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MUSIKFEST ANNOUNCES THREE MORE PNC PERFORMING ARTS SERIES SHOWS

DATE: June 1, 2011
CONTACT: Mark Demko, ArtsQuest, 610-332-1300, ext. 342, or mdemko@artsquest.org

MUSIKFEST ANNOUNCES THREE MORE PNC PERFORMING ARTS SERIES SHOWS

BETHLEHEM, PA—International recording star Nikka Costa, rockers NEEDTOBREATHE and rock, soul and funk act Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears will take to the Musikfest Café stage at the ArtsQuest Center during Musikfest 2011 as part of the PNC Performing Arts Series. Tickets for the concerts will go on sale starting Tues., June 7, 10 a.m., to ArtsQuest™ Members and Fri., June 10, 10 a.m., to the public. They will be available at www.musikfest.org or by calling 610-332-3378.

NEEDTOBREATHE – Aug. 5, 7 p.m.

Tickets: $20 Balcony & SRO

Formed in 1999, NEEDTOBREATHE released its major label debut, Daylight, in 2006 and followed with a relentless national touring schedule. Despite being on the road nearly nonstop, the group returned the following year with The Heat, which went to No. 2 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and spawned the hit single "More Time," a Top 10 success at Triple-A radio. The group's latest album, The Outsiders, hit No. 7 on Billboard's Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums chart and featured the single, "Something Beautiful," a hit on both the Heatseekers and Christian music charts.

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears – Aug. 8, 7 p.m.

Tickets: $30 Balcony/$24 Cabaret/$24 SRO

With the influences of legendary artists like James Brown and crooner Sam Cooke, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears play music that is a distinctive mix of vintage blues, R&B and soul. Formed in Austin, Texas in 2007, this seven-member band released its first full length album, Tell 'Em What Your Name Is!, in 2009. Its most recent release is Scandalous, which features rock 'n' roll, blues and funk sounds laced with a double shot of 100-proof "punkitude," paired with lyrics about everything from hard times and one-night stands, to lying and cheating, redemption and revenge.

Nikka Costa – Aug. 10, 7 p.m.

Tickets: $28 Balcony/$24 Cabaret/$24 SRO

The daughter of producer, conductor and arranger Don Costa, Nikka Costa opened for legendary Hawaiian singer Don Ho when she was only 5 years old and released her first recording, "(Out Here) On My Own" from Fame, at age 8. Costa went on to release several albums and tour throughout Europe, South and Central America, and Australia, along the way earning honors such as a 2001 nomination for MTV's Best New Artist. "Stuck to You," a single from Costa's 2008 recording, Pearl to a Pebble, became a hit on the dance circuit, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Dance Music/Club Plays Singles chart.

The Musikfest Café presented by Yuengling is located at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem. For more information on Musikfest, visit www.musikfest.org.

COURT YARD HOUNDS, ZOMBIES AND START MAKING SENSE COMING TO THE MUSIKFEST CAFÉ

The Court Yard Hounds featuring Martie McGuire and Emily Robison of The Dixie Chicks; psychedelic British rock group the Zombies with special guest the Strawbs, and popular Talking Heads tribute Start Making Sense have joined the lineup for the Musikfest Café presented by Yuengling. Tickets for the three shows will go on sale starting Tues., June 7, 10 a.m., to ArtsQuest™ Members and Fri., June 10, 10 a.m., to the public. They will be available at www.artsquest.org or by calling 610-332-3378.

Start Making Sense – July 1, 8 p.m.

Tickets: $10 Balcony/Cabaret/SRO

It's a night of Talking Heads classics and rarities when Bethlehem-based rock band Start Making Sense takes to the Musikfest Café stage. With members who have performed in psychedelic-funk, NYC underground, world beat/jam and punk bands, this dynamic tribute serves up an amazing experience as the band happily recreates every stage of the Talking Heads' career.

Court Yard Hounds – July 19, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $32 Balcony/$27 SRO

Two of the three members of the top-selling, Grammy-winning female country trio the Dixie Chicks, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison have stepped to the forefront with their new group, The Court Yard Hounds. As the mainstays of the Dixie Chicks since they formed the group in 1989, the sisters have been familiar faces to millions of fans, yet just a little mysterious in that familiarity, content as they were to cede the lead vocalist position and remain music's most recognizable sidewomen. Chicks fans couldn't help but hear those ever-present harmonies and wonder if Maguire and Robison might ever come out from hiding in plain sight. That's just what they've done in their newly hatched incarnation, with a gorgeously assured debut album that has the siblings sounding like they've been fearless frontwomen all their lives.

The Zombies with the Strawbs – Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $49 Balcony/$39 Theater

Led by Rod Argent on piano and Colin Blunstone on vocals, the British rock group the Zombies scored U.S. hits in the mid- and late-1960s with "She's Not There," "Tell Her No" and "Time of the Season." The group's 1968 album, Odessey and Oracle, is ranked No. 80 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. This year the Zombies are hitting the road to mark the 50th anniversary of the group's first get together in 1961. The show's special guest, progressive/folk rock group the Strawbs, is due to release its new album, Hero and Heroine in Ascencia, later this summer.

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.