Shadowlands (S. Carey x John Raymond) with Covenhoven

John Raymond and S. Carey bring "Shadowlands" to Heights Theatre Studios. They will be performing in the round - giving attendees an immersive look at their 5-piece band. There will be light refresments available.

Presented by TERRA Songwriting; a growing community of nurturing and hard-working creatives.

. . . . . .

John Raymond x S. Carey "Shadowlands"

John Raymond and S. Carey have been playing music together for close to twenty years since their time studying music at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. While they both received training in jazz and classical music, their careers would soon head in very different directions. Carey would become the right-hand man to Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver); collaborate as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer with the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Low, and Bruce Hornsby among others; and release four albums of his own to critical acclaim from Pitchfork, NPR, and more. Raymond, on the other hand, would become a Grammy-nominated trumpeter and composer “steering jazz in the right direction” (Downbeat); release eight albums garnering praise from the New York Times, Stereogum, and others; and teach on faculty at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, one of the most prestigious music conservatories in the world.

In 2019, the two reunited and began experimenting on what their artistic voices would sound like together. Raymond brought in a host of musical ideas, while Carey contributed lyrics and helped shape the ideas into songs. Producer Sun Chung (formerly with ECM Records) came on board shortly after, and together they enlisted a cast of A-list musicians to help flesh out the music including pianist Aaron Parks (Terri Lyne Carrington, Terence Blanchard), bassist Chris Morrissey (Norah Jones, Mark Guiliana), and guitarist Dave Devine (Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band).

The result is their new album, Shadowlands (Libellule Editions), a stunning, genre-bending collection of songs that combines the warmth and beauty of Carey’s aesthetic with the improvisational, spontaneous nature of Raymond’s. The music ranges from intimate and meditative to soaring and anthemic, with electric moments of musical interplay throughout. It’s the kind of collaboration that feels as if it were years in the making.

. . . . .

Covenhoven is internationally recognized indie artist Joel Van Horne, a multi-instrumental singer-songwriter whose rich harmonies, reedy baritone and commanding falsetto have found a home with critics and fans since 2013.

Through 5 full length albums and 2 EPs, Covenhoven has forged a signature style; layered acoustic arrangements that roll with momentum into orchestral peaks, accompanied by lyrics that contrast hard-won wisdom with the inherent hope of the natural world—from Big Sur to his native Colorado.

Covenhoven’s fifth album "The Color of the Dark" was released on April 11, 2025 and features collaborations with notable musicians and engineer/producers from Colorado and beyond -- including Dave Wilton (A Boy and His Kite), Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens), Andrew Berlin (Gregory Alan Isakov, etc.), Max Barcelow (Gregory Alan Isakov), Sean Carey (Bon Iver), etc.

Westword calls it “a masterpiece album of lyrical excellence”.

http://www.covenhoven.com

Host or Publisher Elijah Bisbee