The Wailers – One World Tour
Sam Bush
Grammy Award Winning Mandolinist SAM BUSH Live at The Kent Stage Friday, March 18th at 8 P.M.! Tickets on sale Friday, January 21st at 10 A.M. EST Prices: Gold Circle $40, Reserved $30 Purchase Tickets ONLY at kentstage.org There was only one prize-winning teenager carrying stones big enough to say thanks, but no thanks to Roy Acuff. Only one son of Kentucky finding a light of inspiration from Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys and catching a fire from Bob Marley and The Wailers. Only one progressive hippie allying with like-minded conspirators, rolling out the New Grass revolution, and then leaving the genre’s torch-bearing band behind as it reached its commercial peak. There is only one consensus pick of peers and predecessors, of the traditionalists, the rebels, and the next gen devotees. Music’s ultimate inside outsider. Or is it outside insider? There is only one Sam Bush.
Al Stewart with the Empty Pockets – Greatest Hits Tour
Al Stewart returns with his band The Empty Pockets The Greatest Hits Tour NEW DATE – Wednesday, August 17th at 7:30PM Prices: Gold Circle $50, Reserved $40 Purchase Tickets at kentstage.org Come Join us to enjoy some of Al’s Greatest… Year of the Cat, Time Passages, On The Border, Modern Times, Roads to Moscow, Song on the Radio, Last Days of The Century, Night Train to Munich, Palace of Versailles.. Al Stewart: Ask Al Stewart to sum up where he is now, musically speaking, and you’re likely to wind up two steps behind where you started; this is by no means an unusual circumstance in conversation with Al, keenly aware as he is that making a leap forward often entails taking a step backward. Sometimes it’s into the library stacks where the late historian Ms. Tuchman dug for material. Sometimes it’s into the record stacks where the late rocker Mr. Cochran made his mark as a teenager singing his “Summertime Blues” so many summertime’s ago. Al Stewart came to stardom as part of the legendary British folk revival in the sixties and seventies and developed the combination of folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history. Stewart has 19 studio albums between “Bedsitter Images” in 1967 and “Sparks of Ancient Light” in 2008, plus the live album “Uncorked” with Dave Nachmanoff in 2009. Al continues to tour extensively around the U.S. and Europe. He is perhaps best known for his hits ‘Year of the Cat” from the Platinum album of the same name and the Platinum follow up album “Time Passages.” But his career spans four decades as a key figure in British music. He played at the first ever Glastonbury Festival in 1970, worked with Yoko Ono pre-Lennon and shared a London apartment with a young Paul Simon. The Empty Pockets: Sincerity, pathos and powerhouse vocals. “Polished yet rootsy Chicago outfit Empty Pockets” (Rolling Stone) celebrates old-school classic rock, folk, and the blues, skillfully blending singer/songwriter catharsis with rich harmonies and real players. Bold Americana flavors straight from the soul. When not busy recording in their personal studio, The Empty Pockets are out on the road headlining or opening for acts like Bob Schneider, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Dickey Betts (Allman Brothers) and Dave Mason (Traffic), among many others. They also have passionately served as backing band for a number of artists of note, including Kenny Loggins, Al Stewart, Gary Wright, Richie Furay (of Buffalo Springfield), and Simon Kirke (of Bad Company). In 2015, The Empty Pockets released their debut full-length album, The Ten Cent Tour, entering both the Billboard Indie and Heatseekers charts for the first time. With the 2017 release of Voices, The Empty Pockets entered a particularly prolific period with four Billboard-charting independent albums, releasing a holiday EP, Snow Day, in 2018, followed a year later by a new studio album, Tanglewoods, and then the live concert album, Live in Seattle.
An Evening With Enter The Haggis
COVID Protocols The Kent Stage follows CDC, State of Ohio and City of KentHealth Department Guidelines.Currently – if vaccinated, mask not required.If not vaccinated, masks are strongly recommended.If the act has additional protocols, we follow their requirements.All protocols are subject to change at anytime.Masks are always welcome. For the better part of two decades, Toronto’s Enter The Haggis has combined bagpipes and fiddles with a rock rhythm section to create a distinctively eclectic sound, praised by The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and Canada’s Globe and Mail. Their songs offer singalong melodies and deep, meaningful lyrics which tell the stories of everyday hard working people, often faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. Signature songs like “One Last Drink”, “Gasoline”, “Down With The Ship” and “Lancaster Gate” have had hundreds of thousands of plays on social media, appeared in Hollywood movies, and have been performed and recorded by artists around the world. Enter The Haggis is clearly comfortable on the stage and develops an easy rapport with audiences, sharing the stories behind their songs and laughing through tour anecdotes. The show is exciting and dynamic, featuring unpredictable and spontaneous moments. One song might feature drummer Bruce McCarthy taking a drum solo on Trevor Lewington’s guitar strings, while the next song breaks down into a fierce battle between fiddle and harmonica. Sometimes during an encore, the band will leave the stage entirely to perform acoustically standing on chairs in the audience. Rose Baldino has joined the band on fiddle, filling out the group’s Celtic instrumentation. No stranger to touring and the Celtic festival scene, Baldino grew up playing with her band Burning Bridget Cleary and currently tours extensively with House of Hamill. Enter The Haggis’ commitment to putting on a great show every single night has made them a favorite at festivals and performing arts centers across the US and Canada. As a result, ETH shows have become an annual tradition on some of the most prestigious stages on the continent. The band has also brought hundreds of fans on eight tours of Ireland, forging deeper friendships with their supporters while exploring ancient landmarks and natural wonders across the country. The next trip will be to Scotland in April, 2022. Enter The Haggis has appeared on “Live with Regis and Kelly” and “A&E’s Breakfast With The Arts”, and was the feature of an hour-long PBS concert special which aired for months on more than eighty affiliate stations across the US. The band’s legions of die-hard fans (the self-described “Haggis Heads”) have crowdfunded the last four ETH albums, and played a huge part in propelling the most recent full-length record to its debut at #9 on the national “Billboard Heatseekers” chart. The group’s friendly, welcoming attitude is responsible for the close relationship it has with its supporters, and all five band members truly enjoy taking time after every show to meet with people one on one. Enter The Haggis is currently touring in support of its latest album, The Archer’s Parade.
An Evening with Tommy Castro & The Painkillers’ 30th Anniversary
“The hardest thing to do,” says internationally beloved soul-blues rocker Tommy Castro, “is be yourself, take some chances and bring your fans along with you.” Throughout his long, constantly evolving career, guitarist, singer and songwriter Tommy Castro has always remained true to himself while exploring, growing and creating new music, and he has taken his thousands of devoted fans right along with him. Since his solo debut in 1994, he’s made 16 albums—the last seven for Alligator—each its own unique chapter in the book of Tommy Castro. Ranging from horn-fueled R&B to piping hot blues to fiery, stripped-down rock ‘n’ roll, each release is solidly built upon Castro’s unshakable musical foundation—a dynamic mix of 1960s-influenced guitar-fueled blues, testifying Memphis-soaked blue-eyed soul and Latin-tinged East San Jose funk, all driven by Castro’s grab-you-by-the-collar vocals and passionate guitar work. Blues Revue declared, “Tommy Castro can do no wrong. ”For Castro’s new album, a roots music odyssey entitled Tommy Castro Presents A Bluesman Came To Town, he tells a timeless story. This special project was composed by Castro along with Grammy Award-winning producer Tom Hambridge. Through its 13 songs, A Bluesman Came To Town tells the tale of a young man working on his family farm who gets bitten by the blues bug. He masters the guitar and heads out on the road seeking fame and fortune, only to find what he’s left behind is the treasure he’s been looking for. Each memorable song—from the blistering title track to the pleading Child Don’t Go to the hopeful I Caught A Break to the emotional Blues Prisoner—stands on its own, as well as contributing to the larger story.“I like to keep things fresh and interesting,” says Castro, “Tom and I have talked about making a record together for a long time. Collaborating with him was even better than I imagined. I had an outline for the story and then Tom and I talked it out and the songs just started to organically grow out of each other.” Castro continues, “A Bluesman Came To Town isn’t a story about me. It’s pulled from some of my friends’ and my experiences though. I’ve seen first-hand for a lot of years what it’s like out there on the road. ”The road has always been Castro’s home away from home. He’ll instantly ignite a crowd, turn them into loyal fans and then keep those fans coming back for more. He has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles and performed thousands of gigs, leading his bands at clubs, concert halls, and festivals all over the world. After a series of successful releases on the Blind Pig, Telarc and 33rd Street labels, Tommy Castro joined Alligator Records in 2009. His label debut, Hard Believer, was released to massive popular and critical acclaim. With the album, Castro won four of his six career Blues Music Awards, including the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year Award (the very highest award a blues performer can receive). In 2012, Castro stripped his music down to its raw essence, creating a high-energy, larger-than-life sound with the formation of The Painkillers. Tommy Castro & The Painkillers’ initial release, The Devil You Know, was embraced by his legion of fans and discovered by hordes of new ones. With the current version of The Painkillers (bassist Randy McDonald, drummer Bowen Brown and keyboardist Michael Emerson), Castro released Method To My Madness in 2015, Stompin’ Ground in 2017, and the irresistible Killin’ It–Live in 2019, with critics shouting praise and admirers cheering the group’s every move.
Pat Travers + Cactus
Pat Travers Band:Boom, Boom – Out Goes The LightsSnortin’ WhiskeyPat Travers was born in Toronto, Canada on April 12, 1954. Soon after picking up the guitar at age 14 Pat saw the legend Jimi Hendrix perform in Ottawa. This obvious inspirational concert must have sparked the young Pat to go after the dream of becoming a star like so many of his early influences. Inspired by such guitarists as Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, Pat began playing in bands early in his teens. His first bands were “Red Hot” and “Merge” who played in Quebec area clubs. While the early years were hard, they would eventually pay off in the form of improved musicianship, style, and exposure. While performing with Merge, he was noticed by the 50’s rock artist Ronnie Hawkins who soon had Pat off on the road performing with him. While Hawkins music was mostly old rock and roll, country and rockabilly, Pat used this experience to hone his skills and voice as Hawkins lead guitarist. After a year on the road with Hawkins, Pat traded in the tuxedoes and ties to go after his true dream, to have his own band and become a star. Pat released Makin’ Magic in 1977 and continued to tour again infront of huge crowds. It was after the release of his album “Putting It Straight” that Pat returned to the North America as the trend in the UK was leaning towards the punk rock revolution instead of the hard blues driven rock that Pat was producing. Enlisting the talents of Tommy Aldridge and Pat Thrall and of course always inspirational Mars Cowling the release of “Heat In the Street” further strengthen his following. The album featured more of Pat’s sometimes elaborate songs which further proved that he wasn’t just a mere air headed guitar hero, but that of an accomplished composer and lyricist.Cactus50th Anniversary Tour‘70s classic rock legends Cactus came to be known as The American Led Zeppelin, a moniker they owned by virtue of their explosive blues rock stylings, subdued yet undeniably brilliant musicianship, not to mention their energetic and vivacious stage presence which made them a staple of arena rock venues around the globe. Now the band have returned with a smashing new album called Tightrope that strikes a delicate balance between powerful, driving rockers and more complex, heady album tracks. Still led by iconic drummer Carmine Appice alongside long-time members Jimmy Kunes on vocals and Randy Pratt on harmonica, Tightrope is according to Appice “one of the best Cactus albums we’ve ever done. From playing to production and songs, we really took a step up!” They are joined by new lead guitarist/vocalist Paul Warren (ex-Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker) and James Caputo on bass. Tightrope will also give long-time Cactus fans a reason to cheer as it includes special guest appearances from original Cactus guitarist Jim McCarty and singer Phil Naro!
Spyro Gyra
Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band that was formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1974. The band’s music combines jazz, R&B, funk, and pop music. The band’s name comes from Spirogyra, a genus of green algae which founder Jay Beckenstein had learned about in college. Spyro Gyra is an unlikely story of a group with humble beginnings in Buffalo, NY who has continued to reach an international audience over forty years, resulting in sales of over 10 million albums and having played over five thousand shows on five continents. They have accomplished this due to a forward-looking approach combined with the work ethic of an underdog, always challenging themselves to do something new while never resting on past success. It has proven to be a recipe for longevity for this jazz group while music has gone in and out of styles in ever shorter cycles. In 2014, the band did an extended Morning Dance tour, playing their landmark breakthrough album on its 35th anniversary which was also their 40th anniversary as a band. After that look backward, they then released a text of their work in the 2000’s, The Best of The Heads Up Years. 2019 brought the long-anticipated release of Vinyl Tap, in which they once again challenge themselves with something new, an album of all covers from the classic rock era. “My hope is that our music has the same effect on the audience that it does on me,” says Beckenstein. “I’ve always felt that music, and particularly instrumental music, has this non-literal quality that lets people travel to a place where there are no words. Whether it’s touching their emotions or connecting them to something that reminds them of something much bigger than themselves, there’s this beauty in music that’s not connected to sentences. It’s very transportive. I would hope that when people hear our music or come to see us, they’re able to share that with us. That’s the truly glorious part of being a musician.”
BLOOD BROTHERS – Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia
Blood Brothers 2022 BioMike Zito and Albert Castiglia come together to create a musicaljourney unlike anything seen before in the Blues and Roots genre.Armed with a history of the Blues and Rock ’n’ Roll, they bring bothbands together to create the tour of 2022, “Blood Brothers.”Mike Zito is a 5 time Blues Music Award Winner and Albert Castiglia isthe 2020 BMA award winner for Blues Rock Album of the Year,“Masterpiece.” With both artists on the exciting Gulf Coast Recordslabel, it only made sense to join forces and give the fans what theywanted.For over 45 years combined in the music business, Zito and Castigliahave toured the world spreading joy and bringing the music to thepeople. Blood Brothers will showcase each band for a set and then willend with both bands together onstage creating a sound of classicsouthern rock and blues.This is a high-energy show of epic proportions! Daring and full ofexcitement, Albert and Mike come together in 2022 to bring you themost awaited tour in years, Blood Brothers.
KASIM SULTON – UTOPIA 2022
Kasim Sulton’s Utopia 2022 Live at The Kent Stage Tuesday, March 8th at 8 P.M. Prices: Gold Circle $45, Reserved $35 Kasim Sulton announced his Utopia show in 2018 as a limited run of three shows, expanding up to a schedule of 16 live shows in 2020. Despite playing the first 11 shows through March of that year the final five were tabled due to the pandemic, and Kasim Sulton’s Utopia is ready to once again bring Utopia to live crowds. Kasim Sulton’s Utopia 2022 consists of Kasim Sulton on Bass / Vocals, Matt Beck on Guitar / Vocals, Andy Ascolese on Drums / Vocals & Lloyd Landesman on Keyboards / Vocals. The original lineup was a semi-fluid membership in 1973, before becoming a stable foursome of Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, Roger Powell, and Willie Wilcox. Sulton perhaps with the most impact on the group, writing and singing lead on, Utopia’s biggest hit “Set me Free” (Adventures in Utopia, 1980) which peaked at #27 on Billboard’s Top 40 chart in the U.S.. Kasim’s Utopia setlist now consists of a minimum of 18 songs including such classic Utopia tracks like “Caravan,” “Swing to the Right,” “Libertine,” “One World,” and Set Me Free”, and will always include a number of surprise deep cuts that often differ from show to show, just to reward Utopia’s longtime and most loyal fans KASIM SULTON ON KASIM SULTON’S UTOPIA 2022 “I think that just by continuing to play this music, I’m honoring the band Utopia. That’s the bottom line. The fans have been so loyal and so devoted over the years that it’s my pleasure to be doing this for them. And I try to make sure that, as much as I do things for myself, I do them for the audience as well. For example, I really like to honor the audience when we play songs like ‘Set Me Free.’ They love hearing that song, and I love playing it.”
Rick Wakeman: The Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour
RICK WAKEMAN Returns to the US with a Solo Show Full of Music and Mirth Keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman has two reasons to celebrate. First, his outstanding career in music has just been recognized by Queen Elizabeth II, who named him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in her recent annual Birthday Honours. And secondly, after 18 months of lockdown in the UK, he is finally able to announce the long-delayed follow-up to 2019’s sell-out The Grumpy Old Rock Star Tour with – The Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour! Having made his name creating prog rock extravaganzas, in his solo shows Wakeman returns to his roots with a programme packed with virtuosic piano performances and hilarious anecdotes inspired by his 50-plus-year career. Repertoire will range from his solo works and his stints in the band YES through to his early days as a session musician playing keyboards on such classics as David Bowie’s Life On Mars, plus surprises like his unique interpretations of Beatles’ hits and many more memorable tunes, adapted for the grand piano. And all of this glorious music is punctuated by riotous reflections on his life and the people he’s met along the way. As he himself often observes, life is rarely dull when Rick Wakeman is around! Professional musician, keyboard player, songwriter, broadcaster and raconteur, Wakeman’s career started as a much-in-demand session player, who performed on recordings by David Bowie, Elton John, Lou Reed, Al Stewart and hundreds more artists. His big break came in 1971 when he joined YES, who went on to become the most successful prog rock band in the world, but Wakeman has also always gone his own way outside the framework of that group. In the Seventies, he achieved chart-topping success with solo albums such as Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, The Six Wives of Henry VIII and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, which cumulatively sold over 10,000,000 copies in North America alone. He has written several film scores, amongst them two for director Ken Russell (Lisztomania and Crimes of Passion) and two ‘Harry Palmer’ movies starring Michael Caine (Bullet To Beijing and Midnight in St Petersburg), and in the UK, has built up an impressive reputation as a witty guest and host on shows like Grumpy Old Men, Countdown, Watchdog and the comedy cabaret show Live at Jongleurs. His wickedly irreverent acceptance speech when YES was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 nearly brought the house down! That same year, he made British chart history when his Piano Portraits record became the first solo piano instrumental album to enter the UK’s Top 10 on release – a feat he then repeated with last year’s Piano Odyssey. Both records feature tunes that have a special connection with Rick’s personal musical journey and his subsequent tours, in which he performs a selection of tracks accompanied by hilarious memories and anecdotes have been instant sell-outs in the UK. Now the achievements of his incredible career have been officially recognized with a CBE in recognition of his services to music, so come and celebrate with him on his forthcoming tour. And don’t worry – Rick will still find plenty of reasons to be grumpy…