BUD LIGHT MAIN STAGE - FRIDAY, MAY 9
5:30 PM Black Tie Dynasty
6:30 PM I Nine
8:30 PM Switchfoot
10:30 PM Gavin Degraw
BUD LIGHT MAIN STAGE - SATURDAY, MAY 10
12:00 PM Taste Addison's Ourstage.com Channel Winner
1:30 PM PPT
3:00 PM Blaine Gray
4:30 PM South Austin Jug Band
6:00 PM The Killdares
7:30 PM Jonathon Tyler & the Northern Lights
9:00 PM Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
10:30 PM The Black Crowes
BUD LIGHT MAIN STAGE - SUNDAY, MAY 11
12:30 PM Emily Elbert Trio
2:00 PM Corner Pocket
3:30 PM Storyside: B
5:00 PM The Afters
ABOUT THE ENTERTAINERS
FRIDAY
Black Tie Dynasty
Black Tie Dynasty have tapped into that same heated blood that coursed through the legendary music of groups like Joy Division, and Depeche Mode to create sleek synth-rock for the modern day. Part dance record and part soundtrack to a headphone voyager's next great trip, their most recent album Movements provides aural escapism that takes us back to the halcyon days of Robert Smith and Ian Curtis.
I Nine
Together the four members of I Nine carry influences of traditional rock 'n roll, emotive singer-songwriters, and, of course, southern rock. That interaction can be magical, as on "Seven Days Of Lonely," the group's first single from Heavy Weighs The King. It is quickly opening people's ears up to the sound of the band.
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is a Grammy-nominated band from San Diego, California. Known for their energetic live shows, Switchfoot works up a melodic crunch of densely layered sound featuring some electronic experimentation, and often driven by hard-charging guitar riffs, while throwing in a few softer, spacey ballads as well. Switchfoot first gained mainstream recognition after the inclusion of four of their songs in the 2002 movie A Walk to Remember. This recognition led to their major label debut, The Beautiful Letdown, which was released in 2003. It went on to sell over 2.6 million copies.
Gavin Degraw
Gavin DeGraw is a talent, who in just a few short years has become one of today's premier singer-songwriters. DeGraw broke through in 2003, with the release of his debut album, Chariot, which awakened music fans across the country to a charismatic, vibrant young artist who connected with audiences in a way other contemporary musicians did not. Gavin DeGraw, Gavin's self-titled sophmore release, is a collection of impassioned, emotionally resonant songs about the joys and rigors of love and life. It may have more of a rock flavor but it isn't a hard-rock album. It still reflects DeGraw's musical ability to photograph feelings and emotions and deliver it poetically to his audience.
SATURDAY
Taste Addison's Ourstage.com Channel Winner
Taste Addison is pleased to feature the Grand Prize winner of the Taste Addison Singer/Songwriter Contest featured on Ourstage.com. During the month of April hundred's of Texas bands uploaded songs to Ourstage.com to win your votes and an opportunity to play on the Bud Light Main Stage at Taste Addison 2008.
PPT
PPT consists of three fun-loving Texas MC's. Producer prodigy Picnic (aka Picnictyme). Pikahsso, the soulful one in the group, and the energetic MC Tahiti (who also directed the "Denglish" movie in the accompanying DVD). They together form PPT taken from the initials of their names. Their newest album, Denglish (shorthand for Dallas & English) is a concept album that mixes elements of Funk, Brit-pop, New Wave, Rock and R&B and has a sharp set of production musicality and tight harmonies not often heard from Hip Hop artists. PPP was voted "Best Hip Hop Artist" at the 2007 Dallas Observer Music Awards.
Blaine Gray
Blaine began playing guitar and singing at the age of 10. His father always played, which became Blaine's major influence. After graduating from James Martin High School, Blaine began playing the Texas Opry circuit while attending the University of Texas at Arlington. He toured the Oprys for about two years and then started his own band, which played all the local country music bars in the DFW area.
South Austin Jug Band
Let's just get it out of the way right now: There's no jug-playing in the South Austin Jug Band. And the bluegrass connotation that name carries should be spilled down the drain along with any other moonshine-preconceived notions. Sure, there’s fiddle, mandolin, an upright bass ... but there's also drumming, occasional electric guitar and even digital looping. Comparisons, if they must be made, might meander more toward a low-intensity Grateful Dead (which, it should be noted, started out as a real jug band) or something with an even more melodic and laid-back vibe.
The Killdares
Originally formed in 1996, The Killdares have come to be known as one of the hottest, cutting edge bands in music today - Celtic or otherwise. World-class musicians from all over the U.S., they have come together in Texas to create and perform a brand new version of hard-driving, alternative Celtic rock music. Blending traditional Celtic playing skills, power-pop accessibility, and straight up rock n' roll hooks, The Killdares have created a fresh new sound that's blended with enough commercial edge to be instantly recognizable, always engaging, and appealing to fans of all ages..
Jonathon Tyler & the Northern Lights
Jonathon Tyler is an American born rock and soul singer, musician, and songwriter who began performing at thirteen. His debut album, Hot Trottin' is currently enjoying spin time on Austin's KLBJ radio. The CD's single, GYPSY Woman, is quickly becoming a request line anthem. Jonathon Tyler & the Northern Lights is composed of JT on lead vocals and lead guitar, Nick Jay on bass and additional vocals, Jordan Cain, on drums, Kansas on rhythm guitar and Mo Brown on additional vocals and tambourine.
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals grew from the roots of rock & roll in what some might call the old-fashioned way; For the first two years, Potter and the band teamed up with friends to run their "Ragged Company" label from her dad's old sign shop, handling everything from CD graphics to booking the tours. The group turned down their first label offer and chose instead to sign on with booking agent Hank Sacks and began playing a countless number of music festivals and opening slots until gradually building great word of mouth.
Their sound? They're a neoclassic rock & roll band possessing bona fide chops, a natural sense of dynamics and a palate containing all the useful colors, and these qualities allow them to stretch out onstage, to riveting effect. Perhaps their greatest asset is the ability to transcend genres, never content to settle into one predefined sound. GPN were once the up-and-coming darlings of the modern jazz and blues scene, receiving incessant comparisons to Norah Jones and Lucinda Williams. Yet their magnetic live shows and dedication to the road earned the band a warm welcoming from the jam-band community, leading to two nominations at the 2006 Jammy's.
The Black Crowes
"Hallelujah, come join the jubilee."
That's the invitation that opens WARPAINT, the first new studio recording in seven years from THE BLACK CROWES, true believers in rock's power and potential to set us free. Their powerful new album--the first on the band's own Silver Arrow Records builds compellingly on the band's trademark adventurous brew of rock, blues, country, soul and gospel, and finds the band in top fighting form.
Right from their start in 1990 - with SHAKE YOUR MONEY MAKER, a pivotal work that kick started an authentic style of rock and roll in America - THE BLACK CROWES have been at odds with prevailing commercial trends. Their heady mix of '70s inflected rock, Funkadelic soul and heartfelt roots music jostled against the hair metal and high-gloss pop getting airplay at the start of that decade.
While the sheer attitude and charm of "Hard To Handle" and "Twice As Hard" managed to make waves, the intervening years have seen the band steadily evolve an increasingly refined, singular sound that takes the best parts of hard rock, gospel, country, psychedelia and anything else it fancies into their hungry maw to create something several light years beyond the young men who recorded "She Talks To Angels."
Today, anyone checking in on "The Most Rock 'N Roll Rock 'N Roll Band In The World," as the U.K.'s Melody Maker once called them, will find THE BLACK CROWES more dedicated than ever to their craft which has resulted in a body of work with sales of 20 million albums worldwide.
SUNDAY
Corner Pocket
With a distinct, defining sound and a style all their own, Corner Pocket is quickly gaining recognition as a sophisticated Jazz Band in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area. Backed by a star-studded rhythm section featuring the legendary Bassist Lynn Seaton, Corner Pocket's hard swinging rhythm is enough to get anyone out of their seats and on to the dance floor.
Emily Elbert Trio
Emily Elbert's award-winning music is jazz-infused folk with a lot of soul, and a fresh, hip perspective. The 19-year-old Coppell native now lives in Boston, where she attends Berklee College of Music, but she'll be bringing friends home to Texas with her for a few weeks - bass player, Tim Luckow of New York and drummer, Davis Rowan of Maryland. The trio will perform old favorites, new originals, and unique arrangements of covers that New Englanders have described as "sizzling" and "brilliant." Emily's CD, Bright Side is available on iTunes and CDBaby.
Storyside: B
The secret of Storyside: B's rise in popularity is really no secret at all. It has to do with a tenacious road-dog work ethic, a steadfast determination to succeed, an equally adamant refusal to compromise, and oh yeah, the knack for crafting great songs that stick in your head like gray matter superglue. Sporting a sound that tangles the hook-laden rock 'n 'roll with the radio-loving pop sensibilities, Storyside: B's remarkable follow-up CD, aptly titled We Are Not Alone, hammers their message home with an impressive series of solid rock anthems and acoustic ambient pop ballads. Incorporating every nuance of their instruments to embellish their lyrics, the band employs a variety of motifs to convey their central theme - We Are Not Alone.
The Afters
For The Afters, life as a band began at a Starbucks in Mesquite, Texas. The Dallas-based band was propelled into the national spotlight with their debut album I Wish We All Could Win in 2006. The project spawned the swirling, melodic hit "Beautiful Love," earning the band an enthusiastic following when the song was selected as the theme track for MTV's "8th and Ocean". "Beautiful Love" was also the most downloaded track of 2006 on the iTunes Inspirational charts. Never Going Back To OK, the band's sophomore release, features all the components that made The Afters' previous collection a hit--the memorable melodies, compelling lyrics, skilled musicianship and Havens' engaging lead vocals. The band was challenged to step it up on this new release and with one listen, it's obvious they not only met, but exceeded that challenge. Whether on pensive ballads such as "Ocean Wide" or potent tracks like "Keeping Me Alive," the band demonstrates the chops they developed over the past three years of relentless touring.
