Benefit concerts to feature Crown All-Stars
The Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation has partnered with local group Disaster Relief for Montana to hold two concerts in November with proceeds to support music education and wildfire relief. Calling it “Crown Stars 4 Montana Relief,” the concerts will feature New York City blues guitarist “King” Solomon Hicks and Seattle’s up-and-coming alt-rock band Gypsy Temple, led by Cameron Miles Lavi-Jones. Both artists are former scholarship recipients of the Crown Guitar Workshop and will be joined by other local Montana guitarists at the concerts.
“It’s going to be a great weekend of music,” said Diane Kautzman, development director of the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation. “Each evening will offer a variety of music highlighting some of the superb guitarists who have been participating in the Crown Guitar Workshop and Festival over the last eight years. It will be a big party for our Flathead Valley community with food and drink ... a celebration of the love of guitar!”
Doors open at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17 at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts for the first concert, featuring Hicks backed by an all-star band. A guitar prodigy who began playing at the legendary Cotton Club when he was only 13 years old, Hicks has evolved into a high energy, get-up-out-of-your-seat blues guitarist who, when not touring internationally, plays a regular gig at the Harlem Club. A natural showman, his musical style synthesizes showbiz and swing without ever sacrificing the quality of the music, whether its blues, funk, R&B or jazz. Several Montana-based Crown scholarship and fellowship recipients will also perform, including Andre Floyd, Mike Murray, Luke Dowler and some surprise guests.
The $50 ticket includes appetizers catered by the Atanaha chef, Dan Solberg of Bigfork. One complimentary drink ticket is provided with a cash bar offered by The Garden Bar.
Then on Saturday, Nov. 18, the show format will include both an early and a late performance at Craggy Range in Whitefish, featuring Cameron Miles Lavi-Jones leading his band, Gypsy Temple. Gypsy Temple plays rock, jazz, rap, soul and even classical, drawing/invoking inspiration from as many sources as they can. Opening for them will be several Montana Crown Scholarship guitarists, including Andre Floyd, Mike Murray, Luke Dowler and some surprise guests.
On Saturday, doors open at 6 p.m. for the first of a two-set show that costs $50 and includes light fare until 10 p.m. The first 100 patrons will receive a complimentary drink ticket. A cash bar will also be available. For $20 patrons can attend just the second set that begins at 10 p.m. and goes to 1 a.m.
THE CROWN of the Continent Guitar Foundation will use proceeds from the events to support the educational programs of its annual summer workshop program in Bigfork and throughout the Flathead. During Hicks’ three-day visit he will be giving both demonstrations and inspirational talks to high school and junior college students about his early lessons from inner city Harlem and how he turned his interests into a successful career at a young age.
Kautzman notes that this summer the Crown will hold more live demos and outreach in our communities using young scholarship and fellowship guitar/music students.
“This ‘Listen to the Music’ approach aims to spread the word of how playing and performing can really help you and continues on into their education and careers,” Kautzman said.
She adds that Crown organizers are designing it to support and collaborate with the existing public/private music programs across the Flathead and beyond.
Disaster Relief for Montana was created this summer after the many devastating fires that scorched the state, impacting the economy and leaving some people homeless. So far the organization has raised more than $50,000 in cash and has delivered an amazing volume of donations to fire victims.
Advance tickets can be purchased in Bigfork at the The Jug Tree, in Whitefish at Frame of Reference Gallery and Craggy Range, in Kalispell at Montana Marie and also at http://Crownguitarfest.tix.com.
For more information, call 406-270-1559 or visit https://crownguitarfest.org.