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MACEO PARKER, JOHN MAYALL, KIX, EDWIN MCCAIN & MORE AT MUSIKFEST CAFÉ
DATE: February 9, 2011
CONTACT: Mark Demko, ArtsQuest, 610-332-1300, ext. 342, or mdemko@artsquest.org
MACEO PARKER, JOHN MAYALL, KIX, EDWIN MCCAIN & MORE AT MUSIKFEST CAFÉ
Venue's First Concert will Feature the Craig Thatcher Band and an All-Star Jam Session on May 1
BETHLEHEM, PA—Funk legend Maceo Parker, British bluesman John Mayall, rockers Kix, singer-songwriter Edwin McCain and a local all-star jam session led by the Craig Thatcher Band highlight the new concerts announced for the Musikfest Café presented by Yuengling, 101 Founders Way in Bethlehem. Details are as follows:
Craig Thatcher Band with Special Guests - May 1, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20 Cabaret; $30 VIP Box
The Musikfest Café opens with a rockin' show by the Craig Thatcher Band, along with some very special guests including Pat Flaherty and Craig Kastelnik of KATO; Pete Fluck of Zen for Primates, Bev Conklin of BC Combo and more. It's a Who's Who of Lehigh Valley musicians as ArtsQuest breaks in this new performance venue with a smokin' night of music. The complete list of special guests will be announced as soon as the lineup is confirmed.
Maceo Parker - May 17, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $32 Cabaret; $45 VIP Box
From performing with the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, to jamming with George Clinton, Maceo Parker is one of the legends in funk and soul. The amazing P-funk Parker has been at it with his legendary alto horn since the 1960s, when he and his drummer brother Melvin climbed on board Brown's soul funk train. Over the years, he has also performed or recorded with the likes of Ray Charles, Ani Difranco, James Taylor, De La Soul, Dave Matthews Band and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In the early '90s, Parker shifted his focus to his own projects. He released two successful solo albums - "Roots Revisited," which spent 10 weeks at the top of Billboard's Jazz Charts in 1990, and 1991's "Mo' Roots." But it was his third solo album, 1992's groundbreaking live CD, "Life on Planet Groove," that soon became a funk fan favorite. "Planet Groove" also served as a calling card, boosting Parker's contemporary career as a solo artist for a college aged audience, and bringing into being his catch phrase "2% jazz, 98% funky stuff."
John Mayall - May 22, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $35 Cabaret; $45 VIP Box
As the leader of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, John Mayall worked with and helped shape some of the greatest musicians of all time including Eric Clapton, Peter Green, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Andy Fraser and Mick Taylor. Born Nov. 29, 1933 in Macclesfield, England, Mayall taught himself to play guitar, piano and harmonica starting at the age of 13. By the 1960s, he was playing professionally as the leader of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. After a couple of years and a constant turnover of musicians, he met his soulmate in Eric Clapton, who had quit the Yardbirds in favor of playing the blues. This historic union culminated in the first hit album for the Bluesbreakers and resulted in worldwide legendary status. After 57 albums and more than four decades of performing in concert, Mayall is considered one of the legends in blues music.
KIX - July 2, 8 p.m.
Presented by 95.1 WZZO
Tickets: $25 Standing Room Only; $30 VIP Box
Founded in 1978 in Hagerstown, Md. as The Shooze, Kix reached commercial success with its 1988 platinum selling release, "Blow My Fuse." The album contained the hit, "Don't Close Your Eyes," as well as popular singles "Cold Blood" and "Blow My Fuse." The follow-up studio release, 1991's "Hot Wire," produced another hit for the group, as the single "Girl Money" reached No. 26 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Charts. In recent years, members of Kix performed select reunion shows in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Then, in summer 2008 the group played outside its home region for the first time in 13 years at two of the biggest rock festivals in the United States, Rocklahoma in Pryor, Okla. and Rock the Bayou in Houston, Texas. Their performances were hailed by many music websites and attendees as the best performance at both festivals, leading the group to perform at even more concerts and festivals throughout the nation.
Edwin McCain - July 15, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $32 Cabaret; $42 VIP Box
A native of Greenville, S.C., Edwin McCain got his start as a touring partner of Hootie and the Blowfish, playing smaller clubs and bars. After being signed by Atlantic Records, he hit the big time with the 1997 release of his second album, "Misguided Roses," which featured the hit "I'll Be," a tune that viewers of Dr. Phil later voted the best wedding song ever written. McCain followed up the success of "Misguided Roses" with the 1999 album "Messenger," which introduced another huge hit, "I Could Not Ask for More," solidifying his reputation as a soulful rock artist. Today, the performer who The New York Times called the "great American romantic" continues to record and perform, entertaining audiences from coast to coast.
The Musikfest Café presented by Yuengling is located at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem. Tickets for the newly announced Musikfest Café shows, as well as all previously announced Musikfest Café concerts, will go on sale starting Tues., Feb. 15, 10 a.m., to ArtsQuest Members and Fri., Feb. 18, 10 a.m., to the public. Tickets will be available at www.artsquest.org or by calling 610-332-3378. Anyone interested in purchasing tickets before the public to these shows and over 200 other ArtsQuest concerts at the Musikfest Café, Musikfest® and other ArtsQuest™ festivals is invited to become an ArtsQuest Member. Memberships are available at www.artsquest.org or by calling 610-332-3378.
ABOUT THE MUSIKFEST CAFÉ PRESENTED BY YUENGLING
The Musikfest Café presented by Yuengling is an intimate concert venue featuring one of the most unique backdrops in the nation, the historic blast furnaces of the former Bethlehem Steel plant. Guests attending concerts at the state-of-the-art performance venue will be able to look out upon the iconic furnaces, illuminated nightly, thanks to 26-foot-tall clear glass walls located behind the stage, making for a concert experience unlike any other.
The Musikfest Café presented by Yuengling is located on the third and fourth floors of the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way in Bethlehem. The venue, which will open May 1, will accommodate audiences of 450-900 people depending on the performance and seating configuration.
ABOUT ARTSQUEST
ArtsQuest™ is a Bethlehem, PA-based nonprofit dedicated to presenting music, arts, 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®, and the Banana Factory® cultural arts and education center, ArtsQuest's programming currently reaches more than 1.3 million people annually. ArtsQuest is furthering its mission of celebrating arts and culture through the development of the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks™. The 65,000-square-foot building, set to open in May 2011, will feature live music, independent and scientific films, new festivals and community celebrations year-round, reaching an additional 750,000 people each year. For more information on ArtsQuest, visit www.artsquest.org or call 610-332-1300.