Audible Art: Music on MAIN

Fort Worth, Texas—Native son Jimmie Vaughan headlines this year’s MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival Music on MAIN schedule, a concert line-up that surveys musical tastes worldwide and brings the best to Main Street, Fort Worth April 16-19.

The biggest names in Texas R&B, blues, jazz, Latin rock–even traditional African instrumentals–meet in Music on MAIN, and the schedule mixes it up, blending different musical styles on every stage.

“The entertainment committee is ecstatic about the line-up we have in store. MAIN ST. entertainment represents more than six months’ collaboration to make art audible through the sounds of music,” Dr. Marie Holliday, Entertainment Committee chair for festival producer Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., said. “Join us from morning to night, and we’ll entertain all your senses. Believe me–you will ‘get it when you get here’.”

MAIN ST. jams with live music on three stages starting at noon daily during the festival, and an eager public can follow the full concert line-up, including local bands and festival favorites, at www.MainStreetArtsFest.org.

R&B AND BLUES
Music is a family affair for featured performers like Vaughan and singer Shemekia Copeland, daughter of blues legend Johnny Copeland. These two greats give R&B and the blues center stage in this year’s Music on MAIN schedule.

ROCK
Catch the American roots rock sound of the BoDeans.

JAZZ
Jazz holds sway on the Sundance Square stage with performances by George Duke,Najee and Lizz Wright.

LATIN & TEJANO
Catch the Latin rock sound of Austin’s Del Castillo or hometown favorites Latin Express at this year’s show.

AFRICAN
There are many great guitar players on the concert calendar, but none is quite equal toMamadou Diabate on the kora. The kora is a 21-string West African instrument that must be heard to be believed, and the Music on MAIN schedule offers three chances to discover this extraordinary instrument and the musician who plays it.

SONIC SCULPTURE
The sonic sculpture of Mass Ensemble makes beautiful music and is a wonder to behold. Eleven appearances across the Music on MAIN schedule make Mass Ensemble’s a don’t-miss performance.

MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival (MAIN ST.), downtown’s main event presented by Coors Light and produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., will hit the streets April 16-19 as one of the top three art shows nationwide and the region’s biggest spring entertainment showcase.

MAIN ST. packs downtown Fort Worth each spring with a celebration of fine arts and crafts, music, film and food stretching from the Tarrant County Courthouse to the Fort Worth Convention Center.

More than 200 juried artists and fine crafts exhibitors will line red brick-paved Main Street, joined by musicians and dancers on three stages. Performance artists and food and drink vendors complete the scene, and Fort Worth’s signature skyline blending turn-of-the-century buildings and modern skyscrapers frames this regional favorite. Admission is free.

In addition to fine art and great music, the 2009 show features an expanded emphasis on environmental awareness, thanks to a partnership between MAIN ST. and the green team at The University of Texas at Arlington, and the third annual Fearless Film Festival (a.k.a. 3F3) of fabulous film shorts.

Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. For information on parking and transportation, visit www.MainStreetArtsFest.org or www.fortworthparking.com.

For information on event sponsorship, contact producer Jay Downie at 817-336-ARTS, ext. 21.

ABOUT US
MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival celebrates its 24th year in 2009 and is presented by Coors Light. Official Sponsors for 2009 are American Airlines, Chase, Sundance Square, Target, Texas Lincoln Mercury Dealers, and XTO Energy. Media Sponsors include CBS 11/TXA 21, D Magazine and the Star-Telegram as well as radio stations WRR 101.1, Mix 102.9, 102.1 The Edge, 106.1 KISS FM, 95.9 FM The Ranch, Country Legends 92.1, and Lone Star 92.5. Supporting Sponsors include Coca-Cola Bottling Company of North Texas, Dallas/Fort Worth Professional Musicians Association, Fort Worth Transportation Authority, Green Mountain Energy, and The University of Texas at Arlington.

The festival is produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 organization formed in 1988 to complement the work of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. and the Public Improvement District by providing a funding pathway for charitable, educational and public-purpose activities, such as community festivals, residential development and park management. Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. produces MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival and the Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights, which includes lighting ceremonies for the city’s Christmas tree. These events have an economic impact of more than $19 million annually and attract more than 500,000 visitors to downtown Fort Worth each year, all building to a sterling celebration of 25 years on MAIN ST. in 2010.