The Lutheran Children’s Hospital in Fort Wayne has helped so many kids in the Fort Wayne area. Now you can show your appreciation for their work by attending a benefit rock concert at the University of St Francis Performing Arts Center.

The concert will be held on Fri, Jul 13, at 7:30 PM. Three groups will play at the concert – Eric Stuart Band, Electric Attitude, and Fort Wayne’s own SUM MORZ.

A portion of all proceeds from the concert will be donated to Lutheran Children’s Hospital in response to its commitment to helping children in the community.

Eric Stuart

Each band has its own style of music. The Eric Stuart Band will play old school rock and roll. Electric Attitude will entertain with rock and funk. SUM MORZ has a rollicking rock beat.

According to concert organizer Caleb Storey, all ages are encouraged to attend. “There is no adult theme to the music and nothing bad for kids,” he said.

The Embassy will offer refreshments. Bring the whole family to this event that will help so many young residents of our community.

For more information go to www.rockmedshow.com.

Lutheran Children’s Hospital is located inside Lutheran Hospital at 7950 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN 46804
(260) 435-PEDS (7337)

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The Foellinger Theatre continues to bring the best Rock and Roll music of the past to the Fort Wayne community. On July 14, Starship will appear in concert at 8:00 p.m.

Starship was not the band’s original name. The group began in the 1960s when, as Jefferson Airplane, it debuted on August 13, 1965, at the Matrix nightclub in San Francisco.

Original members were Signe Anderson (replaced in 1966 by Grace Slick; vocals), Marty Balin (vocals and guitar), Paul Kantner (vocals and guitar), Jorma Kaukonen (guitar), Jack Casady (bass), and Spencer Dryden (drums).

By 1969 the group had headlined at Woodstock, Atlantic City Pop Festival and dozens of other venues, establishing itself as one of rock’s top groups. Their song, White Rabbit, became a platinum seller.

By the time Mickey Thomas joined the group in the 1970s, they had changed their name to Jefferson Starship. Later, they became simply Starship. No matter the moniker, these musicians still knew how to put hits together. ‘Jane,’ ‘No Way Out,’ ‘We Built this City,’ ‘Sara,’ ‘Nothing Gonna Stop Us Now’ were – and still are – showstoppers.

The show starts at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 and $25.00.

Foellinger Theatre is located in Franke Park next to the Children’s Zoo on Sherman Blvd.

For more information, call the box office at  260.427.6715 (Summer only).

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Quiz: What American music group did The Beatles borrow from as the model for their name?

Answer will be provided at the end of this post. Keep reading!

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The Brits are coming! It’s a British invasion!

OK, it’s not British soldiers. It’s BritBeat, a Beatles musical tribute band!

Just in case you’re wondering, the term British Invasion was coined by TV reporter Walter Cronkite to describe the Beatles’ arrival in the United States in 1964. Their public appearances soon led to Beatlemania in the U.S.

The British Invasion continued during the next two years as Petula Clark, Herman’s Hermits, the Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark Five and others had one or more Number One singles in America.

Even if BritBeat’s music was not impressive, this group would get an A+ from me for their bodacious attempts to recreate the sights, mannerisms, accents, costumes and sounds of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll group of all time.

Between 1963 and 1970 the Beatles released 22 singles and 12 LPs, many of which became Number Ones:  “Can’t Buy Me Love” (1964), “Yesterday” (1965), “Paperback Writer” (1966), “Hello, Goodbye” (1967), “Hey, Jude” (1968), “Let It Be” (1970).

Being a loyal follower of The Beatles’ music, I have to admit the musical selections heard from BritBeat on a short vid at www.Reverbnation.com sounded pretty good. They played songs from The Beatles’ early years around 1964 through Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road. I even heard some Paul McCartney and Wings tunes.

BritBeat will appear at the Foellinger Theatre onSaturday, June 30 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets cost $12.00. For more information contact Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation, 705 East State Blvd, Fort Wayne, IN 46805; 260.427.6000; www.fortwayneparks.org.

Answer: After a series of names for their group including “Johnny and the Moondogs” and “The Silver Beetles”, Paul McCartney and his fellow musicians chose “The Beatles” in mid-August 1960. They modeled their name after the American group Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

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What goes together better than peanut butter and jelly? How about live music and Friday nights?

If you agree, then you will be happy to hear that Friday Nites Live returned to Jefferson Pointe Friday June 1 and will run until September 7. Friday Nites Live is a free summer concert series that showcases a different local band every Friday night throughout the summer. The music ranges from rock to jazz, country to classical, and anything in between.

Concert goers enjoy live music during Friday Nites Live

Concert goers are encouraged to join the fun at the fountain for good music and fun times. Music starts at 6:30 pm and goes until 8:30 pm.

Bring your lawn chairs or blankets to sit on, stop at one of the many restaurants at Jefferson Pointe for dinner, or bring your food with you to enjoy the music.

Here is a schedule for the summer:

June 22 Rosemary Gates

June 29 My Lost Tribe

July 06 Allan and Ashcraft

July 13 Sierra Shame

July 20 Blue River Big Band

July 27 Juke Joint Jive

August 03 New Millennium Orchestra

August 10 Fawn Liebowitz

August 17 James and the Drifters

August 24 Urban Legend

August 31 Ty Causey

September 07 Goodnight Gracie

For more information on Friday Nites Live and other events at Jefferson Pointe, visit http://www.jeffersonshopping.com/

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The voices of Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin and Bette Midler are magnificent on their own. Put them together on one stage and you have a group of female vocal artists like none other. What is this trio of tribute artists called? Divapalooza! Their musical range runs the gamut from rhythm and blues, to jazz, musical theatre, rock & roll, folk and gospel.

Divapalooza will perform on Saturday, June 23, at 8:00 p.m. at Foellinger Theatre.

Foellinger Outdoor Theatre is a lovely concert setting.

And just so you know – if you’ve not been to Foellinger Theatre in a while, you might want to check it out. You may not recognize the place. It has undergone major upgrades in recent years. In 2011 a new roof, electronic sign, enclosed artists’ dining area and lights were added. In 2009 and 2010 new dressing rooms, house lights, stage lights and light control board were added.

Foellinger Theatre is located in Franke Park next to the Children’s Zoo on Sherman Boulevard. Parking is ample; better yet — Foellinger Theatre offers free parking at all concerts.

Reserved and Bleacher (general admission) seating for Divapalooza: $10

For additional information call 260.427.6000 or go to http://www.fortwayneparks.org/.

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