Wednesday, August 7th
Born Andrew Heissler in Bloomington, Illinois. The nickname “Pokey” was coined by his mother, who would scold him to hurry when he was a child. In his early teens, he discovered an appreciation for older blues musicians like Skip James, Robert Wilkins, and Sleepy John Estes. After hearing Bill Monroe at age 16, LaFarge traded the guitar his grandfather had given him for a mandolin. He adopted the name “Pokey LaFarge” because it sounded like what he was looking for musically during the time he was moving around the country. LaFarge independently released his first album, Marmalade, in 2006. In 2013, LaFarge signed with Third Man Records and released his first album on the label, the eponymously titled Pokey LaFarge. His repertoire consists of a mix of Americana, early jazz, ragtime for string instruments, country blues, Western swing, Vaudeville, and Appalachian folk. –via artist wiki
191 | 191 E Toole | 7pm
