BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.4//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:157250@kingstonhappenings.org DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260709T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260709T200000 DTSTAMP:20260706T131109Z URL:https://kingstonhappenings.org/events/charlie-parr/ SUMMARY:Charlie Parr DESCRIPTION:In the music of Charlie Parr\, there is a sincere conviction an d earnest drive to create. The Minnesota-born guitarist\, songwriter\, and interpreter of traditional music has released 19 albums over two decades and has been known to perform up to 275 shows a year. Parr is a folk troub adour in the truest sense: taking to the road between shows\, writing and rewriting songs as he plays\, fueled by a belief that music is eternal and cannot be claimed or adequately explained. The bluesman poet pulls closel y from the sights and sounds around him\, his lyrical craftsmanship built by his influences. The sounds from his working-class upbringing—includin g Folkways legends such as Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie—imbue Parr’s m usic with stylistic echoes of blues and folk icons of decades past. Parr s ees himself merely as a continuer of a folk tradition: “I feel like I st and on a lot of big shoulders\,” he said in an interview. “I hope that I’ve brought a little bit of myself to the music.”\nWith a discograph y simultaneously transcendental in nature and grounded in roots music\, Ch arlie Parr is the humble master of the 21st century folk tradition. Parr s tarted recording in Duluth in 2002\, where he lives today. Life in the por t town on Lake Superior has a way of bleeding into his work the same way h is childhood in Austin\, Minnesota does. Parr self-released his debut albu m\, Criminals and Sinners\, and did the same for his sophomore album 1922 (2002). With growing popularity abroad\, Parr signed with Red House Record s in 2015\, where he recorded break-out albums Stumpjumper (2015) and Dog (2017). Parr’s music has an overwhelming sense of being present and mind ful\, and his sound is timeless.\nParr’s mastery of his craft is only mo re apparent when contextualized within the history of folk tradition of wh ich Parr has dedicated his practice The land and lives around and intersec ting with Parr have always influenced him\, from the hills and valleys of Hollandale\, Minnesota to the Depression-era stories from his father. Parr strives to listen to everything: “I don’t see that I’d ever be capa ble of creating anything if it weren’t for these inspirations and influe nces\, books and music as well as the weather and random interactions with strangers and animals. So\, the well never runs dry as long as my eyes an d ears are open\,” Parr said in a 2020 interview. Before he was even 10 years old Parr was rummaging through his father’s record collection—so metimes drawing dinosaurs on the vinyl sleeves—and listening to country\ , folk\, and blues legends\, many of whom are staples in the Folkways cata log. When Parr sings and plays his resonator or 12-string\, you can hear i nfluences like Mance Lipscomb\, Charley Patton\, Spinder John Koerner\, Re v. Gary Davis\, and Dock Boggs. This is especially true in his playing\, w hen\, after a diagnosis of focal dystonia\, Parr turned to greats like Dav is\, Doc Watson\, and Booker White for two-finger picking inspiration. Gif ted a 1965 Gibson B-45 12-string by his father\, Parr has never had a form al lesson and learned by to listening records and watching musicians he ad mired.\nParr’s first album with Smithsonian Folkways\, Last of Better Da ys Head (2021)\, foregrounded his lyrical craftsmanship and sophisticated bluesman confidence\, with spare production highlighting Parr’s mastery of guitar and elevating his poetry. Last of Better Days Ahead is a portrai t of how Parr saw the world in that moment\, reflecting on time and memori es that have past while holding an enduring desire to be present. In his 2 024 release\, Little Sun\, Parr weaves together stories celebrating music\ , community\, and communing with nature. Putting forth an ambitious and ra w album that exemplifies the best of Parr's sound: a blend of the blues an d folk traditions he continues to carry with him and the steadfast origina lity of a poet. ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://kingstonhappenings.org/wp-content/upload s/2026/07/689494988_1424933789677484_2520680042969918285_n.jpg CATEGORIES:@Featured,@Newsletter,Music,Nightlife and entertainment LOCATION:Levon Helm Studios(aka The Barn)\, 160 Plochmann Lane\, Woodstock\ , NY\, 12498\, United States GEO:42.0481861;-74.09931949999998 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=160 Plochmann Lane\, Woodst ock\, NY\, 12498\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Levon Helm Stu dios(aka The Barn):geo:42.0481861,-74.09931949999998 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR