By St. Cecilia Music Center
St. Cecilia Music Center (SCMC) has added another concert to their 2018-19 Acoustic Café Folk series. Asleep at the Wheel, 10 GRAMMY Award winners with more than 25 studio and live albums to their 48-year history, will perform on April 11, 2019. Don’t miss out — get your tickets today.
The band will return to St. Cecilia with a new recording in their playlist. New Routes marks both a new path forward and a nod to the freewheeling roots of one of Texas’ most beloved bands.
After a decade of collaborating on records with friends, including Willie Nelson on 2009’s Willie and the Wheel, and paying ongoing tribute to the groundbreaking music of Western Swing pioneer Bob Wills, the Wheel is marking 2018 with their first album of new material in a decade.
With a fresh lineup, a bracing blend of original songs and vibrant cover material and some unanticipated new musical tangents, Asleep at the Wheel demonstrates convincingly it’s more relevant, enjoyable and musically nimble than any time in its 45-year history.
“It took me 60 years, but I’m doing what I’m meant to do—singing and playing and writing better than I ever have. A bandleader is just someone who gathers people around them to play the best music they can play. The idea is to feature everyone in the band,” founder Ray Benson says.
SCMC Executive Director Cathy Holbrook added, “We are so happy to bring Asleep at the Wheel back to Grand Rapids. They have a great loyal following and their new music will be highly anticipated by an eager crowd.”
Concert tickets for Asleep at the Wheel are $43 and $38. All concert tickets can be purchased by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224 or visiting the box office at 24 Ransom Ave. NE. Tickets can also be purchased online here.
A post-concert “Meet-the-artist” party, with complimentary wine and beer from the folk series sponsor Greyline Brewing, will be offered to all ticket-holders giving the audience the opportunity to meet the artists and to obtain signed CDs of their releases.
Coming up: Guitarist Leo Kottke will return to SCMC on April 18, 2019. Over his many years of writing and performing, Kottke has composed scores for film soundtracks, children’s shows, and a symphony, as well as, released many albums. Focusing primarily on instrumental composition and playing, Kottke also sings sporadically, in an unconventional yet expressive baritone. In concert, Kottke intersperses humorous and monologues with vocal and instrumental selections played solo on his 6- and 12-string guitars.
