93XRT Presents 20Th Annual XRT Free Fourth of July Concert at Taste of Chicago
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93XRT Presents 20th Annual XRT Free Fourth Of July Concert At Taste Of Chicago JOHN MAYER, ROBERT RANDOLPH & THE FAMILY BAND, AND RODRIGO Y GABRIELA WXRT (93.1FM) proudly announces its 20 th annual XRT Free Fourth of July Concert at Taste of Chicago, starring John Mayer, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, and Rodrigo y Gabriela . The concert, which serves as the musical centerpiece of the city’s signature summer festival, takes place at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park on Wednesday, July 4 th , starting at 3:00 pm. The concert will be broadcast LIVE in its entirety as an XRT Concert Exclusive on 93XRT (93.1FM) and through the live audio stream at 93xrt.com. Grammy award winning guitar player and songwriter, John Mayer has recently been dubbed by Rolling Stone as “slowhand jr.” in reference to Eric Clapton. After taking America by storm with his pop acoustics in 2002, Mayer has recently moved towards the blues. He has maintained his reputation for being a sensitive singer and songwriter, but has gained distinction as an accomplished guitar player. After the release of his latest album Continuum , in September 2006, Mayer’s blues influences really started to shine through. In each guitar riff or solo there is a taste of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Robert Cray, and Freddie King, which are all among his number one idols. Mayer is currently on his U.S. tour with Ben Folds and will be playing two XRT shows at Charter One Pavilion June 28 th and 29 th , at 7p.m. Robert Randolph & The Family Band are a multicultural American funk and soul band, heavily influenced by 1970’s funk bands, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Sly & The Family Stone. The band is known for their lively stage performances where Robert Randolph is perfectly content with letting the band play while he dances around the stage. Robert Randolph is known for his proficiency in playing the pedal steel guitar and the instrument is prominent in the band’s sound. However, each band member holds talent in all instruments used in every song, which they exhibit in their shows by often switching instruments with each other. In September 2003, Robert Randolph was listed as #97 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list. In 2002, ABC hired the band to make the NBA theme song, “We Got Hoops,” which was used in three telecasts as well as throughout the NBA and WNBA season. Their third album Colorblind was released in October 2006, and was critically acclaimed. The track, “ Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That ,” is used in many commercials for NBC. The Mexican duo, Rodrigo y Gabriela , recently flooded the American airwaves after being #1 on the Irish Album Chart last year. The musicians are known for playing fast, rhythmic acoustic guitars. Rodrigo y Gabriela met while playing for a thrash metal band in Mexico and soon after moved to Europe because they felt limited by the scope of their domestic music scene. Their key influences are Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Testament, and Overkill; however all their original tracks are influenced by the places they have been and the people they have seen. Rodrigo y Gabriela stayed in Dublin, Ireland, playing in pubs and bars until the duo received their break when Damien Rice discovered them and asked them to support his tour. Artists who have appeared at previous XRT Free Fourth of July Concerts include Counting Crows, Wilco, Ray Davies of The Kinks, My Morning Jacket, Moby, John Hiatt, The Indigo Girls, Guster, BoDeans, Cheap Trick, Collective Soul, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, The Wallflowers, Midnight Oil, Squeeze, The Replacements, Robert Cray, Matthew Sweet, Los Lobos, They Might Be Giants, The Jayhawks, Cracker and Poi Dog Pondering, among many others. For up to date information on WXRT news, events, activities and broadcast specials please visit 93XRT.com. ### .