Four nationally touring musicians will move through Grants Pass on consecutive September nights, putting two local venues on the fall concert calendar and pairing the second performance with a fundraiser for the Grants Pass Museum of Art.
Cristina Vane and Madeline Hawthorne open the two-night run Wednesday, Sept. 23, at The Hivve, followed Thursday, Sept. 24, by The Rough & Tumble and Flagship Romance at the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center.
The back-to-back bookings bring four working touring acts into the city within roughly 24 hours, spanning blues, folk, Americana, bluegrass influences and harmony-driven acoustic music.
Vane arrives in Grants Pass with a career shaped by several corners of American roots music. A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, she works across guitar, banjo, blues and old-time traditions and has progressed from performing on the Venice Beach boardwalk to an extensive national touring schedule.
Her performance history includes appearances alongside or opening for Molly Tuttle, Sam Bush, Bob Weir and Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band. Vane has also shared a stage with Billy Strings during his String the Halls performances, placing her among a generation of musicians carrying traditional American sounds into contemporary touring circuits.
Wednesday’s concert pairs Vane with Montana-based singer-songwriter Madeline Hawthorne, whose music blends Americana, rock and roots influences. Hawthorne’s 2024 album, “Tales From Late Nights & Long Drives,” grew from the experience of traveling, writing and performing across the country, giving the Grants Pass audience another artist whose catalog has been developed largely from life on the road.
The Sept. 23 performance also reaches beyond the concert venue. One dollar from each presale ticket will go to A Greater Applegate, the nonprofit organization working on community projects throughout the neighboring Applegate Valley.
Less than a day later, the city’s live-music schedule shifts to the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center.
The Rough & Tumble and Flagship Romance take over Thursday night’s program for a performance benefiting the Grants Pass Museum of Art. Both duos have previously performed in Grants Pass and return with years of touring experience behind them.
The Rough & Tumble has built its sound around acoustic instrumentation, close vocal arrangements and narrative songwriting rooted in folk and Americana traditions. Flagship Romance likewise centers its performances on two-part harmony and acoustic arrangements, creating a bill constructed around musicianship and songwriting rather than large-scale production.
Proceeds from Thursday’s performance will support the Grants Pass Museum of Art, connecting a touring concert with one of the city’s established cultural organizations.
The two September performances arrive during a fall calendar that is bringing a wider range of touring musicians through Grants Pass.
Local concert promoters have increasingly worked with artists traveling the Interstate 5 corridor, where Grants Pass sits between larger performance markets in California and the Pacific Northwest. For musicians already moving north or south between tour dates, the city provides another stage without requiring a substantial departure from the primary West Coast touring route.
That touring circuit intersects with a local music community that operates on a much smaller scale throughout the year, from open-mic nights and brewery performances to theaters, community events and independent concert productions.
Grants Pass musician Trevor Hanks represents one side of that local scene. His songwriting has traveled considerably farther than his hometown performances, with his music appearing in the television series “Tulsa King” and “The Rookie.” Hanks has continued performing locally while his recorded work has reached national television audiences.
September’s two-night run will not be the final appearance by touring musicians in Grants Pass this fall.
Judy Collins is scheduled to perform Oct. 2 at the Historic Rogue Theatre as part of her farewell tour, bringing a career spanning more than six decades of American folk music to downtown Grants Pass.
A week later, the focus returns to regional performers when Hanks organizes the first Local Legends Music Fest at Weekend Beer Company on Oct. 9, assembling Southern Oregon musicians for a locally centered addition to the fall schedule.
Before those October performances arrive, Grants Pass will have two consecutive September evenings devoted to touring folk and Americana music.
Cristina Vane and Madeline Hawthorne begin the run Sept. 23 at The Hivve. The Rough & Tumble and Flagship Romance follow Sept. 24 at the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center, where the music will also serve as a fundraiser for the Grants Pass Museum of Art.
For a city accustomed to seeing touring musicians pass through Southern Oregon on Interstate 5, four of them will be stopping to play before continuing down the road.