7th Annual Comcast Art & Soul Oakland – Labor Day Weekend
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
LUCINDA WILLIAMS, AGAINST ME!, TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS, JEFFREY OSBORNE, PIECES OF A DREAM WITH REGINA BELLE
THE BAY AREA’S BEST SUMMER FESTIVAL
COMCAST ART & SOUL OAKLAND LABOR DAY WEEKEND
OAKLAND, California (July 27, 2007)—The City of Oakland announced headliners and featured performers for this year’s 7th Annual Comcast Art & Soul Oakland . Thanks to guaranteed stellar lineups, abundant parking, easy BART accessibility and the bargain price of just $10 per day, Comcast Art & Soul Oakland has been named the Bay Area’s “best annual cultural event†by Oakland Magazine. The SF Weekly added, “Art & Soul is dialed in to practically everything that makes Oakland great.†Held in beautiful, re-energized downtown Oakland over Labor Day weekend September 1–3, 2007, this seventh annual celebration features an eclectic all-star lineup of 60 national recording artists and hot Bay Area bands sure to please every musical taste.
Comcast Art & Soul Oakland gets off to a running start on Saturday with the catchy punk-folk sounds of Against Me! (in association with LIVE 105). Lucinda Williams has top billing Sunday (in association with KFOG 104.5 FM/97.7 FM.) Soulful funk/R&B star Jeffrey Osborne, former lead singer of L.T.D. whose solo career boasts five platinum and gold albums, headlines Monday’s show (in association with KBLX 102.9 FM.). Osborne has scored several top 40 hits including “On the Wings of Love,†Don’t You Get So Mad,†Stay With Me Tonight†and “Love Power†which he performed with Dionne Warwick.
Against Me! anchors the main stage on opening day. Renowned for energetic live shows, their unique brand of punk-folk and country creates socially conscious impassioned anthems. Sharing the main stage on Saturday are Ted Leo and the Pharmacists whose punk-soul bristles with energy and conviction, and Army of Me whose super polished hooks retain a down to earth quality. Oakland ’s own The Lovemakers bring their wild, passionate, borderline-out-of-control live show for the home town crowd.
Triple Grammy Award winner Lucinda Williams is a modern musical cult-heroine whose relentless exploration of her art makes for utterly compelling and riveting music. The st ron g Sunday lineup also includes Bay Area indie favorites Luce and the get-up-and-dance bi-lingual Latin rock of deSol.
Capping Comcast Art & Soul Oakland on Monday, in addition to headliner Jeffrey Osborne the ever-popular KBLX 102.9 FM stage features powerhouse contemporary jazz from Pieces of a Dream featuring Regina Belle and the smooth sounds of keyboardist Peter Horvath. Keeping with Art & Soul tradition international gospel sensation Edwin Hawkins commands the gospel stage. This year it will be a family affair with Walter and Tramaine Hawkins in the house.
Comcast Art & Soul Oakland delivers six stages offering simultaneous talent and diversity from 60 bands. Many of the stage lineups are still being formalized, but the acts are diverse and wonderful. The remarkable 40-year jazz veteran, John Handy plays Saturday, his music still fresh, colorful and innovative. Also playing Saturday is Tom Rigney and Flambeau. The son of former Giants manager, Bill Rigney, Tom mixes acoustic and electric instruments into a marvelous zydeco stew. Bursting with humor, eclectic rock music and fabulous outfits, Housewives on Prozac perform Saturday afternoon headlining the Mamapalooza stage, a national circuit event featuring moms who rock!
The ever popular Oakland Blues & Heritage Stage features terrific acts like guitar great Johnny Rawls, a true soul-blues renaissance man. Fillmore Slim brings his buzzing electric guitar and his growling blues vocals to the stage on Sunday. The World Music Stage brings Oakland ’s own Mo’Rockin Project and their jazzed up Moroccan melodies creating lyrical, funky, spirited music and Samba Ngo with his seductive African jazz funk. The World Dance Festival will present three days of the Bay Area’s hottest troupes showcasing a variety of dance expressions including traditional/heritage, world and new generation (hip hop). New this year – an exciting Latin Stage all three days featuring headliner Lefty Perez on Sunday and other great acts to be announced shortly. Featuring different styles of Latin music each day, this new stage is certain to generate some hip-shaking dance moves from the crowd!
Comcast Art & Soul Oakland has great music but that’s not all. A family paradise, the festival boasts the largest Family Fun Zone of any festival in the Bay Area, complete with kiddie rides, children’s entertainment and free festival admission for ages 12 and under. The ever-expanding Family Fun Zone is jam-packed with interactive activities for children of all ages, as well as kid-friendly carnival games, inflatable bouncers and hands-on activities to create their own art to take home. In addition, Comcast Art & Soul Oakland features art exhibits, artisan booths and a mouth-watering array of food reflecting the rich cultural diversity found in Oakland—the most diverse city in America.
The 7th Annual Comcast Art & Soul Oakland is Northern California’s most accessible festival offering direct service from BART (12th Street – Oakland City Center Station) and free parking for thousands of cars. Last year more than 70,000 people enjoyed three sensational days of music, food, fun and art in beautiful downtown Oakland . As Samee Roberts, City of Oakland Director of Marketing points out, “Art & Soul has burst onto the scene as Northern California’s multicultural mecca of music, art and food with the most wonderfully fun, diverse festival crowd you will find anywhere!â€
The 7th Annual Comcast Art & Soul Oakland takes place in downtown Oakland on Saturday, September 1, Sunday, September 2 and Monday, September 3, 2007 from 11AM–6 PM. The festival is centered in Frank Ogawa Plaza and City Center , encompassing 10 strollable city blocks. Admission is $10.00 per day at the door; $5 for young adults 13 to 18, and 12 and under free.
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com) is the nation’s leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 24.2 million cable customers, 12.1 million high-speed Internet customers and 3.0 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable networks and in the delivery of programming content.
For more information on the 7th Annual Comcast Art & Soul Oakland , log onto www.ArtandSoulOakland.com or call (510) 444-CITY.
# # #
Media Contacts:
Michael Coats (707) 935-6203 or michael@coatspr.com
Lance Cutler (707) 996-5980 or lance@winepatrol.com
Harry Hamilton (510) 238-2107 or hhamilton@oaklandnet.com
Photo Credit: James Knox
