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CONCERTS/SHOWS
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Franke Center Event Updates Covid-19
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Mask & Mic Competition
The Franke Center Mask & Mic Competition
Wearing a mask is important, but we’re all a little tired of it, right? So we thought, why not make wearing masks fun for a change?
Introducing the Mask & Mic singing competition and fundraiser! The way it works is simple. You create a video of yourself singing a song wearing a mask (it must be a mask covering your full face, not just your mouth and nose.) Your video will be shared on The Franke Center’s website and social media feed. Everyone in the community will be able to watch the videos and chat about who their favorite singer is– and what their identity might be. You’re encouraged to share your video in your social media feed, and your friends (and fans) can vote for you by making a $5 donation to The Franke Center. The cost to enter the contest is $20, and all funds will go to benefit The Franke Center for the Arts.
The singers receiving the top 3 votes will be invited to appear on The Franke Center stage for a livestream unmasking (date TBA) and one talented winner will be crowned the Mask & Mic Champion!
We hope this will be a fun way to entertain our community while also raising the needed funds to keep the arts alive in Calhoun County!
Sign up for the contest and upload your video here.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. Your face must be completely covered at all times throughout the video (we’re talking about full-face masks, not cloth virus-prevention masks)
2. It must be your voice singing. No lip-syncing.
3. Duets are allowed, but no more than two singers may appear in a single video. You may, however, have other masked musicians playing along with you provided they do not sing. You may sing along to a backing track that includes background vocals.
4. No explicit lyrics are allowed. This is a family-friendly competition.
5. Videos are limited to four minutes in length.
6. All ages are welcome to enter. Those under 18 require a parent’s consent.
7. The public will be able to vote online by making a donation of $5 and specifying the contestant number of the contestant they’re voting for. Each $5 donated equals one vote, and there are no limits on how much or how often a person may vote. You may also vote for yourself if you wish. All proceeds are tax-deductible and will go to support The Franke Center for the Arts, a 501c3 organization.
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JORDAN HAMILTON
JORDAN HAMILTON
OCTOBER 3, 2020 | 8PM
ADV. $14 | DOOR $16
Part of the Michigan Stars Series, Kalamazoo-based rapper, vocalist and cellist Jordan Hamilton weaves stellar vocals and sharp, thought-provoking lyrics over hypnotic cello loops to create a unique brand of Michigan hip-hop.
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WIZARD OF OZ – SING ALONG
WIZARD OF OZ
SING ALONG
MOVIE NIGHT
OCT. 17 |
$10 AT THE DOOR
Go over the rainbow with this sing-along version of the classic film. With costumes, prizes, and treats, it will be fun for the whole family!
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SAVOY BROWN
SAVOY BROWN
OCT. 24 | 8PM
ADV. $34-$39 | DOOR $36
“Legendary …A blues/rock institution … true innovators” – words used to describe Savoy Brown and leader Kim Simmonds, the longest-running blues band in history. Their hit singles “I’m Tired”, “Tell Mama”, and “Run To Me” are on Billboard’s Hot 100 all-time hit list, and they have released an incredible 38 albums in over 50 years of performing.
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SADIE BASS
SADIE BASS
COUNTRY
NOV. 21 | 8PM
ADV. $20-$25 | DOOR $22
Fresh off a stint performing with Brantley Gilbert, Bath, Michigan-based Sadie Bass and her killer band are ready to blow the doors off The Franke—country style.
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JOE LOUIS WALKER
Saturday, May 1, 2021
Blues Series
Joe Louis Walker
Opener: KJELL CROCE
MAY 1, 2021
8 PM
Preshow: Alvin Lautzenheiser 7 PM
Advance $30 | At Door $32
The Franke Center in Marshall is excited to present Joe Louis Walker, a Blues Hall of Fame inductee and four-time Blues Music Award winner, live in concert on Saturday, May 1. Described as a “living legend” within the blues world by fans and peers, Walker’s celebrated career over half a century has taken him across the world to many of the world’s most famous Blues venues – and now, to the intimate Main Stage of the Franke Center! Tickets for the show are $30 in advance and $32 at the door. Doors and bar open at 7 PM, with pre-show music featuring Alvin Lautzenheiser in the Downstage Club. Local musician Kjell Croce will open the Main Stage show at 8 PM, followed by Joe Louis Walker and his band.
A true powerhouse guitar virtuoso, unique singer and prolific songwriter, Walker has toured extensively throughout his career, performed at the world’s most renowned music festivals, and earned a legion of dedicated fans. Walker’s 1986 debut album Cold Is the Night on HighTone Records announced his arrival in stunning fashion, and his subsequent output has only served to further establish Walker as one of the leading bluesmen on the scene. He has been described by NPR Music as “a legendary boundary-pushing icon of modern blues.”
Born in 1949 in San Francisco, Walker took up the guitar at age 14. Just two years later, he was a known quantity on the Bay Area music scene, playing blues with an occasional foray into psychedelic rock. For a while, he roomed with guitarist and composer Mike Bloomfield, who introduced him to Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead. Walker even made a brief pilgrimage to Chicago to check out the blues scene there. In 1975, burned out on blues, Walker turned to God, singing for the next decade with a gospel group, the Spiritual Corinthians. When the Corinthians played the 1985 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Walker was inspired to embrace his blues roots again. He assembled the Boss Talkers, and throughout the 1990s merged many of his gospel, jazz, soul, funk, and rock influences with his trademark blues. Through the years Walker has collaborated with a diverse group of first-rate artists including Branford Marsalis, James Cotton, Tower of Power, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Ike Turner, and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. He has released twenty-five albums since 1986, including his most recent effort “Journeys to the Heart of the Blues” in 2018.
Looking back on his rich history, Walker shares, “I’d like to be known for the credibility of a lifetime of being true to my music and the blues. Sometimes I feel I’ve learned more from my failures than from my success. But that’s made me stronger and more adventurous. And helped me create my own style. I’d like to think that when someone puts on one of my records they would know from the first notes, ‘That’s Joe Louis Walker.’”
If you have tickets to this show, you have three options:
1. You can hold onto your ticket and use it for the MAY 1, 2021 performance.
2. You can call The Franke Center box office at 269.781.0001 and request a refund.
3. You can call the box office and request that your ticket payment be converted into a tax-deductible donation. The Franke Center is a non-profit organization and as you can imagine, COVID-19 and the associated cancellations can be very damaging to the arts sector. If you want to make an additional donation, you can always do so on our homepage at TheFranke.org
All other Franke Center programming will proceed as scheduled at this time.
Watch The Franke Center website and our Facebook page for future updates.
We wish everyone safety and good health during this challenging time.
TICKETS
