The Fabulous Thunderbirds
For over 30 years, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have been the quintessential American band. The group’s distinctive and powerful sound, influenced by a diversity of musical styles, manifested itself into a unique musical hybrid via such barnburners as “Tuff Enuff” and “Wrap It Up”. Co-founder Kim Wilson, the sole original member, still spearheads the group as it evolves into its newest incarnation. “We started as a straight blues band”, vocalist and harmonica player Wilson says. “We now incorporate a mixture of a lot of different styles. We’re an American music band and we’re much higher energy than we were before.” “To be in the T-Birds, you need to understand the different styles of music and different ways of playing,” Wilson comments. “You have to be willing to adopt a more contemporary style. The guys we have now are able to do that.” The band continues to tour extensively, in both the U.S. and Europe. Wilson is currently writing songs on his own, with band members and other writers.
The Outsiders, The Cyrkle, Darren Dowler – Former lead singer of Paul Revere & The Raiders
The OutsidersIn Cleveland, Ohio, a successful area rhythm and blues band called Tom King and The Starfires was renamed “The Outsiders,” and released “Time Won’t Let Me” on Capitol Records. The record received national radio station airplay. “Time Won’t Let Me” climbed to #5 on the Billboard record industry national charts, and the band appeared on entertainment shows like Dick Clark’s “Where The Action Is,” “Hullabaloo,” “Shindig,” as well as live shows across the United States. Subsequent Outsiders releases, including “Girl In Love,” “Respectable,” and “Help Me Girl” also placed high in ratings. A new release, “I’ve Got A Heart, Too,” is climbing the Cashbox charts. The Outsiders is fronted by original drummer/vocalist Ricky Biagiola (Baker), accompanied by some of Cleveland’s best musicians, including Rik Storm (keyboards, guitar, flute, harmonica, vocals), Rob Mitchell (bass, vocals), and Jimmy Aschenbenner (guitar, vocals). The Cyrkle The opened for The Beatles – Their hits include: Red Rubber Ball & Turn Down Day – The two original members of The Cyrkle, Don Dannemann and Mike Losekamp, are joined by Pat McLaughlin on lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Dean Kastran on lead vocals and bass guitar; Don White on lead guitar and vocals; and Scott Langley on drums and vocals. The new additions are all veterans onstage, and each brings a unique and individual style to the show that is sure to delight the most diehard music fan. Much to the delight of classic Rock n’ Roll fans, The Cyrkle is poised to emerge on the scene of classic music venues and will bring all their talent to the stage in shows that are sure to breathe new life into old music and renewed interest in songs that have never lost their popularity. Darren DowlerDarren Dowler is best known as a former vocalist for Paul Revere and the Raiders, with Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers, The Lettermen and first guitarist of The Backstreet Boys. He’s the star of current multiple films as well including, “Rock and Roll the Movie” on Tubi TV, “Christmas In Hollywood” on Amazon Prime, the upcoming films “Grace of the Father” (coming soon to Amazon and other streaming platforms) and “Dust” filming summer of 2024. Dowler was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and shares a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with harmony giants The Lettermen.
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band – Porch Stomp Tour
“Kindred spirits to Reverend Peyton are John Lee Hooker and RL Burnside.” – The Washington Post Three time BMA nominee’s The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band are “the greatest front-porch blues band in the world”. They are led by Reverend Peyton, who most consider to be the premier finger picker playing today. He has earned a reputation as both a singularly compelling performer and a persuasive evangelist for the rootsy, country blues styles that captured his imagination early in life and inspired him and his band to make pilgrimages to Clarksdale, Mississippi to study under such blues masters as T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour and David “Honeyboy” Edwards. Their latest record Dance Songs For Hard Times went #1 on the Billboard, iTunes and Sirius XM Blues Charts and was produced by Grammy winner Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton). The record is critically acclaimed by Rolling Stone, Relix, Popmatters, Guitar World, American Songwriter, No Depression, Glide, Wide Open Country, Paste, American Blues Scene and many more!
An Evening with Rufus Wainwright
Praised by the New York Times for his “genuine originality,” Rufus Wainwright has establishedhimself as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation. TheNew York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter has released ten studio albums to date, threeDVDs, and three live albums including the GRAMMY® nominated Rufus Does Judy atCarnegie Hall. He has collaborated with artists such as Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Miley Cyrus,David Byrne, Boy George, Joni Mitchell, Pet Shop Boys, Heart, Carly Rae Jepsen, RobbieWilliams, Jessye Norman, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Sting, and producer Mark Ronson, amongmany others. He has written two operas and numerous songs for movies and TV.His 2020 GRAMMY® nominated studio album of original songs, Unfollow the Rules, findsWainwright at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and anew-found fearlessness. In 2023, he embarked on a journey to his family folk roots with hisnewly-released, GRAMMY® nominated album Folkocracy featuring reinvented folk duets withartists like Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, John Legend and Anohni and many more.He has been working on his first musical of John Cassavetes’ Opening Night for theWest End with Ivo van Hove for a number of years which is set to open at the GielgudTheater in March 2024. During this time he has also completed a Requiem which willpremiere with the Orchestre Philharmonique de la Radio France in June of 2024. Co-commissioners for the Requiem are the Master Chorale in Los Angeles, the Palau de laMusica in Barcelona, the Helsinki Symphony Orchestra, the RTE Orchestra in Ireland,and the Royal Ballet London.
Tim Reynolds and TR3 CD Release Tour
TR3 announces a new string of tour dates set for early 2024 to support their new studio album, Watch It, set to release Jan. 19. The unveiling of the offering from the ensemble, fronted by Dave Matthews Band collaborator and two-time Grammy nominee Tim Reynolds and featuring Dan Martier on drums along with Mick Vaughn on bass, comes just under a month after the completion of their fall tour.Watch It follows TR3’s 2019 LP, The Sea Versus the Mountain, and their 2022 live album Wild in the Sky. The collection was arranged and written during the fallout following the pandemic and was recorded at Dave Matthews Band’s studio, the Haunted Hallow in Charlottesville, Va. The 10 mostly instrumental tracks were produced by Dave Matthews Band studio manager and chief engineer Rob Evans who helped direct the sonic tapestry of jazz, funk and rock.For the new tour dates, Reynolds and company will set out for Portsmouth, N.H., on Jan. 18. From there they’ll make their way to a collection of Northeast cities, including Hartford, Conn., and New York, before heading to the Midwest for appearances in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. The tour will culminate with a performance in St. Louis on Feb. 3.
Suzanne Vega – Old Songs, New Songs and Other Songs
An Evening With Suzanne Vega – Old Songs, New Songs and Other SongsSuzanne Vega will be joined on stage by her longtime guitarist, Gerry Leonard (of David Bowie fame), performing a career-spanning show including favorites like Tom’ Diner, Luka, and more! Widely regarded as one of the foremost songwriters of her generation, Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk revival of the early 1980s when, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she sang what has been called contemporary folk or neo-folk songs of her own creation in Greenwich Village clubs. Since the release of her self-titled, critically acclaimed 1985 debut album, she has given sold-out concerts in many of the world’s best-known venues. Known for performances that convey deep emotion, “Vega’s distinctive, clear, unwavering voice”; (Rolling Stone) “has been described as a cool, dry sandpaper-brushed near-whisper”; by The Washington Post, with NPR Music noting that she “has been making vital, inventive music; throughout the course of her decades-long career”. Bearing the stamp of a masterful storyteller who “the world with a clinically poetic” (The New York Times), Vega’s songs have tended to focus on city life, ordinary people and real-world subjects. Notably succinct and understated, her work is immediately recognizable as utterly distinct and thoughtful as it was when her voice was first heard on the radio over 30 years ago.TICKETSGold Circle: $58Reserved: $43SUZANNE VEGA VIP EXPERIENCES – Very Limited Availability SOUNDCHECK VIP EXPERIENCE $195.00 + fees Package includes • One reserved ticket within first 5 rows • Pre-show visit to Suzanne’s soundcheck • Pre-show Q&A with Suzanne • One autographed tour poster • One commemorative Suzanne Vega VIP laminate • One commemorative Suzanne Vega ticket – Must arrive several hours before the concert. PREMIUM PACKAGE $105.00 + fees Package includes: • One reserved ticket within first 10 rows • One autographed tour poster • One commemorative Suzanne Vega ticket
Carbon Leaf
Carbon Leaf debuted as an independent college band in1993, gaining a strong regional following playing small clubs and campuses in surrounding Virginia. The band spent 5 years establishing their roots in the mid-Atlantic region, picking up weekend shows where they could and putting the funds into four self-released albums between 1995-2000.In 2001 the band received national attention with their song “The Boxer” which gained key support at a handful of AAA radio stations across the country, a unique accomplishment considering the group was still an unsigned band at the time with no formal representation. Carbon Leaf’s momentum continued into 2002, becoming the first unsigned act to ever win an American Music Award in the show’s 46-year history, and the first to perform live at the AMAs to a globally televised audience as an independent artist. The band’s 2004 radio single “Life Less Ordinary”, received considerable airplay and reached a broader audience nationwide, peaking at #5 on AAA radio and #28 at Hot AC. The increased exposure put the band on the road for 250+days in2004 and 2005. Between 2007-2009, the band collected a series of songwriting awards, including the International Songwriting Competition’s first prize honor for ‘The War Was In Color”. Missing the autonomous flexibility of their earlier years, the band decided not to extend its contract for a 4th release under the label, and as 2009 came to a close, Carbon Leaf once again embraced it’s independent roots. Energized by the renewed freedom, Carbon Leaf built it’s own recording space, Two-Car Studio, and began writing and releasing on their own again. The band’s creativity accelerated in this new environment and 6 independent projects were released between 2010-2013, including two EPs (How The West Was vol. One and Christmas Child); alive album and acoustic concert film (Live, Acoustic…and in Cinemascope!); two full-length albums (Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle and Constellation Prize) and the soundtrack for Universal’s Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey. “We’ve been gifted an opportunity to write and perform in front of a live audience,” said Barry Privett, while reflecting on the band’s 27 years. “We are lucky to have fans on the other end of that long road, receiving what we create. Our audience has been what sustains us. And what compels us forward. It’s not something we take for granted.” Carbon Leaf is Barry Privett (lyrics, vocals), Terry Clark(guitars, vocals), Carter Gravatt (guitars, strings, vocals),Jon Markel (bass, vocals) and Jesse Humphrey (drums, vocals).From 2014-2016 the band focused their efforts on re-recording the three albums released through Vanguard, which hold the rights to those master recordings, but not to the songs themselves. Fans eagerly supported the three re-recordings, and with the newly completed versions (Indian Summer Revisited, Love Loss Hope Repeat Reneaux and Nothing Rhymes With Woman 16), Carbon Leaf regained the publishing rights to 100% its song catalogue. After taking a much-needed break from touring in 2016 to focus on things back home and in the studio, the band returned to the road heavily in 2017 behind Gathering Vol.1, the first of four acoustic EPs released under the ‘Gathering’ banner. In 2018, the band celebrated its 25th Anniversary with extensive U.S. touring.2019 was spent writing and recording songs for a new EP(Gathering 2: The Hunting Ground) and a 27-song video project filmed on location at a beach house on the Atlantic Ocean (Carbon Leaf Cottage: Songs By The Sea)
An Evening with The Tubes
The Tubes formed in 1972 in San Francisco from two bands that moved there from Phoenix, The Beans along with the Red, White and Blues Band. While musically influenced by groups like Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, who actually recorded a song with the group on their third album, their theatrical satire was evident from the very beginning. All these years later, The Tubes still consists of, original members, the irrepressible front man Fee Waybill, world-class drummer Prairie Prince, and virtuoso guitarist Roger Steen. They continue to delight fans across the country and around the world with their iconic live shows. Led by singer Fee Waybill – known for his classic characters, including the glam-rocking, stackheeled Quay Lewd, the dangerous Mr. Hate or the gnarly punk parody Johnny Bugger – The Tubes released five albums on A&M Records, starting with the Al Kooper-produced self- titled debut in 1975, which included “White Punks on Dope”, dubbed an absurd anthem of wretched excess, later covered by Motley Crue, German chanteuse Nina Hagen as well as set staple, “Mondo Bondage”. “What Do You Want from Life?” was yet another signature song for the band, a prescient satire of consumerism and celebrity culture that calls out Bob Dylan and Randy Mantooth along with “a herd of Winnebagos, we’re givin’ em away”. With the help of Kenny Ortega, they mounted the stage show for which they’re still known, using videos as part of the presentation long before MTV was born. After Young & Rich (1976), produced by Ken Scott (of Beatles fame) highlighted by the salacious “Don’t Touch Me There”, The Tubes released Now (1977), the live What Do You Want From Live (1978) and the concept album Remote Control (1979) their final album for A&M before leaving for Capitol Records. Their new label teamed them up with producer David Foster for the group’s most commercially successful (and radio-friendly) release to that point, with two hit singles in the power ballad, “Don’t Want to Wait Anymore” (their first to land in the Top 40 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart) and the now classic Top 10 Rock radio anthem, “Talk to Ya Later,” a collaboration between Fee, Foster and Toto guitarist Steve Lukather that was #1 in 17 countries. “David had just produced Earth, Wind & Fire’s Boogie Wonderland, and we loved that album,” said Fee about the approach on the very funk-flavored The Completion Backward Principle (1981), which also includes the beach party set piece, “Sushi Girl”, and the Steely Dan-ish “Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman”. Foster then produced the next album, Outside Inside (1983), with the chart topping “She’s a Beauty”. The Tubes’ current tour set list includes such classics as “White Punks on Dope”, “Mondo Bondage”, “What Do You Want from Life”, “Out of the Business”, “I Want It All Now” and “She’s a Beauty”. Fee enthuses, “It’s so great that people still love our music and sing along at shows. The best part is, we’re a way better band today than we ever were.” VIP PACKAGEincludesExclusive sound checkMeet & Greet Photo with the bandT-shirt or CDCONCERT TICKET REQUIRED
Paul Thorn & Steve Poltz – In The Ring Together Tour
Similar backgrounds yet different paths. Paul Thorn and Steve Poltz have a 20+ year friendship and are taking it on the road and in the ring together this Spring for a multi-city tour, surely to bring love, laughter and mischief along with them. Equal parts humor, poignant stories, and expert musicianship, these two storytellers with contagious smiles will put on a show that will make you laugh one minute and cry the next. About Paul Thorn: Paul Thorn has created an innovative and impressive career, pleasing crowds with his muscular brand of roots music – bluesy, rocking and thoroughly Southern American, yet also speaking universal truths. Among those who value originality, inspiration, eccentricity, and character – as well as talent that hovers somewhere on the outskirts of genius, the story of Paul Thorn is already familiar. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, raised among the same spirits (and some of the actual people) who nurtured the young Elvis generations before, Paul Thorn has rambled down back roads and jumped out of airplanes, worked for years in a furniture factory, battled four-time world champion boxer Roberto Duran on national television, performed on stages with Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, Sting, and John Prine among many others, and made some of the most emotionally restless yet fully accessible music of our time. He’s also appeared on major television shows, received numerous National Public Radio features, and charted multiple times on the Billboard Top 100 and Americana Radio Charts. Paul’s latest release, “Never Too Late To Call,” is seven years in the making and features all original material. The CD was recorded at Sam Phillips Studio in Memphis and produced and engineered by Grammy winning wunderkind Matt Ross-Spang. About Steve Poltz: With a cult following that includes fellow musicians, regular folks and festival goers who stumble onto his performances, there’s no common denominator to Steve’s fans. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and raised in San Diego, CA, Steve initially toured and recorded with San Diego cult favorites The Rugburns. But it was through his creative partnership with Jewel that he vaulted into the national spotlight; co-writing her multiplatinum Billboard Hot 100-busting smash, “You Were Meant For Me,” and continues to work with her to this day. Over the years, the Nashville-based troubadour has built a fascinating solo catalog, earmarked by his debut, One Left Shoe, Dreamhouse, Folk Singer, and 2019’s Shine On. No Depression crowned him, “A sardonic provocateur with a lighthearted acoustic-driven wit, suggesting at times a sunnier, less psychedelic Todd Snider, or maybe a less wan, washed Jackson Brown,” while the Associated Press dubbed him “part busker, part Iggy Pop and part Robin Williams, a freewheeling folkie with a quick wit and big heart.” Among other collaborations, GRAMMY-winning bluegrass phenom Billy Strings tapped him to co-write “Leaders” on 2021’s Renewal and he’s co-written with Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, Nicki Bluhm, Oliver Wood and even Mojo Nixon. Steve’s latest record, 2022’s Stardust & Satellites (Red House / Compass Records), was produced by Oliver Wood and Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers.
Colin Hay
COLIN HAYNow And The Evermore “I’m deeply grateful for the life I have,” says Colin Hay, “and I think my natural tendency has always been towards optimism and humor. Lately, though, I’ve had to be more intentional about it. I’ve had to actively seek out the positive, to let new rays of hope shine on some seemingly dark situations.” That’s precisely what Hay does with his extraordinary new solo album, Now And The Evermore, facing down struggle, loss, and even his own mortality with grit and wit at every turn. Written and recorded in Hay’s adopted hometown of Los Angeles, the collection is a defiantly joyful celebration of life and love, one that insists on finding silver linings and reasons to smile. That’s not to say the record deludes itself about the realities of our modern world, but rather that it consistently chooses to respond to pain with beauty and doubt with wonder. The music on Now And The Evermore (Lazy Eye/Compass Records) is vibrant and animated, brimming with fanciful melodies, lush orchestration, and even a guest appearance from Ringo Starr, who kicks the whole thing off with a signature drum fill. Hay’s performances are likewise buoyant and full of life, drawing on vintage pop charm, pub rock muscle, and folk sincerity to forge a sound that’s at once playful and profound, clever and compassionate, whimsical and earnest. At its most basic level, Now And The Evermore offers a deeply personal acknowledgement of the relentless march of time, but zoom out and you’ll see that Hay’s contemplations of identity and eternity are in fact broader reflections on our shared humanity, on letting go of dead weight and reaching for the light no matter how dark things may get. “It’s a troubling and confounding and ever-inspiring world that we live in,” he muses. “I’m lucky to be able to wander downstairs and try to make some sense of it, at least to myself.” Born in Scotland, Hay moved with his family as a teenager to Australia, where he first came to international fame with seminal ’80s hitmakers Men At Work. While the band would reach the heights of stardom—they took home a GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist and sold more than 30 million records worldwide on the strength of #1 singles like “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Down Under”—by 1985, they’d called it quits and gone their separate ways. Hay released his solo debut the following year and, over the course of the next three-and-a-half decades, went on to record twelve more critically acclaimed studio albums that would help establish him as one of his generation’s most hardworking and reliable craftsmen. Rolling Stone praised his “witty, hooky pop” tunes, while NPR’s World Café lauded his “distinctive voice,” and late night hosts from David Letterman and Craig Ferguson to Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel have all welcomed him for performances.