Join us for an evening of American roots music as Erik Koskinen and his band return to the VFW. Special guest Tennessee-based artist Robinella opens.

 

Erik Koskinen is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, whose music is not categorized by sub-genres. Stylistically he is on his own while influenced by roots music of the Americas and the world. The rhythmic integrity and musical tone are as important as the lyrical content and the artistic intent. Koskinen has reverently entered the anthology of uniquely crafted wry songs with the likes of Woody Guthrie and Ry Cooder while speaking as plainly as your neighbor.

 

Sprouted from a blend of American folk, country, rock-n-roll, and blues, Erik Koskinen  and his top-shelf band realize a sound that is distinctive and fresh while familiar and classic. Koskinen’s albums are a lyrical and musical metaphor of America’s theaters of war, history, relationships, and reflections in the mirror. “Burning The Deal” was produced by Koskinen and Bernie Larsen (Melissa Etheridge, Jackson Browne) and recorded by Jason Mariani (Mumford & Sons, Kenny Loggins) at Brotheryn Studios in Ojai, California.

 The Minneapolis Star Tribune calls Koskinen “the real deal” and “the best country songwriter in Minnesota.”

“Writes like Dylan, looks like Hank Williams, walks like John Wayne, smokes like James Dean, and plays like no one else.” — SPINOUT RECORDS

 

From the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Robinella’s career began with a sort of luck that rarely comes to most artists within their lifetime. The combination of her honey-sweet vocals with violin, mandolin, bass, drums and piano captivated audiences, thus creating the ever popular Robinella & the CC Stringband. The band was founded in the late ’90s by Robinella and her then husband Cruz Contreras (founder of the Black Lillies). 

 

After releasing two albums on an independent label, Columbia Records liked what they heard and signed Robinella. The band toured nationally, opening for such artists as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Earl Scruggs, Nickel Creek, Robert Earl Keen, Del McCoury and Rodney Crowell as well as an appearance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and a music video on CMT for their hit single, “Man Over”. They performed on NPR’s “Mountain Stage,” the Grand Ole Opryand on PBS’s “SoundStage.” 

 

From 2006-2022, Robinella spent much of her time raising her boys and now that they are mostly grown, she’s making a musical comeback.