Audio By Carbonatix
Last year, harmonicat Clay Kirkland hit the big 6-0 — an achievement that surprised him. “I never expected to live until sixty, and actually took steps to prevent it,” he admits. To mark the occasion, he staged a concert he dubbed Beat the Reaper, “because every extra day was like flipping the Grim Reaper the finger.” The gig went so well that Kirkland decided to do it again this year. Tonight’s second-annual Beat the Reaper Celebration features guest stars as varied as U.S. Pipe funkateer Chris “Citrus” Sauthoff and classical violinist Eugene Fodor, plus a wide range of material, including a tabla-meets-harmonica opus that Kirkland dubs “The Himalayan Queen Meets the Orange Blossom Special.”
Kirkland adds that he’s already got some ideas for next year’s edition. Guess he plans to keep the Reaper waiting a while longer.
The show starts at 8 p.m. at Swallow Hill Music Hall, 71 East Yale Avenue; tickets are $18 to $21. Get info at 303-777-1003 or www.swallowhillmusic.org.
Fri., Feb. 8, 8 p.m., 2008
