360 N. Broadway, Aurora, IL 60505 RiverEdgeAurora.com 630.896.6666 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jay Kelly, L.C. Williams & Associates [email protected], 312.565.4623, 312.315.3935 (cell) TROMBONE SHORTY, MAVIS STAPLES, OTIS TAYLOR BAND, NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, ROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOOD, MORELAND & ARBUCKLE TO PLAY AURORA’S th
19 ANNUAL BLUES ON THE FOX FESTIVAL, JUNE 19 & 20 AT RIVEREDGE (Fr left) The 19th Annual Blues on the Fox stars Royal Southern Brotherhood, North Mississippi Allstars, Moreland & Arbuckle, Otis Taylor Band, Mavis Staples and Trombone Shorty. Go to http://RiverEdgeAurora.com/press/ for hi-‐‑res. AURORA, IL, April 2, 2015 – Aurora’s RiverEdge Park announced today a smokin’ hot line-‐‑up for the 19th Annual Blues on the Fox, one of the Midwest’s most heralded blues festivals. The Blues on the Fox double bill for Friday, June 19 kicks off with Southern blues rockers Royal Southern Brotherhood at 7 p.m. followed by the legendary blues jam band North Mississippi Allstars at 9 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 20 kicks off with powerhouse roots rockers Moreland & Arbuckle at 3 p.m., Chicago blues king Otis Taylor Band at 5 p.m., Chicago’s first lady of the blues Mavis Staples at 7 p.m. and New Orleans party band Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue at 9 p.m. Gates open at 2 p.m. A 19-‐‑year Aurora tradition, Blues on the Fox is a weekend of sizzlin’ live music, cold beer, tasty festival food and a damn good time, all overlooking the gorgeous Fox River. Tickets are only $10 per day through May 31. Tickets are $20 per day starting June 1 and day of. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult 18 years or older. Tickets are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit RiverEdgeAurora.com, call the RiverEdge box office, 630.896.6666, or stop by in-‐‑person at RiverEdge’s satellite box office, the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Boulevard in downtown Aurora, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday–Saturday. The RiverEdge box office will also be open on-‐‑site on both days for day-‐‑of sales, beginning at 10 a.m. This event is general admission only. Guests are encouraged to bring folding and bag chairs. -‐‑more-‐‑ RiverEdge Park Announces 19th Blues on the Fox.4.12.15.pg 2 of 5 RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway in downtown Aurora, is located directly across from Metra’s Aurora Transportation Center, on the east bank of the Fox River. RiverEdge is easily accessible from the city by taking Metra’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) line. Paid public parking is available in the Metra Lot, additional private lots surrounding the Park and in downtown Aurora just a few blocks from RiverEdge. Food and drink are available for purchase inside RiverEdge Park. Concessions at RiverEdge offer a diverse food menu along with a bar featuring a selection of domestic and craft beers, wine, sodas, bottled water and more. A busy row of festival food vendors will also set up tents to sell everything from hot dogs to funnel cakes. No outside food or drink (except sealed water bottles) are allowed in the park. Blues on the Fox will take place rain or shine, unless conditions endanger the safety of artists and the public. Concertgoers are advised to call the RiverEdge Park Weather Line, 630.723.2480, to check status if inclement weather is pending. Aurora’s 19th Annual Blues on the Fox is sponsored by Rush-‐‑Copley Medical Center, BMO Harris Bank, Fox Valley Park District, Waubonsee Community College, All Around Pumping, Paramount Fence, Fox Valley Subway, Jimmy John’s, Advanced Disposal and Sikich. The official radio sponsor of Blues on the Fox is WXRT-‐‑FM. Note to editors: RiverEdge will announce the balance of its summer concert line-up on Friday, April 17, 2015. More about the bands playing Aurora’s 19th Annual Blues on the Fox Friday, June 19 Gates open at 6 p.m. Royal Southern Brotherhood 7 p.m. What do you expect when you take Mike Zito’s screamin’ guitar, weave it together with Cyril Neville’s soulful funk and drench it all in a smokin’ hot pot of Southern blues-‐‑rock? The result: Royal Southern Brotherhood. It’s no wonder guitar legend John Hiatt said these five rockers “are not a band -‐‑ they’re an extravaganza.” With blues in their hearts, white-‐‑hot talent in their blood and New Orleans in their roots, The Soul of the South is kicking off Blues on the Fox with an outright party. -‐‑more-‐‑ RiverEdge Park Announces 19th Blues on the Fox.4.12.15.pg 3 of 5 North Mississippi Allstars 9 p.m. The sons of legendary Memphis producer Jim Dickinson, Luther and Cody Dickinson were born and bred in the heart of the country blues scene. When they decided to make music on their own, they took the Southern sound of their childhood, doused it in rock and topped it all off with the mind-‐‑blowing musicianship of a jam band, creating a brand of blues-‐‑soaked rock like none other. Their 2000 debut album “Shake Hands with Shorty” blew up the blues charts, scoring them a Grammy nomination and the attention of A-‐‑list musicians everywhere. Since then, they’ve toured with legends like Robert Plant, earned two more Grammy nominations and headlined festivals around the world, evolving their blues-‐‑rock sound along the way. Their 2013 smash hit record “World Boogie is Coming” marked the boys’ return to their Southern roots and solidified their spot in blues history. Rolling Stone put it best: “the Allstars may be children of tradition, but they’re digging deep in undiscovered country.” Saturday, June 20 Gates open at 2 p.m. Moreland & Arbuckle 3 p.m. Their raw talent, creativity and straight up badassery are taking the blues scene by storm. Kansas natives Moreland & Arbuckle have the grit of the Heartland in their blood, their souls and their blues-‐‑rock style. Just ask a few of the iconic artists they’ve hit the road with: ZZ Top, Buddy Guy, George Thorogood… the list goes on. With Aaron Moreland’s shredding guitar, Dustin Arbuckle’s piercing lyrics and serious wailing on the harmonica and Kendall Newby on the drums, the powerhouse trio takes the phrase “roots rock” to the next level, filling that classic American style to the brim with blues, country and soul. -‐‑more-‐‑ RiverEdge Park Announces 19th Blues on the Fox.4.12.15.pg 4 of 5 Otis Taylor Band 5 p.m. The blues are all about storytelling, and there ain’t no storyteller like Otis Taylor. Born in Chicago and raised in Colorado, Otis has seen it all. When he first got his hands on a banjo as a kid, he learned to musicalize both the good and the bad, and the rest is history. Since then, Taylor has mastered the guitar, mandolin, harmonica and, of course, banjo, crafting his own blues meets psychedelic rock, drenched in country style that The New Yorker dubbed “Velvet Underground Railroad.” Add those musical chops to powerful lyrics, soulful energy and commitment to keeping the blues kickin’, and you’ve got a legend-‐‑in-‐‑the-‐‑making. There’s a reason Guitar Player Magazine calls Otis Taylor “arguably the most relevant blues artist of our time.” Mavis Staples 7 p.m. To say Mavis Staples was born to the blues would be an understatement. Her father was a blues-‐‑and-‐‑gospel guitarist who filled their Chicago home with the rich sounds of the Mississippi Delta. When their family band, The Staples Singers, first hit the airwaves in 1953, Mavis began her unstoppable reign as one of the most influential names in music, and she’s still at it. For over six decades, this legend has infused everything she does with the soul, grit and power of the blues. She’s worked with names like Ray Charles, the Band and Bob Dylan. She’s defied genre boundaries, injecting the blues into R&B, jazz and Americana -‐‑ and winning Grammys along the way. But most of all, Mavis Staples is the voice that defines an entire era of American music. -‐‑more-‐‑ RiverEdge Park Announces 19th Blues on the Fox.4.12.15.pg 5 of 5 Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue 9 p.m. Trombone Shorty grew up in New Orleans'ʹ Tremé neighborhood, and played himself on the HBO series "ʺTreme,"ʺ set on the streets of his youth. Shorty has been a bandleader since the age of six, toured the world at the age of 18 as part of Lenny Kravtiz'ʹ horn section and has served as an ambassador for his city since at least 2006, the year he played the SuperDome post-‐‑Katrina re-‐‑opening with U2 and Green Day. Since 2005, touring virtually non-‐‑stop with his incendiary five-‐‑piece band Orleans Avenue, Trombone Shorty has performed on five continents, at the White House, on the GRAMMY Awards and at the 63rd NBA All Star Game halftime show. Blending jazz, funk, blues and rock into their signature Crescent City jams, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue bring the insistent, rolling groove of a New Orleans parade everywhere they play. Get ready. More about RiverEdge Park In only its third season, Chicago and Chicago’s western suburbs have a terrific new summer destination in RiverEdge Park, a beautiful outdoor concert venue in downtown Aurora. Anchored by the contemporary John C. Dunham performance pavilion, RiverEdge is a general admission park with a capacity of up to 8,500, boasting state-‐‑of-‐‑the-‐‑art acoustics and lighting, a warm community feel and a gorgeous view on the banks of the Fox River. RiverEdge Park is managed and programmed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA), which also oversees operations for Aurora’s historic Paramount Theatre. The 2015 RiverEdge Season is sponsored by The Dunham Fund, City of Aurora and Paramount Arts Centre Endowment (PACE). For more information, visit RiverEdgeAurora.com or call the RiverEdge box office, 630.896.6666. # # # Go to http://RiverEdgeAurora.com/press/ for hi-‐‑res images of Aurora’s RiverEdge Park.