Mile High Jazz Band Association’s annual Jazz & Beyond Music & Art Festival returns for the 18th year, opening with marquee events on Friday, Aug. 13, featuring Brass Knuckles at the Governor’s Mansion, and Sunday, Aug. 15, featuring Lacy J. Dalton at the Silver Saddle Ranch.
Additional music will be all-day on Saturday, Aug. 14. The weekend musical extravaganza serves as the downbeat for 17 days of free entertainment at multiple locations in the capital city. This year’s festival runs through Aug. 29. (See jazzcarsoncity.com.)
Music lovers roar back into the 1920s on Aug. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. with a ‘20s-themed soiree sure to be the “bee’s knees” at the Governor’s Mansion on the corner of West Robinson and Mountain streets. The event will feature music by Scot Marshall’s seven-piece band, Brass Knuckles. Period dress is encouraged: Come as a flapper, or come as you are. Dress like a gangster or a silver screen star! There will be plenty of “giggle water”—a cash bar for wine and soft drinks—as well a food truck or two to keep attendees smiling. Bring Your Own Chair for a guaranteed seat!
For a musical feast on Aug. 14, after hearing Kantu Inka's Andean music at the Farmers Market (8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.), folks can head over to Comma Courtyard, 312 S. Carson Street, for lunch and listen to jazz singer Colleen Medina with Peter Supersano on keyboard, Joe McKenna on bass, and Andy Heglund on drums, from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. For an afternoon treat, Bill Rose and Laurie Blue, a singer-songwriter duo rooted in the Northern Virginia music scene, will play original rock and classic covers from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Laxalt Plaza, the cozy outdoor patio between the Paul Laxalt State Building and Carson Nugget's Alatte Coffee and Wine Bar. The day's finale is the Levitt Concert at the Brewery Arts Center, where KAB (Keith Alan Barnett) and Lonesome Polecat band opens for Southern Drawl at 7:00 p.m.
On Aug. 15, join a boot-scootin’ afternoon from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Silver Saddle Ranch, just out yonder at 2648 Carson River Road. Boots and hats are not required but are always a good idea when country music gets your toes tapping:
• 2:30 to 4 p.m.: Back by popular demand, the seven-piece Sagebrush Rebels band opens the afternoon with bandleader Cherie Shipley, lead vocalist, and Nancy Barker on keys, JR Johnston on bass, Mark McKinnon on guitar, Catherine Matovich on fiddle, Tommy Stiles on pedal steel, and Bill Heise on drums.
• 4-5 p.m.: Go back in time with a reading by cowboy poet Larry Marinel and learn about ranch history with Craig Swope.
• 5-7 p.m.: North American Country Music Association International Hall of Fame headliner Lacy J. Dalton, with Dale Poune on guitar and Bruce Thompson on bass, will treat everyone to great country favorites.
The Friends of Silver Saddle Ranch will sell vittles and soft drinks, and Scoupswill bring out the ice cream for some sweet treats. Visiting cowpokes are welcome to bring their own food and drink, too. Mule-drawn wagon rides by Hee Haw Haven Mules will provide tours of the ranch land. Don’t forget to bring chairs, as haybales are limited! The event is sponsored in part by Carson City Parks, Recreation & Open Space Dept. and Friends of Silver Saddle Ranch.
The Jazz & Beyond Festival is an annual production of the Mile High Jazz Band Association, a non-profit organization delivering compelling musical experiences to residents and visitors of Northern Nevada. The series is admission free through the generous funding of our sponsors and donors, grants from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Pandemic Emergency Technical Support (PETS) grant from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
This year’s Jazz & Beyond Festival features 17 days of entertainment with more than 35 musical performances held throughout the city from Aug. 13-29. Visit jazzcarsoncity.com for information.
