ASU Kerr debuts new live online concert series 'Beams'

ASU Kerr has unveiled “Beams,” a new live, online-only concert series offered at 7 p.m. on Thursdays via the venue’s Facebook Live feed. This new streaming concert series will feature artists from Arizona or with Arizona ties in live evening performances that aim to bring the concert experience direct to the audience.

“We are taking what ASU Kerr does — create adventurous, enlightening performing arts programs with the goal of connecting communities — and bringing that vision to several new digital programs in 2020,” ASU Kerr General Manager Tracey Mason said. “We want to share the talent of musicians with an Arizona link and get together virtually with our fellow residents to celebrate the artists and songs we have right here at home.”

“Beams” will focus on artists that perform their own original work. On Thursday, May 7, at 7 p.m., Costa Rica-born musician Tatiana Crespo will sing her Latin-infused, bilingual blend of music that fuses cumbias, bossa nova, waltzes and baroque pop, Mason said.

Crespo performs with all-female Phoenix bands Las Chollas Peligrosas and La Luz de la Luna.

Upcoming “Beams” performances include Grace Rolland of Run Boy Run and her solo project, Rising Sun Daughter, on May 14; indie pop singer/songwriter Danielle Durack on May 21; and synth pop band Bogan Via on May 28.

Rising Sun Daughter’s 2019 EP “I See Jane” landed on PopMatters’ annual top 20 folk albums list. Durack, born and raised in Phoenix, has toured nationally with recognized acts Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Sydney Gish and Jade Bird. Bogan Via’s 2012 EP “Wait Up” received high praise from Phoenix New Times, landing on their list of the year’s top 10 albums. Their 2016 album “Boganvialand” was praised by Seattle’s KEXP radio for its “thoughtful, melancholic pop miniatures, laced with strong vocal harmonies akin to Dirty Projectors.”

The first featured performer for “Beams” was indie-folk singer/songwriter AJ Odneal on April 30.

Grace Rolland of Rising Sun Daughter performs at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 14 as part of ASU Kerr's "Beams" live online music series. Photo by Julius Schlosburg

“The venue is pushing to bolster Arizona artists and audiences during a time when performance opportunities are rarer,” Mason said. “We have such a healthy music scene full of incredible performers in Arizona, and we hope to share the magic of live performance with our friends and neighbors in the Phoenix area in any way we can.”

The shows are live and broadcast via ASU Kerr’s Facebook page. Click the “Live” tab to view the performances at 7 p.m. each Thursday.