26 year old Nick Urb was born and raised just outside Detroit in Clawson, Michigan. Being stuck in a small town played a big role in him gravitating towards music as a way out. Nick occupied his time playing in bands around Michigan for over 8 years, finally going solo and finding his way up the East Coast and as far South as Austin, TX. Nick played churches, house shows and small theaters throughout his early 20’s, an experience he refers to as “reflective and therapeutic”. Released in 2012, Nick’s first album We Are Able was a watershed moment for the songwriter and fit well with the timely emergence of mellow folk pop troubadours’ such as City and Colour, Noah Gundersen and Ed Sheeren. With little promotions other than a Daytrotter session, the album miraculously found its way to music lovers across the world, receiving over 7 million streams on Spotify, and Nick began to cultivate extraordinarily close relationships with his fans. “The first album had such a wonderful response” Urb reflects. “I can only hope to replicate that on some level”. For his new batch of songs, Urb began tinkering with odd tuning and while exploring both the happiness and hardships of his young adult life. The title track of the new album, “Until the End of Days”, solidified his commitment to pursue music. “If you love something, that’s the way it is” he asserts. “Whether good or bad, right or wrong, your mind has been made up.” He recorded Until the End of Days in Hamilton, Ontario at Catherine North Studios. After hearing the sounds the studio naturally produced, he knew this was exactly the creative space the album needed. The resulting recordings are flushed with nostalgia and bittersweet melodies which showcase Urb's coeval vocals and delicate musical sensibilities. More than anything, the musician extends a comforting assurance to others by honestly documenting the experience of coming into his own. Wilber Forest is deeply rooted in harmony, often containing three vocal parts and various instrumental harmonies. Their sound is reminiscent of music from the 1960s and '70s, while capturing the progressive spirit of today. One can easily hear the Beach Boys in their choral harmonies, and their sophisticated melodies and arrangements recall the Zombies and the Beatles. They also count Nick Drake and Radiohead as being major influences.

Readings with Samantha Hunt, Mimi Lipson, Andrew Amelinckx and a DJ set by Joe Hagan. MIMI LIPSON’S first book came out in 2014: a collection of stories she named The Cloud Of Unknowing after her favorite 14th Century Christian mystical tract. She is currently at work on a memoir. ANDREW AMELINCKX is an award-winning crime reporter, journalist and visual artist. Gilded Age Murder & Mayhem in the Berkshires, 2015, is his first book. His next book, chronicling old-timey Hudson Valley murders, is set for 2017. SAMANTHA HUNT is the author of the new novel Mr. Splitfoot as well as The Invention of Everything Else, a finalist for the Orange Prize and winner of the Bard Fiction Prize, and The Seas, awarded a National Book Foundation “5 Under 35.”

The next in a semi-occasional series! Join us form 5pm to 9pm (or so) and try four quality Southern Tier ales. Free Pizza for early arrivals!