Ian Cook And Devin Johnson

This will be an intimate seated show in the living room of The Commons. “Hailing from Bend, OR in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, Ian Cook is a songwriter with a storied career. Starting out in the highly energetic folk/Americana/punk outfit Larry And His Flask he toured the world at a breakneck pace for almost 20 years. Being the band’s main songwriter he honed his craft over those years into a deftly melodic and at times raucous style that blends the best parts of folk, rock, old timey and punk to create a truly unique sound. When the band found themselves on an indefinite hiatus Cook turned to his softer side releasing a solo studio album under the moniker Ian Cook And The Brightest Light in 2020. A collection of introspective indie folk/rock tunes that were an impressive creative stretch. In the same year becoming restless for the stage once again Cook formed Beyond The Lamplight along with other ex-Larry And His Flask member and songwriter, Andrew Carew. The intention being that the band would be a jumping off point from where their creative direction of Larry And His Flask had left off. Since then Beyond The Lamplight has taken on a life of its own incorporating heavier elements of melodic rock and punk but still mixing in the folky flavors that both he and Carew were known for. All while keeping the high energy live show intact. Releasing their debut self-titled EP in the summer of 2020 and the follow-up full length album entitled Don’t Forget To Leave It All Behind on Flail Records in early 2023 there seem to be no signs of slowing down. “Shelter”, the lead single from the latest album features Frank Turner on guest vocals and was a great success in establishing a new identity for a band that deserves as much attention as they can get. Ian Cook’s presence and talent have been a mainstay in the underground of roots/punk/Americana for years. Now also performing as a solo act be sure not to miss him when he’s near you.” Devin Johnson [Amargoso]has been referred to as the male-born version of Taylor Swift (by his dad) because his songs are both very easy to play and listen to and it really sounds like he is crying about a lot of different things. Another rave review that came with a request ( from his mom) was “HEY! YOU SHOULD PLAY ‘LOSER’ BY BECK! THE SONG REALLY FITS YOU IF YOU CAN FIGURE IT OUT… but it might be too hard for you….” (And it is.) So with this incredible encouragement and backhanded compliments from his creators, Devin put his head down, got to writing, made some friends, traveled up and down the west coast searching for the perfect band mates, found them, broke up, started over, wrote some new songs, found another band, and now shreds in sheds weekly with a couple of different groups all while continuing to perform solo acoustic shows, just like in the beginning. All in all, the American Dream, Childhood Dreams, Day Dreams and Nightmares are coming true daily. Come see for yourself.