This winter solstice Prescott’s Elks Theatre will echo with the eclectic sounds of local favorite Galactagogues as they celebrate the release of their latest album, OK Apocalypse, with a special Solstice Sing concert. Known for its unique blend of cosmic folk, psychedelic rock, and raw acoustic energy, the group is ready to shine brighter than ever on one of the longest nights of the year.

Lately a fixture in Prescott’s music scene, Galactagogues has steadily built a reputation for innovative soundscapes and lyrical storytelling. OK Apocalypse is based on a concept that the Bohrmans, the family behind Galactagogues, began thinking about thirty years ago. Says Meg Bohrman, “‘Apocalypse’ is a Greek term that literally means ‘return of the repressed’ — what is in the dark must come to life, what has been hidden must be revealed. So it isn't like this is a bad time of life. It's a time of reintegration.”

She continues, “So that's sort of what I will realize the apocalypse is, a time of the dark coming to light because it has to, because we can no longer keep it hidden, because it's not good for us, because we can't grow as a species, as a collective, as a consciousness.”

For those less familiar with the music of Galactagogues, Bohrman describes their sound as “funky folkadelic.” She hopes the album and concert will provide some hope in a dark time. “OK Apocalypse aims to bring down the collective swelling of fear in our nervous systems; and that's what we hope our concert will do.” This is the group’s second album, featuring 13 new tracks “brimming with melodies, harmonies, poetry and funky folkadelic grooves.”

For the show Galactagogues members Meg Bohrman, Cosimo and Opal Bohrman and Zachary Dominguez will be joined by Ines Vitols on fiddle. Bohrman is still considering additional musical guests, but states that she must be “reined in” by her family, because she would love to include everyone. That’s where the audience comes in.

The performance is meant to be more than an album-release concert — it’s a celebration. Galactagogues encourages audience members to bring their own voices and join in. Bohrman has always felt especially connected to the solstice and what it represents. She says, “Shortest day, longest night. [It does] really affect I think everything on Earth obviously, but the soul very much, and our ancestors before we had all this vibrant electricity and all this technology and these worrying and noisy gadgets, machines everywhere lighting up the world, changing our relationship with darkness. It was very much tradition that we would come together in the darkest night of the year and sing the sun back up.”

‍Galactagogues album-release and Solstice Sing concert will take place on December 21 at 7pm onstage at the Elks Theatre, 117 E Gurley St. in Prescott. Tickets are available online at PrescottElksTheatre.org and box office.