Guster Headlines Three Rivers Arts Festival 6/4-13

Three Rivers Arts Festival, a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, proudly announces the headline music schedule for the 2010 Festival, June 4-13. All headline concerts are presented on the Dollar Bank Stage at Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh. The free live music series, a Pittsburgh tradition, is sponsored by Dollar Bank.

J. Kevin McMahon, president and CEO of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust notes, "Three Rivers Arts Festival is one of the largest, green events of it kind that remains free to the public. The Arts Festival is a true convergence of art and the environment and so this year as Pittsburgh serves as the North America host city for the United Nations World Environment Day celebration, we are honored to present Guster, one of the most environmentally engaged music groups in the country, on the Dollar Bank Stage in Point State Park. We're proud to show the world how Pittsburgh has successfully united arts and environmental sustainability, in addition to transforming its Cultural District through robust programming and bold vision."

"Guster is honored and excited to play Three Rivers Art Festival for World Environment Day," said Adam Gardner, guitar/vocals for Guster and co-director of Reverb. "We've been doing all we can to lessen our environmental impact on the road from fueling our bus with biodiesel to powering our shows with wind power. When we heard about the zero waste efforts of Three Rivers Art Festival, it made us all the more pleased to be playing this fun event!"

"Dollar Bank has a long history with quality concerts in Point State Park, so we are very pleased to again underwrite the main music stage at the Festival," said Joseph B. Smith, Senior Vice President Marketing, Dollar Bank. "The Festival's free programming on the Dollar Bank Stage contributes to Pittsburgh's reputation as a major destination for arts and entertainment, and underlines both the Cultural Trust and Dollar Bank's commitment to providing the Pittsburgh region with top-quality, affordable arts programming."

All concerts at Three Rivers Arts Festival are free and open to the public. Additional Festival details will be released in May, including information on the Artists Market, visual arts, family programming, performing arts and additional music programming. For information, call 412-456-6666 or visit artsfestival.net.

Friday, June 4: Alejandro Escovedo (7:30 pm)
After starting his solo career in the early 90s, critically acclaimed Alejandro Escovedo has gone on to release nine albums including his most recent Real Animal (2008). Since dabbling in rock and cowboy punk in the 70s and 80s, opening for bands ranging from The Sex Pistols to Los Lobos, and relocating to Austin, Texas, Escovedo has become a pioneer in Americana and alternative country.

Saturday, June 5: Guster (7:30 pm)
From humble beginnings at Tufts University, Guster has grown a massive fan base across the United States. In 1999, the band released their breakout album Lost and Gone Forever, produced by Steve Lillywhite, and has since had multiple songs hit the Adult Top 40 and the Billboard 200. Following their 2006 album Ganging Up on the Sun, Guster's sold-out eco-friendly Campus Consciousness tour featured busses fueled with biodiesel and performances powered by the wind. Guster has become a powerful advocate for environmental responsibility in the music industry, founding first the non-profit Reverb and then, this spring, the Green Music Group. This commitment to the environment, plus their poetic songwriting, unique instrumentation and fantastic vocal harmonies, make Guster the perfect World Environment Day concert.

Sunday, June 6: Dirty Dozen Brass Band (6 pm)
Hailing from New Orleans, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band has been mesmerizing audiences since 1977 with their raging horns and high-energy performances. The Dirty Dozen has performed at festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival and Bonnaroo, and has worked with musicians as diverse Dr. John, Dizzy Gillespie, Elvis Costello and DJ Logic. Their revolutionized brass-band sound has brought millions of listeners to their feet.

With special guest Nathaniel Rateliff (5 pm)

Monday, June 7: TBA

Tuesday, June 8: Jason Isbell (7:30 pm)
Jason Isbell's career took off after teaming up with fellow Alabama natives The Drive-By Truckers in 2001. After numerous songwriting credits for the band, Isbell left the Truckers in 2007 to pursue his solo career. Shortly following his departure, Isbell released his debut album, Sirens of the Ditch. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit is the follow-up effort, Isbell's first album with his backing band and even more of that classic Alabama sound.

With special guest Tift Merritt (6:30 pm)

Wednesday, June 9: Los Amigos Invisibles (7:30 pm)
This Venezuelan band has created a wholly individual sound by wrapping funk, disco and jazz in Latin rhythms. After releasing their debut album The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera in 1995, it didn't take long for the band to gain international attention. In 2001, the group moved from Venezuela to New York, and since then has earned one Latin Grammy and two more nominations, including a nod for their most recent album, Commercial. Described as "Jamiroquai meets Santana," Los Amigos Invisibles' disco-funk will have everyone dancing.

Thursday, June 10: Ingrid Michaelson
You might not know Ingrid Michaelson's name, but you've probably heard her music. Since releasing her 2005 debut album, Michaelson's songs have appeared in numerous network television shows including Scrubs, One Tree Hill and Grey's Anatomy. This Staten Island native started playing piano at age four, and has since developed into a passionate artist and skillful songwriter. She will perform at the Festival just after touring with The Barenaked Ladies and a brief UK tour.

With special guest Matt Morris (6:30 pm)

Friday, June 11: Kris Kristofferson (7:30 pm)
The multi-talented Kris Kristofferson was a Rhodes Scholar and an Army Ranger before he embarked on a prodigious musical and film career, producing a catalog of more than twenty albums and acting in dozens of films. Kristofferson started as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing hit songs for Ray Stevens, Roger Miller, Jerry Lee Lewis and Janis Joplin. He landed a gig at the Newport Folk Fest with an introduction from Johnny Cash, and despite limited initial sales went on to have enormous success as both a solo artist and a songwriter. Kristofferson swept the 1971 Grammys and has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Songwriters hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame, and in 2007 received CMT's Johnny Cash Visionary Award. Still touring at 73 years old, his most recent album is Closer to the Bone, released in September 2009.

With special guest Justin Townes Earle (6:30 pm)

Saturday, June 12: TBA

Sunday, June 13: Patty Griffin (6 pm)
Patty Griffin was discovered in the early 90s playing coffee houses around Boston, and in 1996 released her major label debut, Living with Ghosts, which showcased her raw talent, unique voice and skillful songwriting. Over the years, Griffin has toured with artists like Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch, and her songs have been performed by Martina McBride, Reba McIntire, Bette Midler, Kelly Clarkson, Solomon Burke and The Dixie Chicks, among others. This year, Griffin released the critically-acclaimed Downtown Church, a stylistically-diverse collection of traditional gospel songs and original compositions that the Boston Globe called "transcendent."

With special guest Guggenheim Grotto (5 pm)

About The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is the cultural and economic development of Pittsburgh's 14-block Cultural District through public and private support. The Trust presents and encourages diverse performing and visual arts programs within the District, and is an impetus for additional development in downtown Pittsburgh.

In addition to the PNC Broadway Across America - Pittsburgh series, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents the Pittsburgh Dance Council, Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents, CD Live, JazzLive, First Night Pittsburgh, Gallery Crawl, Three Rivers Arts Festival, the Pittsburgh International Children's Theater and Children's Festival, among other Cultural District and arts events.

The Trust owns Theater Square and the Cabaret at Theater Square; the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts; Byham, O'Reilly, and Harris Theaters; Wood Street Galleries; SPACE, a visual arts gallery at 812 Liberty Avenue; and 937 Liberty, a multipurpose performance and exhibit space, among other downtown arts facilities.

 

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