Category Archives: All ZAAC Events

All ZAAC Events

The Fabulous Armadillos — May 2

fabarmadillos-stadiumrock_webCrossings brings The Fabulous Armadillos to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Saturday, May 2, at 7:30 pm for Stadium Rock. Tickets are $34 in advance, $38 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

The Fabulous Armadillos are a talent-packed band that wows audiences with their themed cover concerts, heard in Zumbrota performing Motown hits and tributes to the Eagles and the Doobie Brothers.

After playing to nearly 17,000 people at St. Cloud's Summertime By George Festival in 2014, the Fabulous Armadillos are bringing this show to the intimate, 270-seat theater setting of the State Theater. It has quickly become their most requested “return” show from among 35 themes in their nine-year history.

Audiences will hear songs from bands like Journey, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Boston, Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, Queen and many more. In fact, audiences will hear Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” in its entirety, with no pre-recorded tracks – something Queen themselves never did live! The Dillos deliver a dose of fun and rock and roll with the timeless music that these great bands first brought to stadiums across the country and through the years.

Each Armadillos concert involves the core five-member band and special guests suited to the theme. The core band includes keyboardist Greg “Gary D.” Armstrong, who toured worldwide with Bobby Vee and GB Leighton for 15 years; guitarist Paul “Stretch” Diethelm, who toured worldwide with Jonny Lang and opened for The Stones, Aerosmith, Sting and many others; bassist Mike Zeleny; Billy Scherer, the amazing singer Eagles tribute audiences heard sing “Desperado” and “New Kid In Town;” and Jay O'Donnell on drums.

The Fabulous Armadillos website

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

All ZAAC Events

Storyhill Hiatus Tour — May 1

storyhillCrossings brings Storyhill to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Friday, May 1, at 7:30 pm.

CALL 732-7616 TO SEE IF TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE.

Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

With harmonies that have been compared to The Everly Brothers and Simon & Garfunkel, melodies that sink into your skin and clever tale telling that sticks with you, Storyhill has climbed musical mountains. 

Audiences can expect infectious melodies, smart story songs and heartbreaking harmonies brought together in one perfect package when they come to hear Storyhill. Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson grew up together in Montana and began playing music as a duo. They’ve performed together and separately ever since, and their sell-out reunion concerts are a testament to how popular their collaborative efforts are. Mixing old-fashioned storytelling with hauntingly spare acoustic arrangements, the duo sing about love, war and the many sorrows that accompany them. Cunningham and Hermanson have followed separate pursuits in Montana and Minnesota for several years, while reuniting as Storyhill. Cunningham produces recordings at Basecamp Recording, a studio he built just outside of Bozeman. Hermanson, who attended St. Olaf College, works as a producer in Minneapolis and continues to play with his band Alva Star.

Their 2007 eponymously titled CD led them to win the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Contest. Their latest CD, “Shade of the Trees,” was released in 2010.

Stoyhill Website

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

 

All ZAAC Events, State Theatre

Charlie Parr — April 25

charlieparr_webCrossings brings Charlie Parr to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Saturday, April 25 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $16 in advance, $18 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Charlie Parr's heartfelt and plaintive original folk blues and traditional spirituals don't strive for authenticity — they are authentic.

It's the music of a self-taught guitarist and banjo player who grew up without a TV but with his dad's recordings of America's musical founding fathers, including Charley Patton and Lightnin' Hopkins, Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. With his long scraggly hair, fathertime beard, thrift-store workingman's flannel and jeans, and emphatic, throaty voice, Parr looks and sounds the part entirely.

Parr’s latest release, “Hollandale,” is a once-in-a-lifetime album that uncovers new depths of original folk blues and traditional spirituals. Inspired by early 20th Century folk blues, engineered specifically for vinyl, the five improvised 12-string instrumental songs on this album were played freestyle in an abandoned house that was being renovated by close friend and collaborator Alan Sparhawk of the band Low.

Parr plays an 1890 banjo, a 12-string guitar and a resonator. Most of his recordings, including “Roustabout” (2008), “Jubilee” (2007), “Rooster” (2005), “King Earl” (2004), “1922” (2002), and “Criminals and Sinners” (2001) eschew typical studio settings. He has recorded in warehouses, garages, basements and storefronts, usually on vintage equipment, which gives his work the historic feel of field recordings.

A beloved regional artist, with a fan base spanning as far as Ireland and Australia, Parr, who grew up in Austin, draws inspiration from the alternately fertile and frozen soil of Minnesota.

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

All ZAAC Events

Poet Artist Collaboration — April 18

pac.fwPoet-Artist Collaboration Slideshow and Readings

Saturday, April 18 at 7:30 PM at the State Theatre
FREE Admission

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota

Crossings’ 14th Annual Poet-Artist Collaboration exhibit is on display March 30 through May 9, celebrating a pairing of two art forms that allows poetry to inspire visual art of all kinds. Forty-nine poets and visual artists took part in this year's exhibit, including a dozen from Rochester. The Collaboration can be seen free of charge during regular business hours. A reception and poetry reading takes place Saturday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. both at the gallery and next door at the State Theatre.

About 100 poets and artists participated in this year’s event by entering up to three poems each, or submitting artistic work samples. Jurors winnowed nearly 200 poems down to just 26. Other jurors selected 26 artists from those who entered. For this exhibit, each selected artist chose one selected poem from which to create an artwork. Poems and the work they inspired are displayed together.

The 49 participating poets and artists come from around Minnesota, including 12 from Rochester, and others from Austin, Red Wing and Pine Island; four are from Wisconsin, one from Iowa and one all the way from California.

Participating Artists:

Amy Rea
Char Hopela
Chuka Susan Chesney
Dan Dietrich
Dee Bezoier
Ed Brekke-Kramer
Elise Gregory
Franklin Knoll
Henry Panowitsch
Julie Hathaway
Justin Watkins
Kit Rohrbach		 Linda Back McKay
Marie Vogl Gery
Nicole Borg
Patrick Cabello Hansel
Patrick L. Coleman
Penny Duffy
Pete Beurskens
Peter C. Allen
Susan McMillan
Susan Stevens Chambers
Tim J. Brennan		 Aimee Radman
Arthur Kenyon
Becky Knutson
Benjamin Skurdahl
Beth Bacon
Cathy P. White
Connie Ludwig
Dan Wiemer
Dawn Zero Erickson
Greg Finnegan
Greg Wimmer
Ivete Castro Martinez
Jeanne Licari		 Jessica Mongeon
Leisa Luis-Grill
Lori Biwer-Stewart
Maggie Sutton
Marta Biittner
Mike Schad
Pat Swanson
Sandy Bot-Miller
Sarah K. Nygaard
Sharon Columbus
Susan Waughtal
Toni Stevens
Wendy Westlake
 

 

All ZAAC Events, State Theatre

Cassie and the Bobs — April 17

patsyclineCrossings brings "The Music and Magic of Patsy Cline" by Cassie and the Bobs to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Friday, April 17, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Fans of that early Nashville sound won’t want to miss “The Music and Magic of Patsy Cline,” back by popular demand at the State Theatre. The show features Cassie and the Bobs performing Cline’s music with impressive authenticity.

Cassie Wiesner’s powerful portrayal of Patsy Cline takes audiences on a trip down memory lane as she sings “Crazy,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “I Fall To Pieces,” and many more of the songs that made Cline famous and admired. No one comes closer to sounding like Cline than Wiesner, and the Bobs are a full group of accomplished musicians, dedicated to sounding as true-to-the-spirit of the original recordings as possible.

Cline was a pioneer of the 1960s Nashville sound. She had attained great success by age 30, when she died in a private plane crash. She remains a major influence for many singers and is one of the most acclaimed female vocalists of the 20th Century. She was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame – the first female soloist to receive that honor.

In addition to Wiesner, the Bobs feature many talented musicians, including current or former members of bands like Silverado, Oh Aces, The Salty Dogs, Skilly and Duff, Patty and the Pinetones, The Waybacks and Little Henry.

Cassie and the Bobs have been touring Minnesota and eastern South Dakota for seven years and have gathered rave reviews wherever they play. The group continues to draw hundreds of people to their performances, a testimony to the quality of their show and the enduring popularity of Patsy Cline more than 50 years after her death.

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

All ZAAC Events, State Theatre

Livingston Taylor — April 10

livingstontaylor_webCrossings brings Livingston Taylor to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Friday, April 10, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $35 in advance, $39 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Livingston Taylor, a musician who has been performing for 40 years – and had more than one Top Forty hit – will take the stage in Zumbrota to share his diverse repertoire that includes country, broadway, bluegrass and blues. Singer/songwriter Chelsea Berry opens.

On stage, Taylor brings together the pure joy of performance with a professionalism gained from 40 years of experience. Taylor’s ease in the presence of his audience makes the musical ride an exhilarating journey. A guitarist, pianist, singer and songwriter, Taylor has written most of his music repertoire, including Top Forty hits “I Will be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running” – and, recorded by his brother James, “I Can Dream of You,” “Going Round One More Time,” and “Boatman,” (all on the double Grammy-winning album Hourglass).

Since his earliest days of performing in Boston coffeehouses, Taylor has moved on to touring with major artists such as Linda Ronstadt; Jimmy Buffett; Fleetwood Mac; Emerson, Lake and Palmer; and Jethro Tull. He also maintains a busy concert schedule on his own, performing an average of 80 shows a year that mostly include his own music, with an occasional cover of folk, rock, a classic Gershwin or something from the best of Broadway. The depth of Taylor’s musical knowledge is belied by his relaxed and comedic onstage presence.

He describes himself as a pop singer and tours solo, playing his guitar and the piano. Taylor also is a full professor at Berklee College of Music, where he has taught a Stage Performance course since 1989.

“I love playing live, I love being on the road, I love touring, I love being around my audience – all parts of the experience.”
– Quoted from Livingston Taylor in Melrose Free Press Melrose, MA

“From his well-crafted, introspective songwriting to the beautiful melodies he creates, to the warmth he generates during his live performances, Taylor has mastered the craft of being able to take his listeners on a journey.” – The Sampson Independent Clinton, NC

Chelsea Berry is a singer/songwriter with incredible edge, power, and finesse. She has a stage presence that compels audiences to sit up and listen. Born and raised in Alaska, she now makes her home on Boston’s North Shore. From there, she’s become a favorite among venue owners up and down the East coast. 

Livingston Taylor website

Chelsea Berry website

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.

All ZAAC Events, State Theatre

Divas Through the Decades — March 28

divas_webCrossings brings Divas Through the Decades to Zumbrota's State Theatre on Saturday, March 28, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $28 in advance, $32 at the door, and can be purchased online or by calling 507-732-7616. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Divas Through the Decades is a musical tribute to some of the most influential female vocalists in American pop music, featuring songs from the '40s, through today's current hits.

Belladiva's stage show is filled with electrifying vocals, cutting edge choreography, great costume changes, and a high energy performance that is second to none. Their musicianship offers unequalled authenticity as well as tons of fun. Audiences will experience iconic music and incredible singing and dancing.

The women of Belladiva don’t stop at singing and dancing – there's comedy and sentiment throughout the performance as the performers get the audience involved and participating in the show. The show features music made famous by various divas including Tina Turner, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Beyonce, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and many more.

It is experience that counts and Belladiva has it. Some of their credits include opening for Melissa Etheridge, Loverboy, Kansas, and Def Leopard. The girls have performed live with Cathy Rigby, on NBC's America’s Got Talent in Hollywood and in Minneapolis, and most recently opened for Joan Rivers for a weekend in Las Vegas. Some of their band members have toured with national recording artists such as Prince, Bette Midler, Donnie Osmond, and Johnny Lang.

The State Theatre is located at 96 East 4th Street in Zumbrota. For more information call 507-732-5210.