JACKSON, Wyo. — Modern folk has a vast array of shades. For Big Thief, it’s as if they’ve settled into a front porch session, with thunderstorm rumbling in the background, seamlessly shifting between whispers, wall-of-sound electric moments, and lyrical vulnerability that is at once poetic and mythic. They’ll tempt your heartstrings, along with special guest Iris DeMent, this Sunday at the Center Theater.
Big Thief comes to The Center Theater with the “Somersault Slide 360 Tour,” one year after the release of the band’s sixth studio album, Double Infinity — a nine-track set that prioritizes mood and atmosphere, with more sprawling and repetitive arrangements than past albums, textured with ambient droning and tape loops. Composed of songwriter Adrianne Lenker, guitarist Buck Meek, and drummer James Krivchenia, Big Thief’s creative output has grown a cult following since their debut release in 2016. Lenker’s angelic voice is central to their sound, and reportedly, remarkable to hear inside an intimate theater. This will be the band’s debut Wyoming performance.
Opening the show is Iris DeMent, simply one of the more underrated, finest singer-songwriters in America, as well as one of the fiercest advocates for human rights. With a high-lonesome vocal twang as John Prine described, “like you’ve heard, but not really,” she blends melodies rooted in hymns, gospel, folk and old-time country music. On her latest record, Workin’ On A World (2023), DeMent faces the modern world — with its climate catastrophe, pandemic illness, and epidemic of violence and social injustice.
A treat of a double-bill!
Big Thief has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket sold will go toward safeguarding people experiencing homelessness and ending the cycle of homelessness and poverty.
The Center Presents Big Thief with special guest Iris DeMent, 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 4 at the Center Theater. $79-$159. Sold out. Waitlist at JHCenterForTheArts.org.
