The Orpheum presents Nick Shoulders with Ramsey Thornton, on Tuesday, November 17th, 2026 at the historic Orpheum Theater in downtown Flagstaff, AZ!

DOORS 6:30PM | SHOW: 7:30PM | AGES: All Ages

About Nick Shoulders :

Refugia Blues, the fifth album from Nick Shoulders, is a record of big ideas and small, intimate moments. 

These nine songs are rooted in the stylings of Southern traditional music. Sparse, timeless, and unamplified, they're older than the sounds Shoulders saluted on albums like 2023's All Bad, with its loud, whooping anthems for roadhouses and sweaty dancehalls. Here, Shoulders isn't shouting over a band. He isn't bringing a crowd to its feet with dance-ready tempos. Rather, he's exploring another side of his craft by stepping up to a ribbon microphone as a solo performer, delivering each song with acoustic instruments and a voice that's equal parts country croon, Appalachian yodel, and high-lonesome field holler. As he explains it, Refugia Blues isn't just a call to action; it's a call to rest, too. 

"This is my Nebraska," he says, nodding to Bruce Springsteen's lo-fi acoustic record from 1982. "Some people listen to Bruce for the E Street Band and the big radio hits, but I like the intimacy and rawness of Nebraska instead. I'd like to think of Refugia Blues as a little window into the heart, as opposed to the drumbeat of a revolution."

About Ramsey Thornton:

Ramsey Thornton makes modern-day folk music for early mornings and quiet hours. It's a warm, rhythmic sound, fueled by intricate fingerpicking and the observational storytelling of a lifelong musician who's still discovering new horizons.

Long before he became an unsung hero of Tulsa's music scene — playing banjo in Ken Pomeroy's band, drumming for jazz combos, and collaborating with hometown heroes like Wilderado — the Oklahoma native began drumming at 6 years old. By his late-teens, he was playing stringed instruments, too. Banjo came first. Acoustic guitar followed, with Ramsey developing a hypnotic, percussive style — including intricate rhythms and uniquely phrased arpeggios — that seemed to nod to the two instruments he'd already learned. 

While backing up artists across Tulsa during his early 20s, Ramsey started writing songs of his own, creating a unique version of American roots music fueled by banjo twang and folky hooks. Later, while wrapping up a graduate program at Oklahoma State University, he began writing the music that would fill his full-length debut, I Called It!.

Ramsey recorded the record in Brooklyn, where he teamed up with Isaac Stalling and Sam Skinner (Pinegrove) in a Bed-Stuy studio. They anchored each song with a live performance of guitar and vocals, adding other instruments — from the interlocking layers of strings that sweep through "Tony's Song," a gorgeous duet with Ken Pomeroy, to the brushed percussion and keyboards that punctuate "Backyard" — for textural effect. Back home in Oklahoma, Ramsey tapped Chad Copeland (Broncho, Wilderado) to contribute synth, drones, and other atmospherics to tracks like "Fourth of July." Even so, I Called It generally unfolds like a one-man show, capturing Ramsey Thornton in his element: intimate, locked-in, and focused on the present moment.

 ___

The Orpheum Theater is a historic, indoor venue located on Aspen Street in downtown Flagstaff next to the Weatherford Hotel and Residence Inn.

• Parking is not available on site. Find info on street and garage parking here.
• Tickets are the same price at the box office and online
• A Full Bar is available at the venue
• No outside food and beverage is allowed. Concessions available in the venue.
• Empty, soft, clear water bottles will be allowed. No hydro flasks, metal, or hard plastic water bottles of any kind will be permitted inside the venue.
• Unless specifically stated by the show, venue has a strict no re-entry policy

As of September 1st, 2025, our security team will be enforcing a "Clear Bag Policy."  

Guests attending public-ticketed events are permitted to bring a 12″ x 6″ x 12″ or smaller CLEAR stadium bag, or a gallon-sized clear zip bag. 

Permitted non-clear bags include wristlets measuring 4″x6″x1″ and smaller, and/or diaper/medical bags, which are subject to search. 

No other bags are permitted; bag storage is NOT available at the theater. Clear bags are available for purchase. Thank you for your understanding. 

For a complete list of Permitted & Prohibited Items click here

Where to Stay in Flagstaff

Accessibility

FAQ