Schedule

For this concert presented by the New York Guitar Festival and WNYC’s New Sounds, Fabi Reyna acts as guest curator.  Reyna is not only a fearsome guitarist herself, she is also the founder/editor of She Shreds, “the world’s only print publication dedicated to women guitarists and bassists.”  The magazine’s stated goal “is to transcend boundaries like gender and genre—supporting radicalism, respect and revolution.” For this event, we’ll hear Fabi’s own group Savila, a kind of Latina power trio built on traditional cumbia and chicha rhythms.  Sterling Rhyne will present her ethereal guitar/vocal excursions into a post-folk, soul-inspired landscape. And Shana Cleveland takes the “American Primitive” tradition of fingerstyle guitar – a tradition associated almost exclusively with men, like the legendary John Fahey – and extends it into the 21st century.

About Sávila:

Sávila is a medicinal plant that grows wild in tropical climates all over the world, as well as the name of cumbia/latin/world/r&b inspired music and visual art project by guitarist Fabiola Reyna, vocalist Brisa Gonzalez and percussionist extraordinaire Papi Fimbres. Through songwriting, the Portland based group has developed from Brisa and Fabi’s necessity to share experiences, perspectives, and exploration of the multi-faceted identities that stem from being Mexican Women in America. In 2016, when the duo met Papi Finbres—a much loved drumming icon in the PNW—Sávila solidified its Cumbia inspired, Sade vibing, chicha loving, bolero singing, and Carribean moving sound. Since then the trio has gone on to perform sold out headlining local events, gained notoriety for opening during Bomba Estereo’s 2017 Amanecer tour, supporting La Luz on a west coast run, opening for Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar, and most recently was featured on the cover of Portland’s weekly newspaper, voted as Portland’s best new band by 200 local musical guru’s. In July of 2018, Sávila will be self releasing its debut LP. 

About Sterling Rhyne:

Blending ethereal guitar lines with organic vocal melodies, Sterling Rhyne's unique, alluring blend of soul-folk takes listeners on a captivating journey. Originally from the small town of Mesquite, Texas, Rhyne currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Rhyne's debut single "Remedy" is an upbeat summer anthem that reflects her metamorphosis from rural Texan roots to bustling city life in New York City. Having toured extensively across the United States, Sterling Rhyne has been a featured performer at the American Folk Art Museum and Rockwood Music Hall, as well as being a featured artist in shows for SoFar Sounds, PopDust Presents, PickUp___ and Balcony TV. Sterling Rhyne’s eponymous EP is set for release Spring 2018, featuring her new single “Shine.”

About Shana Cleveland:

Shana Cleveland's album Oh Man, Cover the Ground is a meditation on dark rooms, water, wind, stoned afternoons, sun in your eyes, sex, hair, snacks, death, & the beach.

“Oh Man, Cover the Ground” runs on an old aesthetic, generally speaking. It’s a meandering, post-folk record with fingerpicked acoustic guitar at the center, and it relates back to the powerful, unsettling, what-comes-after-tradition impulse that musicians around the world were working out from the mid-‘60s to the early ‘70s: John Fahey, the Incredible String Band, Pentangle, and on and on. But there’s something else here: some newer, self-possessed, low-flame, easy-rolling kind of curiosity, not particularly fixed in one aesthetic or another.  — The New York Times

“Cleveland. . . proves to be a deft player and a witty composer on her solo debut.” — Pitchfork