RELEASE: Media Welcome Event Entertainment and Credentialing Process Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Contact: Suzi Emmerling; 704-444-8331; semmerling@clt2012.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Today, the Charlotte in 2012 Convention Host Committee announced the entertainment lineup for the Media Welcome Event that will be held at the NC Music Factory on September 1 beginning at 6:00 pm. Over 30 individual acts will perform throughout the evening at the many individual venues that make up the NC Music Factory. The diverse group of entertainers include DJ sets, Hip Hop, Jazz, Rock, Country, Bluegrass, R&B, Comedy, and Dance.
Media credentialed to cover the 2012 Democratic National Convention are invited to the Media Welcome Event. A physical DNC press credential is not required to pick up Media Welcome Event tickets. Credentialed members of the media should pick up their Media Welcome Event tickets from the galleries on the 200 level of the Convention Center. If the galleries are closed, a Convention Center Ticket Table on Concourse A near the College Street entrance is available from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily leading up to the event and from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on September 1.
Parking will NOT be made available to attendees. Those credentialed for the media party may take a complementary shuttle service from the Charlotte Convention Center (Stonewall Street between College and Brevard) from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., public transportation, or taxi/car service.
The following entertainment will perform at the Media Welcome Party. A map and listing of acts can be found at www.Charlottein2012.com/mediaparty.
- Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre: Tone X, Shindig: NC Dance Theatre & The Greasy Beans, Kathy Mattea, Anthony Hamilton
- Fillmore: Daniel D; Shableek ft. Uncommon Jazz; Nnenna Freelon
- Fountain Plaza Stage: Rough Draft; Liquid Blue
- Club 2012: West End Mambo; Chairmen of the Board
- Comedy Zone: Mark Evans; Dusty Trice; J Bliss; Shaun Jones; Johnny Millwater
- HALO: Jeff Mallare; DJ Chase; DJ Biz Markie
- The Saloon: The New Familiars; Blue Dogs
- Small Bar: Matt Stratford; Alexis Worthington
- VBGB: Lindsay Katt; Now You See Them
- Wet Willie’s: Pradigy GT; Fusebox Poet
- Butter: DJ Lebron; DJ Alizay; DJ Two Tone Jones
- Osso: DJ Ray
Dubbed “Kings of Carolina Beach Music” by CNN, Chairmen of the Board has been entertaining audiences with top class performances. Inducted into both the North and South Carolina Music Hall of Fame, the Chairmen of the Board delivers a high energy, high impact show filled with their classic pop/R&B music. Formed in 1969 in Detroit, Chairmen of the Board emerged as a prominent R&B group after the release of their hit “Give Me Just a Little More Time” in 1970. The song reached number three on the pop chart. Since then, the band has become a prominent part of the Southeast beach music circuit with soulful hits like “Pay to the Piper,” “(You’ve Got Me) Dangling on a String,” and “Carolina Girls.”
Six-time Grammy Award-nominee Nnenna Freelon has earned a well-deserved reputation as a compelling and captivating live performer. At the 43rd annual Grammy Awards telecast from Los Angeles, she inspired an enthusiastic standing ovation from 20,000 music-industry insiders and celebrities when she took to the stage with Take 6. Anyone who has heard and seen Freelon sing knows she is a skillful interpreter of even the most familiar chestnuts. An accomplished singer, composer, producer, and arranger (as well as budding actress), one thing is certain—Nnenna Freelon is a true original!
Anthony Hamilton’s voice just keeps getting better with time. Singing in church since he was 10 years old, Hamilton’s natural talent— rich, soul-steeped vocals breathing sonorous life into emotion-packed lyrics—has earned him a reputation as an “artist’s artist.” He counts guest stints on a diverse roster of projects from Dr. Dre and Young Jeezy to Keyshia Cole, Josh Turner, Santana and John Rich (Big & Rich). Between his own album sales and collaborations, Grammy Award winner Hamilton has sold more than 19.6 million albums, and along Jill Scott’s earthy vocals on the captivating duet “So in Love,” set a record: 18 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Urban Adult Contemporary chart.
The legendary Biz Markie brings more than 26 years of solid hip-hop acumen and an overwhelming fan-base that stretches from New York City to Japan to Europe. At the age of 14, Marcel Hall dazzled his neighborhood under the alias of Biz Markie. His music scene debut began in 1985 as a beat box for Roxanne Shante of the Juice Crew. From then Biz began constructing his own destiny in the mystifying world of rap and hip-hop. Now 26 years older and immensely wiser, Biz continues to be universally praised by the ever-fickle and unforgiving hip-hop industry. No easy feat to accomplish, Biz is the definition of longevity and has managed to remain one of the most notable artists and DJs in the industry.
Grammy award winning artist Kathy Mattea has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. Four years ago, Mattea, one of the most sure-footed country-pop song interpreters of her generation, caught everyone off guard with an album of old-timey Appalachian mining songs called Coal. She’s delved even deeper into her Appalachian heritage with Calling Me Home, available from Sugar Hill on September 11th, 2012, co-produced with modern acoustic mastermind Gary Paczosa and featuring liner notes from bestselling author, and Kentucky-born kindred spirit, Barbara Kingsolver.
The NC Music Factory was selected both for its capacity and its story that is illustrative of the spirit of Charlotte. Father and son Rick and Noah Lazes recognized an opportunity to transform an aging, unused textile mill into a 37-acre entertainment district on the edge of Uptown Charlotte. The NC Music Factory offers 14 world-class venues, from upscale dining, to comedy clubs, concert venues, intimate bars, and outdoor courtyards. It is a facility that has capacity to host the expected 15,000 members of the media and tells a story of Charlotte’s history, renovation, and public private partnerships. The event will be held on September 1 and will serve as the official welcome to the City of Charlotte for the members of the media coming from across the United States and around the world.
###
The Charlotte in 2012 Convention Host Committee is a non-profit, non-partisan organization established by the city of Charlotte to fulfill obligations of the master contract with the Democratic National Convention Committee. In addition to those obligations, Charlotte in 2012 works to engage the citizens of Charlotte and the Carolinas through business and civic opportunities, ensure that the Convention leaves a positive lasting legacy, and tell Charlotte and the region's story to the nation and the world. For more information, visit us online at www.charlottein2012.com.
