In celebration of 10 years of music, friendship and community, Prior Lake Rotary’s Lakefront Music Fest had developed a line-up that includes multiple Grammy award winning artists and two Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame inductees. The two-night outdoor festival features one rock night and one country night. The rock headliner on Friday, July 12 will be the Steve Miller Band, who took the music world by storm in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Country night on Saturday, July 13 will feature headliner Brad Paisley, a 3-time Grammy, 14-time ACM winner and 14-time CMA winner (including Entertainer of the Year.) The two-day festival is at Lakefront Park in Prior Lake, MN.
Kicking off classic rock night on July 12 will be Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives followed by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, another Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Artists performing before Paisley on country night will be Chris Lane and Riley Green. General Admission tickets are $60 for both days or $40 per night now through June 30 (or until sold out). Limited VIP tickets are also available, and people must be 21 to purchase VIP tickets. To buy tickets and for more information visit: www.lakefrontmusicfest.com.
FRIDAY, JULY 12 – ROCK NIGHT
STEVE MILLER BAND
Steve Miller has been an enlivening presence on the American music scene for more than half a century. To begin with, he was a mainstay of the San Francisco music scene that upended American culture in the late ’60s. With albums like Children of the Future, Sailor and Brave New World, Miller perfected a psychedelic blues sound that drew on the deepest sources of American roots music and simultaneously articulated a compelling vision of what music – and, indeed, society – could be in the years to come.
Then, in the ’70s, Miller crafted a brand of pure pop that was smart, polished, exciting and irresistible – and that dominated radio in a way that few artists have ever managed. Hit followed hit in what seemed like an endless flow: “The Joker,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Rock’n Me,” “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Jet Airliner” and “Jungle Love,” among them. To this day, those songs are instantly recognizable when they stream on the radio – and impossible not to sing along with. Their hooks are the very definition of indelible.
Running through Miller’s distinctive catalog is a combination of virtuosity and song craft. And that’s no accident. His parents were jazz aficionados, not to mention close friends of Les Paul and Mary Ford, so, as a budding guitarist, Miller absorbed valuable lessons from that musical tradition. When the family moved to Texas, Miller deepened his education in the blues with family friend T-Bone Walker. Miller then moved to Chicago, where he played with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, James Cotton and Paul Butterfield. That range of sources informs his music to this day.
In recent years, Miller has fully immersed himself in the blues and its many byways. As he has always done, he continues to find creative outlets for the full panoply of his musical passions. On his successful tours with the Steve Miller Band, he complements the commercial peaks of his extensive catalogue with lesser-known songs that expand his fans’ awareness of the range of his work. As a member of the Board of Directors at Jazz at Lincoln Center, he has curated and headlined shows that explore themes like the bridge from blues to jazz in the music of guitar great T-Bone Walker; the distinctive sounds of the blues triangle of Memphis, Texas and Chicago; the resonances between the singular musical creations of Ma Rainey and Miles Davis; and the deep American roots music of Appalachia. He is also a member of the visiting committee of the Department of Musical Instruments at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Indeed, five of his guitars will be displayed in “Play It Loud: The Instruments of Rock and Roll,” a groundbreaking exhibition at the Met that will run from April 8 through October 1 of this year.
In the course of his long, full career, Miller has sold tens of millions of records and his music has been streamed well over 2 billion times. With each listen the beauty and immediacy of his work, whether at its most playful or most serious, is palpable. As always, whether he was riding the top of the charts or traveling the endless blue highways of American music, you can hear him playing and singing with conviction and precision, passion and eloquence, making music that is at once immediately accessible, thrillingly alive in the present, and more than able to stand the test of time. – Anthony DeCurtis
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS
Joan Jett is an originator, an innovator, and a visionary. As the leader of the hard- rocking Blackhearts, with whom she has become a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, she’s had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classics “Bad Reputation,” “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” and “Crimson and Clover.” Her independent record label, Blackheart Records, was founded in 1980 after she was rejected by no less than 23 labels. Blackheart is one of the longest running indie labels and continues to give voice to new bands. Jett has acted in movies and television, including 1987’s Light Of Day, and in a Tony-nominated Broadway musical, The Rocky Horror Show. She has appeared on such acclaimed television shows as Oprah (the last season) and Law and Order. As a producer, she has overseen albums by Bikini Kill, Circus Lupus, as well as the Germs’ LA punk masterpiece, GI.
Her music has become a permanent force in mainstream culture. A version of “I Hate Myself for Loving You” was reworked for NBC’s Sunday Night Football theme song, Waiting All Day for Sunday Night”, and was performed for 9 seasons by the likes of Pink, Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood. Her music is heard in countless films and TV shows including Easy – A, Kick Ass, The Runaways, Shrek, Baby Mama, and many more.
Since co-founding the Runaways, the pioneering all-girl punk quintet, at age 15, Jett’s determination and drive have kept her in the public eye. Jett was able to see her story told in The Runaways, the film based on (lead singer of The Runaways) Cherie Currie’s book Neon Angel starring Kristen Stewart as Jett, and her fellow A-lister Dakota Fanning as Currie. Jett was close to the project: She served as an executive producer. Jett and the Blackhearts released their latest record, ‘Unvarnished,’ in 2013 and continue touring the globe to throngs of adoring fans.
Joan Jett has spent her lifetime breaking barriers and challenging expectations – this is, after all, a woman who is both a spokesperson for PETA and a devoted supporter of the US Military. She’s fought hard for all of her historic accomplishments, yet she remains humble and appreciative. “I’ve had a blessed career,” she says. “I consider myself so lucky to have been able to do things my own way.”
MARTY STUART AND THE FABULOUS SUPERLATIVES
Having Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives join us for this year’s summer tour is something I have been working on for years. To put this combination together is really very special. In my opinion Marty Stuart is a master musician, one of the greatest guitar players and singers performing today and the Fabulous Superlatives featuring Kenny Vaughan, Chris Scruggs and Harry Stinson are one of the best live vocal groups in the world and not to be missed. Over the years we have always chosen our musical guests with great care with the goal being to provide you with the greatest evening of music we can. Classic Rock meets Classic Country promises to be a lot of fun and a great musical event.
– Steve Miller
“Marty Stuart has made country music his life’s work, and I cannot imagine the music without him,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “He has preserved its history, photographed its legends and performed its music with integrity. Marty’s music reaches beyond traditional country, drawing influence from genres including Americana, southern gospel and hillbilly rock. Marty’s residency will no doubt deliver truly unique and memorable experiences.”
A five-time Grammy winner, platinum artist and recipient of numerous industry accolades including the Country Music Association’s prestigious Joe Talbot Award, Stuart began his musical career at age 12, when he joined the Sullivan Family Gospel Singers. After stints with bluegrass great Lester Flatt’s Nashville Grass and Johnny Cash’s backing band, he embarked on a solo career that resulted in hits including “Hillbilly Rock” and “Tempted.” Stuart has also enjoyed a successful collaboration with Travis Tritt as “No Hats” touring partners and hit-makers (“The Whiskey Ain’t Workin”).
In addition to Flatt, Cash and Tritt, Stuart has worked onstage or in the studio with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Charley Pride, Mavis Staples, Porter Wagoner and hundreds of others. In the early 2000s, Stuart formed the aptly named Fabulous Superlatives, a band whose musical skills and sensibilities outshine the vibrancy of their Western suits. The Fabulous Superlatives issued their latest album, the critically acclaimed Way Out West, in 2017. The band includes guitar great Kenny Vaughan, famed drummer Harry Stinson and preternaturally talented multi-instrumentalist Chris Scruggs.
In recognition, celebration and admiration for his standing as one of country music’s greatest torchbearers and most enduring talents, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum has invited Marty Stuart to be its 16th artist-in-residence. The artist-in-residence series is both an honor and a challenge. The museum offers its theaters as a blank canvas to artists of grand consequence with the understanding that the artist will curate shows unlike any others. Stuart will produce and perform three shows, on September 11, 18 and 25, 2019, bringing with him his Fabulous Superlatives band and friends from his nearly half-century of music making.
According to Stuart, “The ultimate destination in the world of country music is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The Hall of Fame is our greatest treasure chest and a place that represents the heart and soul of our culture. Some of my most cherished memories are of events I’ve either witnessed or performed in at the Hall of Fame. It’s an honor to be the artist-in-residence this September. Hopefully, at the end of the run, the past, present and the future of country music will have been touched upon, leaving in its wake three nights of magic to be remembered at the Hall of Fame.”
SATURDAY, JULY 13 – COUNTRY NIGHT
BRAD PAISLEY
Brad Paisley is a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, guitarist and entertainer whose talents have earned him numerous awards, including three Grammys®, two American Music Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards and 14 Country Music Association Awards (including Entertainer of the Year), among many others.
He has been a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2001. Paisley has written 21 of his 24 #1 hits and has accumulated over 20 million career total worldwide album sales, track downloads and streaming equivalents. His 11th studio album, Love And War, which was released in 2017, was his 9th consecutive studio album to debut #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. In April 2017, Love And War was released as country music’s first ever visual album for a limited time exclusively on Apple Music and now is available on VEVO. Paisley has partnered with Boot Barn® and developed an exclusive line of jeans, hats, T-shirts, jewelry, belts and woven shirts called Moonshine Spirit by Brad Paisley.
CHRIS LANE
Chris Lane burst onto the scene with his breakout #1 smash “Fix,” and the star continues to rise with Gold and Platinum level single certifications, two Top 10 albums and 850 million+ combined streams. Out of the gate, his irresistible new single “I Don’t Know About You” is climbing the country radio charts and follows the success of his hit collaboration “Take Back Home Girl” with Tori Kelly. Both songs are featured on Lane’s album Laps Around the Sun, which made a chart-topping debut landing at #1 on the iTunes Top Country Albums chart and inside the Top 10 of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart for the second time in his career. Gaining recognition, Lane was named one of MusicRow Magazine’s 2017 Next Big Thing Artists, has scored nominations at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, ACM Awards and Radio Disney Music Awards and appeared on “TODAY,” “The Bachelor,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and “CONAN.” Previously landing coveted opening slots on tours with Florida Georgia Line, Dustin Lynch, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw + Faith Hill and Rascal Flatts, the Kernersville, N.C.-native closed out his second headline run in the Laps Around the Sun Tour in January.
RILEY GREEN
Riley Green was born in Jacksonville, Alabama and raised on the sounds of old traditional country, bluegrass and southern gospel music. He learned the spirit of songwriting and performing at a young age while spending time with his grandfather, Bufford Green who ran Golden Saw Music Hall. Riley shared the stage with him and other men of his generation, laying a foundation for the songs he’d craft in the years to come, reflecting on the experiences of a young Southern man trying to find his place in the world. With a mixture of outlaw-rebellion and respect for tradition, Riley’s original music has already tallied over 71 million streams to date. Recently wrapping his headlining Outlaws Like Us Tour, he has built fierce support traveling the southeast for the last six years growing his fan-base on social media. His current single “There Was This Girl” is Top 15 and rising on country radio and he recently made his national TV debut on NBC’s “Today” and fulfilled a childhood dream making his debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage last December. Additionally, he was selected as a member of the Opry’s NextStage Program and has been named for both CMT’s Listen Up Artists as well as MusicRow’s 2019 Next Big Things. Named one of Rolling Stone Country’s “Artists You Need to Know,” his In A Truck Right Now EP on BMLG Records was produced by Dann Huff and features four songs he co-wrote: “There Was This Girl,” “Same Old Song,” “Break Up More Often” and “In A Truck Right Now.”
