Big Blue Sky

Big Blue Sky Concert to benefit Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation

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Saturday, November 8 at 7:30pm, Pella Opera House

Concert with Big Blue Sky and special musical guest Dave Moore of Iowa City. Tickets are $15 (limited seating). To reserve seats, contact the Pella Opera House ticket office online, by phone at 800-720-6327, or by e-mail. A portion of the proceeds from this concert will be dedicated to INHF projects and to INHF's Stravers Family Internship Fund in memory of Jon's son (Jon-Jon) and grandson, Jonah.

Doors will open at 7:00pm so that early arrivals can look over displays, register for door prizes and watch a slide show of Iowa nature photos set to the music of Jon-Jon's flute.

Big Blue Sky seeks a closer
connection to the planet

Photos courtesy of Jon Stravers

Big Blue Sky

Big Blue Sky started in the mid-1990s as the father-son duo of Jon Stravers Sr. and Jon-Jon Stravers. The band’s unique hybrid style includes the influences of folk, bluegrass, blues and reggae.

Since Jon-Jon’s death in an auto accident in 2007, the band and its many friends have performed around the Midwest in his honor.

Through their music, the group seeks a closer connection to the planet. Jon Stravers says their creative musical writing stems from the inspiration of wild places. It’s a celebration of our natural heritage and the natural rhythms of life. Stravers has said one of his important early influences was the late Gladys Black, a Marion County native known as Iowa's "bird lady."

Living out their deep connection to nature, Big Blue Sky performs regularly on the Mississippi River onboard Mississippi Explorer Cruises and at other river-related events. They play intimate venues like coffee houses and opera houses across the region, as well as various cultural events.
Forty different musicians from ten states have recorded or appeared with the band.

Big Blue Sky

Big Blue Sky has released four CDs of original material. “River’s Rising” appeared in 2001 and “Mystic Migrations” came in 2004. Two live recordings feature a broadcast on Iowa Public Radio, “Live at KUNI” in 2006 and “Live at the Elkader Opera House” in 2007. A recording of Jon-Jon’s original flute music, “Being Born,” was released in 2006. The band’s newest CD, “Searching for the Cosmic Groove,” includes Jon-Jon’s last recordings and will be released in October 2008.

For more information on Big Blue Sky or to purchase CDs

Contact Jon Stravers:
P.O. Box 309, McGregor, IA 52157
563-586-2621
hawk@acegroup.cc

Dave Moore

Singer-songwriter Dave Moore of Iowa City often appears with Big Blue Sky at concerts in Iowa. He performs original songs on guitar, button accordion, harmonica and vocals. His shows feature blues with a bit of Tex/Mex accordion and even a few children’s songs, written during his spells as an artist-in-residence in Iowa schools. Moore records for Minneapolis-based Red House Records.

Learn more by visiting Dave's website.

Links:

Concert benefits conservation, 10/08 news release
You can help publicize this event: Download a concert poster.
Another lasting legacy: Gladys Black Bald Eagle Refuge, 07/04 news release

 

 

This information last updated October 15, 2008.