Gabriel Rios
The year was 1978. Charlie Chaplin’s coffin had been stolen from a Swiss cemetery. Shortly after, Karl Wallenda of the Flying Wallendas died after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Good a time as any to join the human comedy, Gabriel thought. So he packed his collective unconscious baggage and headed for the “Island of Wonder.”

Upon arrival, Gabriel realized that earning his chops among the ranks of the local catholic schoolboy choir, playing Extreme and Gun’s R Roses covers at local dive bars, and moonlighting as a Caribbean punk rocker merited an exciting next adventure. So, naturally, he packed his teenage angst and burgeoning neurosis, as well as a healthy love of the unknown, and headed for the Old World.

Belgium was a welcoming place. A fleeting five years earned Gabriel a Fine Arts Diploma and a unique place in the local music scene. Finding himself far from home, songs played by his father and grandfather began to visit him in dreams. In a cold attic and with a more than worthy sidekick (Jo Bogaert of Technotronic), he concocted a blend of Puerto Rican rhythms and Belgium surrealism that churned through computers and samplers and became two consecutive albums: Ghostboy and Angelhead.

The European festival scene is an enticing and powerful force. Crowds cheering, brass blowing, people knowing the words to your songs. And let’s not forget the good food. Feels like one could stay there forever, but Gabriel started to feel the pull of a smaller, organic and more intimate set up. Flanked by Kobe Proesmans and Jeff Neve, he hit the theater circuit with a new sound and a new album. The Dangerous Return is a stripped-down collection of songs featuring piano, percussion and guitar interwoven with whimsical tales of growing older and of the end of the world as we know it.

And so it was that the need to fly proved irresistible… once again. It was only after his arrival in Brooklyn, New York, that he realized with a strange grin on his face that he had forgotten to pack.

Aly Tadros
When Aly Tadros was offered her first paid gig, she had three original songs under her belt. The set time called for two hours. She took it anyway.

With a voice as angelic as it is weather beaten, and music NPR Austin calls “delightfully wistful indie folk with tender and earnest roots,” Aly Tadros has spent the last decade traveling across Egypt, Turkey, Mexico and Europe. Playing classical and acoustic guitar, ukulele and vihuela, her travels have informed the breadth of her songwriting, noted best for its intimacy, honesty and lyricism.

Since starting music at the ripe old age of 20, Tadros has played over 600 stages across North America and Europe. This year has been her most exciting yet – with invitations to showcase with The Sweetness at The Folk Alliance International Conference, CMJ and endorsements from Guild and Fender Guitars.

Tickets: $10 advance / $12 day of show.