Rocky Mountain Dylan Fest

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Since a chance meeting at the University of Denver, Andy Hill and Renee Safier have carved out a unique niche for themselves in the Los Angeles music scene and beyond. Their performances – more than two hundred a year – are as much social gathering as musical event. Part fan family reunion, part rock & roll tent revival, their incomparable live shows attract a large, enthusiastic, and fiercely loyal group of fans. Andy and Renee provide a much-needed connection with live music to their audiences, whether in an intimate House Concert setting or at a large festival. Their music never fails to move you, your feet, your heart, and most often, all three.

As a songwriter, Andy Hill is a student of the folk and rock classics – Van Morrison, The Band, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, and Bob Dylan – and it shows. Both Andy & Renee have received numerous awards for their songwriting. Boundary-pushing use of language, sweeping vocal harmonies, unforgettable melodic content, and tightly crafted arrangements are hallmarks of their writing and producing style.

Renee Safier, showcasing her prodigious blues and jazz vocal chops, was named “Best Solo Blues Artist” at the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival,receiving a rousing response from the 12,000-plus festival crowd. Since then, she and Andy have returned for many years giving successful performances during the 3-day festival. Andy & Renee have also performed New Zealand, Ireland, Italy Thailand, The Philippines, China, and across North America to approving crowds.

As well as being riveting vocalists, Andy & Renee both play guitars and keyboard, Andy additionally showcasing his harmonica skills while performing Dylan and others. Along with their band Hard Rain, they have taken their unique sound and multi-instrumental skills to venues large and small all over the world. Local Southern California highlights include playing the House of Blues, The Wiltern, The Troubadour, The Roxy and theEl Rey Theatre in Hollywood, and The Warner Grand, The Grand Annex, the Torrance and Hermosa Beach Civic Cultural Centers and theHermosa Beach Summer Concert Series. They have also played at the Telluride Blues & Brews, Kerrville Folk, Napa Valley Folk, and High Sierra Songwriter’s Festivals. Their PBS Concert Special, “Black Box Opens-Andy & Renee”, filmed at the ATLAS Black Box Theatre at the University of Colorado, Boulder, recently won a Heartland Emmy.

Their seventeen independent CD releases have won them countless awards, including: Los Angeles Music Awards “Americana Group of the Year”, “Best Duo/Group” at the International Acoustic Music Awards, Qweevak.com “Top-40 CDs of the Year, Runner-Up for Best Folk Act at the Crossroads Music Awards, and a two year run in the Musician Magazine “Best Unsigned Band” Semifinals. Since 1998, they have teamed up with country music legendary sideman, multi-instrumentalist, and producer/engineer Marty Rifkin, and together they recorded their next 12 CDs, including “It Takes a Lot to Laugh”, a highly acclaimed collection of 14 Bob Dylan songs. When he isn’t traveling the world with Bruce Springsteen or recording the soundtrack to “Man of Steel”, Marty often performs and travels with Andy & Renee in Southern California and beyond.

In addition to all this, Andy Hill and Renee Safier will be celebrating their 32nd year hosting their own Bob Dylan music festival, “Dylanfest”. What initially started out as a small once-a-year backyard party where a loose conglomerate of close friends took turns performing Dylan classics all day and well into the night (or until the cops came), has now evolved into a full-blown music festival attended by hundreds of fans and featuring over 70 of L.A.’s top musicians. The 8-hour event will be held at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, Saturday, June 4th.