Evocative lyrics, ethereal harmonies and intricate musicianship have launched the guitar-playing California duo The Milk Carton Kids into the upper echelon of influencers in modern American folk music. The band’s 2013 debut album, “The Ash & Clay,” pushed Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale into the national spotlight and earned them the first of three Grammy Award nominations.
“The Only Ones,” the group’s most recent record, finds Ryan and Pattengale performing a stripped-down acoustic set without a backing band. On “The Only Ones,” the pair returns to the core of what they are about musically: the duo. On April 14 at 7:30 p.m., they make their UGA Presents debut at Hodgson Concert Hall.
In 2019, Ryan and Pattengale hosted the 18th annual Americana Honors & Awards for the second year in a row, and the group’s Grammy nominations are Best Folk Album in 2013 (“The Ash & Clay”), Best American Roots Performance in 2015 (“The City of Our Lady”), and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, in 2018 (“All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn’t Do”).
Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Michaela Anne opens this concert with material from her most recent album, “Desert Dove.” The album has received national praise from a multitude of outlets that include Billboard, Rolling Stone Country, NPR, Paste Magazine, Wide Open Country, Brooklyn Vegan, Albumism, Associated Press, No Depression, The Bluegrass Situation and The Boot. Regionally, she has appeared in print in Nashville Scene and Nashville Lifestyles, which said, “The classic country-style songs sound as if they’re being sung from an expansive cave or a massive honky tonk … the effect is a group of acoustic songs with the brevity of country songwriting and the capricious intensity of indie rock.”
The 25th anniversary season at Hodgson Concert Hall includes two more Americana events: mandolinist Sierra Hull with multi-instrumentalist Justin Moses (May 6) and banjo virtuosos Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn (May 19).
For each of these performances, 25 tickets are available for just $25, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Performing Arts Center. Tickets for UGA students are always $10.
For a complete list of UGA Presents performances, visit pac.uga.edu/organizer/uga-presents.
To learn more about all UGA Performing Arts Center events, visit pac.uga.edu.
Three ways to order
- Purchase tickets online at pac.uga.edu.
- Call the Performing Arts Center box office at 706-542-4400, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Visit the UGA Performing Arts Center box office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (five-minute parking is available in the drop off circle at the Performing Arts Center for purchasing or picking up tickets.)
COVID protocols
For information about the Performing Arts Center’s COVID-19 protocols, visit pac.uga.edu/safety-first. Flexible ticketing will be in place for all performances occurring through May 2022. Patrons may exchange tickets for another performance or receive a full refund until noon on the day of the performance, if occurring on a weekday, or by Friday at 5 p.m. if occurring on a weekend.
