Name: Beth Bombara / Mother Banjo
Start: 2026-04-19T19:00:00-05:00
Location: The Zen Arcade

$Beth Bombara \/ Mother Banjo$

Beth Bombara / Mother Banjo
---
Two powerful voices in modern folk and Americana share the stage for an intimate night in the Zen Arcade. Beth Bombara’s guitar-driven songs blend ’70s folk soul with ’90s indie rock spirit—honest, melodic, and quietly powerful. Minneapolis favorite Mother Banjo (Ellen Stanley) opens the night with poetic songwriting and a soulful mix of folk, bluegrass, and Americana.
---
Sunday, April 19, 2026
The Hook and Ladder Event Center
The Zen Arcade Stage
Doors 6:30pm :: Music 7:00pm :: 21+
$17 ADV (Box-Office) / $20 ADV (Online) / $25 DOOR
Limited Seating Available on a First-Come, First-Served Basis — Arrive Early
------
BOX-OFFICE Tickets Are Available in The Zen Arcade During Hours of Operation.
For More Information visit www.ZenArcadeTHC.com
NO REFUNDS
=============
Beth Bombara lives at the intersection of 70's folk soul and 90's indie rock heart. Her guitar-driven songs blend emotional honesty with sparkling melodies, creating something that feels both timeless and immediate.
But Bombara's story is as much about perseverance as it is about sound. After working with different labels that eventually folded beneath her feet, she kept writing, kept recording, kept moving forward with determination. She’s toured internationally, and released self-produced albums garnering the attention of BBC radio, American Songwriter Magazine, Uncut Magazine and more. But in late 2025, an accident left her with a broken wrist, broken ribs, and a few months of canceled shows. Unable to play guitar or sing without pain, Bombara found herself stripped down to what matters most: the music itself, the gratitude for each day, the clarity that comes from loss.
Her upcoming record reflects this evolution—sonically bolder, lyrically more vulnerable, produced with fresh perspective alongside her own refined instincts. It's a natural expansion of everything she's built across five critically acclaimed albums, informed by grit, grace, and a renewed understanding that time is precious.
She's not one to sit still for too long. And that's exactly the point.
--------------
Featuring Ellen Stanley on banjo and vocals, Mother Banjo is a New England-raised, Minneapolis-based songwriter. Called “an outstanding poet” (Inside Bluegrass), she was a Midwest Finalist for the prestigious NewSong Contest. She has been featured nationally on SiriusXM Radio, CMT.com, The Bluegrass Situation and Americana UK and has shared the stage with such A-list songwriters as Dar Williams, Charlie Parr and Jim Lauderdale. She and her award-winning band just released a special 10th Anniversary Vinyl Edition of the Mother Banjo Band’s best-selling gospel album The Devil Hasn't Won, featuring their unique brand of soulful folk, bluegrass and Americana.
Whether performing solo or with her full 5-piece band, she is an engaging performer that brings a playful energy to the stage even when singing the saddest of songs. When not writing or recording her own music, she is busy supporting other artists, hosting the syndicated Womenfolk Radio Show and the Back Catalog Listening Party podcast. For more, visit motherbanjo.com.

"traditional folk and bluegrass sounds with genuinely poetic lyrics, landing somewhere between Gillian Welch and Lucy Kaplansky."
-Minneapolis Star Tribune