Summer concerts continue at the San Juan Community Theatre Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m., when singer-songwriter Tony Furtado and his group perform.

“It’s an acoustic band,” Furtado responded when asked what the audience can expect. “We will be playing songs from my over 20 albums, there will be some instrumentals, a few covers thrown in and probably a lot of my newer songs.”

The concert will have some Bluegrass energy to it. Keith Brush will be playing bass, fiddle champion Luke Price will be on fiddle, and Furado’s wife Stephanie Snider will join in the fun both playing and singing.

“She is an amazing singer-songwriter with many albums to her credit,” Furtado said.

Furtado’s journey into music and art began at a young age, sculpting and taking up the banjo at around 12 years old. He gained attention across the country after winning the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship in Winfield, Kansas in 1987. In college, he majored in fine arts, but his life path seemed to be setting itself for music, so he left college to pursue of that journey.

After decades in the music scene, Furtado advised young musicians and artists, “Learn your fundamentals but don’t be afraid to take changes.”

His music has mostly been influenced by Americana, Jazz, and Bluegrass. Tom Waites and Tom Petty have both been inspirations. Bela Fleck with their progressive banjo is also a favorite, and Rye Cooter has always been an inspiration.

Eventually, Furtado returned to sculpture and it felt like a release valve, both healing and meditative.

“When I got back into sculpture, it felt really good. Working with my hands has always been necessary,” Furtado explained.

When asked why music and the arts are important, he responded “Because we are human. It’s how we communicate and express ourselves. It is so necessary.”

While sculpture and music appear far apart, there are commonalities. “It’s nothing I can verbalize,” Furtado said, “But there are ways I create that are similar”

During a trip to the San Juans years ago, he visited the parents of his good friend singer-songwriter Laura Viers. Her father, Val Viers, has been known for his acoustical studies of whales.

“We didn’t see whales, but seeing the whole setup was amazing. I have made several whale sculptures inspired by that trip,” he said.

When the Theatre contacted him to play this summer, he was already on tour in Washington, so the scheduling could not have worked out better, and he is excited to return and explore the islands further.

Islanders too, are in for a musical treat.

“Tony is an evocative and soulful singer, a wide-ranging songwriter and a virtuoso multi-instrumental-ist adept on banjo, cello-banjo, slide guitar and baritone ukulele who mixes and matches sounds and styles with the flair of a master chef” the theatre’s website states.

For more information or to buy tickets, visit https://sjctheatre.org. Tickets for adults are $25, students are $15.