Tuesday, February 8, 2011 @ 7:00 PM

Kerry Grombacher plays guitar and writes and performs contemporary folk and western songs. In the spirit of the troubadours of old, he paints vivid portraits and tells fascinating stories that are set in the landscape where he's worked and toured, from his home on New Orleans' Bayou St. John to the desert Southwest, and up to Montana and the Northwest forests.

Drawing on over forty years' experience playing music, Grombacher's work explores boundaries of musical genres, and he frequently mixes traditions: cowboy songs written as mambos, polkas or in the "Cajun" idiom; a piece, inspired by a photograph, that combines spoken word verses and a melodic chorus: a blues-rumba written in the obscure " chiastic" form; and songs written in both Spanish and English. His songs and stories reflect a love of this country and a deep knowledge of its history and its people. 

Kerry Grombacher is a noted songwriter who presents workshops on creativity and songwriting at music festivals, museums and schools, His work has been covered by western recording artists including Gary Prescott, Trails & Rails, Duke Davis, The Texas Trailhands, and Earl Gleason. Grombacher is a "first reader" for several published novelists, short story writers and authors of non-fiction, and the Texas Institute of Letters has recently chosen him as judge for its 2008 literary awards.

In additon to musical performances, Mr. Grombacher also offers workshops on creative writing and songwriting.

"Kerry Grombacher is the best kind of songwriter, with lyrics that take us on journeys to places we've never visited before, and melodies so pure and true that they seem to rise up from the plains...", says Nalini Jones- Newport Fold Festival.