LPCA and NCPR present a special, one-night showcase of dynamic North Country artists you’ve heard around the region and on the air!
The North Country is rich in musical talent: from folks composing on their computers to full bands playing every genre. Since 2020, North Country Public Radio (NCPR) has been shining a spotlight on instrumental music from regional artists with the Underscore Project.
With musical acts out of work overnight at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, NCPR saw a way to amplify artists’ talents by airing their music during news programs. A series of virtual and in-person performances followed. Since the inception of the Underscore Project, dozens of musicians have sent NCPR their music to use.
Don’t miss Lake Placid’s in-person Underscore performance, featuring the talents of innovative, dynamic, solo bass guitarist Evan Veenstra; prolific electronic, vocal dream pop artist I Am Snow Angel; and the sweet Americana vocal melodies of The Currys!
Evan Veenstra
Gananoque bassist Evan Veenstra has dug his groove pushing the limits of the electric bass. His music career spans 2 decades, and has seen him work the stage and studio in his home of Eastern Ontario, Boston – where he attended Berklee College of Music – and Oakland, California, where he was an in-demand member of the RnB, hip-hop and jazz scenes. He currently gigs with many of the Kingston, Ontario area’s finest musicians.
Evan has released three solo albums, Asturian Fantasies, Piccolo and Bass. All three albums are performed entirely on the electric bass, and rely on virtuosic performances and novel compositions to demonstrate the technical and sonic possibilities of the instrument.
Julie Kathryn, I Am Snow Angel
Lake Placid native Julie Kathryn, also known as I Am Snow Angel, is a songwriter, producer, sound designer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist. She crafts sonic worlds — emotionally resonant soundscapes that evoke, in turn: alien landings, surrealistic dream sequences, nostalgic synthpop gems, and spiritual oases. She has been featured in TapeOp, Under the Radar, Wonderland, American Songwriter, MusicTech Magazine and many more for her “soulful narration” and “dedication to craft.” Julie has toured both locally and internationally and has released several self-produced EPs and albums, including 2022’s dystopian sci-fi journey Lost World.
A prolific sound designer, Julie regularly designs ethereal sample packs and synth patches for leading software companies and sound content libraries. A sought-after collaborator, she has co-written, produced, and engineered songs for a variety of artists across an array of genres. Julie is on faculty at Berklee NYC, where she teaches master’s level courses in music production and songwriting.
The Currys
The Currys have been staking their claim within the indie music scene since 2013, when vocalist/guitarist Tommy Curry quit his teaching job and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, to join the harmony-based folk-rock outfit newly formed by brother Jimmy Curry (vocals, guitar) and cousin Galen Curry (vocals, bass). The band have since written and released four full-length albums: their studio debut Follow (2014), called “eye-opening, but warmly familiar” by Earmilk, and whose title track is “one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve ever heard” (Todd Moe of NCPR); sophomore effort West of Here (2016), with its “tight-as-a-rubber-band” harmonies and “infectious” songwriting (PopMatters); and the expansive, self-produced This Side of the Glass (2019).
During the pandemic, The Currys took the opportunity to explore different avenues of creativity. In 2020 the trio launched a podcast, This Side of the Mic, to showcase songs and share some laughs and insights. The band leveraged their down-time into writing and demoing dozens of new tracks, polishing their production chops and collaborating with fellow creators to expand their sound. The singles they released through 2021, such as pop/R&B track “Man On the Side” and Graceland-inspired “Last Night,” pushed the boundaries of their previous catalog.
In the spring of 2023 the three Currys were joined by Sebastian Green (drums), Sam Whedon (guitar), and Alex Rees (keys) to begin production on their fourth studio album. Keepers, released in October 2023, represents another step in the band’s evolution, pairing the lush, three-part harmony that marks any Currys project with a more guitar-driven, indie pop aesthetic. The album pays homage to the band’s influences, with tracks evoking Sgt. Pepper’s, Jason Isbell, even dreamy pop-punk. Keepers is an honest next step for a group with an appetite for exploration and a long road ahead.
