Supergroup, the Works Progress Administration, announce tour, play Raleigh

The big supergroup that goes by the moniker the Works Progress Administration has announced some scattered tour dates throughout the rest of the year. What's so special about this band you ask? It features Sara and Sean Watkins (of Nickel Creek), Glen Phillips, Luke Bulla, Benmont Tench (of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), and Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher (of Elvis Costello and the Imposters). That's one hell of a band.

Among the dates on the tour is a surprising booking at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh on September 17. More surprising is the cost. You can see all of these great players perform together for just $12. Tickets go on sale on Friday, July 10 at 10am via etix.com.

The group has recorded an album that should be out sometime this year, though no release date has been announced yet. You can download a song from the album titled on the group's website if you fork over you email address. You can also watch a little mini-documentary about the band below.



Works Progress Administration dates:
07.04.09 - Berwyn, IL - FitzGerald's
08.16.09 - Schwenksville, PA - Philadelphia Folk Festival
08.18.09 - Exton, PA - Eagleview Concert in the Square
08.19.09 - New York, NY - Joe's Pub
09.06.09 - Groveland, CA - Camp Mather/Strawberry Festival
09.17.09 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre [Tickets]
09.18.09 - Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
09.20.09 - Decatur, GA - Eddie's Attic (early show)
09.20.09 - Decatur, GA - Eddie's Attic (late show)
09.25.09 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
09.26.09 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe
09.27.09 - Eugene, OR - The Wow Hall [Tickets]
09.29.09 - Chico, CA - Manzanita Place
09.30.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent [Tickets]
10.05.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Largo at the Coronet
11.05.09 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
11.07.09 - Pittsburgh, PA - Diesel
11.10.09 - Annapolis, MD - Ram's Head On Stage
11.11.09 - Vienna, VA - The Barns at Wolftrap
11.12.09 - Fairfield, CT - Fairfield Theatre-Stage One
11.13.09 - Cambridge, MA - Passim Folk Music & Cultural Center
11.14.09 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall
11.15.09 - Fall River, MA - Narrows Center For the Arts
12.01.09 - Cedar Rapids, IA - CSPS
12.02.09 - Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center
12.03.09 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
12.05.09 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark [Tickets]
12.06.09 - Chicago, IL - Old Town School of Folk Music

HopeFest raises money, voices for Africa

I swear I’m not being disingenuous when I say I’ve never quite enjoyed an outdoor festival as much as I did HopeFest last weekend.

The annual event was held Sunday afternoon at Booth Amphitheatre in Cary.

HopeFest, in its third year, raises money for Beacon of Hope, a group based out of Nairobi, Kenya, that helps women and girls affected by AIDS learn skills that allow them to make money and support themselves and their families.

Last year’s HopeFest raised $25,000, enough for Beacon of Hope to build a new health clinic. I’m not sure how much this year’s festival raised, but one of the organizers told me that before gates even opened for the day, they had about $12,000 to send over to Beacon.

But of course, HopeFest isn’t just about the cause. Okay, well it is, but there’s some great music, too.

Mavuno, a group from Kenya, performed a lively set early in the evening that had most of the crowd on their feet and dancing. Local native turned Nashvillian Thad Cockrell followed, playing songs off his brand new EP, To Be Loved.

This year’s concert was headlined by Glen Phillips, someone everyone’s heard of though his past work with Toad the Wet Sprocket. Phillips played some of his bigger songs from that band (“All I Want,” “Walk on the Ocean”) but he also played some of his more recent material, including two songs (“Windmills,” “Come a Time”) off an album he recorded as the Mutual Admiration Society with Nickel Creek and two freshly-penned songs Phillips said will appear on a forthcoming album.

The crowd was small but mighty, and Phillips treated the faithful by coming out for a special encore. Standing on the steps of the stage Phillips played handful of songs as the crowd stood close and sang along. Undoubtedly the perfect ending to a perfect day.

HopeFest goes free, drops two headliners

Organizers for Carolina HopeFest announced today that the show this Sunday at Booth Amphitheatre will be free. On the down side, Mat Kearney and Marc Cohn are no longer on the bill. Glen Phillips, who had been third runner up, will now headline.

The goal of HopeFest has been to raise money for Beacon of Hope, a group in Kenya that gives assistance to women with AIDS.

"We felt that we wanted to draw as big a crowd as possible in order to maximize awareness of the challenge in Africa," Jana Piepenbring, director of Carolina Hope, said in a statement. "It became obvious that the best way to do that would be to take some bold steps. Fortunately, because of the generosity of our presenting sponsor Lenovo, we are able to make this year's festival a free event and still make a meaningful contribution to the charity."

No word if the times on the schedule will change, but I'll let you guys know if I hear anything.

Mat Kearney to headline Carolina HopeFest

Carolina HopeFest, a concert raising money to fight AIDS in Africa, has announced its lineup.

Mat Kearney, Marc Cohn and Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) are the big names at this year's show. Other artists include local favorite Thad Cockrell, Dereck Webb, Sandra McCracken and Mavuno (from Nairobi, Kenya).

HopeFest will be Sunday, Sept. 20 at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Tickets are $35 for reserved seats, $20 for lawn and $10 for students, and will go on sale Aug. 25 through Ticketmaster and the venue box office.