Dave Bennett's Benny Goodman Tribute
Friday, September 26 • 8:00 pm
Midland Memories Series/Sponsored by Park National Bank
Tickets: $50.00, $45.00, $35.00, $25.00 and $20.00

The Midland Memories Series is designed to highlight entertainment from the 1930s to the 1960s and celebrate The Midland Theatre's first successful era. Sponsored by Park National Bank, this performance series kicks off our seventh season, beginning with Dave Bennett's Benny Goodman Tribute. Only "twenty-something!", Dave and his All-Star Septet play Goodman's "swing-era" classics: Moonglow; I've Got Rhythm; Body and Soul; Sing, Sing, Sing; and many others. Dave is a jaw dropping clarinet prodigy who brings to life the music of "The King of Swing." His incredible technique, expression and sensitivity gained this response from guitar legend of the NBC Tonight Show and Goodman Band member (1966 to 1986), Bucky Pizarelli, "If Benny had heard this guy he would have had him over to play duets!"

Dave Bennett has created written and "head" arrangements of many Goodman "hits" and "swing jazz classics". Bennett's mature stage presence, knowledge of the dates and details of Goodman recordings, and his penchant for wire-rim glasses, spats and double-breasted suits, transport listeners back to the time and mood of Benny Goodman's “swing era”. In his Goodman Tribute, Dave demonstrates an uncanny ability: "copping" many of Goodman's famous "riffs" and "lines" (very close to Benny's classic recordings) balanced by substantial amounts of "free blowing" that still evokes the Goodman sound and style. 

To visit Dave Bennett's website, click here.

Johnsmith
Thursday, October 2 • 8:00 pm
Stage Door Cabaret Series/Sponsored by Huntington Bank
All Tickets $27.50

The Stage Door Cabaret Series opens with Johnsmith on October 2, 2008. As a solo performer Johnsmith totally opens up and bares his genuine self on stage. His music has been described as uplifting and filled with integrity and soul. His songs and voice go straight to the heart, because that's where they come from. Johnsmith has walked down the roads that made him whole, and when he brings that onstage, he connects with folks.

Whenever you read or hear about the music of Johnsmith, certain watchwords always come up, regardless of the source. Words like uplifting, or integrity, heart, or soul. His songs and voice go straight to the heart, because that’s where they come from.Over two decades of performing festivals, concert halls, coffeehouses, colleges, and house concerts, along with a half dozen acclaimed CDs, Johnsmith has built a solid fan base in the US and abroad.

Johnsmith calls himself a blue collar songwriter, banging out his tunes along the back roads one show at a time. Fellow songwriter Buddy Mondlock best sums it up: "I feel like every time one of Johnsmith’s songs gets heard a little healing happens to the world."

To visit Johnsmith's website, click here.

An Evening with Kenny Loggins
Thursday, October 9 • 8:00 pm
Lively Arts Series/Sponsored by The Place Off The Square
Tickets: $75.00, $65.00, $50.00, $35.00 and $25.00

Showcasing widely acclaimed entertainers and the finest national touring artists, The Lively Arts Series, sponsored by The Place Off The Square, kicks off with singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins, one of contemporary music's most familiar and welcoming voices. Inviting listeners to experience music that reaches the heart and the senses with disarming candor, authentic emotion and rich lyrical and melodic resonance, Kenny Loggins has been part of our collective pop culture for over three decades. From Loggins & Messina classics like Danny's Song to signature solo tracks including Celebrate Me Home, Footloose and the GRAMMY^®-winning This Is It, Kenny Loggins' expansive body of work speaks volumes with its warmth and directness. Immediately familiar, his is a voice in popular music that can be identified as soon as a song starts.

To visit Kenny's website, click here.

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