Jonny Lang.
I caught some of this afternoon’s sound check for tonight’s sold-out Jonny Lang show at the Cascade Theatre. In addition to his stellar guitar playing, I was struck by the huge, soulful sound of his voice. I also heard some killer harmonies flowing out from his band.
“Music just oozes out of every pore,” explained Redding’s Ron Giesecke, who has seen Lang five times in the past three years. Giesecke appeared to be on target for having his young daughters meet Lang following the sound check. It’s a mission he’s failed on in recent attempts.
Lang, a star as a teenager, went through a wild phase. Now the word is he’s completely humble and approachable.
“I love that he expresses the different effects of his faith in his music,” Giesecke said.
For those of you who have tickets, prepare for a big-ol’ gospel-blues show. You shouldn’t have any trouble hearing it.
Cascade Theatre manager Jeff Darling always seems to be in good spirits when there’s a sold-out show. It’s an excellent start to the Cascade’s JPR Performance Series .
Bruce Hornsby.
Los Lonely Boys.
Tickets are selling fast for Bruce Hornsby (Aug. 14) and Los Lonely Boys (Sept. 16), so Darling said act sooner rather than later on tickets if you’re interested in going. It’s an encouraging sign for the theater amid the ongoing economic stall.
“We’re very encouraged by the beginning of the season,” Darling said. “We banked on things that have proven to work well, blues shows and acts like Bruce Hornsby, Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys, which are big enough names to pull people in.”
Darling even took his optimism one step further and got philosophical.
“I’m really encouraged about living in Redding,” he said. “The cultural renaissance in Redding is still happening. It’s alive and well. To see people buying tickets, it makes the economic bump really seem like just that, a bump.”
Another show Darling is excited about is Linda Regan Bott Sings Martinis with Santa at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 15. The plan with the Christmas in August show, is to produce a program that will be broadcast to United States military personnel during the real Christmas season. Regan Bott, who performed for years with Dean Martin, has gathered an excellent group of jazz players to support her, including Dick Morris, Pat Karch, Dan Kinkle, Bruce Calin, Joe Larsen and Jeff Jones.
Special guests will include Lou White, Candace LiVolsi, Rick Hill, Sarah Leavers, Maddie Schuette and Bonnie and Ron Mapes. Tickets are $15 to $32.