Ketchum — Get out the calendar, dust off the picnic basket and act early to guarantee your seat and get the best prices on this summer’s Sun Valley Center for the Arts outdoor concerts!

The sizzling summer lineup includes Grammy-winning “Latin funk-orchestra” Grupo Fantasma at Hop Porter Park, Hailey, on June 16; up-and-coming “punkgrass” band the Avett Brothers on July 13 at Sun Valley Pavilion; legendary R&B stylist Rickie Lee Jones on August 2 at River Run; and Michael Franti & Spearhead of “Say Hey (I Love You)” fame on August 15 at River Run.

Discounted ticket packages for all four shows or only the three July & August concerts go on sale to Sun Valley Center for the Arts members beginning Friday, April 8, at 10am. Individual tickets go on sale to members on April 22 and to nonmembers on April 29. Only members can buy tickets early and with a discount, so now is a good time to join or renew your membership.

Individual tickets also go on sale on April 22 for a bonus concert by Colin Hay, former lead vocalist for the Australian megaband Men at Work. Hay will perform on September 18 at the Sun Valley Opera House.

Ticket prices, details and links to music are available at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts’ website.

“This concert series has something for absolutely everyone,” says Kristine Bretall, Marketing and Performing Arts Director for the Sun Valley Center for the Arts. “From Grupo Fantasma who won a 2011 Grammy award, to Rickie Lee Jones who won a Grammy in 1980, to the on-fire band the Avett Brothers and the ever popular, upbeat Michael Franti & Spearhead – you’ll be up and dancing to these incredibly talented performers … who are all known for their great live performances.”

GRUPO FANTASMA:

Grupo Fantasma are widely known for their high energy shows, which NPR declares “seamless…whenever and wherever they’re on stage.” The 10-piece Latin orchestra has received praise from The Wall Street Journal, La Opinion, and USA Today, who called the band “Latin-funk masters.”

Brought together by Austin’s bustling music scene, Grupo Fantasma formed in 2000 and is comprised of musicians with Latin American and Texan backgrounds. Praised as one of the most important independent acts in the Latin genre, the band draws from influences including cumbia, salsa, old-school funk, reggae and more. This year the funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma received their first Grammy Award for “Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album” for their latest album, El Existential.

 “Tightly weaving Anglo, Afro and Latin musical genres, El Existential takes on an identity of its own. They blast off in their own funktified, genre-breaking directions.” – Billboard

The Grupo Fantasma concert is not just the kick-off to the summer concerts, it is also our “traditional” Fandango concert presented in conjunction with the College of Southern Idaho’s Summer Spanish Institute.

THE AVETT BROTHERS:

The Avett Brothers is a folk rock band from Concord, North Carolina made up of two brothers, Scott and Seth Avett, who play the banjo and guitar respectively, Bob Crawford who plays the stand-up bass, Joe Kwon, cello, and Jacob Edwards, drums. The Avett Brothers combine bluegrass, country, punk, pop melodies, folk, rock and roll, honky-tonk, and ragtime to produce a sound described by the San Francisco Chronicle as having the "heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, the raw energy of the Ramones."

Signed by legendary producer Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Tom Petty and the Dixie Chicks to name a few) in 2008, the Avett Brothers’ 2009 release I and Love and You reached #16 on Billboards’ chart of bestselling albums. Known for their rowdy, infectious live performances, the Avett Brothers’ concert coincides with Sun Valley’s hosting of the National Mountain Bike Championships.

RICKIE LEE JONES:

Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist in 1980, Rickie Lee Jones has spent her career challenging her listeners and the establishment with an absorbing musical vision that defies border and classification. She rocked the culture of singer-song writerdom with her refusal to conform to the staid and careful eloquence of the folk rock generation that came before her. Neither punk nor pop, she wove a thread of her own devising, jazz - the old musical kind, and R&B - the Motown thread that permeates her work.

MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD:

Michael Franti is the creator and lead singer of Michael Franti & Spearhead. For over two decades, the Bay Area born Franti has been bringing our world exceptionally powerful, deeply felt music.  His latest release, The Sound of Sunshine, is a kind of musical sun shower, a bright, beautiful and often buoyant song cycle created to bring all kinds of listeners a sense of hope during rough and rainy times. The album marked the highest chart debut of Franti’s career on the Billboard Top 200 and continues to find success on the charts with singles “The Sound of Sunshine”, “Hey Hey Hey” and his latest release “I’ll Be Waiting.” Franti’s impressive series of recordings have vividly reflected his status as a musical citizen of the world as he continues to bring his unique sound and inspiring message to fans everywhere.

 “Known for mixing rock, rap, reggae, soul and other styles into a musical gumbo all his own, Franti delivers songs that will force the listener to stand up and ‘Shake It’” – Associated Press

COLIN HAY:

You may know the name, you likely know the voice, but you have not seen a show like the troubadour-style solo performance by Scottish-born, Australian-raised, California-dwelling, Men at Work frontman, Colin Hay. He’ll bring a guitar and his distinctive voice to Sun Valley and will intersperse his classic and new songs with hilarious, poignant, and downright surreal stories drawn from his often unbelievable experiences over the past three decades. “Hay’s charm and reputation as a raconteur on stage also endear him to audiences.” The Age – theage.com.au

Seating is limited for all of these concerts—get your tickets early to avoid disappointment. The easiest way to purchase tickets is online at www.sunvalleycenter.org. The summer concerts are sponsored in part by KSKI 103.7 and Boise State Public Radio.

Tickets can also be purchased by phone (208.726.9491 ex 10) or in person at The Center in Ketchum during regular business hours.