Catch up with Grace Potter, The Cactus Blossoms at 102.3 BXR birthday bash in Columbia

A couple of Columbia's old friends will pay tribute to one of the city's staples.

Roots N Blues/Treeline festival alumni Grace Potter and The Cactus Blossoms will team up next week to play the 30th birthday party for area radio station 102.3 FM BXR. If it's been a minute since you've caught up with Potter or the duo behind The Cactus Blossoms, here's a quick refresher.

Grace Potter

Who she is: A Vermont powerhouse who has been recording on her own for 20 years, and has collaborated with the likes of Kenny Chesney, The Flaming Lips and Gov't Mule.

Where you might have seen her: The 2016 edition of the Roots N Blues festival

What makes her so cool: A killer voice — ragged and soulful and lovely — and an ecumenical approach that braids rock, soul and folk music together.

Her most recent album: "Mother Road" hit the atmosphere in August; "Often, Mother Road seems to have a spiritual connection to Sheryl Crow — there's a shared sense of classic rock adoration that's knowledgeable enough to sidestep cliches — but Potter isn't patterning herself after any specific musician," AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote.

What she's told the Tribune: Describing a greater transition from her band The Nocturnals to solo work, Potter said this in 2016: "It’s not like it’s just a reinvention. If anything, the music has shown me just how much of an artist I always was."

The Cactus Blossoms

Who they are: The sublime Twin Cities duo of Jack Torrey and Page Burkum

Where you might have seen them: Roots N Blues 2018

What makes them so cool: Remarkably twined, classic harmonies a la The Everly Brothers. And an appearance playing the Roadhouse on "Twin Peaks: The Return" doesn't hurt as an X factor.

Their most recent album: Last year's "One Day," which PopMatters' Steve Horowitz said hears the band "magically travel to that timeless place where innocence and experience coexist in the front seat of a car moving through the heart of America."

What they've told the Tribune: "I think we were just in love with the songs themselves, that we were singing, and that was the fun part for us," Burkum said of the duo's formation in 2018. "I hope there’s something special in our voices together, but I think we’re still just working on that part of it."

Grace Potter and The Cactus Blossoms play Rose Park at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8. Tickets are $39.50-$44.50. Visit https://rosemusichall.com/ for details.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Catch up with Grace Potter, The Cactus Blossoms at BXR birthday bash