|
All news is attributed to the source from which it was received so that readers may judge the validity of the statements for themselves.
Have Joan Jett news to report? Email us at jettfc@aol.com, and please include the source of the information so it can be validated.
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS set to rock Oyster Festival
from: thehour.com
By STEVE KOBAK
NORWALK â€" JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS will be bringing their "bad reputation" to Norwalk as the headlining act of the Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival, organizers announced Saturday.
The iconic singer and her longtime backing band will rock the main stage on Saturday, Sept. 6 at the Oyster Festival, which takes place from Friday, Sept. 5 to Sunday, Sept. 7.
"I'm so excited," said Irene Dixon, president of the seaport association. "They're an iconic ‘80s group. I can't wait. They're going to be so great. I love rock ‘n roll."
Jett stormed into the music industry as a teenager with The RUNAWAYS, an all-female proto-punk band that also featured pop metal legend Lita Ford. After the dissolution of The RUNAWAYS, Jett produced the first and only full-length album by Los Angeles punk legends The Germs and began recruiting the musicians that would eventually form her backing band The BLACKHEARTS. JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS scored many high-charting hard rock hits throughout the 1980s with tunes like "I Love Rock ‘n Roll" and "I Hate Myself for Loving You."
In the 1990s, Jett produced the New Radio EP for Bikini Kill, the Olympia, Wa. based figureheads for the feminist punk movement known as Riot Grrrl. She and surviving members of the Gits formed Evil Stig to raise funds for the investigation of Gits lead singer Mia Zapata's 1993 murder.
In addition to Jett, the seaport association also announced that the U.S. Army Volunteer Band will return to the festival to play on Sunday, Sept. 7 after a 19 year absence. Seaport association trustee Mike Reilly said announcements on the remaining musical acts will be made in the coming weeks.
"We're really building the festival up to where it once was with more attractions and better entertainment," said Reilly. "It's all about investing. We're investigating a lot this year."
For the first time in the festival's 26 year existence, the 2014 Oyster Festival will feature Nerveless Nocks Thrill Show, a motorcycle daredevil group, and a circus tent from Center Ring Productions will be featured in the Kid's Cove.
"We're constantly trying to invigorate (the Oyster Festival) and make it new," said Andy Garfunkel, a member of the executive board of the seaport association.
Staples like the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, the oyster slurping contest and the Arts and Crafts Pavillion will return to this year's festival.
The Norwalk Seaport Association made the announcements at Commissioning Day â€" a celebration of the launch of the organization's yearly Sheffield Island ferry tours. The association owns and stewards the Sheffield Island Lighthouse and Park, and the tours of the island typically attract thousands of people each year.
"We'll run weekends until the end of June and then we'll start running seven days a week," said Mark Schlegel, lead captain of the Sheffield Island ferry. "During the season, it is a popular attraction. We get people from Europe. We get people from all across America."
The ferry tours, which began running on May 24, depart at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The tours will be expanded to seven days a week starting on June 23.
The Rev. Artie Kassimis, vice chairman of the Norwalk Board of Education and pastor of World Alive Bible Church, blessed the ferry boat and the 12-member local soul cover group the Tim Currie Band provided music at the commissioning. Food and drinks were supplied by B.J. Ryan's and BANC House.
Dignitaries like state Sen. Bob Duff, D-25, and Mayor Harry Rilling sang the praises of the Norwalk Seaport Association on Commissioning Day. Duff pointed out that the Norwalk Seaport Association is an all volunteer organization.
"They help bring money back into the economy," Duff said. |
| |
This Week:
No shows scheduled this week.
Click on the LIVE DATES link for upcoming shows |
Item Of The Month:
|
