'Family Event' celebrates 'family music'
The Quad-Cities will host a musical family reunion - of sorts. The FISHERMEN'S HOLLER FAMILY BLUEGRASS CONCERT will be held Saturday October 17 at the Rock Island County Fairgrounds located at 4200 Archer Drive in East Moline, IL inside the Big Red Barn. Tickets purchased before October 1st are very reasonably priced at $10 per adult per show with children 12 and under free with adult. After October 1st tickets will be available in advance and at the door for $15 per adult per show with children free with adult. A limited number of campsites are available with 30 amp RV hookups for an additional charge. Call (309) 235-3923 for more information. The all-day, family friendly event will feature matinee and evening concerts at 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM showcasing a playbill of impressive bluegrass music talent including, SPECIAL CONSENSUS, FARIS FAMILY, BLUEGRASS MARTINS, and host artist JOSIE DEWITT & FISHERMEN'S HOLLER.
GRAMMY nominated, international touring, Compass Records recording artists, SPECIAL CONSENSUS will headline the talent roster. Led by Chicago-based banjo artist Greg Cahill, the 'artist accord' has entertained widely throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the U.K. Last fall the group made their first tour of Australia.
Established in 1975, the band is now celebrating 40 years of touring, entertaining appreciative audiences across a variety of venues including television and internet broadcasts, radio, festival and concert stages. In 2014, SPECIAL CONSENSUS was awarded Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year by the prestigious International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).
SPECIAL CONSENSUS mandolin performer, Rick Faris was raised a multi-instrumentalist and award-winning guitar performer in FARIS FAMILY - a Kansas-based independent recording and touring band who performed across the U.S. and Canada for more than a decade before individual career choices took them in separate ways in 2009. Among other honors, the group was named five consecutive years Entertaining Group of the Year, and four times Instrumental Group of the Year by the fan-based membership of the Society for the Preservation of Blue Grass Music of America (SPBGMA). The family's performance during this event will mark a musical reunion and a rare treat for their supporters among QC bluegrass fans.
Eddie Faris met his talented wife, the BLUEGRASS MARTINS' award-winning fiddler and vocalist Jeana Martin Faris, as their families crossed paths touring. Their courtship gave a new definition to the term "performance dates". BLUEGRASS MARTINS, based in Jefferson City, Missouri, have been awarded dozens of accolades from SPBGMA including twice named Vocal Group of the Year, and for nine consecutive years, Instrumental Group of the Year. In addition, they have individually received the nod for Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year, Fiddle Performer of the Year, Guitar Performer of the Year, Dobro Performer of the Year, and Banjo Performer of the Year. In 2008, three of the sisters appeared on the Blue Circle Records release "Bluegrass Bouquet - the Daughters of Bluegrass" which was named IBMA Recorded Event of the Year.
Quad-Cities' singer-songwriter, JOSIE DEWITT & FISHERMEN'S HOLLER will be performing selections from her considerable catalog of bluegrass and gospel music. She regularly performs to appreciative audiences from among her growing list of fans. To make the familiar ties complete, Ms. DeWitt is the sister of master of ceremonies, wife, mother, and performer, Michelle Faris of FARIS FAMILY.
Please bring lawn chairs. For advance tickets sales and information contact 309-235-3923; send checks or money orders to: Fishermen's Holler, Inc.; P.O. Box 56; Rapids City, IL 61278.
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