The First Street Community Center of Mount Vernon, Iowa is thrilled to be hosting the Brass Transit Authority,Saturday, May 23. The concert begins at 7pm in the Uptown Theatre.
The Brass Transit Authority features cover songs from the great rock and roll horn bands like Chicago; Blood, Sweat and Tears; Steely Dan; Van Morrison, and many others!
Here are some YouTube videos to give you a taste of what the band can do:
The Uptown Theatre is a BYOB space so long as you drink your beverage in an Uptown Theatre mug to prevent spills. The mugs are re-usable, so if you have one from a previous event you can bring it to this one. If you don’t have a mug, they cost only $5 and are available at the event.
The Uptown Theatre in the First Street Community Center at Mount Vernon, Iowa is proud to host Amy Stoner and Mirage as they present “Tapestry: The Music of Carole King”. The single performance is Friday May 15th, 2015 at 7:30pm.
After 4 sold out performances at Opus Concert Cafe in Cedar Rapids, Mt. Vernon native Amy Stoner is teaming up with the Jazz fusion band Mirage for an evening of favorites from one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century.
The first half of the show consists of hits that Carole King wrote for other artists, some of which you might be surprised to learn were written by King. The second set is the Tapestry album in its entirety.
Mirage features Luke Viertel on keys and vocals, Rich Wagor on bass, Ryan Phelan on guitar and vocals, Natalie Brown on violin and Jim Viner on drums. You can connect with them via their Facebook pages:
The Uptown Theatre at The First Street Community Center of Mount Vernon, Iowa is pleased to be hosting “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, Directed by David Pierce presented by the Dreamwell Theatre company.
Performances will be May 1&2 at 7:30pm.
Death of a Salesman revolves around the last days of Willy Loman, a failing salesman, who cannot understand how he failed to win success and happiness. Through a series of tragic soul-searching revelations of the life he has lived with his wife, his sons, and his business associates, we discover how his quest for the “American Dream” kept him blind to the people who truly loved him. A thrilling work of deep and revealing beauty that remains one of the most profound classic dramas of the American theatre.
The First Street Community Center is thrilled to announce that Chad Elliott will be putting on a live concert for adults (but youth friendly) in the Uptown Theatre Sunday, April 26th, starting at 7pm, doors open at 6:45pm.
Chad Elliott is an International Award-Winning Americana Country Folk Singer & Songwriter. But don’t just take our word for it, here is a quote from Country Music News International reviewer Bob Everhart:
“CHAD ELLIOTT – So Sang The Crow
This stunningly beautiful recording artist makes his home in Coon Rapids, Iowa. I was so surprised to receive this incredibly good album of what I would immediately call Americana country-folk music. The very first song takes the listener on a great bouncy musical trip, well written song with a ‘right on the mark’ banjo playing an older style, and a fiddler that makes it sound like you are in an old barn somewhere, listening to some incredibly gifted music…”
[learn_more caption=”* Click here for more info about Chad Elliott *”]
Averaging over 150 shows per year, Elliott has been on the road for more than a decade performing a blend of Americana, roots and country music. Along the way he’s collected more than a few interesting stories, many of which end up crafted into lyrics. Perhaps the most surreal moment in his career happened in 2009 while he was portraying Buddy Holly for the Surf Ballroom on the 50th anniversary of the fateful plane crash which took the rock legend’s life. He was asked to sing “Oh Boy” with Buddy’s widow Maria Elena Holly. She whispered in Elliott’s ear after the song faded, “You’re my Buddy.”
He has also shared the music stage with greats such as: Eric Church, Lonestar, Counting Crows, Brantley Gilbert, R.L. Burnside, Odetta, Tom Paxton and Loudon Wainwright III, among others.
Elliott has released 19 full-length albums since he began his songwriting career. In 2009, he released “Redemption Man.” Elliott worked with producer and guitarist Bo Ramsey (Lucinda Williams, Greg Brown) on this album to achieve it’s distinctive electrified roots sound. It also features Pieta Brown on the song, “Same, Old Way,” which was the 2009 Woody Guthrie Festival song contest winner as well as a 3rd place winner in the 2009 International Songwriting Contest for the Americana category. Two other songs on this album, “Redemption Man,” and “Illinois,” won Elliott a new folk finalist spot in the 2008 Grassy Hill Kerrville Folk Festival.
Elliott released “So Sang the Crow” in March of 2013. He visited Basecamp Recording Studio in Montana to lay the tracks. Basecamp Recording is run by Chris Cunningham of the folk-duo Storyhill. Cunningham produced the album, adding his meticulous attention to detail to the well-crafted project. “So Sang the Crow” speaks to the souls of those “fighting the good fight” in a life of challenge.
Currently, Elliott is working on his 20th original album. He has been traveling to Nashville, TN to record the new album with producer/drummer Ken Coomer of Wilco and Uncle Tupelo. He expects to release the album in the fall of 2015.
