ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Grammy-nominated artist K.Flay performed a small set and discussed the impacts of reading at a free event at an Albuquerque library Tuesday afternoon.
K.Flay, whose name is Kristine Flaherty; drummer Ulf Mickael Wahlgren; and guitarist Alex Foote were invited to perform at the library by AMP Concerts, which offers innovative and inspiring arts programming throughout New Mexico.
The trio performed acoustic versions of “Are You Serious?”, “Chaos Is Love,” and “Weirdo” in the Central and Unser Library’s community room, just hours before they planned to take the stage at the Sunshine Theater.
Tuesday’s event at the library was titled “Celebrating the Power of Books.” In between songs, K.Flay talked to the audience about how reading has impacted and inspired her.
“It’s almost like bicep curls for the brain. Just sitting down and like reading a book, and I find that very like, you have a real sense of accomplishment when you read a book. You know, you feel very good about yourself, not that that’s the point of reading a book—is to feel good about yourself—but it is kind of one of the, one of the, ripple effects. I think it like, builds self-esteem, you know, reading, and um certainly builds compassion,” said Flaherty.
Neal Copperman, executive director of AMP Concerts, said he was inspired to host the event after seeing an online post by K.Flay in 2024. “Well, this one in particular came because K posted on her social media last year 10 books that changed her life. And I was like, ‘Oh, she’s a reader.’ And it inspired me to reach out to her management and see if we could do an event like this,” he explained.
Two impactful books K.Flay included on her reading list and encouraged people to check out from the Albuquerque library were “Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro and “Bright Young Women” by Jessica Knoll.
Wahlgren and Foote also shared their book recommendations with the crowd, which were “The Noonday Demon” by Andrew Solomon and John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath”, respectively.
The event drew in about 35 people, mostly comprised of fans who planned to attend K.Flay’s concert that night. “I thought it went fantastic. It was so much fun. Really nice, diverse audience, people from all ages,” Copperman said.
AMP Concerts has hosted over 250 events at libraries in the state since 2012. It also has hosted thousands of concerts, including performances by indie rock pioneers Wilco and David Byrne. To learn more about the non-profit organization, click here.
The New Mexico Music Commission and the Friends of the Public Library provided funding the library shows, according to AMP Concerts’ website.