Joe Pug with special guests Ganges will perform through the Hope College Concert Series on Saturday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. in Snow Auditorium of Nykerk Hall of Music.
Tickets are free for general admission, and will be available at the door.
On the day before his senior year at the University of South Carolina, Joe Pug packed up his belongings and drove the longest route possible to Chicago. Working as a carpenter by day, the 23-year-old Pug spent nights playing the guitar he hadn't picked up since his teenage years. Using ideas originally slated for a play he was writing called "Austin Fish," Pug began creating the "Nation of Heat" EP.
In May of 2008, Pug played the first headlining slot of his young career to a sold out crowd at Chicago's storied Schubas Tavern. Two weeks later he released "Nation of Heat," which has garnered near-universal critical acclaim. John Killingsworth, deputy editor of "Paste Magazine," has said of Pug, "While most singer/songwriters are content to warble out a few semi-clever turns of phrase, Pug's scorching poetry and soulful, 'every phrase could be my last' voice will stop you cold. If you want to read the actual endorsement, touch the Braille stretching up my arms. Twenty years from now, lazy journalists will compare every halfway decent songwriter to Joe Pug. Mark my words."
Ganges will be opening the show. Now based in Chicago, Ganges is originally from Holland. Ganges is led by Rob Kenagy, a 2008 Hope graduate whose previous projects have included They Were Thieves as well as original solo works.
Nykerk Hall of Music is located in the central Hope campus at the former 127 E. 12th St. between College and Columbia avenues.
The doors will open at 7:15 p.m. the night of the concert.