Julian Lage

Julian Lage at Folly Theater

Guitar can tell a story without saying a word, and Julian Lage knows exactly how to make that happen. His playing moves through melody and feeling with the kind of ease that makes listening feel effortless, even when the ideas behind it run deep. At the Folly Theater in Kansas City on January 29, his concert offers a chance to follow that musical imagination wherever it goes.

Lage's album Speak to Me pulls from gospel, blues, singer-songwriter roots, jazz, and surf-rock, blending them into something that feels both familiar and surprising. On the album, Nothing Happens Here, Speak to Me, Omission and Serenade sit alongside themes of hope, restlessness and doubt—emotions that don't need lyrics to land. The guitar does the talking, and it speaks in a language anyone can understand.

What makes Lage's music compelling is the range. Gospel warmth, blues feeling and the twang of surf-rock make for an inviting mix on Speak to Me. Rather than treating each style as a showcase, the album lets melodic ideas carry feeling across those influences.

For Kansas City listeners, the Folly Theater date is a chance to follow a guitarist and composer whose music invites curiosity without demanding a theory lesson. The pleasure is in hearing how a melody can take on a different shade as his influences meet.

Tickets for Julian Lage at the Folly Theater give you a chance to hear what a guitar can do when it's in the right hands.