Name: Eli Conley (record release)
Start: 2023-06-04T19:30:00
End: 2023-06-04T00:00:00
Location: Ivy Room

ivy room presentsSUNDAY JUNE 4TH----<h2>ELI CONLEY</h2>(record release)<h2>JESSE LOREN STRICKMAN</h2>(single release)----Doors 7pm / Show 7:30pm$15 Advance / $20 Door----IVY ROOM860 San Pablo Ave, Albany • 21+<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1600924717070304/" target="_blank">(rsvp on facebook</a>) <h2>ELI CONLEY</h2><a href="https://www.eliconley.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://eliconley.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eliconleysongwriter" target="_blank">Facebook</a>----Eli Conley is an indie folk singer-songwriter who recently relocated from the East Bay to Sacramento. He’s celebrating the release of his third album Searching for What's True with a full band show at Ivy Room! Eli makes music for queer and trans folks, justice seekers, and anyone who doesn’t fit easily in a box. His voice is tender and heartfelt, with melodies and that can leave you feeling teary-eyed yet hopeful. As a queer transgender man from the South, his songs tell stories that aren’t always reflected in roots music. He founded Queer Country West Coast, a regular series featuring LGBTQ+ roots artists. He has opened for Carsie Blanton, Heather Mae, and Grammy-winner Kimya Dawson, and been featured in the Huffington Post and the Advocate.&nbsp; Themes of uncertainty, ache, and loss come up again and again on Searching for What's True. The songs are drawn from the concrete and immediate details of daily life: a stuffed animal clutched in a child's arms, a colorful sunset after a forest fire, a confederate statue toppling to the ground. The album is Eli's first release since being diagnosed with a repetitive stress injury that forced him to stop playing music for many months. After wrist surgery and careful rehab, he came back to songwriting with a renewed sense of purpose.&nbsp; On the album's first single "Making Something New" he describes the work of an artist as "finding beauty in the wreckage / making meaning of the grief / when we tell our stories true we find release." His deep belief in the transformative power of creativity stems not only from his own experiences, but also his many years leading singing and songwriting classes for queer and trans folks and allies. The resulting album is a testament to the power of the creative spirit. At times it's hushed and intimate, at other times soaring and dramatic. At the heart of Searching for What's True is Eli's singular voice, urging us to stay open to our grief and our joy. Eli will be joined for this show by longtime collaborator Joel Price on mandolin and violin, James Touzel on upright bass, Jesse Loren Strickman on percussion, and Briget Boyle on backing vocals.&nbsp; <h2>JESSE LOREN STRICKMAN</h2><a href="https://www.jesselorenstrickman.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7MnOZscnkuaEcbgsCY5uyn" target="_blank">Spotify</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jesselorenstrickman" target="_blank">Facebook</a>----Oakland singer-songwriter Jesse Loren Strickman is known for potent lyrics and powerful, acoustic-based music. Tonight he releases his new single "Belong to the Night," an ode to the magic of the late hours and an anthem for his fellow night owls. Emotionally charged vocals sail over jaunty chords in Jesse’s songs about heartache, healing and peace. Personal stories of intimacy and heartbreak color a lot of his repertoire. He also writes of depression, highlighting darker chapters of his past to offer a bridge to those who are currently struggling. “In our deepest pain we grow the most and in darkness light is most potent. I make music to guide people back to the light because that’s what music has always done for me.”&nbsp;