Austin, Texas, Sept. 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Circuit of The Americas, the only Formula 1™ racing venue in the country, today announced the line-up of bands that will perform on the main Bud Light Stage during Austin Fan Fest fueled by Shell set for Nov. 14-17. The free, four-day street party in downtown Austin takes place during the FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX.
The Bud Light Stage, located in the Republic Park Parking Lot, will be packed with top-notch performers every night beginning Thursday, Nov. 14. The line-up is as follows (all times CST):
Austin Fan Fest fueled by Shell - BUD LIGHT STAGE Line-Up
Thursday, Nov. 14
5:30 p.m. Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors
7:30 p.m. Roger Creager
9:30 p.m. Clairy Browne & Bangin' Rackettes
Friday, Nov. 15
6 p.m. Los Lobos
8:15 p.m. Los Lonely Boys
10:45 p.m. Lou Gramm
Saturday, Nov. 16
3 p.m. Civil Twilight
5:30 p.m. Everlast
8 p.m. Andy Grammer
10:30 p.m. Berlin
Sunday, Nov. 17
6:30 p.m. The Soul Rebels
"We're thrilled to showcase such a diverse group of gifted performers and music genres that will appeal to every taste and generation," said Paul Thornton, president of TAG Presents, the events management company for Circuit of The Americas and the Austin360 Amphitheater. "Live entertainment is a huge part of Austin's culture, and it will be an even bigger focus during this year's free Grand Prix fan festival, as we show an international audience why our city will forever be known as the Live Music Capital of the World."
Additional artists and stage schedules will be released in coming weeks, including line-ups for the Univision stage and Austin360 local favorites stage.
Austin Fan Fest fueled by Shell will showcase 12 activity zones spanning 12 square blocks bounded by San Antonio Street (west), 5th Street (north), Congress Ave. (east) and 2nd Street (south). In addition to the robust live music schedule, the four-day Grand Prix party offers something for everyone, including:
- Dozens of interactive and educational displays, including racing simulators and unique experiential areas by Shell;
- An X Games-style action sports zone;
- Activities for kids and families, including a downtown Zip Line, Racing Bug, Walk on Water and mechanical bull rides; and
- Offerings from local restaurants and pubs, food trucks, artisans and retailers.
- Additionally, superstar drivers competing in the FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX will meet with fans at the festival during the weekend.
About Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, is a world-class destination for premium sports and entertainment. It is the first racing facility in the United States purposely built for Formula 1™ racing and is designed to host a variety of sports and entertainment events. The Circuit is home to the FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX, which was named the 2012 "Sports Event of the Year" by SportsBusiness Journal/Daily, and is the new North American host of the summer edition of ESPN's X Games. Additionally Circuit of The Americas welcomes spectators from around the world for some of the most prestigious national and international motorsports series, including MotoGP™, V8 Supercars™, GRAND-AM Road Racing™, American Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championships.
Circuit of The Americas' 1,500-acre campus includes a variety of permanent structures designed for business, education, entertainment and sporting use. Its signature 3.4-mile, 20-turn undulating racetrack features remarkable elevation changes and a number of challenging turns patterned after some of the world's iconic Grand Prix tracks. The Austin360 Amphitheater is an expansive outdoor live music space, featuring the largest permanent stage in Central Texas and the capacity for 14,000 guests. The Circuit's iconic 25-story Observation Tower has a viewing platform offering 360-degree views of the venue, downtown Austin and Texas Hill Country. The 44,000-square foot Event Center offers an expansive convention and banquet space that doubles as an international Media Center during sports and entertainment events. The Event Center includes more than 30 broadcast booths, an internal café and dedicated news conference room. The Circuit's massive Main Grandstand features permanent seating for 9,000, a variety of well-appointed suites, and the Velocity Lounge and hospitality area. Circuit of The Americas also offers a state-of-the-art on-site medical facility, parking for 25,000 vehicles, taxi and shuttle bus depots and a permanent heli-stop. For more information and downloadable video, audio and photos, visit: www.CircuitofTheAmericas.com, www.Austin360Amphitheater.comor the Circuit's dedicated FTP site, media.circuitoftheamericas.com.
About the Artists
Berlin - http://berlinpage.com
ONE OF THE GREATEST SYNTH ELECTRO-POP BANDS OF ALL TIME…This Los Angeles-based synth pop group, founded by bassist John Crawford, singer Terri Nunn, and keyboard player David Diamond, made its first national impression with the provocative single "Sex (I'm A...)" from the gold-selling debut EP Pleasure Victim in 1982. The group was filled out by guitarist Rick Olsen, keyboard player Matt Reid, and drummer Rob Brill. Berlin's first full-length LP was the gold Love Life
in 1984. In 1985, the group was pared down to a trio of Crawford, Nunn, and Brill. Berlin topped the charts in 1986 with the single "Take My Breath Away," the love theme from the Tom Cruise movie Top Gun.
Nunn left for a solo career in 1987, and Crawford and Brill teamed up in the Big F. In 1999, the band reunited to record some new studio material and also performed a concert, which, along with the new songs, was released as 2000's Berlin
Live: Sacred and Profane. This was followed a year later by a flurry of recording sessions that included co-writing tracks with Billy Corgan, among others. The end result, Voyeur, was their first full-length studio release in over 15 years.
Civil Twilight - http://www.civiltwilightband.com/
Civil Twilight is a mystifying blend of atmospheric sounds with swirling guitars and hazy storytelling centered on the struggles and triumphs of human existence. Three parts South Africa and one part Nashville, Steven McKellar, his brother Andrew, Richard Wouters and Kevin Dailey combine power and grace to provide a soundtrack for everything from the cracking of a heart to a walk around the block. Their sophomore release, Holy Weather is a remarkable journey through a dense forest of emotion and has been heralded as some of the best music to come out in 2012.
Civil Twilight provides a safe haven in which to seek refuge. Steven's vocals come forth in an eerie falsetto that can only be described as a cross-pollination of Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke. Richard's drums are pounding reminders that the drummer always steers the ship along its voyage, while Andrew's guitars alongside the newest addition of Kevin on keyboards and vocal harmonies create intense musical waves proving that a rising tide truly does lift all boats. Civil Twilight's lush soundscape is haunting, yet soothing at the same time.
Civil Twilight spent the better part of the last year on tour playing the likes of Bonnaroo and Voodoo Fest, opening for acts like Smashing Pumpkins and Florence & The Machine, and headlining their own shows across the country. This year, they have been touring relentlessly, making festivals tops with bands like The Dave Matthews Band, Flaming Lips, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Afghan Whigs. This fall Civil Twilight will embark on a nationwide tour with Mutemath.
Clairy Browne & the Bangin' Rackettes - http://clairybrowne.com/
The lights go down on a smoldering red head in a tight dress. Her smoky voice channels aching and longing as three shimmying, bouffant haired singers in sequined dresses harmonize along with her. To the left, a baritone sax wails and shudders as the soul claps rise and fall in and out of a blaze of sound. The diva in front of her band raises her eyes to the ceiling, fist clenched tightly to her heart. The dancing ends over the roar of the crowd, they stand there entranced, sweating, and waiting: a typical dramatic moment for Clairy Browne and the Bangin' Rackettes.
The Clairy Browne experience is like a vivid flashback to the sixties, one that transports you straight onto the set of Shindig but with a darker undercurrent, with shades of David Lynch or Federico Fellini piercing through. "I want to experience joy and pain in the same moment, and bring the audience along on an emotional journey with me," Browne asserts.
Over the past three years the arresting head chanteuse in charge of nine-piece Clairy Browne and the Bangin' Rackettes has transcended humble origins from playing a residency at a local club in Melbourne, Australia, to joining an international tour with Oz stadium rockers the Cat Empire, to recently signing with Vanguard Records and headlining their own U.S. tour.
Their debut album Baby Caught the Bus produced by the award-winning Steve Schram (Public Enemy, Cat Empire) drips with heart-wrenching doo-wop, noir theatrics, party attitude and tough-as-nails soul, the songs on the album have drawn favorable comparisons to artists as diverse as Sharon Jones, Tina Turner and Bettye LaVette. In 2013 expect to see a global presence from these irrepressible, high-voltage soul revivalists, now well-known to many a beer drinker around the world thanks in part to a popular Heineken TV ad.
Roger Creager - http://www.rogercreager.com ;
Roger Creager is an adventurist; he does not like to sit still while the world passes by. Whether it's climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, jumping off his boat to snorkel with wild dolphins, snow skiing in the Rockies, catching tuna 100 miles from shore, piloting his airplane to far-off concerts, spear-fishing around oil rigs, scuba diving coral reefs, surfing in Costa Rica, or playing music through the Italian countryside, he tries to get the most out of what the world has to offer. All
of this finds its way into Roger's music and live shows. His passion for life invigorates everyone around him including his fan base. Those who get hooked on his charisma and high energy come back show after show, year after year, and record after record. Creager may travel the world, but he never strays far from his small-town South Texas roots and his music encompasses all of him.
Everlast - http://www.martyr-inc.com
Once best known for his tenure in the rap unit House of Pain, Everlast successfully reinvented himself in 1998 with the best-selling Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, a largely acoustic, hip-hop-flavored effort in the genre-crossing mold of Beck.
Born Erik Schrody, Everlast first surfaced in Los Angeles as a member of Ice-T's Rhyme Syndicate Cartel, issuing his debut album, Forever Everlasting, in 1990. When the album failed to find an audience, he formed House of Pain with Danny Boy and DJ Lethal; carving out an image which drew heavily on Everlast and Danny Boy's shared Irish heritage, the trio managed to overcome the stereotypes facing white rappers and scored a massive hit with their 1992 single "Jump Around." Their self-titled debut LP also went platinum, but when such follow-up efforts as 1994's Same as It Ever Was and 1996's Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again failed to repeat House of Pain's early success, the group disbanded.
Everlast then returned to his solo career. While recording Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, however, he suffered a massive cardiac arrest stemming from a congenital defect, resulting in heart bypass surgery and an artificial valve implant. Following his recovery, he completed the album, which appeared in the fall of 1998 to strong commercial notices. It entered the Top 10, went platinum, and launched the pervasive Top 40 single "What It's Like." After appearing on Santana's vaunted comeback album Supernatural, Everlast began work on a follow-up album with an eclectic group of guest artists. Titled Eat at Whitey's, the album was released in late 2000, and enjoyed critical notice (even if it wasn't quite as successful as Whitey Ford). Everlast then signed with Island/Def Jam before releasing the moody, song-driven White Trash Beautiful in 2004. The album featured a strong country influence, but its new sound failed to boost Everlast's record sales. He was dropped from the label soon after, but Everlast bounced back by joining his House of Pain alums in a hip-hop super group named La Coka Nostra. The group released several recordings via MySpace in 2008; that same year, Everlast issued his fifth studio album, Love, War and The Ghost of Whitey Ford, on his own label. The album featured a cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," which Everlast released as a single. (From allmusic.com)
Lou Gramm - http://www.lou-gramm.com/
Lou Gramm is one of the most successful vocalists in rock-n-roll. As a solo artist and the vocalist and songwriter of Foreigner, he has helmed a staggering repertoire of inescapable hits including "Hot Blooded", "Feels Like The First Time," "Juke Box Hero," "Double Vision," "Head Games," "Urgent," "Midnight Blue," "Cold As Ice" and earned a spot on Billboard Magazine's Top 100 Artists of All Time. His collective works have sold 70 million albums worldwide, landed numerous chart records, earned dozens of industry awards and a legion of worldwide fans.
Andy Grammer - http://www.andygrammer.com/
In 2012, Andy Grammer emerged as one of the biggest success stories in the music business. He performed on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (three times), and "Good Morning America." He shared the stage with Taylor Swift, Train, and Colbie Caillat, and he is the first male pop star, since John Mayer in 2002, to reach the Top 10 at Adult Pop Radio on his first two singles, "Keep Your Head Up" and "Fine By Me." "Keep Your Head Up" is certified platinum and received the BMI award as one of 2012's Top 50 most performed songs across all formats. "Fine By Me" is certified gold and his third single "Miss Me" climbed to No. 15 at Adult Pop Radio, while the music video reached No. 9 on VH1's Top 20 weekly video countdown. Known for his vibrant pop/rock/soul mix and free-flowing vocal delivery, the acclaimed singer, songwriter, and musician--who began as a street performer in Santa Monica, Calif.--is currently working on his new album and is poised to make 2013 another big year.
Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors - http://www.drewholcomb.com/
Meet Drew Holcomb and you'd swear he's older than his 24 years. In a way, he is. As one person put it, Holcomb is to music what C.S. Lewis is to literature: keen observer of the human condition, miner of truths and, most of all, master storyteller. Or to hear Holcomb sing it: "Some say the soul of a man is in his philosophy, but I say you can find it in his tears." Hailing from the rock and roll capitol of Memphis, Tenn., Holcomb has added his own chapter to the city's rich musical legacy, one built on profoundly moving songs with the kind of heightened pop-rock hooks that have also earned him plenty of David Gray comparisons. Exposed as a kid to his parents' record collection (Bob Dylan and Al Green got lots of spins), Holcomb soon took to the guitar and began writing songs while a student at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
His knack for penning powerful tunes blossomed when he spent two school terms living in Edinburgh, Scotland, a place of spellbinding character for the young musician - How many European cities can boast their own volcano, after all? "It's a magical place," says Holcomb. "I grew up reading Narnia and Tolkien. Edinburgh is one of those worlds ... When I got over there I had all this free time. I didn't know that many people, so I grabbed my guitar and wrote, wrote, wrote." Those songs found their way on two records, a 2004 EP, Lost & Found, and his recent full-length debut, Washed in Blue, an album that's been hailed for the way it "combines intellect and emotion like few local (or even national) records ever do...a blue mood cleansing."
These days, Holcomb woodsheds his growing catalog of originals on the road, where he spends the better half of the year playing gigs that have taken him from Memphis to Boston, from Colorado to Italy. He's also shared the stage with Los Lobos, Susan Tedeschi, Marc Broussard and Sister Hazel. Opening for that latter band, in fact, has brought Holcomb full circle. Sister Hazel was the first rock concert he ever saw. Now, not only has he performed with them, he's found a champion in their producer, Paul Ebersold, the man who helmed Sister Hazel's multi-platinum breakthrough, Somewhere More Familiar (and who made the above C.S. Lewis observation, by the way). At 23, Holcomb is delightfully mid-stream, fast honing a voice that seeks to match his many influences, generation-defining songwriters from Dylan and Springsteen to U2 and Steve Earle. Combine a good message with a good rockin' riff and, well, that's something Holcomb can sink his contemplative teeth into. "I've got a long way to go," he says. "My hope is to be someone who has real content." )From Jambase.com)
Los Lobos - http://www.loslobos.org/
More than three decades have passed since Los Lobos, the three-time Grammy-winning band, released their debut album, Just Another Band from East L.A. Since then they've repeatedly disproven that title, Los Lobos isn't "just another" anything, but rather a band that has consistently evolved artistically while never losing sight of their humble roots.
For "Tin Can Trust," Los Lobos' first release for Shout! Factory (Aug. 3, 2013) and first collection of new original material in four years, the venerable quintet reconnected directly with those roots by returning to East Los Angeles and recording at Manny's Estudio, "In a rundown neighborhood," says Los Lobos songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Louie Pérez. "That took us out of our comfort zone and allowed us to do what we hadn't done in quite some time: to play together in the same room, as one. This was not about putting your feet up; this was about working."
Los Lonely Boys - http://loslonelyboys.com/
Can anything even more magical happen in the already charmed career of Los Lonely Boys? You bet. It's called Rockpango, their first self-produced long player on their own LonelyTone/Playing In Traffic Records. And yeah, it's magical indeed. At least as magical--and maybe more so--as debuting in 2003 with a multi-chart gold single, selling millions of albums, winning a Grammy, racking up reams of critical acclaim, opening for The Rolling Stones, and many more accomplishments for the Texican rock'n'roll trio of brothers. Plus playing and recording with such legends as Willie Nelson and Carlos Santana, associations that give a strong hint at what's at work here on Rockpango.
After proving themselves one of the most stunning and wonderful musical success stories of the last decade, Los Lonely Boys are now carving out their legend with their fourth studio album. Even though the band has already shown they can
"up the ante with greater musicianship and confidence" (People Magazine) every time out, on Rockpango they heighten the trajectory, open up their sound, and show what flourishing maturity feels like from these veteran yet still young and burgeoning musical talents.
The Soul Rebels - http://thesoulrebels.com/
The Soul Rebels are off to an explosive start in 2013. After riding high from a blowout CMJ Showcase at New York's Highline Ballroom, packed shows at Austin City Limits, The Soul Rebels returned to their hometown of New Orleans to play as the house band for the nationally televised 2013 NFL Honors Awards Show hosted by Alec Baldwin on CBS Super Bowl weekend. How do you follow up a show like that? As only the Soul Rebels can, with three sold out nights at New York's Brooklyn Bowl and festival spots all the way from Australia to Indonesia. The Soul Rebels are gearing up to bring the party all over the world, to France and the United Kingdom and back again! And the party's just getting started.
The Soul Rebels have built a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in the party like atmosphere of a dance club. Their weekly show at uptown New Orleans spot Le Bon Temps Roulé has been known to erupt with the kind of contagious, shout-along musical mayhem that The Soul Rebels bring with them wherever they go!
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