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Tad Robinson Band brings curtain down on GSMF concerts Wednesday
The Tad Robinson Band brings the Greencastle Summer Music Festival’s 19th season to a close Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Gobin Church.
There’s no admission charge -- like all GSMF concerts, this performance is a gift to the community from the family of past and present GSMF donors, as well as businesses including the Inn at DePauw and Doc’s Inn.
This week’s “grand finale” concert has been underwritten by gifts from Linda and Steve Raines as well as Chris and Barbara South. Between annual-fund donations and income from the festival’s endowment at the Putnam County Community Foundation, the festival, which pays all its performers, is close to meet its fundraising goal of “23 in 23” ($23,000 in 2023).
The festival is only $700 away from meeting its “23 in 23” goal. Members of the board are offering to match the next $350 in donations to make sure that goal is met.
“We are always excited to bring world-class artists like Tad, the extraordinary blues vocalist and harmonica player, who has been touring internationally this summer, and his colleagues to perform. I’ve been told many times by both audience members and performers that they appreciate the opportunity to experience music that’s often heard in clubs or outdoors in a quiet, attentive concert setting,” Eric Edberg, the GSMF founding artistic director, said.
Robinson will be joined Wednesday by a special guest, the guitarist Joel Tucker, who is featured in GSMF regular, and “Jazz at the Duck” host Steve Snyder’s recent album “Prime Vintage.” Also performing are Tad’s longtime accompanist, Kevin Anker (Delbert McClinton, The Fabulous Thunderbirds) on Hammond Organ and Brian Yarde (The Tucker Brothers, Sadie Johnson, Doug Henthorn) on drums.
Wednesday night’s show, with Tucker added to his backing trio, will find Robinson exploring the jazz side of blues and soul.
“Joel, Kevin and Brian have worked often together in other projects,” Robinson said, “so having them here at my hometown music festival will be a wonderful adventure for me. Their strong jazz influences will pull me a little bit out of my comfort zone, but going out on that limb with them will keep me creative and listening. To have a good musical conversation, that’s the ticket, big ears and keep listening. The blues is the common denominator in just about all American roots music, jazz included, so we’ll come together at the table of the blues. That’s home for all of us.”
From his NYC roots and his Indiana and Chicago musical upbringing, Robinson has caught the attention of the scene with his 10 Blues Music Award nominations, his recordings for the Severn label, his earlier work on Delmark Records, and on Rounder Records as a member of the roots rock band, Big Shoulders. He tours widely in the U.S. and has played in more than 20 countries worldwide with performances at some of the most important international blues festivals.
Robinson is currently at work on his eighth studio album set for a spring 2024 release.
Guest guitarist Tucker was a featured soloist at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and at the Imperial Palace in Annecy, France. His recorded work as a leader and as a sideman runs the gamut of styles from contemporary jazz, straight ahead jazz, Latin jazz, post rock and hip hop.
The Greencastle Summer Music Festival will return for its 20th summer season on Wednesday May 29, 2024.
The weekly GSMF concerts are made possible primarily from donations from individuals. Individuals can help make the gift of community through “friends making music for friends” online using PayPal.
Support also comes from an endowment at the Putnam County Community Foundation and from businesses including the Inn at DePauw, host for the out-of-town performers, and the Doc’s Inn.