ACCLAIMED duo Zervas & Pepper present ‘This Flight Tonight’, an intimate five-piece acoustic live tribute to the music of Joni Mitchell.

Coming to the Acorn Theatre on October 5, This Flight Tonight is a celebration of Joni Mitchell’s music that the duo has been working on for many years. Zervas & Pepper are Welsh Singer/Songwriters Paul Zervas and Kathryn Pepper who have been creating and performing original music professionally for over a decade.

“We are musical purists,” Kathryn Pepper explains, “If we’re going to present Joni’s music for a live show, then we are going to aim to recreate the performances almost exactly as they were intended, as songwriters and performers ourselves we know that every single note, inflexion, momentary pause was placed there by the artist with intent. We hold Joni Mitchell’s music in the utmost regard, and so we aim to capture its inner spirit and channel its majesty into each live performance.”

Paul Zervas said: “Joni’s music has so much depth, musically, lyrically and melodically, there’s so much to get your head around when attempting to recreate this classic songbook. As a guitarist who learned to play from listening to Joni’s incredible catalogue, I find the sheer amount of alternate tunings, variances of chord positions, and nuanced harmonic voicing that have gone into all these songs staggering.

“We aim to be as authentic as possible when performing this music as it’s these important facets that the fans want to hear; with Joni’s music, her tunings and alternative melodic approaches are just as important as her lyrics, the interplay between the two that create the full picture of Mitchell’s evocative landscape.”

As young songwriters, Zervas & Pepper were beguiled by Mitchell’s music. Kathryn recalls: “This music had such a profound effect on me that I completely immersed myself within Joni’s albums. Musically complex, lyrically intriguing. I became an avid listener. I learned to use my voice in ways I hadn’t for my early bands”.

“We kept returning to what we consider to be the nucleus of Mitchell’s work, that pivotal break-out period 1968-1976 Reprise/Asylum Record era with the voice, guitar and piano front and centre.

“It has an intimate acoustic vibe that should make the audience feel like they are having a private listening session at Joni’s house during the summer of love. We hope to invoke that spirit in our show.”

To book tickets, visit: www.theacornpenzance.com/events/this-flight-tonight-the-songs-of-joni-mitchell/