Rogue Valley to Continue New Century Sessions Series at Minneapolis' New Century Theatre, 11/8

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced today that Rogue Valley, lauded local folk-rock band, is the next featured act in its New Century Sessions, at 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. This new Minnesota music series, sponsored by Park Nicollet Health Services, gives artists a chance not only to play, but to share the evolution of their work and commune with the audience. The series runs at the Trust's intimate New Century Theatre in downtown Minneapolis and opened in September with a sold-out Jeremy Messersmith show. Twin Cities' band The Starfolk (Brian Tighe/Allison LaBonne) opens. New Century Sessions will showcase four more performances to be announced later.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 11 and range from $16 to $22 with a limited number of VIP packages available for $36. Tickets can be purchased online at HennepinTheatreTrust.org, in person (no fees) at the New Century Theatre Box Office (615 Hennepin Ave., ground floor, City Center, downtown Minneapolis) or by calling 1-800-987-2787. Doors open to the public at 6:30 p.m., VIP seating begins at 6 p.m.

Rogue Valley, based in Minneapolis, is "among the most consistently engaging and impressively dynamic acts on the local scene" (City Pages). Chris Koza is the lead singer/songwriter and guitarist with Luke Anderson on drums, Paul Engels on bass, Linnea Mohn on keyboards and vocals, Peter Sieve on guitar and vocals and keyboardist/composer Joey Kantor, plus a variety of string players and percussionists as regular contributors. Recognized as one of the Twin Cities' most compelling young groups, they make music that fills a dynamic spectrum from surging electric guitar rock to woodsy finger-picking ballads. The unifying trait is the band's soaring, lush vocal harmonies and cinematic arrangements matched with impeccable production and thoughtful songwriting.

"Art and artists are at the heart the Hennepin Cultural District," commented Tom Hoch, President/CEO of Hennepin Theatre Trust. "This series enables us to offer some of Minnesota's most talented musicians another platform to share stories about their life and creative process in a comfortable venue like the New Century Theatre and as part of this special partnership with Park Nicollet Health Services."

Park Nicollet's support for local community artists and the healing comfort of music is an extension of its long-time commitment to the power of music. Park Nicollet offers patients music therapy at its Frauenshuh Cancer Center, Struther's Parkinson's Center, Melrose Center for eating disorders and Methodist Hospital.

Rogue Valley performs regularly at top Minneapolis/St. Paul venues including First Avenue, The Fitzgerald Theater, the Basilica Block Party and the Minnesota State Fair in addition to prestigious national bookings including the South by Southwest festival. They have worked with such influential artists as Spoon, Weezer, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Andrew Bird, Justin Vernon, The Jayhawks, Lucinda Williams, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Mason Jennings, Eric Hutchinson, Nellie McKay, Céu, Cloud Cult, Jeremy Messersmith and Haley Bonar.

In one recent, ambitious year, they wrote, recorded and successfully released four, full-length albums each tied to a changing season and telling a sweeping story of love, loss, regret and hope linked to American wanderlust. Rogue Valley continues to work on new songs and explore new directions for an upcoming 2014 release, delving into dueling surf guitars, bossa nova rhythms and ethereal synth while maintaining a textural layering of vocals and instruments.

As the band describes itself, "Imagine Ralph Waldo Emerson and Jeff Tweedy sharing a dugout canoe across a calm river; Jack Kerouac and My Morning Jacket sitting around a campfire; John Steinbeck and Fleet Foxes hitch-hiking along county roads and highways from coast to coast."