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Music

Indie-folk, filtered through alternate dimensions

James Wallace and the Naked Light play at Powerhouse
Singer-songwriter James Wallace and his band, The Naked Light, will play a free show today at the Powerhouse Science Center.

There probably isn’t a more fitting venue in Durango for indie-folk band James Wallace and the Naked Light than a science museum on the river.

That’s because the jangly, quirky music of the five-piece band from Nashville is woven together with images of space travel, strange end-times and messages from the cosmos. There is a bit of science amid the unconventional pop hooks, horn bleats and organic percussion of the group and the unorthodox vibe of the music feels like it’s meant to be played in an unorthodox venue.

“Maybe it could push us to do a whole science museum tour,” Wallace said.

James Wallace and the Naked Light play a strain of indie-folk that sounds like it has been filtered through an alternative-dimension lens. Wallace’s light tenor, fillers like whistles and bright keyboard notes, gospel flares and polyrhythmic percussion create an effect that is strange and pleasing, ramshackle and joyful. The band calls it “psychedelic easy listening.”

Wallace, a singer and guitar player, has long been interested in astronomy, even studying it a little during college. About five or six years ago, he became captivated by UFO religion. The drawings, philosophy and art surrounding the culture are fascinating, he said.

“It’s become a super interesting source of inspiration for writing songs,” Wallace said.

Wallace likes to set his songs “in the future or the end of the world, or when things are getting really strange” – and imbue them with news from faraway stars.

“That’s kind of the gospel of the Naked Light,” he said.

Wallace’s unusual life experiences, such as extended travels through China and his short residency as a piano player for a Mennonite Church in Appalachia, also inform the music.

Wallace grew up in Virginia and settled in Nashville eight years ago with a goal of putting together a band for his arrangements. He has collaborated with many musicians there, and the current band solidified about a year and a half ago. They released “More Strange News from Another Star” in the spring of 2013 and have toured extensively. Wallace also has worked, written and toured with notable musicians such as Abigail Washburn on their projects.

Right now, the band is working on its next album. Wallace said that lyrically, he continues to be influenced by space, stars and the possibilities of the universe.

“A lot more than even in the past,” he said.

Powerhouse Executive Director Chris Cable said the concert fits with the center’s goal of providing a venue for everything from science demonstrations to trivia nights and live entertainment. The Powerhouse has been upgrading its plaza for the last year with new canopies, more seating and food and beverage options, he said.

“It’s an effort to make our beautiful space right on the river more of a destination,” Cable said. “We hope to fill three or four evenings during every week with all manner of activities.”

kklingsporn@durangoherald.com

If you go

James Wallace and the Naked Light will play a free show at 6 p.m. today at the Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio.



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