Americana singer-songwriter Cruz Contreras packed The 610 on Main Street on Tuesday night, drawing what organizers called the venue’s largest crowd to date.
Contreras, best known as the founder and former front man of Knoxville-based band The Black Lillies, led a two-hour set heavy on roots-rock originals and crowd-pleasing covers.
“We’ve never seen this place so full,” said local music supporter Kermit McCourt, who helped welcome the Tennessee artist to Surprise Valley. “Happy, smiling faces were dancing all night. The band are genuine guys, and there’s even talk they might cut a song right here at The 610.”
Doors opened at 6:30 p.m., and the all-ages audience quickly filled the 250-seat room, spilling onto the sidewalk for the sold-out show. Fans sang along to “Hard to Please” and “Runaway Freeway Blues,” nods to Contreras’ catalog with The Black Lillies, before he closed with a solo acoustic encore.
Contreras thanked the Surprise Valley crowd for “keeping live music alive in rural California” and hinted at a return engagement later this year.
The 610, a refurbished historic hall at 610 Main St., has become a fixture on touring schedules for independent artists seeking intimate, high-desert settings. Tuesday’s turnout, organizers said, reflects growing interest in live entertainment across Modoc County.
