Still in its early 2024-2025 Bankhead Presents Season, Livermore Valley Arts is delighted to keep the tunes comin’ with music stars for any appetite this October. From multi-platinum singer and songwriter Joan Osborne on Friday, October 4, to the world’s most famous brass group, the exciting Canadian Brass on Sunday, October 13, to New York-based pop-rock outfit American Authors on Friday, October 25, the ‘spooky’ month will have The Bankhead alive ‘chilling’ with delights for the ears, right here in the Tri-Valley. All of these exciting concerts will be at the beautiful Bankhead Theater in Downtown Livermore.
Kicking off the month, Livermore Valley Arts is excited for a nostalgic and soulful evening of
music: on October 4, Joan Osborne will be taking the Bankhead stage once again. Osborne is
known for her gritty, blues-based rock sound, passionate performance, and emotionally evocative
songwriting. Her style first attracted notice in the early 1990s among the vibrant scene of rootsy
new acts in New York City, and her breakthrough album in 1995 included the chart-topping
single “One of Us.” A sought-after collaborator and versatile performer, she has shared the stage
with a wide range of legendary artists, including Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Emmylou Harris,
Luciano Pavarotti, and the Chieftains.
The following week, with an international reputation as one of the most popular brass ensembles
today, Canadian Brass has truly earned the distinction of the world’s most famous brass group.
Masters of concert presentations, Canadian Brass has developed a uniquely engaging stage
presence and rapport with audiences. What set Canadian Brass apart from all other performing
artists in 1970 was the relentless search for repertoire that was both loved by its performers and
embraced by a growing brass audience. Each of their concerts exhibits a full range of musical
styles, from trademark Baroque and Dixieland tunes to Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Joplin, Gershwin, and Ellington to ballet, opera, and new compositions and arrangements created especially for
them. With a discography of over 135 albums, Canadian Brass has been an important pioneer in
bringing brass music to mass audiences everywhere. They have received a combined total of 24
GRAMMY and Juno nominations and won the German Echo Award for Goldberg Variations.
Their most recent album, Canadiana, features unique arrangements of many Canadian superstars
including Joni Mitchell and Drake. Touring legends with an enthusiastic fan base, Canadian
Brass plays to packed houses worldwide and was the first brass ensemble from the West to
perform in the People’s Republic of China, as well as the first brass group to take the main stage
at Carnegie Hall. Canadian Brass has made appearances on The Tonight Show, Today,
Entertainment Tonight, Evening at Pops with John Williams and the Boston Pops, Beverly Sills’
Music Around the World, numerous PBS specials, including a celebrated appearance on Sesame
Street, and are frequent guests of many major symphony orchestras. Additionally, education
continues to be at the forefront of Canadian Brass’ yearly activities. There are over one million
Canadian Brass quintet repertoire books in the hands of students in every country with a strong
brass tradition. Canadian Brass continues to tour and bring their joy around the globe, and The
Bankhead is thrilled to host this renowned group again on October 13.
At the end of the month, some current rock stars will be making a stop at The Bankhead on their
Call Your Mother Tour: Since releasing their debut album Oh, What a Life in 2014, New
York-based pop-rock band American Authors has experienced milestones most bands only
dream about. They’ve watched their music climb to the top of the charts, and seen singles go
multi-platinum. They’ve played awards shows, hit the stages of legendary venues all over the
world, and toured the world with bands such as Andy Grammar, OAR, OneRepublic, The
Revivalists, and The Fray. Something almost every person knows them from, their anthemic hit
single “Best Day of My Life” has been featured in over 600 movie trailers, TV shows,
commercials, and as a theme song for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite these accolades,
however, lead singer Zac Barnett vows that the best day of their lives is still yet to come. “We
just want to keep going,” he says. “We can’t wait to continue this adventure.” Originally formed
in 2006 at Berklee College of Music in Boston, American Authors—Zac Barnett (vocals/guitar),
Dave Rublin (bass), and Matt Sanchez (drums)—eventually dropped out of college and moved to
Brooklyn to continue refining their airtight songcraft. “My whole reason for attending Berklee
College of Music was to find other like-minded musicians to start a band with. I knew I had
found those people after the first night we jammed,” claims Barnett. Shortly after moving to
Brooklyn, American Authors crossed paths with Shep Goodman while playing a gig in the city.
Eventually signing with Goodman’s production company Dirty Canvas, the band wrote and
recorded “Believer” and quickly saw the track thrown into rotation on Sirius XM’s Alt Nation
radio. Their next song “Best Day of My Life” was featured in a commercial campaign for
Lowes. Shortly after, American Authors inked a deal with Island Records. “Boston was a great
city to get our feet wet in but moving to Brooklyn completely changed our lives,” drummer Matt
Sanchez explains. “Constantly surrounded by so many new creatives and artists fueled our music
to a whole new level.” By 2018, the guys had impressively generated over 1 billion global
streams on a string of alternately striking and soaring smashes. Their inescapable and instantly
recognizable breakthrough “Best Day of My Life” earned a triple-platinum certification from the
RIAA and vaulted to #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in addition to receiving countless film,
television, video game, and sports syncs. Their 2014 full-length debut, Oh, What A Life, achieved
gold status, while the follow-up What We Live For spawned another Top 20 hit, “Go Big or Go
Home,” in 2016. Along the way, they sold out shows around the globe and ignited stages at
festivals, including Lollapalooza, Firefly Music Festival, BottleRock Napa Valley, Reading
Festival, and Leeds Festival, to name a few. “I don’t think anyone knew how special ‘Best Day
of My Life’ really was when we first wrote it,” bassist Dave Rublin reflects. “It just kept
snowballing from TV to commercials then one day into a number one record.” The band just
finished putting the finishing touches on their 5th full-length LP, Call Your Mother, this October,
which includes the new folk-tinged singles “Daisies,” “My Last Dime,” and “Can’t Stand the
Mourning.” “We’ve never been afraid to explore new musical genres but we always try to
maintain a message of hope in our music,” states Zac. It all comes together to present a vision of
the band that’s at once recognizable and unfamiliar. “Nothing ever came easy for us,” Dave
reveals. “We had this crazy dream and we had to do everything ourselves and keep working
harder and harder every day to make those dreams a reality.” See those dreams come true in a
rockin’ way in Livermore on October 25.
Tickets for shows in the 2024-2025 Bankhead Presents season are available online, by calling 925-373-6800, or at the box office windows. For a complete list of events, visit
livermorearts.org.
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Livermore Valley Arts is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit offering wide-ranging programs that
provide access to the arts for the Tri-Valley community and beyond. The Bankhead Theater and
Bothwell Arts Center are home to eight resident performing arts companies, over 40 studio
artists, and cultural arts instructors. LivermoreArts.org
Show: Joan Osborne
Date/Time: Friday, October 4, 2024, at 8:00pm
Tickets: $25—$70, VIP Meet & Greet Package Also Available for Purchase
($25 student/military personnel) / Groups of 10 or more save 20% Show: Canadian Brass
Date/Time: Sunday, October 13, 2024, at 3:00pm Selling Fast!
Tickets: $25—$80 ($25 student/military personnel) / Groups of 10 or more save 20%
Show: American Authors: Call Your Mother Tour
Date/Time: Friday, October 25, 2024, at 8:00pm
Tickets: $25—$55 ($25 student/military personnel) / Groups of 10 or more save 20%
Dates, times, and ticket prices for other events available at www.LivermoreArts.org
Photos are provided by the Bankhead Theater
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