Mixtape: Lauren Frihauf and Joel Ansett

This is an intimate live show in downtown Longmont, Colorado presented by The Soundpost Sessions at The Times Collaborative featuring two songwriters and host Monica Marie LaBonte all on stage swapping songs and stories in-the-round. Music is from 7-9, doors at 6:30. Join us for this very special ongoing musical series once a month!

$10 Advance (reserved seating)

$15 Door

April 11th features Lauren Frihauf and Joel Ansett!

Lauren Frihauf https://laurenfrihaufmusic.com/

Lauren Frihauf, who first made waves on NBC's The Voice at age sixteen, released, "Fragments of a Stranger", January 26th, the first single from her forthcoming debut solo album, "Shadows in the Soul Machine". Her first live recording of the song caught the attention of Bobby Carter, producer and contest judge for NPR Music's Tiny Desk contest, in 2022. Carter was stunned by her submission, "Every time I watch this video, it just wrecks me".

In 2021, when her neo-soul duo ended before The Latona EP was released, Frihauf found her calendar cleared at a time when most musicians were getting back to touring. Previously, she had put words to melodies created with collaborators. She was alone, lost and experiencing the emotional turmoil of entering adulthood after the covid pandemic.

As she began her quest to identify who she was as a solo artist, her focus shifted from keys to guitar, which she found liberating. Learning to play, "Cactus Tree," by Joni Mitchell, proved to be pivotal: she became obsessed with open D tuning. "Fragments of a Stranger" was the first song she wrote on guitar. "I don't think it even took me an hour to write; the song was all there and ready to be made."

Her style has been influenced by Nai Palm of Hiatus Kaiyote, whose records she knows, “inside and out”, and her vocals are frequently compared with Joni Mitchell and Madison Cunningham. As her album came together, she assembled a band of stellar musicians deeply rooted in the Denver music scene: Alec Wenzel, on guitar, Callum Bair on bass, the drums and percussion of Braxton Kahn.

Her solo performances have moved unprepared listeners to tears at songwriting festivals in Texas, Montana, and Florida, and her soulful band gets people grooving. “Fragments of a Stranger” marked the beginning of an outpouring of unique lyrics and melodies, which together as, "Shadows in the Soul Machine", provided catharsis for the struggling young artist, meanwhile leaving listeners pining for more.

Joel Ansett https://www.joelansett.com/

Ansett moved to Colorado in 2014 and got his start playing every open mic he could find. He has since found fans all over the country with more than 30 million streams online, songs placed in Marvel’s “The Punisher” and the title of “songwriter to watch” from The Huffington Post. The songs combine folk and R&B, and beyond the genre, Artist Review wrote: “This music is soul therapy.” His latest album "Layers" is about unseen relational barriers with people you care about.

Hosted by: Monica Marie LaBonte monicamariemusic.com

From a wide-eyed tike delicately pressing the keys of her mother’s upright piano to a seasoned artist taking various stages across the country, Monica Marie LaBonte has always been guided by song. In her over 10-year career, the Colorado native has played hundreds of venues, including the historic Gold Hill Inn and Planet Bluegrass. For five years, she carried the torch of Women in Song at the Laughing Goat and enjoyed booking, playing alongside and meeting artists from all over the country. Monica is thrilled to be the Creative Director and host of Mixtape. She believes in the power of community and music and cannot wait to see what magic happens when musicians share stories and songs on stage together at the Times Collaborative.

Host or Publisher Soundpost Acoustics