Coming in June 2016 FUNHOUSE FESTIVAL Presented by VIRGINIA ARTS FESTIVAL and BRUCE HORNSBY on The lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
Grammy®-winning singer-songwriter Bruce Hornsby and Virginia Arts Festival announce a music festival that gathers award-winning, iconic artists for three days of music-making in Williamsburg, on the lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, June 24-26, 2016
Named after Hornsby’s 1998 song “Funhouse,” the festival is curated by Hornsby and unites musicians known for their genre-bending proclivities, including 14-time Grammy®-winner Ricky Skaggs, iconic singer-songwriters Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle, blues masters The Taj Mahal Trio, legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette featuring Ravi Coltrane and Matt Garrison, label-defying vocalist Aoife O’Donovan, and groundbreaking bands Greensky Bluegrass, Railroad Earth and ChessBoxer. Many of these artists have collaborated with, performed with or opened for Bruce Hornsby over his 30-plus-year career, and Hornsby will perform each day of the festival.
“We’re pleased to be able to offer this lineup of great artists from across a broad spectrum of American music, for the most part a group of old friends and musical cohorts from the thirty years since the release of our first record,” said Hornsby. “And we’re also happy to be able to present it in my hometown – hell, I can walk to the gig every day!”
Bruce Hornsby was born and raised in Williamsburg, Virginia. Growing up in a musical family, Hornsby often played in local clubs and hotel bars. More than a decade after bursting onto the scene with The Way It Is, the Hornsby family returned and settled in Williamsburg.
Funhouse Fest, on the lawn of the Arts Museum of Colonial Williamsburg, will provide three days of great music for Hornsby’s family, friends and fans who are always excited when Bruce returns to perform for a hometown crowd.
“I’d like to thank Rob Cross and the Virginia Arts Festival for reaching out to us with the idea to collaborate on what has now become the Funhouse Fest,” said Bruce Hornsby, co-presenter of the Funhouse Festival. “We’ve mulled the "festival" idea for three or four years now; our idea was to do it in Asheville, NC, one of our favorite places to play. But we never acted on it until Rob Cross got out the cattle prod and moved us in the right direction.”
For the last 14 of its 20 seasons, Virginia Arts Festival has presented a weekend-long mini-festival of performances in Williamsburg. The Funhouse Festival is the first curated, themed three-day music festival to be presented as part of this tradition.
“I can’t imagine a better way to wrap up Virginia Arts Festival 20th season celebration than a three-day jam with Bruce and the amazing lineup of artists he has invited to our Funhouse Fest,” said Virginia Arts Festival Perry Artistic Director Robert Cross. “It’s a dream come true.”
About the Funhouse Festival
The Funhouse Festival begins Friday, June 24, with an evening inspired by bluegrass and its creative progeny, with the prolific, innovative bluegrass master Ricky Skaggs and
Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder for jams including songs from their thrilling live album, Cluck Ol’ Hen and their eponymous debut.
On Saturday, June 25, performances begin at 4pm and carry on into the night, including sessions by Colvin & Earle featuring singer-songwriters Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle. The evening ends with a surefire pleaser for Hornsby fans, as he joins The Noisemakers to perform their upcoming album, Rehab Reunion, to be released June 17th and the album that won his first Grammy, The Way It Is, in their entirety.
Sunday, June 26, performances begin at 3pm with ChessBoxer and continue with singer Aoife O’Donovan, blues legends The Taj Mahal Trio, and a concert by Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers.
Three-day Funhouse Festival passes are on sale March 4th, online at www.FunhouseFest.com, by phone at 757-282-2822, or in person at the Virginia Arts Festival Box Office at 440 Bank St., Norfolk, VA.
The festival kicks off with An Evening with Bruce Hornsby (solo) on Thursday, June 23 at Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall, 8pm. The proceeds from this intimate solo performance benefit Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg, Virginia Shakespeare Festival, and Virginia Arts Festival’s educational outreach program. A limited number of tickets are available for $25 – $35 with purchase of 3-day festival pass.
Hotel packages are available through Colonial Williamsburg by calling (855) 308-1259 or visiting www.colonialwilliamsburg.com.
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"An Evening with Bruce Hornsby" (solo) on Thursday, June 23!
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