor on stage, her performances delight and enchant. After graduating Berklee College of Music in 2007, she crossed the country many times over in a veggie oil powered tour van, released nine records of original work, and has been entrusted to open for greats from Joan Osborn to the late Guy Clark. Career highlights include giving an original TEDx talk on storytelling, taking first place in the Songwriter Serenade Competition, and watching her record "If the Static Clears" climb to #6 on the National Roots Music Report for Contemporary Folk Album.
