UAF Concert Board and Fairbanks Arts Association Present: Laura Gibson, A one night only concert, will take place at the Alaska centennial Center for the Arts Theater on Saturday, July 30, 2016 from 7pm-9pm. The event will feature a full set from NPR Tiny Desk Concert Alum Laura Gibson, with local Rasmuson Individual Artist Grant recipient Rebecca Menzia opening up the evening.

Empire Builder, Laura Gibson’s second record for Barsuk and fourth LP, is named for the Amtrak route Laura took while moving from Portland, Oregon to New York City in the summer of 2014, after deciding to enter graduate school, to move away from a supportive community, a close-knit family and her long-time boyfriend. Out of her comfort zone, she found even more of a challenge than she’d envisioned. Immediately upon arrival, she broke her foot and barely left her 5th floor apartment for the first two months. Then, on March 26th, 2015, her East Village building burned to the ground in a horrific gas explosion which killed two people and left many homeless.

Gibson escaped from her apartment unharmed, but lost everything: all identification, eyeglasses, musical instruments, years of notebooks and every word she had written in response to her move. She spent the next few months rebuilding her life, bouncing between friends’ couches and guest rooms, finishing her second semester, and all the while rewriting the lyrics she’d lost. A financial recovery was made possible with help and support from hundreds of friends, fans and strangers. It’s no surprise that Empire Builder stands as her most personal record to date.

Rebecca Menzia performs solo and with many groups among them Haifa, Feeding Frenzy, and Harm. She is a 2016 Rasmuson award recipient, she will be using the funds to record a full length album with Harm in early 2017.

Tickets are currently on sale at the UAF Wood Center and the Fairbanks Arts Association’s Bear Gallery, and will also be available the day of the show. Admission fees are $10/ UAF students and Fairbanks Arts Association members, $15/community members, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting UAF Concert Board and Fairbanks Arts Association.

Event is all ages and will go on rain or shine.

The Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts Theater is located within Pioneer Park, 2300 Airport way, Fairbanks, Alaska 99701.