Take a seat. Creativity is about to unfold before you from the stage of Mesa Theater and it might surprise you.
Actually, it might surprise those on the stage too, as music, art and more than one back story come together in a showcase of talent to support the Grand Valley Music Relief Fund.
This free event is Riff for Relief and you can find it at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 30, by watching a Facebook live stream or by attending the live performance at Mesa Theater, 538 Main St.
Along with raising funds for musicians who have suffered financial hardship because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Riff for Relief is the finale to West Slope Startup Week and is being organized by committee led by Chandler Smith and TJ Smith with Creative’s Landing.
Riff for Relief will have several segments intended to engage the audience as it elevates the voices in the Grand Valley’s music scene, Chandler Smith said.
Before the live segments begin, a prerecorded prelude will be shown that Chandler Smith has named “Mini Desk.”
Mini Desk is “spin-off” off NPR’s “Tiny Desk,” which features video performances from musicians in all genres that are recorded, at least until the pandemic, at the desk of “All Songs Considered” host Bob Boilen.
Riff for Relief’s Mini Desk version will include five-minute videos from El Camino Burnout, Suckafish, Valley Curse, Wave 11 and Wowzer.
Following the videos, the live portion of the evening will begin with a Singer Songwriter Round featuring solo artist Dave Mensch, Rizzo lead singer Talya Dewey and Morgan Crouse, who sings with Southside Highway.
In a “COVID safe,” intimate setting on stage, the three musicians will perform original songs — one leading out and the others joining with a riff or rhythm or listening — with the added touch of storytelling, Chandler Smith said.
Those stories could be about a song’s history or other details, he said.
As the stage gets switched out between the Singer Songwriter Round and the evening’s headliner, the Fruita band Cosmo will play on a side stage.
Cosmo’s three musicians are all high schoolers and “they are just wise beyond their years,” Chandler Smith said. “I thought it was an incredible representation of the up and coming.”
The headliner for the show is Still House String Band. The five-member band plays a mix of Americana, bluegrass and newgrass originals and covers.
Along with music, Riff for Relief will also highlight the valley’s fine art scene. Along the walls of Mesa Theater there will be a number of pieces of fine art creating a gallery called “Art on the Fence” that has been organized by TJ Smith.
Local artists with pieces in the gallery include Trevor Adams, Meghan Bissonnette, Rachel Campbell, Devan Penniman, David Goe, Devon Balet, Emmi Farris, Aj Schlechten, Raelynn Early, Will Campbell, John Walden and Ike Rakiecki as well as TJ Smith.
A portion of the proceeds from art purchased during Riff for Relief will go to the Music Relief Fund, TJ Smith said.
Riff for Relief “really is to draw awareness to the artists and the incredible talent we have here in the Grand Valley, to celebrate them and offset some of the financial hardships,” Chandler Smith said.
To RSVP for one of the limited seats at the live-performance of Riff for Relief, go to westslopestartupweek.com/music/, where links also can be found for making a donation to the Music Relief Fund and to watch the live stream of the event on Creative’s Landing’s Facebook page.