News & Project Updates

• After 25 years, Shirley Grimes Returns Home to Ireland

10/3/2019

- At long last (if you count over 25 years as long...) SHIRLEY GRIMES returns to her homeland for 5 special concerts beginning tonight, for the first of two shows in Killaloe, County Clare. Ending in Dublin, the run is the long-awaited highpoint of the Hold On.... tour.

The concerts will feature songs and musicians from Shirley's new release Hold on... which have already gained critical attention with the Irish press:

"Her newest album 'Hold on....' is a work of wisdom and maturity. It collects 11 poignant songs that are both outspoken about world affairs and intimately personal. The songs are beautiful, the arrangements refined, the voice as honest as ever. 'Hold on....' is the sound of sincerity." - The Glens, Manorhamilton

The songs are wonderful, but always so extra special, when sung at home.

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• The HawtThorns Lift Off featuring Kirsten Proffit

8/16/2019

The "HawtThorns excel at expertly weaving pop into Americana,
which is what makes 'Morning Sun' a special album."
- Steven Ovadia, Albumism

- Long-time, prolific Broken Arrow artist KIRSTEN PROFFIT has created a wonderful new music adventure in THE HAWTTHORNS. The new husband-and-wife team bring Johnny Hawthorn
(Toad the Wet Sprocket, Everclear) together with KP for a poppy, electric guitar-driven, thoroughly enjoyable Americana debut release Morning Sun.

Kirsten continues what she started with the female California Country duo CALICO THE BAND but this time brings in Mr. Hawthorn to share vocals and lend his considerable guitar talents to KP's melodic song arrangements.

This is not sleepy, mirage-inducing Americana, but upbeat, energetic excursions in and out of the genre all the while focusing on their blended harmonies and expert songcraft. For those fans of Kirsten's pop styles, this album has you covered. More from Steven Ovadia:

"Ultimately, the gift of the HawtThorns is how they make songs sound pretty. They do it in a variety of ways. Their arrangements. KP's vocals. And their gorgeous sense of melody."

Now that the album is out, the road is where you'll find the HawtThorns.

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• "In Search of a Better Life" Concerts in Bern, CH

7/10/2019

- The impact of music to tell a story...

Two special "In Search of a Better Life” concerts took place this past weekend at the majestic French Church in Bern, CH, featuring Irish songstress & Broken Arrow artist SHIRLEY GRIMES, joined by the ORCHESTRA DIVERTIMENTO, the THIRD DAY CHORALE from Dublin, and the
ONE RIVER VOICES choir from Bern. With 180 performers on stage, it promised to be a very special presentation, and it exceeded all expectations.

The remarkable and emotional peak in both sold-out shows was Shirley’s beautiful & haunting new song “Here Upon the Water”, which she wrote in anticipation of the shows, telling "the story of a man forced to flee his country and embark on a deadly trip across the sea to Europe.”
There wasn't a dry-eye in the house.

Unfortunately both song & concerts become more poignant by the day, but here they creatively helped divert the global narrative,
to the personal story.

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• Mat Callahan Hits Woodstock; Clearwater Folk Festival

6/13/2019

- Author, singer-songwriter, provacateur...MAT CALLAHAN arrives stateside for a slate of appearances supporting his new release Working Class Heroes, with YVONNE MOORE. Mat kicks off the tour with two very special dates this weekend.

June 14 Mat appears at the Woodstock 50 anniversary conference at Marist College in Bethel Woods, NY. Mat will be speaking about music and the sixties' counterculture in his talk
"Music as a Rival of the State."

Then on June 15, joined by blues songstress Moore, Callahan will appear at the 41st annual Clearwater Folk Festival, aka The Great Hudson River Revival, alongside artists such as
MAVIS STAPLES and ANI DIFRANCO. This great and storied festival - the country's oldest & largest music & environmental festival - is rooted in the environmental causes spearheaded by local resident and iconic folk music pioneer PETE SEEGER, whom Mat collaborated with in, among other projects, presenting Seeger's program on Public Domain reform at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland in 2007.

This year's festival is celebrating Seeger's 100th birthday, as well as the 50th anniversary of the sloop Clearwater, the famous ship Seeger built to advocate cleaning up the Hudson River. Also appearing are such artists as Railroad Earth, The Wailers, and Immortal Technique.

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• New Album Release for Mat Callahan & Yvonne Moore

6/3/2019

- Broken Arrow artists singer-songwriter MAT CALLAHAN and Swiss blues songstress
YVONNE MOORE have just released a special new album Working-Class Heroes. This represents the duo's forth major release together and will be supported by initial tour appearances in the U.S., U.K., and Switzerland.

The album arose out of Moore's exploration of Sarah Ogan Gunning songs after her acclaimed Blue Wisdom albums, which featured gems from the American blues songbook, and follows a parallel path with the duo's previous release on the songs & writings of Irish Eastern Rising
leader James Connolly.

From PM Press:
"The most essential music is conceived by real human beings; ordinary, anonymous, often poor who stood up and joined together to fight injustice and institutional oppression. This is the story of Working-Class Heroes, a collection of American working-class, pre-World War II folk songs revived by Mat & Yvonne. Here the duo presents 20 songs written by both folk cannon heavyweights and lesser-known but equally gifted songwriters. Both beautiful and emotionally arresting, the album is a collection of stories as much as songs - stories of the women and men who (sometimes literally) gave their lives to emancipate the working class. Heroes such as Sarah Ogan Gunning, Woody Guthrie, Paul Robeson and Ella May Wiggins...and several more anonymous proletarian songwriters, whose names have been long forgotten but their words immortalized."

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• Kalli's "Lost" Releases Today Worldwide

5/3/2019

- KALLI's new single "Lost" releases today around the world through Broken Arrow Music ,
his first release since the Escape Artist EP was released in 2017.

"Lost" also follows Kalli's last full-length album Last Train Home, which was nominated for
Album of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards.

The Kalli & Katherine Hoyle penned song was recorded in his hometown of Reykjavik, & features Kalli on vocals, organ & guitar, plus Gudrun Hulda Palsdottir on background vocals.
Arnar Guðjónsson (Leaves) plays drums, bass, guitars, & synths, as well as co-produced the track with Kalli.

A lush, expansive song with building dynamics, energy & positive feel, Kalli says "Lost" is about
"transformation, change...letting go of the past & finding new ground."

Available worldwide wherever quality notes are found.

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• Vinyl Release Today for Shirley Grimes' Hold On....

3/6/2019

- Today SHIRLEY GRIMES' new album Hold on... releases in vinyl format.

Exquisite acoustic guitar and mandocello work, Shirley's singular vocals, and all the deep glows of Hold on... are wonderfully captured in the warm embrace of vinyl, a perfect way to listen to her most personal release.

This release comes with a flurry of new spring tour dates, including tonight in Basel, CH, at the Atlantis. Maybe the only way better than vinyl to hear these songs is live, so we're covered there as well.

For full information, ordering, and tour dates, head over to Shirley's website.

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• Hot Concerts Heat Up Holiday Parties

2/28/2019

- The holiday season came and went in a blur, but what a blur it was...

We had the pleasure of acquiring great live music for a variety of events. In particular we wanted to thank LA MISA NEGRA for their irresistible sets of high-fun Afro-Latin dance jams at AT&T (now Oracle) Park in San Francisco. A hot band on the rise, check out their new album
La Misa Negra ("the Red Album").
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Latin orchestras are always a big hit for festive live events, and we had the pleasure of working again with one of the best, the Grammy-nominated PACIFIC MAMBO ORCHESTRA, in their full 20-piece attack. This band is just hot, so be sure to check them out when they're back on tour.
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Another holiday treat was working with DJ RED CORVETTE. This Oakland-based DJ not only excels in prime soul/r&b/hip hop mixology, but as well in taking things to a higher level as co-founder of the Women Sound Off festival (coming up this year April 5-7 in Oakland). At this same event from Los Angeles was GROUND CONTROL, an A-list party band that shook the house down.
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Also, our first time at the "new" August Hall was a great success. In a historic building right off Union Square in the heart of San Francisco, the former home of Ruby Skye has been remodeled sonically and visually, and besides being a new tour stop for many, it's now a wonderful venue for private events with a great staff.

Definitely a happy holiday for all.

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Music curation, booking and contracting by BROKEN ARROW

• Pacific Mambo, Kotoja, Headline a Global Music Feast

10/11/2018

- San Francisco's Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park is one of the world's largest natural history museums, housing over 26 million specimens from around the world, in what is as well California's oldest museum. And on a recent memorable night, the venerable collection had a live soundtrack and private celebration well-befitting of its place and stature.

Guests to this private event had the after-hours of the museum to themselves, and once inside, the host wanted to take all on an exotic journey. Music led the way.

While exploring the Renzo Piano designed rebuild and its inhabitants, guests were serenaded by renown world music DJ HARRY DUNCAN, who set the mood with a vibrant global-soul mix that pulsed throughout the building's sound system. Once the special tours and presentations from astronauts, painters, and science experts were over, the crowd gathered in the expansive main piazza next to the 4-story rain forest and started moving to the afro-funk beats of African music stalwarts KOTOJA, as the 10-piece band laid down an irresistible, feel-good set. Then, Fiji's
RAKO PASEFIKA took everyone to islands far away with their native songs & dance.

With Duncan's mixes expertly connecting the dots between live sets, the Grammy award-winning PACIFIC MAMBO ORCHESTRA took the stage 13 members strong and brought the crowd to its dancing best. The Latin big band ignited the room with with its high energy blend of 40s - 60s golden era sounds of mambo, salsa, cha-cha, and Latin jazz. Feet and faces alike were smiling wide from the power of the PMO.

It was a sensory, mental and physical escape for all the guests of the host, a social justice organization involved in environmental, educational and immigration issues. All under an intoxicating blend of world music sounds from Africa, Latin America, Pacific Islands,
and all points in-between.

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Music curation and booking by BROKEN ARROW. Event production by e2k events.

• New Album and Tour from Shirley Grimes

9/20/2018

- Longtime Broken Arrow artist SHIRLEY GRIMES has announced a new album release and corresponding tour.

Hold on... is the Irish singer/songwriter's 8th album, and it releases worldwide on October 19. On November 2, Shirley and band set out on a 24-date tour starting with a sold-out show in Munchenbuchsee, Switzerland. A second Munchenbuchsee show has just been announced for Nov. 3.

The Hold On... tour follows the incredibly successful Lovesongs tour, which ran from 2015 - 2016. Lovesongs covered 72 shows, 24 of which were sellouts, and included three Bob Dylan tribute shows and three shows with the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra. On the road as she was in the studio, Shirley will be accompanied on mandocello and bass by Wolfgang Zwiauer and by
Tom Etter on acoustic guitars.

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Music marketing, promotion, worldwide digital distribution by BROKEN ARROW

• Jam-Packed Night Sends Guests on a Global Musical Journey

6/22/2018

Yismari with Candela

Jeffrey Iqbal

- On a beautiful evening in the hills above San Francisco bay, world music and dance graced an elegant yet very lively annual celebration and party...

Musically, the night began in the mountains of western Bolivia and ended in the streets of Mumbai, India. In between, the lucky guests had an entertainment tour throughout Latin America, Europe and far-flung spots along the Caribbean.

Upon arrival guests were serenaded by the incredible MARIO and JOSE ORETEA, flamenco guitar virtuosos playing traditionals from their Bolivian homeland as well as from their mentors from France, the Gypsy Kings. The Latin jazz trio LaTiDo then took over during the catered dinner and played a wonderful set that hinted of musical journeys to come.

Bossa nova music created a sexy segue into the dance portion of the evening, which featured the RUEDA con RITMO dance group performing the "wheel" style of Cuban street dance to the music of Los Van Van. Then a solo dance performance by YISMARI to Camila Cabello's current mega-hit "Havana" was a show-stopper. Increasing the energy, the CANDELA salsa orchestra immediately lit into their fiery set and guests quickly jammed the dance floor, and stayed there. Guests only thought they were danced-out after Candela's last song... but once led inside, JEFFREY IQBAL hit them with big, India/Bollywood-style pop hits, and more dancing and fun were unavoidable.

In all, the exquisite setting and event were truly graced by an entire evening of fantastic live music and dance performances from around the world.

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Music Curation, Booking and Contracting by BROKEN ARROW. Event production by e2k and Taste Catering.

• Mehling, Samuels Light Spigit's Ignite 2018 Conference

5/23/2018

- Ideators came together for two days and nights in San Francisco recently for the annual Ignite conference by Spigit. Spigit is an industry leading ideation management platform, with offices in San Francisco, London and Sydney. Ignite 2018 landed at the stately Battery building in downtown SF and featured an A-list group of speakers and of course, entertainers.

Elevating the opening reception was the exquisite guitar stylings of PAUL MEHLING, the godfather of American gypsy jazz, and leader of the Hot Club of San Francisco. Following up at the closing party was the equally-exquisite jazz guitar of JORDAN SAMUELS, who regularly performs with the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra and other top ensembles, as well as his own trio.

Both artists brought a large amount of talent, creativity and distinction...and a lot of fun, to the social nights of Ignite 18. Well done to all.

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Music curation and booking by BROKEN ARROW. Event production by ANNA MARIE EVENTS

• Calico the Band Returns to Stagecoach

4/30/2018

- Coachchella's ever-popular and ever-growing sister festival Stagecoach took over the Empire Polo Club grounds in Indio, CA, this weekend for their annual country music festival, and
CALICO THE BAND was there gracing the grounds & stage for the second time in their brief history on Sunday. Produced by Goldenvoice, the day was headlined by Garth Brooks, with Keith Urban and Florida Georgia Line headlining the festival on Saturday and Friday nights.

Calico the Band distinctly features the dual lead-singers Manda Mosher and BROKEN ARROW artist KIRSTEN PROFFIT, and the stop was part of their tour supporting their wonderful sophomore release Under Blue Skies.

Well done, Ladies of the Canyon!

See & hear more of Kirsten here

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• Joe Perry Headlines "The Sound of Rock" Concert at CES

1/19/2018

- The Sound of Rock pervaded Las Vegas and the mammoth Consumer Electronics tradeshow with an all-star private concert headlined by famed AEROSMITH guitarist-extraordinaire JOE PERRY.

Joining Perry at the Brooklyn Bowl were ROBIN ZANDER of CHEAP TRICK, GARY CHERONE of EXTREME & VAN HALEN, and the DeLEO BROTHERS of the STONE TEMPLE PILOTS. The band blazed through a 17-song set including Aerosmith classics "Toys in the Attic" and "Walk This Way". The band also hit "Aye, Aye, Aye", the Zander-sung lead single to Perry's new solo release Sweetzerland Manifesto.

CES attracted over 184,000 attendees, but only a couple thousand received the special invitation to the private show, which promoted Perry's new line of products with Monster, Inc. The concert quickly became the talk of the convention and the exposure it brought to the product introduction was priceless. It was a home run for the band, the corporate hosts, and most of all, the fans!

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Music booking and contracting by BROKEN ARROW. Event production by BROOKLYN BOWL.

• 350 People, from 40 Countries, Join Together for 1 Song... The One River Voices Project

11/7/2017

Celebrating Diversity Through Music

- The song “One River” is a special collaboration between BROKEN ARROW singer/songwriter SHIRLEY GRIMES and cellist and conductor CLIODHNA NI AODAIN, two Irish artists residing in Switzerland, who offer a magical response to the recent political developments around the globe. The release is the culmination of the One River Voices project, which brought people from around the world to join together to participate in the recording of “One River”.

The purpose of the recording was to celebrate our ethnic and religious diversity, and to send a message of unity, respect, tolerance and love to a world where walls and discrimination are causing separation,fear and helplessness.

The positive message is a remake of the song “River” off of Grimes’ album Lovesongs, and features over 350 guest vocalists representing 40 different countries. Brought together from an open-to-all invitation on Grimes’ website, the participants joined together for one day in Bern, Switzerland, where they met and socialized, learned and rehearsed the song, and then participated in the recording session, all as the newly christened One River Voices. Grimes, her band, a string quartet, and the public choir were directed by Ní Aodáin, and the day brought untold joy, laughter and a few tears among the new friends. A video of the day was shot and was first publicly screened in Schloss Koniz in Bern. As well a music video for the song has also just been released.

Further encouraging connection through the joy of music, the score, multi-tracks and other tools are available online so that people around the world can do their own version of the song and share with us, and others.

One River – Millions of Voices

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• Kalli Releases New Video + Calico Releases New Album

10/20/2017

- Icelandic singer/songwriter KALLI has released a stunning new video for the title track of his new album Escape Artist. The video is the first full-length from the new album, which is Kalli's third solo record and first album release in almost six years. His last album Last Train Home was nominated for Album of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards. Also from the new album is a
lyric video for the first single My Bird.

The video features a montage of incredible outdoor footage shot primarily in pre-dawn light throughout northern Iceland by Norwegian film director Darri Thorsteinsson. Kalli celebrates the new album release & video with a live appearance at the upcoming Iceland Airwaves Festival,
in Reykjavik, Nov. 4.
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- Southern California's Calico the Band featuring BROKEN ARROW artist KIRSTEN PROFFIT, has released their second album Under Blue Skies. The album features the song Break Your Heart (a Proffit composition), which has already been featured as the opening song in the new Tom Sizemore film Calico Skies.

Calico is currently on tour with a recent appearance in Nashville at the Americana Music Awards.

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• India.Arie Graces 2017 National Geographic Awards

9/5/2017

- For over 100 years, the National Geographic Society has annually honored the years’ greatest exploration and scientific achievements. When you have past honorees such as Charles Lindbergh, John Glenn, Louis and Mary Leakey and Neil Armstrong, you know that this is no ordinary awards show...

For 2017, the National Geographic Awards night culminated their “Celebration of Exploration” week in Washington, D.C., which featured many singular events throughout. Held at the Lisner Auditorium, itself a national landmark at George Washington University, National Geographic awarded the Hubbard Medal (their highest honor) to NEIL deGRASSE TYSON, and BERTRAND PICCARD and ANDRÉ BORSCHBERG, co-founders & pilots of the Solar Impulse – the first around-the-world solar flight – were awarded the prestigious Further Award.

For such a special year for the awards, National Geographic wanted to introduce a live musical element that would distinguish the event from years’ past. For that, and in harmony with the company’s worldwide appeal and respect, Broken Arrow brought in multiple Grammy-award winner INDIA.ARIE to headline and perform the opening and closing numbers. Her exquisite performances gave the year’s greatest global achievements the perfect soundtrack, and elevated the evening into anotherfar-reaching and resplendent Geographic photograph.

Hosting the evening was CBS Sunday Morning mainstay MO ROCCA, and SAM HARRIS of X AMBASSADORS also performed. Presenters included JAMES CAMERON and JASON SILVA.

Congratulations to all, and thank you for taking us Further.

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Music curation, booking & contracting by BROKEN ARROW; Event production e2k events

• Calico the Band Songs Open, Close Calico Skies

8/16/2017

- Calico Skies, starring Tom Sizemore, becomes available today on iTunes. The Valerio Esposito film opens with Calico the Band's "Break Your Heart" and closes with the beautiful
"Never Really Gone", both from Calico's debut album Rancho California.

Calico the Band features BROKEN ARROW artist KIRSTEN PROFFIT, who has had a number of songs and compositions in film and TV during her solo career, most notably the theme song to Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (Martin Short) and songs in TV's Nashville, Rizzoli & Isles, Friday Night Lights, Dawson's Creek and many others.

The film also stars Christina Bennett Lind, Malcolm Barrett and Vincent Pastore.

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• Kalli Releases New Album Escape Artist Today

8/8/2017

- BROKEN ARROW MUSIC and KALLI the former lead singer and songwriter for Reykjavik’s Without Gravity, will release Escape Artist, his first new album in over six years, on August 8. The 6-song EP is a return to the lush, atmospheric soundscapes reminiscent of his Icelandic homeland, from his last release’s exquisite sojourn into Nashville’s Americana stylings.

Kalli’s previous album Last Train Home (Broken Arrow / Smekkleysa) took the unexpected creative path from Reykjavik to Nashville, where he teamed with some of the town’s best musicians to release an album to widespread acclaim, culminating in a nomination for “Album of the Year” at the Icelandic Music Awards (eventual winner was Sigur Rós front man Jónsi’s solo release Go). The album had the distinct feel one might musically expect when influences from northern Iceland meet America’s front porch.

But Escape Artist fully returns Kalli to his homeland, and to working with longtime collaborator/producer Arnar G. (Leaves). The duo’s magic was first realized on Without Gravity’s recordings, then solidified with Kalli’s debut solo album While the City Sleeps.

As with all of Kalli’s releases, Escape Artist showcases his beautiful vocals and mystical sonic imageries which distinguish and elevate his songs beyond the norm. But here these elements are well moved forward.

The title track and “Head in the Clouds” are grand, muscular music beds juxtaposed beneath Kalli’s intimate vocals. “The River Wild” wonderfully follows its namesake’s natural transitions from peaceful movements to tumbling currents, and back again, throughout the journey.

“Stars in my Pocket” and the lead single “My Bird” showcase Kalli’s continued mastering of the hushed beauty first heard in Without Gravity: sparse, quiet reflections within mesmerizing, musical atmospheres. These are the tracks that give the listener Kalli’s best. Showing the strength of his arrangements, “My Bird” further shines as an instrumental: The album’s coda is a good example of why Kalli’s talents have also been utilized in over 14 films and television shows, including Emmy Award-winning Criminal Minds, City State, and French César Award-winner
The Grocer’s Son.

Escape Artist shows Kalli in a warmly-welcomed return home to Iceland, and yet another push against his own boundaries. It is music to the eyes and ears.

Available: Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon / Deezer

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• Matt Jaffe Elevates College Track's Annual Fundraiser

7/10/2017

- On a beautiful afternoon on the equally beautiful campus of Pixar Animation Studios,
MATT JAFFE & THE DISTRACTIONS brought the electricity to a food truck-ringed outdoor festival, as the young power-pop trio rocked College Track’s annual
benefit of 2017.

College Track is a nonprofit public benefit corporation whose mission is to “empower students from underserved communities to graduate from college”. The comprehensive ten-year program founded by Laurene Powell Jobs and Carlos Watson, works with students from before high school through college graduation, providing academic support, leadership training, financial advising and scholarships. Among their many supporters are will.i.am, Mariah Carey, Kevin Hart, Tim Cook and Jamie Fox.

The Distractions, fittingly enough in the same age group as the students of College Track, are fast becoming known in their own right, sharing stages so far with the likes of Wilco, Mavis Staples and Chuck Prophet. But tonight, they were the headliner, along with the great accomplishments from the kids of College Track.

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Music curation, booking & contracting by BROKEN ARROW. Event production by e2k events.