MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival Rocks, Rumbas and All That Jazz

26 Mar 2008

by: Diane Wolfe

WaMu’s Music on Main features Texas natives, Latin beats, jazz, reggae and zydeco

Fort Worth, Texas—Singers, songwriters and musicians performing at MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival (MAIN ST.) 2008 presented by Coors Light come together in a music schedule that mirrors the people of main street America.  

From the tunes of Texas natives and standard-bearers of regional sounds like New Orleans jazz, zydeco and Tejano to the nation’s best, music at MAIN ST. draws music lovers by the tens of thousands to four days of Music on Main presented by WaMu. The music reflects the culture and people in performances on three stages April 17-20 in downtown Fort Worth.
See the full music schedule at www.MainStreetArtsFest.org, and enjoy the following preview.

TEXAS NATIVES

Fort Worth-born Wayman Tisdale’s latest gig as contemporary jazz bassist is a second career for this NBA-star-turned-musician who’s scored on the Billboard Top 10. Native Carlos D. Saenz and Latin Express also represent Fort Worth’s finest, and Denton-based Bravo Combo’s indefinable rock/jazz/polka has its roots in North Texas. The Lone Star State also gives us the Quebe Sisters Band and their western swing in three-part harmony, Ruthie Foster’s runaway soul, and the free-range eclecticism of Terri Hendrix and bluesman Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat.

ZYDECO AND THE NEW ORLEANS SOUND

Terrance Simien became the first Grammy-winning artist in the zydeco genre in February and is earning rave reviews for a roots music sound that crosses categories. Cowboy Mouth, proud sons and daughters of the City of New Orleans, T-Richard & the Zydeco Stingrays and Dr. John’s gumbo of funk, rhythm-and-blues and psychedelic rock lend a Creole flavor to Music on Main.

 
LATIN & TEJANO

Indie-rock Latin orchestra Grupo Fantasma and Latin Express represent the Latin sound.  

JAZZ

Jazz duo 2tone joins Breggett Rideau, Tom Braxton, the Buster Brown Band, Fingerprints and sax man Joseph Vincelli as well as Wayman Tisdale and Joe McBride in the jazz genre.

REGGAE

The Wailers defined this sound and bring it to MAIN ST. in this year’s festival.

COUNTRY

The country/folk/rock of Son Volt appeals to alternative country fans; traditionalists will applaud the vintage style of the Quebe Sisters Band and the bluegrass-influenced country of Rebecca Hendricks. For laughs, catch 3 Fools on 3 Stools.

FESTIVAL FAVES

The Party Crashers, The Special Edition Band, Red and the Red Hots, Kat Daddy and others are favorites on the festival scene.

MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival is produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. (DFWII) and presented by Coors Light. It is listed as one of the top 10 art festivals in the country by the Art Fair SourceBook and the Harris List. Official Sponsors for 2008 are American Airlines, Chase, Ford, Sundance Square, Target, WaMu and XTO Energy. Media Sponsors include CBS 11/TXA 21, Clear Channel Radio, Star-Telegram and D Magazine. Supporting Sponsors include Chesapeake Energy, Coca-Cola Bottling Company of North Texas, Dallas/Fort Worth Professional Musicians Association, Fort Worth Transportation Authority and Green Mountain Energy.

Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. (DFWII) is a 501 (c) 3 organization formed in 1988 to complement the work of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. and the Public Improvement District. DFWII provides a funding pathway for charitable, educational and public purpose activities such as community festivals, residential development and park management focused on downtown, and produces the MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival, the Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights and the Fort Worth Christmas Tree in Sundance Square. With an annual economic impact exceeding $20 million, these events attract more than 500,000 visitors to Downtown.