The First Street Community Center's Uptown Theatre is happy to be hosting Chuck Mitchell as a part of the Spring/Summer 2018 LilFest Concert Series.
Chuck Mitchell can fill a stadium with his voice, his songs and the songs of many others! Indeed he's been doing just that since the heyday of folk music when he shared his last name with Roberta Joan Anderson Mitchell (better known as Joni).
Frances Luke Accord are an independent Chicago-based duo hailing originally from South Bend, Indiana. Both dedicated multi-instrumentalists and meticulous songwriters, Nicholas Gunty and Brian Powers distinguish their music with genre fluidity, buttery harmonies and acoustic ensembles.
Although prevailingly a modern folk band, FLA sip copious inspiration from Americana, jazz, soul, and rock.
Phil Heywood plays fingerstyle guitar with a bluesy swing and a bucketful of whatever it takes to turn an instrumental piece into an arresting lyrical narrative. His lucid playing encompasses the down-home rhythmic groove of a Mississippi John Hurt or Leadbelly, and the sheer fluidity and melodic flair of such contemporaries as Leo Kottke.
The internationally renowned Kottke handpicked Mr. Heywood to tour and perform duets with him. A soul-satisfying instrumentalist, Phil Heywood draws listeners in with his voice as well, singing in a warm, plainspoken baritone that blends smoothly with his rock-solid guitar work.
Enjoy the outdoors with some live music from local favorites James Kennedy and Friends. This is an instrumental group based in the Midwest. Fronted by versatile guitarist James Kennedy, they play a mix of classic hits, jazz/blues, Latin and original songs – using only their instruments and years of training to bring the music to life.
The eclectic sounds of James on guitars, Catherine Lawson on the 5 string electric/acoustic violin, Matt Alles on electric bass and Eric Madison on percussion/drums creates an uncommon blend of tunes both familiar and unique at the same time.
The A-Go-Gos, a Mount Vernon Volunteer Organization, proudly presents the 2018 Uptown Theatre Honors - An Evening Gala Celebrating the Arts on Saturday, October 20, 2018 starting with a 6:30 pm cocktail hour and 7:30 pm for the show.
This year's honorees are Johnny Krob, Mickey Woods, James & Catherine Kennedy, Beryl O’Connor and Damon Cole.
Tickets are $20 and an be purchased ahead of time at Bauman's in Mount Vernon, or you call the Reservation Line (319) 895-8060. Tickets are also available at the door.
Come join us to celebrate these wonderful people and their contributions to the arts!
“Meet Me Where They Play the Blues!” That is the invitation from jazz musician Eddie Piccard.
The Eddie Piccard Quartet and the Busch Brothers will once again join forces at the First Street Community Center in Mount Vernon on Saturday, November 10, at 7:30 pm. The program will likely include “Pete Kelly’s Blues,” “The St. Louis Blues,” “The Salt Lake City Blues,” and many other blues songs and traditional jazz numbers.
“The blues is quintessentially American,” Eddie says. “The music grew out of the songs of Afro-American slaves and field hands in the South. The blues contains so many emotions, including joy, sorrow, and determination. The words may at first sound down, but the music always brings you up.
We love playing for the audience that comes to the Mount Vernon events, and we know people will love hearing this music. It’s classic.”
An intimate concert in a relaxed setting on Saturday, November 17th at 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:15 pm), in the Uptown Theatre.
Recently Dave Moore and Phil Heywood have been sharing stages, trading songs and embroidering rich instrumental accompaniment on each other’s songs and melodies.
Mount Vernon's Phil Heywood plays fingerstyle guitar with a bluesy swing and a bucketful of whatever it takes to turn an instrumental piece into an arresting lyrical narrative. His lucid playing encompasses the down-home rhythmic groove of a Mississippi John Hurt or Leadbelly, and the sheer fluidity and melodic flair of such contemporaries as Leo Kottke. The internationally renowned Kottke once handpicked Mr. Heywood to tour and perform duets with him.
Eastern Iowa's Dave Moore writes and plays guitar, button accordion and harmonica in a country blues/folk and conjunto style. He is a veteran of A Prairie Home Companion, winner of Iowa Arts Council grants and recipient of the 2017 Folk Tradition Midwest Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM).
Presented by LilFest Extraordinary music in an intimate setting, an opportunity to meet the musicians, hear a great performance, listen, laugh, have a memorably musical evening.
Tim’s songs are full of the rural rumblings that have shaped his life—rich with descriptive details, and sung with warmth and intimacy—recognizing the inextinguishable national romance with the idea of the family farm and the vanishing landscape of rural America. He released the album, Heart Land in 2000, and on the strength of that recording, was named 2000’s “Best Discovery in Roots/Americana Music” by The Chicago Sun-Times. His albums Coyotes Dream and Names, led to his being named “2004 Male Artist of The Year” by the Freeform American Roots DJs.
He has released 10 solo albums since 2000 (including the newest- The Turning Point), and 2 collaborations- Amber Waves (with Jason Wilber) and Wilderness Plots.
