Associate professor of English Josh Doležal will perform for Central College’s Acoustic Underground series Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. in the lower level of Maytag Student Center.
Doležal will perform 10-12 songs during a 45-minute set. Selections will include traditional folk songs such as “John Henry” and “Shenandoah” as well as original compositions. The setting will allow him to share personal perspectives on songs.
“I’m drawn to traditional folk music for its simplicity and for the resonance of the stories told by many of the ballads,” said Doležal. “Many of the songs I know can be traced to the Appalachian Mountains, and they evoke an intensity familiar to me from my childhood in Montana.”
Doležal is a self-taught guitarist, learning most of what he knows by ear. He performed solo and with bands during college and grad school, but has not performed seriously since. Describing himself as a campfire guitarist, Doležal is a poet and essayist as well as a songwriter.
“Music, like poetry, is a way of making something beautiful out of painful experience,” he said.
Acoustic Underground is in its inaugural year of programming. The series is designed to give singer-songwriters from the Central community a chance to share their music. Doležal is the second of three performers this fall. Guest artist Carrie Newcomer performs Nov. 16.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Treva Reimer at (641) 628-5334 or reimert@central.edu.
