PRESS RELEASE
MAY 15, 2012
"BackStage Pass" from WKAR Public Media kicks off a new production season with four concert tapings at East Lansing Hannah Community Center on June 26 and 27. The featured bands will be Home Again, Domestic Problems, Howling Diablos and Silent Lapse.
Contact:
Madalyn Kaltz
Communications Manager
kaltzmad@msu.edu
517.884.4978
'BackStage Pass' Announces New Season, New Taping Venue
"BackStage Pass" from WKAR Public Media kicks off a new production season with four concert tapings at East Lansing Hannah Community Center on June 26 and 27. The featured bands will be Home Again, Domestic Problems, Howling Diablos and Silent Lapse.
Last fall, the station began discussions with East Lansing Hannah Community Center about recording series episodes in the Albert White Performing Arts Theater. A plan began to take shape, and production dates and artist bookings have just recently been finalized.
“The City of East Lansing is honored and pleased to be a partner with WKAR in the ‘Music Made in Michigan’ series,” said East Lansing City Manager George Lahanas. “We think the East Lansing Hannah Community Center is an excellent venue for this series and we look forward to working with Michigan State University and WKAR in the coming months.”
The East Lansing Hannah Community Center is a hub in the community, celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. “BackStage Pass” fans know the series prides itself on offering a broad sampling of musical styles, and the new season continues that tradition.
The recording season opens on Tuesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. with Home Again. Home Again is a collaborative project led by veteran performers Andy Holtgreive and Bill Kenny. Michigan music fans will recognize Andy and Doug from their years with the band Domestic Problems. They'll be backed by Phil Barry, Jeff Moehle and Troy Stansberry from the equally popular Knee Deep Shag. Home Again plays great, toe-tapping alt-country and will perform music from their debut album “Forgotten Years,” produced by Troll For Trout’s Michael Chrittenden.
Domestic Problems take the stage Tuesday, June 26 at 8:30 p.m. Celebrating their 20th year together in 2012, DP’s humble beginnings date back to the dormitories of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids. They played many shows at Rick’s in East Lansing but haven’t played there in over a decade, so they’re excited for their homecoming. Their horn-driven pop music shows radiate energy. They love to have fun onstage.
On Wednesday, June 27 at 7 p.m., Howling Diablos will perform. Winners of five 2012 Detroit Music Awards, the Howling Diablos’ rocking, funky, blues-jam style is well known in southeast Michigan, and everywhere they have toured as a great, live music experience. Since their formation in the ‘90s, they have toured with Parliament Funkadelic, Alice Cooper, Albert Collins, Ben Harper, NRBQ, and The James Gang as well as headlining their own shows.
The final act at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27 is Westphalia’s own Silent Lapse – “BackStage Pass”’s first metal band. With a gritty, progressive and melodic sound, Silent Lapse gathers their inspiration from bands such as Pink Floyd and Metallica. They recently released their first music video “The Wake” to critical acclaim.
"Home Again, Domestic Problems, Howling Diablos—these acts are going to bring new fans to ‘BackStage Pass.’ And maybe the big twist for us this year is Silent Lapse—our first metal group,” says “BackStage Pass” Executive Producer Tim Zeko. "It'll be great to have the extra seats at Hannah, but something tells me the audience at these shows will be on their feet from start to finish."
“BackStage Pass” tapings at East Lansing Hannah Community Center mark the first recordings of the new production season. WKAR will also be recording concert performances by Michigan artists on stage at Old Town Jazz Festival, Lansing Mosaic Festival, and Old Town Blues Festival.
"We're looking forward to seating an audience two or three times what we could fit in Studio A," says WKAR TV Station Manager Susi Elkins. "This is unique in mid-Michigan—it’s not just a concert, it's a chance to see TV being made, and to be in the audience of a TV show that's seen across the country. We want to give that experience to as many music fans as we can."
Tickets for the concert tapings are free, but must be reserved in advance at WKAR.org. Each of the four performances will be ticketed separately. For more information on WKAR, “BackStage Pass” or any of the bands, visit WKAR.org.
About WKAR
WKAR is part of Michigan State University's College of Communication Arts & Sciences and includes WKAR-TV, WKAR Radio, WKAR.org, WKAR Radio Talking Book, WKAR Ready To Learn Service and Interactive Video Services.
Online Press Resources
Full Episodes Online. More than three dozen full episodes of the TV series featuring music made in Michigan can be viewed online now at video.wkar.org:
video.wkar.org/program/backstage-pass/
Images at Flickr. Artist courtesy images, plus hundreds of hi-res images from the entire series history.
flickr.com/photos/wkar/collections/72157612907444896/
On Facebook. Over 800 fans, with a potential reach over 300,000.
facebook.com/WKAR.BackStagePass
At YouTube. High quality and mobile viewing of recent full episodes.
youtube.com/wkar
BackStage Pass at WKAR.org Series updates, broadcast schedule, episode archive and more.
wkar.org/program/backstagepass
Artist WebSites
Home Again
reverbnation.com/homeagainmusic
Domestic Problems
reverbnation.com/domesticproblems
Howling Diablos
howlingdiablos.com
Silent Lapse
silentlapse.com
