Colorado folk group Paper Bird has announced founding member and vocalist Esme Patterson has decided to leave the band.
The announcement, posted on the band's website earlier today, confirms the split was "amicable." Patterson will play a final show with Paper Bird on Friday, Sept. 26 at the Mishawaka Amphitheatre in Bellvue, Colo.
This year Esme Patterson released her second solo album "Woman to Woman," which garnered praise from the likes of the New York Times and NPR Music.
The band jointly announced the addition of new member Carleigh Aikins. Aikins has performed professionally as a vocalist for many years, and shared the stage at last year's Denver Music Summit with members of The Head & the Heart, Chimney Choir, and more.
She will perform with the band on an upcoming October tour. See the video below for dates:
Paper Bird was co-founded in 2007 by, among others, Esme and her sister Genevieve Patterson, who also contributes vocals and has performed with the likes of Denver bands Tennis and Messes. Until this year the band also featured bassist Macon Terry, who now runs Denver record label Collectible Records and performs as Clouds & Mountains.
Paper Bird's "Colorado" from the 2010 album "When the River Took Flight" was the first ever song played on OpenAir on Oct. 31, 2011.
Watch performances from Paper Bird and Esme Patterson from our CPR Performance Studio below, and check out the full audio from their performance and interview session:
