Events

[FOLK] Though Peter Mulvey is based in Milwaukee, his career is often associated with the neo-folk singer/songwriter revival experienced in Boston during the mid-1990s. His brand of acoustic wit and activist wisdom, combined with a tuneful rasp and a knack for percussive guitar playing, put him on the map at a time when some of the more pop-leaning folkies were having chart success. And while that might not be part of his story, it was a good time to be a rising coffeehouse favorite. Between his years in Boston, and for a stint in Dublin between college and his New England years, Mulvey became proficient at busking. Over the last 15 years, he’s diversified his career, exploring both rock and jazz textures over a total of 17 album releases. Years of working for Virginia’s National Youth Science Camp (geared for high school graduates) resulted in a spoken word piece, “Vlad the Astrophysicist,” which has gone on to become a TEDx talk and an illustrated book. This September marks the 11th year he’s doing a late summer bicycle tour, which not only keeps his touring budget under control but also cuts his carbon footprint down to zero. His most recent album, last year’s Are You Listening? was produced by Ani DiFranco and released on her Righteous Babe label, right here in Buffalo. During the Kickstarter campaign for the album, Mulvey wrote, “I have been launching little paper boats of whatever art, wit, beauty and tenderness I can muster onto the waters of this life for a long time, and I work to keep the faith that they make a difference.” Indeed they do: playing over a hundred shows annually for 25 years, he still draws people in, which isn’t a given — he must be doing something right. Catch him Thursday, September 6 at the 9th Ward, downstairs at Babeville for a seated GA show. Mike Brown, whose duo Geneseo’s album Automatic Music Can be Fun was nominated for a Grammy in 2014, will open.