Balloon and Wine Lineup Has Hits for the Entire Family

Dennis DeYoung: the music of Styx

Alright, it's not your Father's Balloon and Wine Festival - If your father was one of the founders who started the event in 1983 and thought headliners were Jan and Dean and the Drifters. Not that there was anything wrong with that.
 And it's not even "my" Festival. I've promoted it since 1994 when we did have the Platters-Drifters-Coasters who just went back stage, changed their clothes and came back as the next band. I called them the barking dogs and took over the entertainment. My last year of booking we had the Brian Setzer Orchestra, Edgar Winter, Rod Piazza, the English Beat, Spyro Gyra,  and Beth Hart.  And well, ask your 25-year-old daughter, or 35-year-old niece if they know any of those bands. I plan on retiring when Jackson Browne is warm up for Sunday's wine stage headliner of Neon Trees. hahahahah. That's as probable as Sammy Hagar and Bob Seger at the Festival on Saturday .... but ...

Put THIRD EYE BLIND on the stage - one of the highest requested bands STILL on college campuses. Their most notable hits come from their 1997-2000 era with "Semi-Charmed Life," "Graduate," "How's it Going to Be," "Losing a Whole Year," and "Jumper."  I teased the Festival's Facebook page with lyrics from their songs and holy cow - I couldn't believe how fast people guessed the band. Of course - they do have over 450,000 fans on Facebook. That's the Saturday headliner. With them is Candlebox - another late 90s alternative/grunge rock band with a few hits and a very loyal following. There are two others that we can't release just yet - but you'll be impressed.

And if you don't like alternative rock - well - gramps, dad, mom - come out Friday night for DENNIS DEYOUNG: The Music of Styx. Between Styx and Supertramp, I wore both of their concert t-shirts to strings - yep - favorite bands of mine in my Cal Poly Pomona days. I know I wore the vinyl out on "Paradise Theater" - so for those wondering my age - hmmm Styx, college - do the math.

Ambrosia plays with DeYoung - and, yes I liked most of their music in the 80s too. (One Eighty the album with "Biggest Part of Me," and "You're the Only Woman" were hits in 1980.) Do the math.

And for the eclectically-versed music lovers - I'm one of those too - I produce the Temecula Bluegrass Festival and Hot Summer Nights - so I like just about everything except rap - well - okay I like Sean Paul but he has reggae roots - and that leads us to Sunday's lineup on the wine stage. Can you believe this one? The Young Dubliners - helloooooo Fiddle!! and Common Sense - hellooooo reggae and world fun party music. One of my favorite bluegrass bands is really an Irish Celtic band - SLIGO RAGS - AND the Young Dubliners? Celtic Rock!  It's not Dave Burns and Mike Kelly (Sligo) but they have a bit more following than my buds with Sligo Rags. While I prefer Dave Burns' great voice, Brendon Holmes and Keith Roberts have a sound all their own. You'll be buying their CDS if you don't already own them.

Tickets are on sale now at www.tvbwf.com. They go on sale at Vons and CVS on May 1st.

You can download press releases at www.temeculacalifornia.com. I'll be posting a schedule for those who like to know when everything happens - as soon as I get one. Go to balloonfest tab.

If you want to be a vendor at the Festival (and I get calls from vendors every day for Western Days in Old Town - no food please, nor purses, jewelry, beef jerky or sunglasses) well there are a few Balloon & Wine Festival Vendor Spots (all of the above but food are welcome at the BWF)  but they always sell out three weeks before the event so better hurry. www.tvbwf.com