The Accidentals
Saturday, Jul. 15 | 8:00pm ET (7:00pm CT)
The Accidentals return to The Acorn. The female fronted power trio features an eclectic blend of Indie Folk, Pop and Rock. Think Brandi Carlile meets The Avett Brothers.
About the Artists
Long before glowing acclaim from NPR and Billboard, packed shows, unforgettable festival appearances, millions of streams, and collaborations with everyone from BTS to Kaboom Collective, the journey of The Accidentals commenced in a public high school classroom in Traverse City, MI. As the story goes, concertmaster violinist Savannah Buist, and cellist Katie Larson, raised their hands at the request for volunteers to play a music boosters concert and wound up being musical soulmates.
After Sav and Katie attended a school presentation by The Moxie Strings, their collective fate would be sealed forever. “If the Moxie Strings hadn’t come to our school, we might not have pursued music professionally,” admits Sav. “We didn’t see many other girls playing popular music on violin and cello in sustainable careers. We didn’t even know that career path existed until those two women walked through the door. That’s when we realized it was possible.”
“We live and breathe music,” adds Katie. “Music helped me survive those awkward middle school years when I wasn’t sure where to identify myself. It’s helped us figure out who we are, given us confidence, allowed us to travel the world, and completely opened up our minds.”
The Accidentals now host and lead workshops across the country, hoping to inspire other young musicians. They opened a nonprofit in 2020 called Play It Forward, Again and Again, to help provide access to instruments, lessons, and mentors for all aspiring musicians.As advocates for youth music and youth empowerment, they focused extensively on “getting out the young vote” in the 2020 election. They donated over twenty livestreams to raise money for causes including the #iVoted festival, Headcount, Rock the Vote, Arts Quest youth programming, Michigan Music Alliance, Musicians Treatment Foundation, Sweet Relief, MusiCares, Lighthouse Shelter Detroit, Headstart, TREES, Concert for Hunger Chicago, NIVA, and more, while delivering their new single, “How Many Hands” to the 2020 compilation U.S.P.S. – United Songwriters for the People’s Sovereignty. “We’re just paying it forward,” says Sav. “We have an incredible support system and core base of music family that help afford us the opportunity to give back.”
Following the 2016 release of Parking Lot EP, Huffington Post touted The Accidentals among its “Sweet 16 of 2016.” Billboard called them “the band to watch.”
On its heels, they signed a deal with Sony Masterworks label, and 2017’s Odyssey rapidly accelerated the momentum. The 13-track trip boasted collaborations with Kaki King, Jenny Conlee of The Decemberists, Lily & Madeleine, and jam band guitar virtuoso Keller Williams, whom the band later paired up with to form the Keller Williams Accident at Millennial Music Conference in 2019. Garnering praise from Yahoo! Music, Pop Matters, Billboard , and more, NPR claimed, “[The Accidentals] are some of the most compelling songwriters of our time…they display equal interest in the focused musical forms of indie rock and pop and the expansive potential of orchestral arrangements, jam band open-endedness, and impressionistic singer-songwriter expression.”
The journey of The Accidentals has only just begun. “The goal of our music has always been shared experiences. Music helps us process things that are hard to process,” Sav leaves off. “A lot of the writing comes from touring, and touring is just a myriad of extremes, triumphs, and failures. It’s how we connect with people in those moments that shape our experiences. Hopefully, people can relate to something we’re creating in a way that feels like understanding. Maybe, it offers a different perspective, and that leads to less loneliness and more community.”
The band tours full time, playing 200+ shows a year at such festivals as Electric Forest, Rocky Mountain Folk Fest, Summerfest, and SXSW, and on stages with the likes of Brandi Carlile, The Wailers, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthries, Andrew Bird, Martin Sexton, Rusted Root, The Decemberists, and more.
RESERVED SEATING DONATION option includes a $25 tax-deductible donation to The Acorn and guarantees you a seat with optimal sightlines. $25 Donation per ticket holder in your group.
