Nevada City, CA – Celebrated singer-songwriter Eilen Jewell is stopping in Nevada City, her first live show of the year as part of her spring 2024 tour.
The Miners Foundry Cultural Center is pleased to present Eilen Jewell on Thursday, April 25. The door and bar opens at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30 p.m. The Nevada City show follows the release of Jewell’s ninth studio album, “Get Behind the Wheel” and a busy world tour in 2023.
With her sultry vocals, emotionally intense compositions and beats, Eilen Jewell has consistently asserted a contemporary flair while borrowing from and reconfiguring traditional templates. Hailing from Boise, Idaho, Jewell plays a mix of Americana, blues, country, folk, gospel and honky tonk. She counts among her influences Bob Dylan, Loretta Lynn, Lucinda Williams, Hank Williams, Memphis Minnie and Bessie Smith.
“I’ve always been obsessed with music from a very early age,” said Jewell who started playing piano at age seven and recalls the first time she heard Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series. She was 15 and on a road trip with her family to Yellowstone. Her dad played the newly released cassette for days on end. While her brother felt tortured, Jewell was hooked for life.
“I was in heaven, and I just thought it was fascinating,” she said, recalling how she wanted to learn more about Woody Guthrie.
“That launched me on this whole adventure that I’m still on. I love learning about the crossroads of different styles of music,” she said.
One thing led to another and soon Jewell went from playing with friends to performing at farmers markets and open mic nights to forming a full-fledged band. She could not believe her good fortune when she had the chance to open up for one of her music idols, Loretta Lynn at the historic Calvin Theatre in Western Massachusetts.
“It was surreal,” said Jewell.
In 2010, Jewell released a tribute album of Loretta Lynn cover songs called Butcher Holler and this year will re-release the album with new material and special bonus tracks in memory of the country music legend who died in 2022. Butcher Hollow, commonly pronounced “Butcher Holler,” was the birthplace of Lynn.
Hailed as “one of America’s most intriguing, creative, and idiosyncratic voices” by American Songwriter, Jewell has built her career the old fashioned way, touring relentlessly with the kind of undeniable live show that converts the uninitiated into instant acolytes.
Over the course of nearly two decades on the road, the Idaho native has crisscrossed the U.S., Europe and Australia countless times, playing an endless series of headline and festival dates in addition to sharing bills with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Mavis Staples, Wanda Jackson, George Jones, Emmylou Harris and The Blind Boys of Alabama.
Rolling Stone lauded Jewell’s “clever writing,” while NPR declared that she has a “sweet and clear voice with a killer instinct lurking beneath the shiny surface.”
Touring since 2006, Jewell is eager to get out in front of live audiences again, starting with the Nevada City show.
“It’s a big part of my everything. It’s a great way to get out in the world and get our music into the hands of new people. We have friends all over the world, and we’re so excited to see them again,” said Jewell.
KNOW AND GO:
WHO: Eilen Jewell
WHERE: Miners Foundry, 325 Spring Street, Nevada City, CA 95959
INFO: info@minersfoundry.org
WHEN: Thursday, April 25; Doors and bar open at 6:30 p.m., show begins at 7:30 p.m.
COST: $28 in Advance/ $32.50 At the door. Advance price closes at 4:00 p.m. the day of the show. This is a seated show.
TICKETS: Available online or in person at the Miners Foundry Box Office:
325 Spring Street, Nevada City, CA 95959
Tuesday – Friday | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Miners Foundry Cultural Center is a living historic treasure serving Nevada County as a cultural art and community events center producing 400 events annually. More than a venue, the nonprofit’s mission is to preserve, enhance and utilize the historic Miners Foundry for cultural, educational and social activities in Nevada County. It is a symbol of California’s rich historical heritage, providing an educational and social bridge from our past to the present and future. Membership supports ongoing events at Miners Foundry such as these and many others.