The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Singer-songwriter Bradford Loomis came to the Grand Coulee Library on Sept. 12, performing original and traditional songs in the folk tradition to a small audience.

With his long beard, Loomis’ voice ranged from a low grumble to a howling falsetto.

Loomis told the audience about how he came to be a full-time musician after losing his job and home in the 2008 housing market crash.

“I found music to be both a salve, but also a means of helping supplement our income, until it’s become the full-time thing that we do,” Loomis said. “We tour around a lot, playing shows like this and house shows. It’s kind of incredible playing a variety of places: a hobo camp, the Lincoln Performing Arts Center in Manhattan, to the 67th floor of the Sears Tower, to a prison just outside of St. Louis. It’s different every time and it’s unique.”

Loomis played several songs, explaining the inspiration behind them, ranging from real life to Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

With his family in attendance, Loomis said he was excited to see the dam with them before heading to Quincy to play at the library there.

Loomis’s latest album, “The Bravery and the Bell,” came out in March. More info is available at http://www.bradfordloomis.com.