Spring is happening, friends!  I know temperatures will bounce around a bit, but this morning I rode my bike out in a (rather comfy!) warm drizzle, and when I rode back it was warm and dry and almost sunny! …now, I just need to put a fender over the rear wheel so I don’t end up with a skunk stripe of road mud up my back when I’m done riding!

I’ve got a couple of nice events coming up in April and I’ll even tell you about some of what’s happening in May.  Should be fun!

April Powers Us Along!

First up, a really exciting show is happening in the Cafe at Mr. Small’s, 7-10pm Friday April 17.  Caleb Pogyor, Dan Petrich and I will be splitting the evening.  Caleb’s music takes inspiration from the introspective songwriting of Sufjan Stevens and Elliott Smith, as well as the expansive textures of Radiohead. You might hear echoes of Fleet Foxes and Wilco too!  Dan’s music is informed by traditional folk, American Primitive guitar, ambient, and even field recordings. He has three full length records to his credit. He has an album release show for his new instrumental record Soundings on Saturday April 4 at Acoustic Music Works on the South Side, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing some of his new stuff at Mr Small’s!  I’ll have some new tunes to share as well, part of a set of tunes I’m hoping to share soon on Bandcamp and elsewhere.

The rest of the weekend is packed as well, with the free, giant art show Art All Night running from 4pm Saturday April 18 to 2pm Sunday April 19, at the Rockwell Building in Point Breeze (behind Construction Junction and across from Ascend).  I’ll be running an acoustic singer-songwriter stage (the Coffeehouse Stage!) at Art All Night as I usually do…  If you’re interested in signing up to perform, check out artallnight.org/artists/.  But don’t delay — Art All Night is right around the corner!

A May Preview

There’s a lot happening in May, from Farmers’ Markets to Flower Festivals to a special show in Confluence PA!  You can find out all about it at brianjunkermusic.com, of course.  But here I’ll just mention two fun things, and save the rest for the May newsletter!

On Sunday May 3, 6-8pm, I’m coming back to Ruckus Cafe. This is a super spot in Shaler on Route 8, with great salads, sandwiches, treats, coffee and other drinks — and an important supporter of live music in Pittsburgh! My friend David Bennett will play cello on a few songs, and maybe there will be another special guest as well… Free admission; a great way to spend a Sunday evening!

Then, from May 7 to June 4,  Deborah Brooks and I will be teaching a songwriting class for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.  Last I checked there were only two seats left, so if you’d like to take the class, act fast!

As always, late breaking news and more information at brianjunkermusic.com.

See you out in the world!

-BJ