Contact: Molly Sommerhalder Phone: 414-273-7121 x399 Email: [email protected] Free Entertainment Returns to the Marcus Center’s Peck Pavilion on June 26-September 5 Shakespeare in the Park, Milwaukee Ballet’s Ballet Beat, True Skool and Milwaukee Fringe Festival continue this summer! MILWAUKEE, WI (Wednesday, June 12, 2019) - Live @ Peck Pavilion returns to the Marcus Performing Arts Center grounds this summer. The season will run from June 26 through September 5 with each day of the series featuring a different program focus. Optimist Theatre: Shakespeare in the Park returns to Peck Pavilion from June 26-July 13 with their presentation of The Comedy of Errors. Community Partners, Milwaukee Ballet’s Ballet Beat, True Skool Block Party and Milwaukee Fringe Festival, also return this summer. All events in Peck Pavilion are free and open to the public. Live @ Peck Pavilion will feature the following: TRIBUTE BAND THURSDAYS | 7 PM July 25 – Mixtape MKE Mixtape: A Tribute to the 80’s is a high energy dance band playing your favorite UK and Euro-Pop, New Wave, and classic American hit songs from the height of the MTV era. Righteously fun, energetic, and tubular to the max, this band features experienced Milwaukee musicians who lived it, loved it, and look forward to bringing back the memories and creating new ones. Mixtape will take you back to the 80’s and on to the dance floor – like, for sure! August 1 – Milwaukee Smooth Jazz Tribute Led by pianist/band leader JL Russell, this evening will be a very special night of smooth jazz. Featuring a very special salute to Milwaukee’s own Al Jarreau, the tribute will ignite fond memories for any who remember the classic station WJZI. August 8 - The Ron Burgundy’s Experience a night of yacht rock and softcore rock of the 60s, 70s, 80s! Hits from Hall and Oates, TOTO, Michael McDonald, Billy Joel, Kenny Loggins, Fleetwood Mac and MORE! Facebook: www.facebook.com/theronburgundys Instagram: @theronburgundys August 15 – Heartache Tonight – A Tribute to the Eagles! From the powerful guitar duel in “Hotel California” to the shimmering harmonies of “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” Heartache Tonight delivers a true Eagles concert experience. With meticulous attention to every detail, Heartache Tonight brings together music from all eras and incarnations of this huge rock powerhouse that produced hits over four decades. There are no pre-recorded backing tracks in this show – all vocal harmonies and guitar parts are faithful to the originals and performed live. A Heartache Tonight concert is one unforgettable hit song after another from one of the greatest rock bands of all time, performed by tremendously talented musicians with perfection and passion. The six multi-talented members of Heartache Tonight have shared stages with some of the biggest names in rock, including Jimmy Buffet, Joe Cocker, Eddie Money and the Doobie Brothers, and have played festivals and performing arts centers across the country – Taste of Chicago, Ravinia Festival and Wrigley Field to name just a few. A Heartache Tonight performance is filled with moments designed to thrill classic rock fans: the soaring a cappella harmonies of “Seven Bridges Road,” the snarling guitars of “Life In The Fast Lane,” the anthemic country rock of “Take It Easy,” and the beautifully evocative “Heart Of The Matter”. August 22 – Ladies First: A Tribute to the Women of Classic Hip Hop & R&B Milwaukee Renaissance Woman, B-Free, curates an evening of Milwaukee musicians in an all-star tribute to the Women of Classic Hip Hop and R&B. The Chicago-born Milwaukee native is not only known for her soulful voice, but as a multi-instrumentalist as well. Composing original songs at only seven years old, B~Free has dedicated her life to music. B~Free serves her musical community as an educator, curator, music producer and performance artist of all sorts. DANCE MKE | July 30, August 6, 13, 20 | 7 PM DANCE MKE is a four-week dance competition featuring Milwaukee dance artists from ANY discipline. Selected performance groups will battle it out over three consecutive weeks starting July 30, 2019. A panel of local dance experts will select the top three groups from each week to advance to the finals on August 20. Now entering its fourth year, over hundreds of local dancers have performed to thousands of dedicated dance lovers in the first three years of the competition. Submissions are open now at https://www.marcuscenter.org/series/live-peck-dancemke THURSDAY LUNCH CONCERTS | 12 noon July 25 - Nineteen Thirteen Cellist Janet Schiff and Percussionist Victor DeLorenzo (founding drummer of Violent Femmes) create the new, dynamic sound that is NINETEEN THIRTEEN. Schiff plays a cello that was made in Romania in the year of 1913 while DeLorenzo plays a set of drums made in modern day America. Together their music suggests mystery, romance and future thought. Powered by cello layers and beat brush percussion, this award- winning duo defies expectations and rewards listeners with their unique expression of music. August 1 – WhiskeyBelles Three Chords and the truth! Roots Country Music, Born of Gin Halls and Juke Joints – Hank Williams passion, Carter family harmonies, with a little Hee Haw mixed in for good measure. The WhiskeyBelles are an all-female traditional country and Americana trio based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Belles are widely known for captivating shows featuring their own take on classic and obscure vintage-country, Americana, folk-revival and roots- country tunes, with their own witty originals sprinkled in. They’ve been compared with the Pistol Annies, Dixie Chicks and The Trio (Dolly Parton, Emmy Lou Harris & Linda Ronstadt). The 'Belles have personalities as big as the Texan skyline - they have a great time on stage, and love to share the fun with their audience. August 8 – B-Free & Quinten Farr Duo Multi-faceted husband and wife combo B-Free & Quinten Farr bring their savvy technique and musical experience to the venue by way of flute, voice, piano & loops. With an array of jazz standards, covers & originals steeped in several genres, the performance is sure to deliver an array of soulful and jazzy sounds. August 15 - Chris Crain Singer, Songwriter and multifaceted Musician Chris Crain is taking the R&B scene by storm. His passion for using his music to make a change is prevalent in every lyric; every rhythm; every note. Change – in the way people listen to music and the way it makes them feel. August 22 - Nickel & Rose with Sista Strings This August, Americana/Folk duo Nickel&Rose join forces with R&B/gospel duo, SistaStrings, to form an exciting and unique quartet. These Milwaukee acts will perform duo sets as well as combined sets, pulling from each other’s lush repertoires in beautiful four part string and vocal harmony. Nickel&Rose have influences that span the spectrum of American music. Carl’s background brings elements of West African music and Blues while Johanna brings her experience playing Bluegrass, Folk and Jazz. From loss to heart break to love, Nickel&Rose address the human experience with gentle harmonies and soul stirring cries. With a shared appreciation for traditional music and a desire to break rules, the two have have created a unique sound that embodies Americana's past and future. Nickelandrose.com The sound of SistaStrings can’t be described in one word. The Milwaukee-based sister duo (Chauntee - violin, Monique - cello) combines their classical background with R&B and a touch of gospel that culminates in a deep, lush sound. Formed in 2014 after the sisters graduated from college, the sisters began composing string arrangements for local hip-hop artists and the rest is history. SistaStrings has performed with Malik Yusef, Black Violin, Bone Thugs ‘N Harmony, Lupe Fiasco, BJ The Chicago Kid, and The Roots. They have soloed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Madison Symphony Orchestra. sistastrings.com August 29 – The New Grey The New Grey was solidified as a band in August of 2017. However, its roots began in 2013, when bassist, Jake Rieboldt, and Luis Santana (drums) disbanded from a previous project, deciding to move in a different musical direction. After one year of songwriting with multiple guitarists, Mike Hartl (guitar) was discovered through a Craigslist ad. Mike’s clean blues rock style and Reggae flair were a welcome addition to the group, adding a different dynamic to the Indie Rock foundation that Rieboldt and Santana had already established. In what seemed like a futile effort, the band continued to audition one singer after the next. This went on for nearly four years until Hartl walked into an open mic night and heard Johnny Helm, an R&B solo artist. Helm had been releasing singles on his own, working the open mic circuit in Racine, Wisconsin. While it was no doubt that Helm had talent, Santana was not convinced that his R&B style would gel with the instrumentation. This assumption was quickly dispelled, when Johnny easily freestyled over an open jam, revealing that he was not only a talented R&B vocalist, but could also bring an aggressive, yet powerful Hip Hop element to the table. Johnny’s unique blend of Hip Hop and R&B, along with the band's instrumentation, proved to be a long awaited breath of fresh air. After only four months together, the band hit the studio, producing a five song self-titled EP. They then hit the ground running to promote it, playing both local and regional venues ranging from basements and bars to colleges and festivals. Less than a year from conception, they began receiving radio play, reviews, and were asked to perform on the Emerging Artist Stage at Summerfest.