Common Ground Music Festival - July 7-13 2008

Featured Performer:
Dickey Betts & Great Southern - July 8th

A founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, Dickey Roberts, is known for his distinct voice and masterful guitar playing. He wrote "Revival," "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and the groups biggest hit, "Ramblin' Man." Dickey Betts & Great Southern released their first album, Let's Get Together, and followed it with the critically acclaimed album, The Collectors, Volume 1, in January of 2002. 

Featured Performer:
The New Cars - July 10th

Your favorite band from the "new wave" era is back with original members Easton & Hawkes! The Cars became big in the late seventies with their single "Just What I Needed" and their debut album, The Cars, reached #3 on the Billboard Pop Album Chart. Legendary singer, songwriter and producer, Todd Rundgren will be on lead vocals with The New Cars. He is known for songs like "I Saw The Light," "Hello It's Me" and "Love Is The Answer." 

Featured Performer:
38 Special - July 13th

The famed southers rockers, 38 Special, have been making rock and roll since the sixties. Rockin' Into the Night was the first album that 38 Special gained recognition with, but their hit single, "Hold on Loosely," which was released in the Spring of 1981 really was their breakthrough. Many hits followed one after the other including, "Fantasy Girl," "Back Where You Belong" and "Like No Other Night." 

Featured Performer:
Los Lonely Boys - July 9th

Grammy Award winners, Los Lonely Boys, have that true Texican rock and roll sound. They released their self-titled debut album in 2003 with great success, including their top ten hit "Heaven." Their much anticipated follow up album, Sacred, was released in 2006.  

Featured Performer:
The Guess Who - July 13th

Canada's first rock stars, The Guess Who, became popular after the 1968 release of their album, Wheatfield Soul, which featured the single "These Eyes." After their initial success, they quickly released their follow up album Canned Wheat. This album included three top ten hits including "Laughing," "No Time" and "Undun." The band's greatest accomplishment came with the release of their album American Woman, which went #1 on the Billboard Charts.  

Featured Performer:
Bobby "Blue" Bland - July 9th

A southern soulster, Bobby "Blue" Bland, has been around since the fifties singing the blues with the likes of B.B. King. With no instruments, just his powerful voice, he has numerous hits including, "Farther Up The Road," "I Smell Trouble" and "Don't Want No Woman." Bobby "Blue" Bland was inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and in 1997 he recieved the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.  

Featured Performer:
Rodney Atkins - July 11th

This Tennessee native did not receive his first guitar until high school, and when he went to college he used the opportunity to play in as many venues as Nashville would allow and signed with Curb Records in 1997. His first self-titled debut album was set to be released shortly after signing, but Rodney was not content with the results, so he went back to the drawing board and to our benefit released his album, Honesty, in 2003. It produced various hits including, "Honesty (Write Me A List)." Three years later he released, If Your Going Through Hell, with just as much enthusiasm. Rodney Atkins was also named the Academy of Country Music's Best New Vocalist. 

Featured Performer:
Miranda Lambert - July 11th

This up and coming country music star has been making music since she was little in small-town Texas. In 2003, she finished third on the nationally televised show Nashville Star and has not looked back since. She released her debut album, Kerosene, in 2005 with much success. It produced hits including, "There's A Wall," "What About Georgia," "Love's Looking for You," and "Love Your Memory." Her latest album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, is climbing the charts quickly and Miranda Lambert was also just named the Academy of Country Music's Best New Female Vocalist. 

Featured Performer:
The Romantics - July 12th

Formed on the east side of Detroit during 1977, the Romantics inked a deal with the Nemperor/Epic label in 1979. The band's self-titled full-length debut surfaced a year later and is considered to be the quartet's best due to the inclusion of such gems as "When I Look in Your Eyes," "She's Got Everything," and one of the Romantics' best-known tracks: the power pop gem "That's What I Like About You." In Heat (1983) would become the Romantics' best-selling album, going gold shortly after its release, on the strength of such Top Ten hit singles as "Talking in Your Sleep" and "One in a Million." 

Featured Performer:
Marshalll Crenshaw - July 12th

Hailed as a consummate pop-craftsman, Marshall Crenshaw's songs are filled with amusement, melancholy, and regret. His debut record in 1982 teemed with great melodies and simple-yet-sharp lyrics, and spawned "Someday Someway," which became a big hit for Robert Gordon. Since then, Crenshaw has seen his songs covered by a wide range of artists, from the Nitty Gritty Dirt band to Bette Midler, and he has continued to make high-quality records on his own terms. 

Featured Performer:
Mike Armstrong - July 12th

The ex-cop from Kentucky has a way of making people laugh… whether he is talking about one of his five children or his wife of many, many years, he keeps the crowd going. He is featured on The Bob & Tom Radio Tour Comedy Central Special and has done various concerts, clubs, and corporate events. 

Featured Performer:
Todd Yohn - July 12th

For over twenty years, Todd Yohn's high energy, non-stop act has blended stand-up, improv, and music into one deliciously stimulating show. His fresh and clever original comedy tunes such as "The Feminine Hygiene Song," Daddy Please Don't Go," and the very popular "Orange Barrels" have separated Todd from the other guitar playing comedy acts. Todd is an accomplished musician and still has a songwriting deal with MCA Publishing. 

Featured Performer:
Dwight Slade - July 12th

At the young age of fourteen, Dwight had an agent and big plans of making it in comedy. He continued to do stand-up through high school and on into college making people laugh. At eighteen, he became one of the youngest comedians to perform at the famous Comedy Store. From there, he opened concerts for the likes of Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. Famous for his one man political primer, Do People Really Think That Way, he has also released two successful CD's including, Weird State and Shut Up. 

Featured Performer:
Starship starring Mickey Thomas - July 12th

Mickey Thomas has established himself as one of rock's most recognizable stars leading Starship through the eighties and nineties. Starship's first big hit was "Jane" and many followed, including "No Way Out," "We Built This City," and "Sara." The band also received an Oscar nomination for their hit song "Nothing Gonna Stop Us Now" from the movie Mannequin. Every album released by Starship since 1979 has gone gold, platinum, or better! 

Featured Performer:
Hinder - July 13th

Oklahoma City quintet, Hinder, broke onto the music scene in 2004 after recording the band's self-released demo, Far From Close. They were noticed and signed by Universal Republic Records. In September 2005, they released their debut album, Extreme Behavior, which went gold in less than a year. Extreme Behavior's second single, "Lips of an Angel," reached the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart and Top Five on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart. Other hot singles climbing the charts include "Get Stoned" and "How Long." 

Featured Performer:
Papa Roach - July 13th

Their most recent album, The Paramour Sessions, the fifth full-length Papa Roach release of the past decade, and second for Geffen Records. Also known for their critically acclaimed and platinum-selling Getting Away With Murder, Papa Roach has already sold more than 10 million albums. Popular tunes include: "To Be Loved," Getting Away With Murder," and "Last Resort." 

Featured Performer:
Buckcherry - July 13th

Their Grammy nominated hit single, "Crazy Bitch," is the lead single from Buckcherry's gold certified release, 15 (Eleven Seven Music/Atlantic Records) 15 debut at #2 on the Independent Album Chart in April 2006 and now cuts "Next to You" and "Everything" are climbing the charts. Buckcherry broke onto the national scene in 1999 with the release of their self-titled debut album. The critically acclaimed set scored such Modern Rock hits as "Lit Up," "Check Your Head," and "For the Movies." 

Featured Performer:
The Exies - July 13th

This three member rock band comprised of Scott Stevens, Freddy Herrera, and Chris Skane came together over time and emerged from the Los Angeles rock scene with staying power. Their self-titled debut album was released in March of 2000, and two years later was followed up with a record deal, a tour, and Inertia, their much anticipated sophomore album that produced the hit, "My Goddess." Their latest album, A Modern Way of Living with the Truth, was released in early May and has hits that include "Different Than You" and "Once in a Lifetime." 

Featured Performer:
Montgomery Gentry - July 14th

With the release of their seventh album, Some People Change, Montgomery Gentry is showing now signs of slowing down. They have changed the face of country music with their hard working and hard partying ways… what you see is what you get! Their lead-off single and title track, "Some People Change" reached #1 on the Billboard Charts and R & R singles charts. In addition, the pair was CMT's Most Played Duo of the Year. 

Featured Performer:
Pretty Ricky - July 14th

Miami-based quartet Pretty Ricky - Spectacular, Diamond, Slick, and Pleasure - make a bouncing hybrid of rap and R & B. They debuted in 2005 with their album, Bluestars. The lead single, "Grind With Me," was a significant hit with urban radio stations and the album went on to sell over 800,000 copies. Their album, Late Night Special followed in early 2007. 

Featured Performer:
Bruce Hornsby - July 15th

Three-time Grammy Award Winner, Bruce Hornsby, has released nine albums in his career and sold more than ten million records since his multi-platinum debut in 1986, The Way It Is. He is known as one of pop's most in-demand side men and has played with the likes of Bob Dylan, Don Henley, Bob Segar, Bonnie Raitt and Willy Nelson. His most recent album, Halcyon Days, was released in 2004 and has various hits, including the popular, "Dreamland." 

Featured Performer:
Family Stone Xperience - July 10th

Featured Performer:
Ryan Shaw - July 15th

Featured Performer:
"Weird" Al Yankovic- July 11th

Featured Performer:
Nuttin' But Stringz - July 14th

Made up of brothers Tourie and Damien will take the stage. They combine both their training and streetwise style to make a unique sound that ranges from classical to hip hop. These talented young musicians are worth keeping an eye on!

Featured Performer:
Peter Frampton - July 8th

Grammy Award Winner, Peter Frampton, continues to produce hit after hit, and once again, he did not miss with his most recent album, Fingerprints. Collaboration with some of the greats helped make this instrumental album phenomenal, but Frampton truly shines on this one making it one of his best yet.