Brian Laidlaw and Ashley Hanson performed their music in front of the Chow Hound in Green River on Monday. Laidlaw and Hanson, both from the folk-Americana band The Family Trade, performed for two hours for the town of Green River, in which a small crowd gathered to listen and watch the sunset.
Originally based in Minneapolis, The Family Trade has built a devoted following on the strength of their live shows, bolstered by radio airplay on stations around the Midwest. The band recently uprooted from Minneapolis and now calls Boulder, Colo. home. Their sound is a word-rich, harmony heavy revival of 60’s and 70’s Americana, and their performances make even the biggest of stages feel as intimate as a bonfire circle.
Laidlaw and Hanson are in partnership with Utah Humanities to bring Green River City concerts and workshops. The first concert was performed on Monday while their first workshop was hosted on Tuesday at the library. It was open to the public and all-ages. During the songwriting workshop, they focused on exploring and celebrating connection to home, place and Green River. Participants also learned new songwriting craft skills, participated in collaborative song-writing and left with the start or completion of a new hometown ballad.
The duo will return to Green River on Oct. 25 for a concert with The Family Trade at the John Wesley Powell Museum. Laidlaw and Hanson will present a public concert, showcasing songs and poems from their time in Green River. They hope to be joined on stage by local performers who have attended their workshops and events.