Raven and the Wren lead new Acoustic Brew season

The Acoustic Brew Concerts series will kick off its fall season Sept. 24 to a sold-out crowd ready to see local band Raven and the Wren. The band will perform original Americana songs drawn from influences such as Lucinda Williams and Townes Van Zandt, in the intimate, unplugged setting of the Center for Well Being in Lemont.

Though the band has only formed in the past two years, its members are veterans of the State College music scene. Raven and the Wren features State College natives Natty Lou Race and Jason “Junior” Tutwiler, northeastern Pa. native Chris Rattie and Bob Hart, a drummer who moved from Brooklyn to State College.

The band will play music from its debut album, “Friend of Failure,” during the Acoustic Brew show, along with older and newer unreleased songs.

“The concept behind the Acoustic Brew series is that all the music featured is performed without amplification of any kind — no microphones and no amplifiers,” Hart said. “We’ll be playing stripped-down versions of the songs on acoustic instruments — guitars, upright bass and percussion. I think the music we make lends itself to this pretty naturally, so it should be a fun show.”

The group’s expectations for this show are to connect with a new audience and change it up for people who already follow them.

“We are excited to strip the songs down and play them acoustically,” Tutwiler said. “No microphones, no telecasters — just us, the music and the audience.”

Following the Lemont show, the group is looking forward to a steady schedule this fall.

This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 8:33 AM with the headline "Raven and the Wren lead new Acoustic Brew season."