Anjimile, Townsend’s Solitaire @ BALLARD HOMESTEAD

The Crocodile & Abbey Arts Present:

Anjimile: anjimile.com

Anjimile (ann-JIM-uh-lee) Chithambo has forged a distinctive musical path characterised by unflinching introspection and deep honesty. Emerging from Boston’s vibrant indie scene while studying at Northeastern University, Anjimile captivated audiences with earnest songwriting, delicate sonic textures, and performances that felt like prayer and celebration. 

Critical acclaim quickly followed; 2020’s Giver Taker, hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the year's best albums, positioned him as a compelling voice exploring enduring themes of spirituality, identity, and liberation. With The King (2023), Anjimile intensified his examination of Black and trans existence amid personal and societal turbulence, reaffirming his courageous commitment to navigating discomfort as a means of liberation.

You’re Free to Go, picks up where The King left off, but with its hands open wide - a central question being: what happens when you let go and let love in? 

Crafted over years marked by transformation, the album traces vividly the profound complexities of change - from breakups to new love; deep grief and loss to renewal and rediscovery. “The past two years have been a deeply transitional point in my life,” Anjimile explains. On You’re Free to Go, he learns to trust life again. 

The album’s title symbolises Anjimile’s expansive perspective on love and personal freedom, influenced profoundly by his relationship with his partner and their joyful embrace of non-monogamy. He describes this dynamic playfully: “I view non-monogamy as setting out milk every night on your porch for the cats; they can come if they want,” – a reminder that connection thrives when it’s truly chosen and not confined and restricted by normativity. This same playfulness runs through ‘Rust & Wire’ which captures the exhilaration of falling in love again and again (“ripen in the heat like wine”) and the luminous ‘Like You Really Mean It’ which overflows with tenderness and vulnerability. 

Elsewhere, You’re Free to Go explores heavier, darker truths; ‘Exquisite Skeleton’ hauntingly portrays the ache of familial estrangement and ‘Ready or Not’ the exhaustion of facing transphobia.  “When I was a little girl, I wanted to be free… When I was a little boy, I wanted to be real.”, he disarmingly reflects on ‘Waits For Me’, a powerful reckoning on childhood identity. But even in its most searching moments, the record radiates light. Each song holds space for healing – for turning pain into something tender, communal, and free.

Spirituality remains the heartbeat of Anjmile’s work. “Songwriting feels like a prayer, a plea, or a question,” he says. Across You’re Free to Go, sacredness feels alive and imperfect — a practice of breathing, wondering, forgiving. The album hums with that same sacred energy: messy and full of grace. 

Contrasting the intricacy and complexity of The King, You’re Free to Go unfolds organically under the intuitive direction of producer Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Mavis Staples). The album’s songs bloom naturally, grounded in warm acoustic guitars, subtle synth textures, lush string arrangements, and delicate rhythmic layers. Collaborative efforts with musicians Nathan Stocker (Hippo Campus), Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver), and guest vocalist Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) – a personal hero of Anjimile whose music deeply influenced the album even before his involvement – cultivate an exploratory yet intimate atmosphere, perfectly aligned with Anjimile’s nuanced storytelling.

Throughout You’re Free to Go, Anjimile skilfully integrates a variety of musical inspirations to heighten the album’s emotional impact. Tracks such as ‘Turning Away’ and ‘The Store’ channel the raw and unadorned authenticity reminiscent of early Modest Mouse. The collaboration with Sam Beam on ‘Destroying You’ adds a gentle warmth that beautifully complements Anjimile’s refined vocal expression. Melodically, the album evokes a subtle nostalgia for late-90s alternative pop, seamlessly blending folk sensibilities into inviting, memorable hooks. Anjimile has notably evolved, adopting a more relaxed and expressive approach to his singing, partly due to his ongoing hormonal therapy – a transformative journey he embraces gladly. This newfound vocal depth amplifies the album’s emotional resonance, allowing him to express himself with greater authenticity.

As Anjimile prepares to share You’re Free to Go live, he envisions intimate performances that reinterpret rather than replicate the album’s recordings. He aims for the authenticity and vulnerability embedded in these songs to resonate deeply, emphasising, “This record feels very authentic to my life experiences. It’s about as close to getting to know me as you could ever get with a record.”

You’re Free to Go is a portrait of transformation — not as a wound, but as an opening. Richly textured, this collection of songs is an honest reflection of life's fluctuations. It holds space for contradiction and finds liberation in tenderness. As Anjimile beautifully articulates, the album embodies "breathing into the question," acknowledging that life’s most profound moments often come without clear answers, but rather exist in the gentle tension of uncertainty and discovery. In every note, Anjimile provides space for each listener to reflect and uncover their own truths, while gently reminding us that freedom isn’t the absence of pain, but the courage to love, to ask, to keep beginning again.

with support from

Townsend’s Solitaire: townsendssolitaire.com

Bobby Odle, a Seattle based singer-songwriter performing under the moniker Townsend’s Solitaire, is a classically trained percussionist turned folk musician.

Whilst living in Ashland, Oregon, faced with completing a master’s degree in percussion performance, as well as a worldwide pandemic, Townsend’s Solitaire turned his creative eye towards poetry and songwriting. Drawing heavy influence from artists like The Tallest Man on Earth, Adrianne Lenker, Bright Eyes, and Sufjan Stevens – Townsend’s Solitaire prioritizes and treasures genuinity above all else. His music is primarily fingerstyle acoustic guitar paired with a single vocal line singing lyrics addressing common anxieties, loss, and a love for life in this world – all the while drenched in a somber melancholy and nostalgia. His ensemble has mixtures of cello, violin, flute, clarinet, and piano.

@ Ballard Homestead

7p doors, 8p show

All ages, mostly seated

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EVENT & VENUE INFO:

• Ballard Homestead is partially ADA accessible. Please email boxoffice@fremontabbey.org with questions and for accommodations. ballardhomestead.org/about

• Service animals as defined by the ADA are allowed. Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.

• Please limit photos during the show so as to not distract other attendees from the experience.

• Please enter quietly if the show has already begun.

• Please leave quietly, it's a very quiet neighborhood.

• Quiet Picnics Welcome. ie. please no crunchy packaging or loud chips, smelly foods, etc. We sometimes have a few tables out, or you can use the side yard if weather is nice.

• Light snacks & non-alcoholic beverages may be available for purchase, but no other food or bar service at Ballard Homestead shows.

• We have a mix of padded chairs, benches, and a little standing room in back for big shows.

• We are an all ages venue. Kids 10 & under are free at Abbey Arts concerts & arts events unless noted. Please request by emailing boxoffice@fremontabbey.org

• Entering the venue indicates agreement to adhere to the Abbey Respect Policy. All are welcome. fremontabbey.org/respect