Folk trio's house tour starts in Loomis, includes a stop in Auburn

The eclectic folk trio Dear Darling is hitting the road for a brief, five-towns-in-five-days tour that culminates in Auburn on Sunday, June 27. But unless you live within hearing distance of their beautiful harmonies, or you have a seat reserved, you'll never know they're in town. The shows aren't taking place at arenas, theatres, fairgrounds or parks. This five-town tour is a house tour. Casey Lipka (bass, voice) and bandmates Natalie Hagwood (cello, voice) and Hannah Jane Kile (guitar, voice) are playing outdoor house concerts, having reached out to community members in Loomis, Chico, Twain, Quincy and Auburn to see if they could make it happen. And they did, thanks in large part to Kile and her far-reaching connections (she's a 2013 graduate of Placer High School). "She was the magician for this specific concert experience," Lipka said. "We have some people in all of these towns who are generously opening their backyards and hosting people in their community." With COVID-19 pandemic restrictions easing, the band has created what Lipka describes as "special and unique experiences." But how to watch, listen and enjoy their easy-listening, jazz-infused folk? "You can think about it as a mystery," Lipka said. "Sign up (at deardarlingmusic.com) and the mystery location will be revealed." Dear Darling started in Sacramento in January 2020 and was planning a house concert tour when the pandemic hit. Lipka said this tour is a "mini-reincarnation" of that idea. She said the band's vision "is to create special and unique experiences to share music. This is one way we thought to do that." The tour begins Wednesday in Loomis, followed by Chico on Thursday, the Get Together Festival at Feather River Canyon in Twain on Friday, Quincy on Saturday and Auburn on Sunday at 7 p.m. Lipka has a jazz background, Kile folk and theatre, and Hagwood classical. Said Lipka, "I met both individually and heard both of their beautiful music and said, 'I think we should hang out.' And we're still hanging out, making music officially under the banner Dear Darling." Their single "Believe" is available on all platforms, and they plan to release an album this fall.