Greg Ching, Nederland

Over the past 14 years, Darryl Purpose has played twice in my living room. Each time his lyrical voice and poignant storytelling seemingly paused time. As this may be the last year of Aspen Meadows House Concerts, it's appropriate to have an old friend of our series (as he's attended many shows when he's not been touring) start our 15th year.

If you live around Ned, he's often seen but seldom heard, so this is a real treat as we raise funds so the Eco Arts Lounge can host live music periodically. (My sound system got destroyed in the recent Boulder County flood.)

When Darryl Purpose was 16 years old, his mother put a book called Beat the Dealer in his Christmas stocking. He went to Las Vegas as a teenager and began a career as professional card player, and still calls this the “only real job I’ve ever had.”

Years later, he took time off to walk across the country for peace, and fell in with a bad crowd, “musicians & peaceniks.” In 1996, inspired by his work with a traveling band of musical activists, Darryl began to tour nationally as a solo singer-songwriter. Eight years, six CDs, and 1,000-plus shows later, he was headlining venues like the Freight and Salvage, Club Passim, McCabe’s, The Bluebird Cafe, The Kennedy Center, and the Kerrville Folk Festival Main Stage.

In 2005, he inexplicably set down his guitar and took a 7-year sabbatical in the Rocky Mountains. During this time, he shepherded the release of Singer-Songwriter Heaven: the songs of Kevin Faherty. He also continued to co-captain the Second Strings Project, which is responsible for delivering over twenty thousand sets of guitar strings to those who need them all around the world.

In 2009, he was inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame, one of 17 members, including Ed Thorp, the man who wrote that book that his mother put into his Christmas stocking at 16. He says that he also “got healthy, in multiple ways.”

After 7 years away from the singer-songwriter scene, Darryl Purpose is back to making music, with a new energy and a new flair for connecting with audiences. 2012 saw Darryl record his first CD of original material in 10 years, “Next Time Around,” produced by Billy Crockett for the Blue Rock Artists label. With no formal radio promotion, the CD spent five weeks at #1 on the Roots Music Report folk chart for national radio airplay in March & April 2013.

Live performance is his strength as he connects his audience to his songs with a storyteller’s heart.

When: Sunday, 19 January 2014

Music starts at 7 PM

Where: Wild Bear Eco-Arts Lounge next to the Nederland Carousel of Happiness

Cost: Suggested minimum contribution $20/person advance, $25/person

door, kids 12 & under FREE

Reservations: http://tinyurl.com/amhc14-darrylpurpose

For more info on Darryl Purpose see http://darrylpurpose.com