The Salina Stiefel Theatre is welcoming four more acts to an already busy spring / summer schedule.
The Salina venue announced four more big shows Monday afternoon. Shows announced include a young up and coming country star, a classic rocker, an “outlaw American / Texas” country group, and a group of internet sensation musicians.
SCOTTIE MCCREERY
FRIDAY, APRIL 28 @ 8PM
Scotty McCreery burst onto the national music scene in 2011 at age 17, quickly establishing himself as one of country music’s hottest new stars. Now in his early twenties, the talented singer/songwriter has album sales approaching 3 million, and received both Platinum and Gold album certifications, debuted three consecutive albums at No. 1 on a Billboard chart, and achieved one Gold and three Platinum-certified singles as well as two Top Ten hits. McCreery has toured with Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts, headlined his own tours, earned industry and fan accolades, and was named “Best American Idol” by the readers of The Los Angeles Times and “Country Music’s Sexiest Man” by the readers of NASH Country Weekly Magazine. He has amassed more than three million followers on Facebook and Twitter, and received more than 150 million YouTube views. And with the release of his first book Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream in 2016, he can also add add the title of author to his resume.
His deep voice and irresistible sound create a perfect blend of contemporary and traditional country. With more than 400 live shows under his belt across the U.S., Canada, the Philippines and the Caribbean, McCreery has quickly become a crowd favorite appealing to all ages. His loyal fans – the McCreerians – are among the most dedicated and enthusiastic in the country music world. Tickets start at $39
RECKLESS KELLY
THURSDAY, JUNE 29 @ 8PM
Reckless Kelly is a great band with an apt name. The outlaw’s spirit pervades the ambiance. They are rugged individualists who dedicate themselves to advancing the state of their art.They’re good guys, too. Their hearts dwell in the right places, and those are where the music follows. Reckless Kelly’s string of critically acclaimed albums – Under the Table and Above the Sun(2003), Wicked Twisted Road (2005), Bulletproof (2008), Somewhere in Time (2010), Grammy-nominated Good Luck & True Love (2011) and Grammy-winning Long Night Moon(2013) – set a standard of reliable excellence and commitment to an instinctive vision of Americana. No band exemplifies the broad genre better. Tickets start at $25
STEVEN STILLS WITH JUDY COLLINS
SATURDAY, AUGUST 5 @ 8PM – NUMA EDEMA OPENS
50 years ago, singer-songwriter Stephen Still met singer-songwriter Judy Collins, known for her piercing ocean blue eyes. Their tumultuous love affair would later be immortalized by Stills with his composition “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” performed by Crosby, Stills & Nash on their landmark debut. Both artists would go gone to shape modern music with visionary approaches, but Stills and Collins’ short fiery union remains a transformative era for the two artists.
This summer, the two icons of folk will celebrate the golden anniversary of their formative time together. Their joint summer tour marks the first time ever Stills and Collins have been onstage together. For this once in a lifetime experience, the two music legends will pull from their rich catalogs, debut songs from their upcoming album, due out Summer of 2017, and share warm and intimate stories from their journeys and the1960s folk and Laurel Canyon scenes they helped build.
Stills and Collins met in 1967 and dated for two years. Stills wrote and demoed his legendary love song to Collins right after he left Buffalo Springfield, before he joined CSN. “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” is a five-section romantic epic brimming with heartfelt sincerity. The song has been ranked #418 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time Poll. Tickets start at $58
THE PIANO GUYS
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16 @ 8PM
Hailing from Utah, The Piano Guys became an Internet sensation by way of their immensely successful series of strikingly original self-made music videos. They’ve made over 35 since joining forces in early 2011, including their hit video, an innovative 10-handed version of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful. ” But it’s the Guys’ highly original blend of classical music with pop that has really been the cause of an Internet phenomenon that brought them to their major label self-titled debut album released on Sony Music Masterworks in 2012. This release was followed by their sophomore album, The Piano Guys 2, holiday album, A Family Christmas, Wonders, and recently released The Piano Guys Live! album all available now on Portrait, an imprint of Sony Music Masterworks.
The Piano Guys have performed everywhere from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to The Today Show as well have been featured in The New York Times, Fast Company, Buzzfeed, People Magazine, Mashable and so on.
But just who are The Piano Guys? Actually, there’s only one piano player, Jon Schmidt, and one other instrumentalist, Steven Sharp Nelson, on cello. Yet the other two – Paul Anderson and Al van der Beek – are equally significant members of the group. The Piano Guys’ name comes from Anderson’s piano store in St. George, Utah, which was called The Piano Guys. Looking for an alternative to low-yield conventional advertising, Anderson devised a Facebook promotional page and YouTube channel featuring the most famous pianist he could find – local pianist, Jon Schmidt. A self-described “New Age Classical” player, Schmidt was indeed well-established locally, thanks to eight albums and seven piano books of his song transcriptions. He also performed concerts throughout Utah, one of which featured a young guest artist, Steven Sharp Nelson, who adventurously combined traditional cello playing with percussion effects. “I was 15 when I met Jon and started playing with him,” Nelson recalls. “I had to get a ride to shows! But we’ve had a great brotherhood that’s now lasted 20 years.” Tickets start at $77
Tickets for all of these shows go on sale this Friday. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Stiefel box office, over the phone by calling 785-827-1998, or online. Stiefel Friends can purchase tickets early.
