Green Music Center At Sonoma State University Celebrates Music Mentors

Sonoma State University's Green Music Center celebrates the important role of teachers and music mentors this year with its Annual Fundraiser, Saturday, September 15, 2018. The evening features hip Americana band, Bumper Jacksons-a group that folds sounds of jazz, early blues, old-time music, and country swing into an exhilarating repertoire of modern American roots music.

Start the season off with a party that features a great band, cocktails, dancing, and supporting a good cause-all while paying tribute to music teachers! All philanthropic contributions go to support the Green Music Center's mission to present the most compelling artists of our time, to investigate ideas, and to provide access to diverse artistic experiences that educate, connect, and inspire Sonoma State University and the whole region. As part of our mission, the Green Music Center is committed to being a place where people learn and engage with music on a profound level, and in turn, leave our venue inspired to share insights with their communities.

Dinner guests are treated to a pre-concert meal inspired by flavors of the south at Prelude Restaurant and Patio. The main event of the evening is a concert and after-party featuring Bumper Jacksons. Like an old-time barn dance, the Bumper Jacksons pull together a vast array of early American traditions into a satisfyingly cohesive sound that strikes you right in the heart. Hard-swinging grooves and roadhouse drinking songs are valleyed by delicate waltzes of loss and regret. At the center of it all, is an invitation to join in-be it a rowdy dance party, a moment of soulful intimacy, or a movement to make a better world.

Following the performance, the party really gets started with festive tunes, dancing, and signature cocktails outside under the stars. VIP Parking is available.

5:30 p.m. - Pre-Concert Dinner at Prelude Restaurant and Patio.

8 p.m. - Concert featuring Bumper Jacksons in Weill Hall.

Post-Concert - After-Party outside under the stars, complete with great tunes, dancing, signature cocktails, and tasty sweet and savory bites.

Attire - Dress to have fun. Dress as you like. Let hot jazz, sweet country, banjos, and bourbon be your inspiration.

Single tickets for the concert & after-party featuring Bumper Jacksons are $250. For tickets, call 1.866.955.6040 or visit us online at gmc.sonoma.edu/banjosandbourbon. Tickets to the pre-concert dinner in Prelude Restaurant plus the concert and after-party are $1,000.

Bumper Jacksons are hot and sweet, painting America's story from the streets of New Orleans to Appalachian hollers. Unafraid to scrap together new sounds from forgotten 78's, the Bumper Jacksons elegantly balance paying homage to the traditions while fashioning their own unique, playful style. The group began as a duo, a city-meets-country experiment between songstress Jess Eliot Myhre and banjo player Chris Ousley. They hopped on bicycles, touring the country, instruments on their backs, seeking to reimagine roots music. In five short years, Bumper Jacksons grew to a brassy seven-piece, with horns and pedal steel. They've been honored multiple times as the Mid-Atlantic's "Artist of the Year" & "Best Traditional Band" at the Washington Area Music Awards. Bursting at the seams with some of the richest threads of old America, Bumper Jacksons bring you into the center of a party where everyone's invited and the dance floor never sleeps.

The Green Music Center is the performing arts presenter at Sonoma State University, a regionally serving public university committed to educational access and excellence. The mission of the Green Music Center is to present the most compelling artists of our time, to investigate ideas, and to provide access to diverse artistic experiences that educate, connect, and inspire Sonoma State University and neighboring North Bay communities.

Surrounded by the foothills of Sonoma County, the Green Music Center includes the 1,400-seat Weill Hall, with a rear wall that opens to lawn seating for a unique summertime experience, and the intimate 240-seat Schroeder Hall. As a focal point for the arts and education in the region, the Green Music Center presents artists year-round, serving as home to the Santa Rosa Symphony, Sonoma Bach, and the Sonoma State University Department of Music.

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