Aug 30 Saturday
Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music unveils the profound legacy of Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul artists who shaped the soundscape of American culture and used their music as instruments of resistance, identity, and representation.
Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul embody the profound influence of African American music on culture and history. From the spiritual foundations and transformative movements of Gospel hymns to the revolutionary improvisations of Jazz, the Blues’ Southern roots rising from the Mississippi Delta, and Soul’s powerful amplification of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, these genres have defined the unique sound and undying spirit of a nation that continues to echo through contemporary Black music today.
Victory Verticals highlights the little-known story of the Steinway & Sons portable upright pianos that were specially built during World War II to endure any manner of shipping to the front lines and bring morale-boosting music to American troops on land and sea.
The exhibit features three of these Steinway G.I. pianos, known as “Victory Verticals,” fully restored and tuned.
Special programs and displays will highlight how the magic of music helped win the War, including regularly scheduled mini-concerts during the month-long run of the exhibit.
The festival is dedicated to hosting a world-class, 3-day event which contributes vibrancy to the local community, brings our island neighbors together, establishes lasting connections with visitors, and encourages the expression of music in local young people. Our motivation is to provide an inspirational event that brings joy, builds a sense of community, generates revenue for Whidbey Island businesses, and creates musical opportunities for local students by offering scholarships and sponsoring instrument programs designed to provide equal access to music—impacting generations to come.
Celebrate Seattle-based author/educator Shaun Anthony McMichael's debut novel (over 10 years in the making), WHISTLE PUNK FALLS (Alternative Books Press) by coming out to Vermillion, Capital Hill's go-to Gallery and Bar since '08. After mingle and book signing, Shaun will read from the novel. The event will close with more mingling and book signing. See you there!
Welcomed by KNKX. Frank Vignola is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, John Lewis, Tommy Emmanuel, Lionel Hampton, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List:” for the Wall Street Journal.
His dynamic genre-spanning music has brought him to 21 countries on three continents – and still growing – performing in some of the world’s most illustrious venues, including the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, New York’s Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, and the world’s oldest indoor concert hall, Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy.
Pasquale Grasso - It was the kind of endorsement most rising guitarists can only dream of, and then some. In his interview for Vintage Guitar magazine’s February 2016 cover story, Pat Metheny was asked to name some younger musicians who’d impressed him. “The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life is floating around now, Pasquale Grasso,” said the jazz-guitar icon and NEA Jazz Master. “This guy is doing something so amazingly musical and so difficult. “Mostly what I hear now are guitar players who sound a little bit like me mixed with a little bit of [John Scofield] and a little bit of [Bill Frisell],” he continued. “What’s interesting about Pasquale is that he doesn’t sound anything like that at all. In a way, it is a little bit of a throwback, because his model—which is an incredible model to have—is Bud Powell. He has somehow captured the essence of that language from piano onto guitar in a way that almost nobody has ever addressed. He’s the most significant new guy I’ve heard in many, many years.”
When the President unwittingly spins a PR nightmare into a global crisis, the seven brilliant and beleaguered women he relies upon most risk life, liberty, and the pursuit of sanity to keep the commander-in-chief out of trouble. (Any resemblance to past White House shenanigans is purely coincidental.) In a searingly funny Broadway hit, POTUS follows how seven women of dramatically different backgrounds minimize the damage done by male arrogance and political posturing, in an endearing homage to the women who keep things running behind the scenes.
Presented by KNKX. Southern Avenue, the Blues Music Award-winning, GRAMMY-nominated Memphis-based family band, plays original Memphis blues, modern soul, and gospel-infused roots music that is uplifting and timeless. They are known worldwide for their inclusive, message-driven songs fueled by hard-hitting grooves and electrifying guitar. The band’s new album, Family, makes it clear that Southern Avenue creates musical storytelling magic. The band is unlike any other on the scene today, featuring lead vocalist/songwriter Tierinii Jackson, her husband, guitarist/songwriter Ori Naftaly, and her sisters, drummer/vocalist/songwriter Tikyra “T.K.” Jackson and percussionist/violinist/vocalist Ava Jackson. “Through our music,” says Naftaly, “we expand our family to include our fans and whomever is moved by our songs.”
The inspiring harmonies of the church-raised Jackson sisters are fueled by guitarist Naftaly, whose passion for blues and soul music led him to Memphis from his birthplace in Israel. Together, Southern Avenue blends the city’s musical traditions with their own thoroughly modern worldview. Their authentic and unfiltered original songs are a bold step in defining the future of Memphis music. They are among the most musically riveting and visually exciting live bands, and are among the few “must see” acts on the scene today. Jambase.com states, “Southern Avenue is jaw-dropping. They are not to be missed.”
Jason Bonham always finds himself at home behind the drumkit. From this spot, he has anchored the tempo for a myriad of the most legendary artists of all-time. It’s the place where he initially realized his destiny as a kid. It’s a tried-and-true safe harbor for the expression of his purest emotions. It’s a direct conduit to his late father and Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Following stints with Airrace and Virginia Wolf, he handled drums on Jimmy Page’s gold-certified Outrider. During 1988, he notably accompanied Page, John Paul Jones, and Robert Plant behind the kit for Led Zeppelin at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary Celebration Concert. Beyond helming solo projects such as Bonham and The Jason Bonham Band, he appeared in Rock Star with Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Anniston. Plus, he lent his talents to Foreigner, Little Steven, Joe Bonamassa, and Paul Rodgers. He held down the drums for Led Zeppelin’s 2007 reunion at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert—which set the Guinness World Record® for “Highest Demand for Tickets for One Music Concert.” The evening spawned the Celebration Day concert film and multiplatinum album, debuting Top 10 on the Billboard 200, selling three million-plus copies, and garnering a GRAMMY®. Other notable projects have included Black Country Communion (Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes, and Derek Sherinian) and California Breed (Hughes and producer and guitarist Andrew Watt). He joined Sammy Hagar and the Circle with Van Halen’s Michael Anthony and Joe Satriani. In 2010, he introduced Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening (JBLZE), packing venues coast-to-coast and supporting everyone from Heart to Kid Rock. A spectacle of top-flight musicianship, arresting visuals, mind-blowing lighting, and emotionally charged storytelling, Rolling Stone hailed its “set of Led Zep gems that were strikingly faithful to the originals,” while Billy Joel handpicked JBLZE to open up a handful of dates. Ultimately, Jason remains forever at home on the drums.
