ICAMA presents Will Barclay and Steve Lutz in concert
By Jim Howells
The Iron County Acoustic Music Association, or ICAMA, will present a live acoustic concert with singer-songwriters Steve Lutz and Will Barclay. They will perform Feb. 9 at Community Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall in Cedar City. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the music starts at 7.
Will Barclay and Steve Lutz are multi-instrumentalist Americana singer-songwriters from way over the hills in Teasdale, Utah. They play a mix of original and traditional songs that often express a deep connection with the deserts and rivers and the people who call them home.
Barclay spent some of his formative musical years in Ireland with the Travelers, known to some as Irish gypsies. Roaming with them in horse-drawn caravans, he gained an in-depth empathy for the old ways there, and his songwriting has retained those ancient tones while adapting the feel to modern experience. Will plays guitar, mandolin, banjo, and fiddle. His songs are lyrical, deep, and expertly crafted visions of the drifters, miners, gunmen, and lovers he has known and imagined. His music is also influenced by the country rock scene that swept over the nation from the canyons and clubs around L.A. in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.
Lutz is three-time Intermountain Acoustic Music Association Dobro player of the year and a veteran musician who has played with many bands in the Brian Head, Salt Lake, and Torrey areas. As a young folk musician, his travels led him to southern Utah and to the canyons that changed his life. His songs tell stories of place, passion, history, and occasional domestic pandemonium. The years he spent as a firefighter, EMT, and police officer at Brian Head and elsewhere have given his music both compassion and an ironic sense of humor. Lutz is a sought-after band member and session musician who has played on numerous recording projects with artists such as Kate MacLeod, Marv Hamilton, Up Til Dawn, Tangleridge, and many others. He currently plays with The Jackson Jills, a six-piece bluegrass ensemble, and with Barclay in the Capitol Reefers band.
When Barclay and Lutz are onstage, their chemistry and skill combine with the easy rapport that develops between old friends who have played together for many years. The result is an intimate performance filled with the warmth of a campfire and the exciting sparks from building it too big for the fire ring.
Barclay and Lutz have played throughout Utah and have shared the bill with many of the best, including their friend and Grammy Award winner Tim O’Brien. Their musicianship, harmonies, storytelling, and connection with the audience will leave you with a smile on your face and some new tunes stuck in your heart.
ICAMA strives “To Build Community Through Live Music.” ICAMA was formed in November 2016 by a group of live music fans in Cedar City, including several members of the “Groove Crew” who helped put on the Groovefest American Music Festival. ICAMA presents acoustic concerts on the second or third Friday of each month and features musicians from the local area as well as acts from as far away as Salt Lake City and southern California in a relaxed setting. The music ranges from singer-songwriter and folk to bluegrass to gypsy jazz to folk rock. Opening acts are often exciting new performers gaining experience playing for live audiences. The upcoming show is the 11th in the series.
A suggested donation of $5 per person goes to the musicians and helps promote live acoustic music in Iron County.
Community Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall is located at 2279 Wedgewood Lane in Cedar City. For information on this and other upcoming live music events, check out the ICAMA Facebook page or email icama.music@gmail.com.
Articles related to “ICAMA presents Will Barclay and Steve Lutz in concert”
Utah Opera resident artists perform in Iron and Piute County schools
