(The American Led Zeppelin tribute band)

From the bombastic and epic, to the folky and mystical,  Get The Led Out  (GTLO) have captured the essence of the recorded music of Led Zeppelin and brought it to the concert stage. The Philadelphia-based group consists of six veteran musicians intent on delivering Led Zeppelin live, like you’ve never heard before. Utilizing the multi-instrumentalists at their disposal, GTLO re-create the songs in all their depth and glory with the studio overdubs that Zeppelin themselves never performed. When you hear three guitars on the album…GTLO delivers three guitarists on stage. No wigs or fake English accents, GTLO brings what the audience wants…a high energy Zeppelin concert with an honest, heart-thumping intensity.

Dubbed by the media as "The American Led Zeppelin," Get The Led Out offers a strong focus on the early years. They also touch on the deeper cuts that were seldom, if ever heard in concert. GTLO also include a special “acoustic set” with Zep favorites such as “Tangerine” and the “Battle of Evermore” being performed in its’ original instrumentation with guest singer Diana DeSantis joining the band.

GTLO has amassed a strong national touring history, having performed at major club and PAC venues across the country. GTLO’s approach to their performance of this hallowed catalog is not unlike a classical performance. "Led Zeppelin are sort of the classical composers of the rock era," says lead vocalist Paul Sinclair. "I believe 100 years from now they will be looked at as the Bach or Beethoven of our time. As cliché as it sounds, their music is timeless."

A GTLO concert mimics the “light and shade” that are the embodiment of "The Mighty Zep." Whether it's the passion and fury with which they deliver the blues-soaked, groove-driven rock anthems, it's their attention to detail and nuance that makes a Get The Led Out performance a truly awe-inspiring event!

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $35
Advance tickets: www.ticketfly.com
Event website: www.gtlorocks.com

Creator and innovator, musician and producer, artist, and philanthropist, Herb Alpert is a man with a profound passion. A legendary trumpet player, Alpert’s extraordinary musicianship has earned him five #1 hits, nine Grammy Awards, fifteen Gold albums, fourteen Platinum albums and has sold over 72 million records. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass propelled his sound into the pop music limelight, at one point outselling the Beatles two to one. In 1966, they achieved the since-unmatched feat of simultaneously having four albums in the Top 10 — and five in the Top 20. Alpert also has the distinction of being the only artist who has had a #1 instrumental and vocal single. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2013 was awarded The National Medal of Arts Award by President Barack Obama for his musical, philanthropic and artistic contributions. Grammy Award-winning vocalist and producer, Lani Hall started her singing career in 1966, as the lead singer of Sergio Mendes’s break through group, Brasil ’66. Hall has the distinction of recording more than 22 albums and in 1983 she sang the title song for the James Bond film, Never Say Never Again. Since 2006, Hall and Alpert have been touring with their band to sell-out performances.

General Admission: $37
Gold Circle Section: $60
*Gold Circle Section: 1st 10 rows
(5% city tax and service charge not included)
No Comp Tix or Gift Certificates
Doors at 6:30 PM

Show time: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $37 Gen, $60 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.kuumbwajazz.org

Sherry Austin and Patty Maxine opening

"This is the culmination of my whole life in music, coming back to my gospel roots," says Paul Thorn about his newest album, Don't Let the Devil Ride. "My message on this record is 'let's get together' - I want to help lighten your load and make you smile."

The son of a preacher man, Mississippi-raised Thorn spent much of his childhood in church, participating in multiple weekly services with his father as well as at neighboring African American congregations, where he became entranced with the music whose infectious spirit is captured on the new album.

Show time: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $26 Gen, $40 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.snazzyproductions.com and 831-479-9421
Artists website: www.paulthorn.com
Artists website: www.jeffreyhalford.com

Even among the pantheon of music’s finest artists, Del McCoury stands alone.  From the nascent sounds of bluegrass that charmed hardscrabble hillbilly honkytonks, rural schoolhouse stages and the crowning glory of the Grand Ole Opry, to the present-day culture-buzz of viral videos and digital streams, Del is the living link.  On primetime and late-night television talk shows, there is Del. From headlining sold-out concerts to music festivals of all genres – including one carrying his namesake – there is Del. Where audiences number in the tens of thousands and admirers as diverse as country-rock icon Steve Earle and jam-band royalty Phish count as two among hundreds, there is Del.

Emerging from humble beginnings in York County, PA nearly eighty years ago, Del was not the likeliest of candidates for legendary status.  As a teen, he was captivated by the banjo playing of one of its masters, Earl Scruggs, and decided he’d be a banjo picker, too. The Baltimore/Washington DC bar scene of the early 1960s was lively and rough.  Del caught a break. More than a break, really, it was an opportunity of a lifetime: joining Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in early 1963. Considered the Father of Bluegrass, Monroe transformed McCoury, moving him from the banjo to guitar, anointing him lead singer, and providing him with a priceless trove of bluegrass tutelage direct from the source.

Countless hours of recording sessions and miles of tireless touring dotted the decades.  Del carried on, and carried with him the hallowed traditions of the form and its dedicated following.  The passing years became certificates of authenticity. So, in the sea of grunge and R&B that dominated the music scene of the mid-1990s, it was special, perhaps even startling, to see: There was Del.

Now helming the Del McCoury Band, with sons Ronnie and Rob, the ensemble did and continues to represent in a larger, growing musical community a peerless torchbearer for the entire sweep and scope of bluegrass history.  Those many years, not to mention a good-natured willingness to stay alert to the latest sounds and opportunities around him, earned McCoury a whole new generation of fans.

General Admission: $42
Gold Circle Section: $57.75
*Gold Circle Section: 1st 10 rows
(5% city tax and service charge not included)
No Comp Tix or Gift Certificates

Show time: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $42 Gen, $57.75 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.kuumbwajazz.org

Shawn Colvin ͞...extraordinary songs, mesmerising guitar playing, and a voice that goes effortlessly from bruise-tender to scar-hard in a matter of minutes...her lyrics are crafted and clever, full of subtlety and polished phrases...With delicious sarcasm and acerbic stories, she held the audience spellbound...her songs are so personal to her that they speak to everyone who listens.͟     -The Guardian

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $32 Gen, $47 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.pulseproductions.net and streetlight records
Artists website: www.shawncolvin.com

Show time: 9:00 PM
Tickets: $30
Advance tickets: www.ticketfly.com

starring Steven Kent

CASH & KING:  The Ultimate Celebration of the Legends

We are excited to announce Steven Kent and the CASH & KING Band performing at the RIO Performing Arts Center, Saturday June 9, 2018 8:00 PM

An evening that will take you back to where it all began, in an ultimate celebration of music for two most iconic legends in popular music history, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. This is not an impersonator show,  Steven digs deeper as he celebrates personal stories of their friendships and lives.

A new high energy concert in 2 full sets for the ultimate celebration of two of the most important figures in popular music history, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. This is not an impersonator or your typical ‘Hits’ or ‘Oldies’ show. CASH & KING digs deeper by bringing to the stage not only the hit songs, but also stories of their unparalleled careers. Steven Kent shares his personal stories of meeting both of these two icons, and how they inspired him throughout his performing career.  

Steven Kent who's smooth baritone voice can deliver songs with authenticity, is so much more than just a singer, songwriter. He has performed in theater, films, television, on radio and in concerts. In short, Steven is an all around versatile entertainer in every sense of the word. Over the years, Steven appeared on many stages, and has performed with many legendary entertainers; Johnny Cash, Eddie Rabbitt, Tanya Tucker, The Grateful Dead, Huey Lewis and the News, Merle Haggard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tammy Wynette, Carl Perkins, to name a few.  

Steven Kent and the CASH & KING Band has recently launched the CASH & KING Concert tour, a dream of Steven's for the past decade. The performances have received high praise, selling out all recent performances in California, Oregon including a benefit concert for North Bay wildfires victims this past October at the Raven Performing Arts Center.

It’s an exciting evening of music like no other when Steven and his band take the stage and bring legendary songs back to life in CASH & KING now LIVE.

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $28 Gen, $40 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.eventbrite.com and Streetlight Records
Artists website: www.stevenkentmusic.com

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $34.50
Advance tickets: www.folkyeah.com
Event website: www.folkyeah.com

The Tuvan word Chirgilchin has two translations: "dance of the air in the heat of the day" and "miracle". Established in 1996, Chirgilchin is a group of musicians from Tuva, a small Russian province north of Western Mongolia. Their music tells stories of their homeland, its horses and its people. The monotone sustained notes that branch out into overtone singing with slight shifts in pitch give Tuvan music its characteristic buoyant yet meditative drone quality. The songs are sung in minor pentatonic scale, similar to American blues. Throat-singing is an extraordinary vocal form in which one singer produces two or more voices simultaneously, the low sounds in the throat harmonizing with middle and high flute-like overtones, to create richly layered melodies that evoke Central Asian steppes and nomadic life. Atmospheric and mesmeric, this music is almost too difficult to describe in words and must be heard to be believed. The most advanced forms of throat-singing come from Tuva, and the members of Chirgilchin are among the best and most accomplished throat-singers in all of Tuva. Since their first international tour in 1996, the group has toured throughout Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia, collaborating with artists like Stephen Kent and Laurie Anderson.

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $27 Gen, $37 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.pulseproductions.net
Artists website: www.pnmartists.com

Twenty years after her debut recording, Dreamland, Madeleine Peyroux continues her musical journey of exploring beyond the ordinary with Secular Hymns, a spirited and soulful masterwork of loping, skipping, sassy, and feisty tunes delivered in a captivating mélange of funk, blues and jazz. With her trio that had been touring together for two years – electric guitarist Jon Herington and bassist Barak Mori – Peyroux set out to record a collection of songs that have their own hymn-like stories of self-awareness and inner dialogue, a communal consciousness and a spiritual essence. “Music has been out spiritual life,” she says, “so I think of these as hymns, secular hymns – songs that are very individual, personal, introverted.” Peyroux brings a jazz sensibility into roots music territory in such a moving way that she captures the celebration and praise implied in the songs.

General Admission: $35
Gold Circle Section: $50
*Gold Circle Section: 1st 10 rows
(5% city tax and service charge not included)
No Comp Tix or Gift Certificates
Doors at 6:30 PM
Sponsored by Redtree Partners LP

Show time: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $35 Gen, $50 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.kuumbwajazz.org and Streetlight Records - Santa Cruz

The Carolyn Sills Combo opening

Ray Benson founded Asleep At The Wheel in Paw Paw, West Virginia 48 years ago. Now based in Austin, the band holds 10 Grammy awards, 20 studio albums and 20 singles on the Billboard country charts. the Grammy Award-winning Still the King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys is the band’s most recent release (2015) and marks their third full-length Bob Wills tribute album. Featuring 22 acclaimed collaborations, the all-star lineup on the album includes legends such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and George Strait and newcomers like the Avett Brothers, Amos Lee, Old Crow Medicine Show and many other fine talents. Now traveling as an 8-piece band, recent additions Katie Shore (fiddle, vocals), Dennis Ludiker (fiddle, mandolin) and Connor Forsyth (keyboard, vocals) have instilled a newfound energy and their own unique style within the band.

The Carolyn Sills Combo
2018 Ameripolitan Award Winner for Western Swing Group
www.carolynsills.com

"Sills and her eclectic combo took to the stage like old pros, as
their professional, fun and charming manner won the crowd over in a
heartbeat. This is by far one of the coolest shows I’ve been to in
quite a while." – Paste Magazine

"The Carolyn Sills Combo is an all-around attention getter with their
flawless brand of Americana meets Folk-Country." - No Depression

General Admission: $35
Gold Circle Section: $50
*Gold Circle Section: 1st 10 rows
(5% city tax and service charge not included)
No Comp Tix or Gift Certificates
Doors at 6:30 PM

Show time: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $35 Gen, $50 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.kuumbwajazz.org

Taimane translates to diamond from Samoan and perfectly reflects the different facets of her nature. Whether delicately finger-picking through Bach or radically ripping through Led Zeppelin, Taimane has the ability to morph genres – from classical to rock to flamenco – and stretch her instrument far beyond the familiar melodies of Hawai`i, where she grew up. When Don Ho caught wind of the talented teen, he invited her to join him as part of his venerable variety show at the Waikiki Beachcomber, further fueling Taimane’s desire to perform for and connect with audiences. In addition to performing her own distinctive versions of well-known pieces, Taimane weaves in original compositions that are as far ranging as her musical tastes. With the fierceness of a rocker, and the grace of a dancer, Taimane and her music are wowing ever-larger audiences. She lights up rooms wherever she goes, sparkling like the diamond that she is..

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $25 Gen, $38 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.pulseproductions.net
Artists website: www.taimane.com

Singer, rapper, and writer Dessa has made a career of bucking genres and defying expectations—her résumé as a musician includes performances at Lollapalooza and Glastonbury, co-compositions for 100-voice choir, performances with the Minnesota Orchestra, and a top-200 entry on the Billboard charts for her album Parts of Speech. She contributed to the #1 album The Hamilton Mixtape; her track, “Congratulations,” notched over 5 million streams. As a writer, she’s been published by The New York Times Magazine, broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio, published two literary collections of her own, and is set to release her first hardcover collection with Dutton Books in the fall of 2018. She’s been covered by Pitchfork, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal amongst others. The LA Times says Dessa “sounds like no one else.” The Utne Reader calls her a “one-woman powerhouse.” On the stage and on the page, her style is defined by a ferocity, wit, tenderness, and candor. Dessa’s third full-length album Chime (Doomtree Records) was listed by NPR as one of 2018’s most anticipated albums. In March, she embarks on a world tour through the US, Europe, and Asia.

Show time: 9:00 PM
Tickets: $18
Advance tickets: www.ticketfly.com

Special Guest Katie Knipp

Robert Cray has created a sound that rises from American roots and arrives today both fresh and familiar. In just over 40 years Cray and his band have recorded 20 studio releases, 15 of which have been on the Billboard charts, and played bars, concert halls, festivals and arenas around the world.

Show time: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $49
Advance tickets: www.ticketfly.com
Artists website: www.robertcray.com

Echoes of 4/20

House of Floyd the bay area's premier Pink Floyd band will be performing the early psychedelic jams of Pink Floyd as well as the entire "Animals" album and some of the well known hits as well.  This show is accompanied with a state of the art laser show along with some of the original videos from very early Pink Floyd shows!

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $27 Gen, $40 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.snazzyproductions.com and 1851 Branciforte Dr. Santa Cruz, CA
Artists website: www.houseoffloyd.com

Lisa Morales

Lots of musicians compare their careers to roller-coaster rides, but Los Lonely Boys have had so many close-your-eyes-and-hang-on moments in the 14 years since they recorded their self-titled debut, they should buy an amusement park.

The story of how the Garza brothers – vocalist/guitarist Henry, bassist/vocalist and drummer/ vocalist Ringo – rode their bluesy “Texican rock” sound from San Angelo, Texas, to worldwide fame is one of rock’s great Cinderella tales. But the story of how they’ve persevered in the face of subsequent challenges is just as compelling.Los Lonely Boys are an American Chicano rock power trio from San Angelo, Texas. 

They play a style of music they call "Texican Rock n' Roll," combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown-eyed soul, country, and Tejano.

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $28 Gen, $43 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.pulseproductions.net and Streetlight Records
Artists website: www.loslonelyboys.com

7:00 pm show is sold out.
Due to popular demand, 2nd show added at 9:30

Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, founded by pianist and arranger Scott Bradlee in 2009, reimagines contemporary pop, rock and R&B hits in the style of various yesteryears, from swing to doo-wop, ragtime to Motown – or, as Bradlee himself puts it, “pop music in a time machine.”

Show time: 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM
Tickets: $42 Gen, $63 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.ticketfly.com
Artists website: www.postmodernjukebox.com

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $22
Advance tickets: www.ticketfly.com

The 25 IN 24 Tour

Film Screening and Concert with Jon Foreman. Jon is one of those boundary pushers, he walks the line in life and in poetry, asks poignant questions and challenges the rituals of our time. He can write for days, with a wit as quick as his pen, he is always coming up with new songs, new ideas and mantras. His heart is for salt water, for others, for his family & for revival.

Show time: 7:00 PM
Tickets: $21.50 Gen, $31.50 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.ticketfly.com
Artists website: www.jonforeman.com

A Postcard From California: From the Very First Song With a Founding Member of the Beach Boys

Show time: 7:00 PM
Tickets: $33.50 Gen, $49.25 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.folkyeah.com
Event website: www.folkyeah.com

Three Masters, featured regularly at Maui’s renowned “Slack Key Show®” share Hawai‘i’s unique & sprightly folk styles, with origins in the early 19th century Hawaiian paniolo (cowboy) culture. They themselves grew up in rural areas where immersion from childhood in Hawaiian music and culture was both entertainment and education.

Ledward Kaapana and Jeff Peterson are frequent guest artists on George Kahumoku’s renowned Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar® series on Maui, and his Grammy award-winning CDs. Together, these Masters share the delightful experience of kī-hō‘alu (slack key guitar) – the distinctly Hawaiian style of open tunings – ‘ukulele, and Hawaiian vocals.

Show time: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $30 Gen, $36 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.ticketfly.com and Streetlight Records
Artists website: www.kahumoku.com
Artists website: www.ledkaapana.com

Rio Theatre's Classic Rock Series continues as we present the ultimate rock tribute to Journey in this live musical performance starring "JOURNEY: UNAUTHORIZED" The West Coast's most celebrated Journey Tribute act.
 
'Journey Unauthorized' has earned fantastic reviews worldwide and their high energy stage show is a must-see event spanning a decade of memorable Journey superhits!  
 
This is a live recreation of an actual Steve-Perry era Journey concert with each band member portraying one of the original members of Journey, including the amazing Steve Perry. Hits to be performed will include 'Wheel In The Sky,' 'Lights,' 'Don't Stop Believin,' 'Any Way You Want It' and many more 'Live In Concert' favorites!
 
This show is a must-see for all classic rock fans who appreciate great music from a bygone era.
 
"Journey Unauthorized is an awesome stage show and is required attendance for any Journey fan" - Oakland Tribune

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $30 Gen, $40 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com

Acclaimed songwriter and guitarist David Rawlings released his freshly pressed third album, Poor David's Almanack, on August 11th via Acony Records. For Poor David's Almanack, Rawlings leaves the Dave Rawlings Machine moniker behind and serves up a wry mixture of acoustic and electric music rich in ageless American vernacular. The album of ten new songs was crafted by studio wizards Ken Scott (Beatles, David Bowie) and Matt Andrews on analog tape during a week of sessions at legendary Woodland Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Rawlings and longtime compatriot Gillian Welch joined together with Willie Watson, Paul Kowert, Brittany Haas, Ketch Secor, and Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith of Dawes to produce an album for all seasons. The touring iteration of Rawlings' band, the all-star Dave Rawlings Machine, will embark on the first leg of a national tour this August to support Poor David's Almanack, as well as perform favorites from the first two Dave Rawlings Machine records, A Friend of A Friend and Nashville Obsolete.

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $39.50
Advance tickets: www.bit.ly/2wlUbBe
Artists website: www.davidrawlingsmusic.com

Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton first set out on tour in 2014, with no product to sell, no recordings or video to help book or promote shows, no t-shirts. Despite all that, based on Fischer’s reputation alone, they were invited to play in clubs, at the Newport and Monterey Jazz Festivals, and at concert halls all over the globe, winning accolades from critics, devotion from fans, and — always – invitations to return, soon. Their music is an organic gumbo of progressive rock, psychedelic soul, and African, Middle Eastern, Caribbean rhythms and classical influences. In performance, they re-invent songs by Led Zeppelin, Amy Grant, Little Willie John, and The Rolling Stones as well as Fischer’s originals. After decades bringing raw soul to the stage for The Rolling Stones, Sting, Tina Turner and Nine Inch Nails, Fischer is emerging as the most inventive and heartfelt interpreter of classic rock songs working today.

Show time: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $35 Gen, $50 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.kuumbwajazz.org

Two of the greatest bands of all time face off in a high-energy, adrenaline-pumping musical showdown. The Fab Four, represented by tribute band Abbey Road will engage in a barrage of hits against premier Rolling Stones tribute band Satisfaction. It’s a face-off you won’t want to miss!

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $40 Gen, $60 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.vendini.com
Artists website: www.facebook.com/beatlesvsstones

Henhouse with Sherry Austin

LAURA LOVE--SHE’S BACK!
After taking nearly a decade off the festival/touring circuit, to live off grid, grow her own food, and raise her daughter, Laura is again returning to the stage to continue where she left off.  She felt “compelled to get back on the road, reach out to other human beings, spread kindness and try to heal,”  from what she has described as a “savage couple of years” which left her battling to recover from a brutal assault, followed by the sudden suicide of her beloved sister, Lisa.  To that end, she exploded back onto the festival scene in 2017, taking the Kate Wolf, Strawberry, Valhalla and Philadelphia Folk Music Festivals by storm.  With these powerful performances she and her stellar guitarist, Terry Hunt, showcased a whole new batch of songs that left audiences leaping to their feet, mid-set and some concert-goers telling her “she was even better than she’d been years ago.”   She has expanded her story-rich, socially conscious repertoire to include Field Hollers, Civil Rights Era Songs and Gospel music into her deep catalogue of original songs.  Laura is currently recording a new CD of original songs which will be released Late Winter/early Spring of 2018.  

Henhouse with Sherry Austin
Henhouse has found that magical combination of music that is often wished for, but rarely found. Whether singing their own material, or the songs of Kate Wolf and others, these four great vocalists come together to form an exquisite blend of harmonies. Their music truly engages listeners with their warm and captivating spirit.
With four of the most popular Americana vocalists in the Monterey Bay area, Henhouse delights their fans with their engaging stage presence, upbeat songs, and great harmonies. The band is fronted by Sherry Austin on rhythm guitar and vocals, Sharon Allen on vocals and guitar, Tracy Parker on bass and vocals, Jim Norris on percussion, and Santa Cruz legend Patti Maxine on lap steel and dobro. Their music ranges from sweet love songs to gritty, rockin’ songs about cars, trains, and love gone wrong. They sing with authority and passion, and their distinctive blend of folk, country and rock is filled with warmth and conviction.
The band performs original songs written by Sherry and Sharon, as well as much-loved covers by Americana artists such as Kate Wolf, Townes Van Zandt, and Nanci Griffith. The blend of harmonies between the four women is exquisite.

Show time: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $25 Gen. $40 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.Snazzyproductions.com and 831-479-9421
Artists website: www.lauralovemusic.com
Artists website: www.hensinthehouse.com

Local Artists salute Wallace Baine

Overtaxed journalist, failed novelist, spooked dad, knee-jerk skeptic, bruised idealist, closet narcissist and all around good guy and local hero.

Show time: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $10
Advance tickets: www.Snazzyproductions.com and 831-479-9421

Throughout his career, Cockburn has deftly captured the joy, pain, fear, and faith of human experience in song. Whether singing about retreating to the country or going up against chaos, tackling imperialist lies or embracing ecclesiastical truths, he has always expressed a tough yet hopeful stance: to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight. “We can’t settle for things as they are,” he once warned. “If you don’t tackle the problems, they’re going to get worse.” His songs of romance, protest, and spiritual discovery are among the best to have emerged from Canada over the last 40 years. His guitar playing, both acoustic and electric, has placed him in the company of the world’s top instrumentalists. And he remains deeply respected for his activism on issues from native rights and land mines to the environment and Third World debt, working for organizations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, and Friends of the Earth. We are proud to welcome Bruce back to the Rio theatre, with the band this time!

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $30 Gen, $45 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.pulseproductions.net and Streetlight Records

Show time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $28.75 Gen, $39.25 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.folkyeah.com

For over fifty years, South Africa’s four-time Grammy Award winners, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has warmed the hearts of audiences worldwide with their uplifting vocal harmonies and signature dance moves. With a deep respect for both their cultural and personal history, the ensemble is ever-evolving with an eye towards their long musical legacy. Since the world discovered their a cappela vocals on Paul Simon’s Graceland album the original members have welcomed a younger generation into their mission, passing along the tradition of storytelling and spreading a message of harmony to millions across the globe. The younger members of the group, led by the four sons of founder Joseph Shabalala, who joined the Ladysmith Black Mambazo nearly twenty-five years ago have infused the group with youthful energy and Nelson Mandela dubbed them “South Africa’s cultural ambassadors to the world…” Their 2017 release, Songs of Peace & Love For Kids & Parents shares their uplifting message with audiences of all ages through a combination of music and stories behind the songs.

Show time: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $35 Gen, $55 Gold Circle
Advance tickets: www.brownpaperticket.com