Friday,
July 9

Cowboy Junkies
&
Leo Kottke

$14.00

Leo Kottke is a brilliant and original musician. Drawing on a deeply American, traditional folk and blues base, Kottke has spent a quarter century personalizing these roots. His tools are a breathtaking virtuosity on 6- and 12-string acoustic guitar and a bent sense of humor.

Saturday,
July 17

The Robert Cray Band featuring
The Memphis Horns

$19.00

Recognized for his masterful work as a guitarist, Robert Cray is also a multi-talented singer, songwriter, and producer. He's played with a cross-section of greats from a multitude of genres, including Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker and B.B. King. Crays new album, Take Your Shoes Off, recalls the Stax sound, yet updates that funk-laden groove and bridges the gap between R&B, blues, soul and rock. Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love, the legendary Memphis Horns, join the Cray Band for an evening of powerful blues and sweet soul music.

Friday,
July 30

Taj Mahal
&
Joan Armatrading

$19.00

Joan Armatrading's music continues to "show some emotion." Shes been amazing audiences for 25 years with performances that are effortlessly eclectic, ranging from folk to sophisticated pop. Its an apt mix for a performer born under the palms of the West Indies and raised beneath the smokestacks of Birmingham, England.

Saturday,
July 31

Joan Baez
&
Catie Curtis

$14.00

Catie Curtis was described as a "folk-rock goddess" by The New Yorker . Shes another veteran of East Coast coffeehouses that are still producing singer/songwriters who write intelligent lyrics and poignant melodies.

Saturday,
August 14

Vonda Shepherd
&
Marc Cohn

$14.00

Marc Cohn won a Grammy for "Best New Artist" in 1991 and his debut album went platinum due to his mammoth hit single, "Walking in Memphis." Back after a hiatus of four years, Cohn is once again a radio-favorite with his soulful and most self-revealing effort yet, Burning The Daze.

Steve Earle
&
Del McCoury Band

$14.00

The Ventures * Chucho Valdes Quintet * John Hammond * Alvin Youngblood Hart * The Derailers * The Paperboys * Allison Moorer * David Lindley with Wally Ingram * Willy Porter * Alison Brown Quartet * John Hartford * Jimmy Thackery * The Drivers * Karla Bonoff * Obo Addy/Kukrudu Okropong with guest artists from The National Dance Company of Ghana * The Dave Mason Band * Cowboy Mouth * Cubanismo! * C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band * Donal Lunny's Coolfin * Spyro Gyra * The Blind Boys of Alabama with Clarence Fountain * Jim Pepper Tribute Band

The Ventures

Now in their fourth decade, The Ventures have been the best selling rock-pop instrumental group in the world. With classics like "Walk Dont Run," "Hawaii Five-O," "Wipeout," and "Telstar," and over 150 albums and sales in excess of 85 million, The Ventures have carved their niche in rock n roll.

Chucho Valdes Quintet

Time magazine calledValdes "the greatest jazz pianist in Cuba, perhaps one of the greatest pianists in the world." Founder of the legendary group, Irakere, that transformed popular Cuban music, Valdes continues to earn standing ovations, fusing a ferocious Afro-Cuban spirit with a broad jazz outlook.

John Hammond
&
Alvin Youngblood Hart

For over 35 years, John Hammond has made his mark as one of the premier blues artists of our time. With acoustic and National steel guitars, harmonicas and an immense repertoire, Hammond has followed the path of singing poets such as Woody Guthrie and Sonny Boy Williamson.

In 1996, Alvin Youngblood Hart won the W.C. Handy award for Best New Blues Artist and he recently took the 1999 Downbeat critics poll for Best Blues Album of the Year. His widely-influenced roots music is a glimpse into the future of the blues.

The
Derailers
&
The Paperboys

Austin-based honkytonkers, The Derailers play a fired-up blend of rockabilly twang, country and Western swing.

The Paperboys blend British Isles dance music with a twist of bluegrass and a dash of Latin American and African rhythms. They call it "Celtic bluegrass stompin pop" and it all adds up to a night of roots and world beat from high-energy neo-traditionalists.

Allison Moorer

Oscar nominated for her song "A Soft Place to Fall" from Robert Redfords The Horse Whisperer, Allison Moorer is one of the hottest young talents in country music. A lover of hard-core country ballads, her sultry voice conveys every nuance of love and longing.

David Lindley
with
Wally Ingram
&
Willy Porter

The David Lindley electro-acoustic performance redefines the word "eclectic by effortlessly combining American folk, blues, and bluegrass traditions with elements from African, Arabic, Celtic, Malagasy, and Turkish musical sources. If it has strings, Lindley plays it and this "musicians musician" has played it on albums and tours for Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and hundreds of other admirers. Wally Ingram joins Lindley at the zoo on drums and percussion.

Midwest singer-songwriter, Willy Porter, has spent the past decade amazing audiences with his virtuoso guitar, strong tenor voice, and powerful lyrics.

Alison Brown Quartet
&
John Hartford

Banjo goddess Alison Brown combines folk, jazz and bluegrass with great tunes and strong melodies. Brown, who has toured with Alison Krauss and Michelle Shocked, is a master of the electric, nylon-stringed banjo.

From "Gentle On My Mind" and his days playing banjo on The Glen Campbell and Smothers Brothers shows, journeyman troubadour John Hartford is practically an American institution.

Jimmy Thackery
&
The Drivers

Power trio blues

Jimmy Thackery first came to prominence in 1974 as the innovative guitarist for the powerhouse blues band, The Nighthawks. The Boston Globe calls Thackery "phenomenal" and his brand of fiery, hard rocking blues is described by Blues Revue as "pure dynamite."

Karla Bonoff

From her days in the L.A. folk-rock scene in the late 60s, through her chart topping singles in the 70s and 80s, and her continued vitality in the 90s with Bryndle, Karla Bonoff has captured a devoted following. After penning hits such as "Someone to Lay Down Beside Me" and "Lose Again" for Linda Ronstadt, Bonoffs solo albums sent her to the top of the charts. Subsequent albums, Grammy awards, and tours with Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt established Bonoffs position as a major artist and songwriter.

Obo Addy
Kukrudu
Okropong
with guest artists from The National Dance Company of Ghana

African Earthquake

African musical history comes to life when master drummer Obo Addy takes the stage. His music is a rich synthesis of styles that uses Ghanaian percussion and Western instruments. Described by the Washington Post as an "infectious, immensely danceable hybrid" of "American jazz-rock riffs with African polyrhythms," KUKRUDU invariably motivates audiences to dance with abandon. Joining Addy are world renown dancers from the explosive National Dance Company of Ghana.

The Dave Mason Band

Dave Mason was one of the founding members of Traffic, played with the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix, and wrote songs such as "We Just Disagree," "Feelin Alright," and "Only You Know and I Know." Mason has been recording for 30 years and his songs continue to be a staple of radio playlists.

Cowboy Mouth

New Orleans Cowboy Mouth cuts a swath through rock and roll like the Mississippi River. A steady flowing source of energy and passion, Cowboy Mouth is a lot of New Orleans best musical qualities rolled into one band--celebratory, spiritual, magical, and passionate with exuberant lyrics that linger long after the music is over.

Cubanismo!

Cubanismo! "smokes like a fine cigar," says Downbeat. Trumpeter and bandleader Jesus Alemany leads his 14- piece, all-star Cuban orchestra through a rich mix of rhythms, soaring horn charts, blistering solos and exciting vocals to create their dance-oriented explosion that pays homage to the past as it leads Cuban music into the future.

C.J. Chenier
&
The Red Hot Louisiana Band

Smokin squeezebox

Hailed by critics as "the crown prince of zydeco," and "the best living zydeco singer and accordionist," C.J. Chenier is a man whose music moves listeners to dance holes in their shoes. As the son of legendary zydeco master and pioneer Clifton Chenier, C.J. and his Red Hot Louisiana Band expand the zydeco tradition with injections of funk and rock n roll energy.

Donal Lunny's Coolfin

Irish folk hero

For over 30 years Donal Lunny has been the great innovator in Irish music. U2s Bono calls him "the sound man." Each of Lunnys groupswhether the seminal Planxty, The Bothy Band or Moving Heartshas moved music forward. While maintaining firm contact with its deepest roots, Donal Lunny is largely responsible for the modernization of Irish music.

Spyro Gyra

Smooth jazz stylin

Long before there was an official radio format dedicated to the genre, Spyro Gyra was putting the "smooth" into jazz with their blend of jazz, soul, pop and world beat influences. The groups 20 albums over two decades has solidified their position as one of the seminal and most famous ensembles in the instrumental world.

The Blind Boys of Alabama
with
Clarence Fountain

Clarence Fountain and The Blind Boys of Alabama have been singing gospel music for over 60 years. From their first recording in 1948, their Broadway run in Gospel at Colonus, three Grammy nominations and testifying jubilee performances all over the world, the groups amazing display of soul, faith, rhythm and blues has never wavered. Amen!

Jim Pepper Tribute Band

All-star jazz tribute

Saxophonist Jim Pepper died of lymphatic cancer in 1992. His eclectic sound drew from a combination of his Native American heritage and the rich jazz legacy of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Gene Ammons and Ornette Coleman.The tribute band features: Dewey Redman (sax), Amina Claudine Meyers (keys and vocals), Bob Moses (drums), Joel Harrison (guitar), Kai Eckhardt (bass) and Karen Knight Pepper (Jims widow) on vocals.