Laura Love is a rare recording artist, authentic and deeply rooted, with an extremely diverse appeal. Her management, record labels, and the media all struggle to define Love's style. She is an African American bassist with an astonishing voice, who is equally influenced by blues, and bluegrass, jazz, folk, gospel, reggae and country. Love sometimes refers to her style as "folk-funk." "Afro-Celtic" or "hip-Alacian." Regardless of how she is described, Love has an uncanny ability to get her audience to listen beyond their own musical boundaries. Joining Laura Love will be Orville Johnson. He came up in the St. Louis, Mo., music scene, where he was exposed to and participated in a variety of blues, bluegrass and American roots music. His early influences range from Doc Watson and Rev. Gary Davis to Mississippi John Hurt and Chuck Berry. In the early 1970s Johnson spent several seasons playing bluegrass with his group, the Steamboat Ramblers. Johnson moved to Seattle,Wash., in 1978, where he was a founding member of the much-loved and well-remembered folk/rock group The Dynamic Logs. Johnson, known for his dobro and slide guitar stylings and vocal acrobatics, has played on over 100 albums. He has appeared on Prairie Home Companion and The Tonight Show.

On the same stage on April 18 will be Mollie O'Brien and Rich Moore. Mollie O'Brien sings jazz, R&B, blues, gospel, southern mountain traditional - you name it. And she approaches each with an ease that makes you think she was steeped in the style since the first time a note left her throat.

Growing up in Wheeling, W.V., one of five children, O'Brien was exposed to music of every stripe, from performances by the Wheeling Symphony to concerts by Count Basie, Ray Charles, and the Beatles. She listened to singers Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Bonnie Raitt, Dinah Washington, Barbra Streisand, Sinatra, and Betty Carter.

Currently O'Brien has her own five-piece band and a duo act with husband Rich Moore. She has been called one of roots music's best interpreters and singers, and her voice is described as "smooth," "smoky," "powerful," and "bright and bold as sheet lightning."

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and are on sale now at KVNF. Tickets can be reserved with a credit card by calling KVNF during business hours at 527-4866 or 866-KVNF-NOW. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door for $25. Call KVNF to check on availability. Find out more about Laura Love and listen to some of her music on the web at www.lauralove.net. Molly O'Brien's website is www.mollieobrien.com.

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