BOULDER, CO (August 25, 2020) – The Boulder, CO music community is coming together once again to bring live music into people’s homes with the collaboration of Joel Ansett and Stone Cottage Studios. Ansett will be performing a live set from Stone Cottage Studios featuring the debut of brand new songs on Thursday, September 10th at 7 PM MT. The event will be an innovative live streaming production, featuring 1080P video and audio for the highest quality viewing experience.

Debuting a few brand new songs during the live event, Joel Ansett is eager to tease fans with sneak peeks from an upcoming EP. “The EP is all coming from realizing I don’t know how to rest, and the pandemic obviously amplified that realization because there I was with extra time but I actually didn’t have the skill or know how to really wind down,” says Ansett. With the dramatic shift in both live events and the music landscape in recent months, Stone Cottage Studios and Joel Ansett understand the need to bring back the connection between artists and fans. Despite the pandemic physically restricting fans from attending shows, Ansett has found a bit of solace in the ability to livestream and connect with fans during this tumultuous time. “We’re all being given a deeper gratitude for simply being together and enjoying music,” says Ansett.

Fans can purchase tickets and VIP Packages for the livestream event HERE. Use code HAM2 to save on the tix!

Joel moved to Denver, Colorado in 2014 and cut his songwriting teeth by playing every local open mic he could find. He has since found fans all over the country with more than 12 million streams online, a song placed in Marvel’s “The Punisher” , and the title of “songwriter to watch” from The Huffington Post. His songs combine folk and R&B to great effect and going beyond the genre, Artist Review wrote: “This music is soul therapy.” His latest album, A Place I Knew Before, was crowdfunded and released in the fall of 2019. Marquee Mag writes: “Striking a careful balance that only comes with great intention, ‘A Place I Knew Before’ blends sonic experimentation with strong songwriting, but more deeply places grief and hope side by side.” His thoughtful songwriting and unique voice have continued to win fans, and with a new EP just around the bend, Ansett seems bound for bigger and brighter things.

What’s the biggest problem you’ve had to overcome so far?

In terms of being an artist, self-doubt and lack of self-discipline have been two major obstacles in my journey. The overcoming is very much ongoing.

How has COVID-19 affected you, your band, your community?

All shows being cancelled is a major gut punch, obviously. There’s an increased financial burden coming from that, but I am very thankful to have part-time music work at a local church that has kept my family afloat. Otherwise the pandemic provided an unexpected season of reflecting and writing, and I hope the new songs will do their part in bringing some good out of hard times.

What ways have you pivoted your goals to reach new fans and stay connected with your current fans during this global pandemic?

I did a weekly live stream on Instagram for almost two months there. We called it The Solace Sessions. Solace means “comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness.” When I read that definition I felt like I understood more of what my job is as an artist, and the job felt even more important during a pandemic. The virtual shows really were a fun way to stay connected and honestly it helped me remember what day of the week it was. It was refreshing to have some vague sense of togetherness and have something to look forward to each week. The screen fatigue got real at the end there though, so we hit pause on that after a few months.

If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

Whoa. Well I still don’t know quite enough about it to know what specific things should change. I know something is definitely lost when the industry views the sole purpose of a song as “financial gain” though. I don’t think that’s what songs are for so requiring them to be profitable can put a strain on the art and on the artist. That’s a super big picture thought, but if there’s practical changes that would treat songs less like commodities that would be great.