He’ll perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, at the Moab Arts and Recreation Center, 111 East 100 North, and again at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at the Blu Pig, 811 S. Main.
The concert at the MARC will kick off the new Moab resident’s five-date Sonic Intimacy Tour that will culminate in his sixth CD and a DVD. Some of the material will likely be from Friday’s appearance.
“We may feature some of the performance at the MARC on the DVD,” Ibex said. “I’m hoping to get some good footage.”
He’ll do acoustic tapping that night, which he describes as playing the guitar “like a drum or piano might be played.” Ibex will play harmonics with his right hand while simultaneously playing lead guitar lines with his left, he said.
He also will play some 12-string finger-style guitar. Percussionist Tory Davis of Moab will join Ibex during the 90-minute show, for which a $10 donation is suggested.
Ibex will follow the MARC appearance with a performance of classic rock music at the Blu Pig. Other tour dates are Jan. 23 at the Bramble and Hare in Boulder, Colo.; Jan. 25 at the Blue Herron in Clay Center, Kan.; and Jan. 26 at the McPherson Opera House in McPherson, Kan.
As if that’s not enough, Ibex, who describes his age only as thirty-something, is also working on a ballet and a symphony.
But guitar and songwriting are his main loves, with his writing having been described by a critic as “soulful and sincere.” He will play mostly original material at the MARC, but says personalized versions of a Jimi Hendrix song and “The Star Spangled Banner” may also be on the agenda.
Ibex’s musical background stretches back to age 5, when he began taking violin lessons under encouragement of his mother, herself a classical singer, actress and painter. Ibex started piano lessons when he was 9, performing classical recitals as a 9- and 10-year-old.
He had settled on guitar by age 13 with the intention of becoming an instrumental performer. With a significant body of work already behind him, Ibex says his goal is to bring his music to a wider audience.
“Larger venues, more recognition,” he said. “I’ve recently been getting emails from websites that want to feature my music on their home-pages. I would love to be performing to larger crowds. The live aspect of performance is the most intriguing to me.”
Examples of his guitar work are available free on his website, www.reverbnation.com/scottibex.
Ibex anticipates the new CD being released in a few months on his label, Slickrock Records. It will be produced in California and mastered in London, he said.
His goal is to release two CDs this year after coming out with three during 2012.
Ibex has lived on both coasts, but says Moab feels right at this stage of his life.
“Moab is home right now,” he said. “I travel so much, and when I come off the road Moab is a great place for me to relax. I have a lot of friends here.”