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THE VENTURES, CITIZEN COPE, LEIGH NASH & MORE COMING TO MUSIKFEST CAFE

Cabaret Series with Lynnie Godfrey Makes 2012 Debut with Music of Mercer & Ellington

DATE: Dec 14, 2011
CONTACT: Mark Demko, ArtsQuest, 610-332-1300, ext. 342, or mdemko@artsquest.org

BETHLEHEM, PA—Citizen Cope, Legendary instrumental rockers The Ventures, Sixpence None the Richer vocalist Leigh Nash, roots and world music group Rusted Root and guitarist Sonny Landreth are the latest performers announced for the Musikfest Café presented by Yuengling, located at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem. Tickets for the concerts will go on sale starting Tues., Dec. 20, 10 a.m., to ArtsQuest Members and Fri., Dec. 23, 10 a.m., to the public. They will be available at www.artsquest.org and 610-332-3378.

An Intimate Solo/Acoustic Performance by Citizen Cope – Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $39 Balcony/$34 Theater

Clarence Greenwood's (stage name Citizen Cope) eclectic mix of blues, laid-back rock, soul and folk has a large and profoundly dedicated following, built over the past decade of touring due to solid word of mouth. His compositions have been recorded by artists as varied as Carlos Santana, Dido and Richie Havens, and he currently records and produces for his own record label, Rainwater Recordings, which he founded in 2010.

Citizen Cope's 2002 DreamWorks release, Citizen Cope, featured "Let The Drummer Kick," certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. His 2006 album, Every Waking Moment, debuted at No. 69 on the Billboard 200 top-selling albums chart, and in 2010 he released his first album on Rainwater Recordings, The Rainwater LP, which he produced himself. Greenwood is currently working on a new album, to be released in 2012.

The Ventures - Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $54 Balcony/$44 Cabaret

In 1958, Bob Bogle and Don Wilson formed the nucleus of the original Ventures. The duo was then joined a few years later by Nokie Edwards to record "Walk, Don't Run," which hit Billboard's Singles Chart in July 1960 and peaked at No. 2. The rest, as they say, is history.

Since that spectacular beginning, The Ventures have gone on to help define a frequently overlooked branch of rock 'n' roll music - instrumental rock. The group became one of the most popular and biggest selling acts of the 1960s, and it's credited by countless guitar legends as being a favorite or an influence. More than 50 years after its debut - with record sales at 100 million plus and 38 LPs that hit the Album Charts - this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group's style and sound are as pure and powerful as ever.

Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer - Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $24 Balcony/$19 Cabaret

As lead vocalist for Sixpence None the Richer, Leigh Nash's voice has taken her to stages all over the world. A native of Texas, the Dove Award-winning, Grammy-nominated artist has breathed life into such massive pop hits as "Kiss Me," "There She Goes" and "Breathe Your Name." Nash's most recent solo release is Hymns & Sacred Songs, released Nov. 15. Her previous solo albums include 2006's Blue on Blue and the Christmas album Wishing For This. Nash has also contributed to projects by Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, Matthew West and others.

Rusted Root - May 20, 7 p.m.

Tickets: $20 Balcony/$18 SRO

Rusted Root has sold more than three million albums worldwide. Formed in Pittsburgh by singer/guitarist Michael Glabicki in the early '90s, the group's worldly style quickly charmed fans of roots music and world rock. After debuting in 1992 with the self released Cruel Sun, Rusted Root signed with Mercury Records and released the 1994 platinum selling breakthrough When I Woke, which featured the hit songs "Send Me On My Way," "Ecstasy" and "Martyr." Not long after, the band scored on tours with Toad the Wet Sprocket, Santana, The Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, The Allman Brothers Band, HORDE Festival and, perhaps most notably, the highly coveted support role on the landmark Jimmy Page/Robert Plant reunion tour. Rusted Root's most recent release is 2009's Stereo Rodeo, its first studio album in seven years.

Sonny Landreth -June 22, 8 p.m.

Please Note: This is the new date for the rescheduled Oct. 30 show

Tickets: $30 Balcony/$25 Cabaret

Eric Clapton says Sonny Landreth "is probably the most underestimated musician on the planet and also probably one of the most advanced." From the Reach, the Grammy-nominated Landreth's most recent album, was the first to be released on his own Landfall label. On it, the Louisiana-based slide-guitar wizard did something unprecedented in his body of work, as he collaborated with five of the greatest guitar players on the planet - Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson and Vince Gill - in some jaw-dropping performances. Landreth has performed at festivals throughout the nation, including at Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, as well as MerleFest and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

CABARET SERIES WITH LYNNIE GODFREY MAKES 2012 DEBUT WITH MUSIC OF ELLINGTON & MERCER

The music of Johnny Mercer and Duke Ellington will be showcased when ArtsQuest's new cabaret series featuring singer and actress Lynnie Godfrey makes its 2012 debut Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m., in the Fowler Blast Furnace Room of the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

"An Evening with Lynnie Godfrey" features the Broadway, television and motion picture actress and singer performing her interpretations of classics from the Great American Songbook. For the Jan. 19 performance highlighting the music of Mercer and Ellington, Godfrey will be accompanied by pianist Kevin O'Connell and saxophonist Ken Moyer. She will also perform selections from "Ladies Of Song," her one-woman tribute to Ethel Waters, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.

Tickets for An Evening with Lynnie Godfrey are $15 and are on sale now at www.artsquest.org and 610-332-3378. Advance ticket purchase is recommended as the first two shows in the series were both sell-outs.

ABOUT ARTSQUEST

ArtsQuest™ is a Bethlehem, PA-based nonprofit dedicated to presenting music, arts, festivals, cultural experiences and educational and outreach programs that aid in economic development, urban revitalization and community enrichment. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest®; the Banana Factory® cultural arts and education center; and the ArtsQuest Center and SteelStacks™ arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest's programming reaches more than 1.5 million people annually.

For more information on ArtsQuest, visit www.artsquest.org or call 610-332-1300.