Music and Arts has contributed to bring some incredible guest artists to our concert:
Elise Testone
In the wake of her appearance on American Idol, Testone has toured extensively and has appeared on such popular TV programs as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Live with Kelly, Access Hollywood, Good Day New York, Good Morning America and others. While she enjoyed her time on Idol, Testone is excited to bring her own unique brand of music to the world, a brand that owes more to artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, James Brown and Amy Winehouse than to today’s disposable hit-makers. She has opened for B.B. King, Taj Mahal, Snoop Dogg, Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds, and Dumpstaphunk, and has performed with Stevie Nicks, Bernie Worrell, Bernard Purdie, Stanton Moore, Skerik, Pink Talking Fish, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, The James Brown Band, Brandon “Taz” Neiderauer, and Ghost Note; and members of Queen, The Meters, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Greyboy Allstars, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Living Colour, Trey Anastasio Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, P-Funk, Galactic, Van Halen, Turquaz, D’Angelo, Pete Rock, Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles, Snarky Puppy, Soulive and Lettuce, to name a few.
Tracy Thornton
Crucial to bringing the steelpan into the American pop culture realm, Thornton has been featured in Spin magazine, Modern Drummer, Global Rhythm, Billboard Online and MTV.com. His internationally acclaimed “Pan For Punks, A Steelpan Tribute to The Ramones” CD was voted as one of the top 10 CDs of 2006 by Global Rhythm magazine. And, Thornton’s video for ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ is the first of its kind for the steelpan genre. In fact, the members of The Ramones loved the tribute so much that they personally invited Thornton to open the 2006 Joey Ramone Birthday Bash at Irving Plaza in New York City.
Through a licensing and publishing agreement with LoveCat Music, a record label in New York City, Thornton’s music has also been featured in television shows including CBS’ drama “NCIS LA”, Comedy Central’s hit “Workaholics”, “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and a Trini Tunes cartoon short “De Wild Meat Famalee”.
As a performing artist, Thornton has performed with Harry Belafonte and has opened for national acts including Jimmy Buffet, Kenny Chesney, Santana, Dave Matthews Band and as mentioned above, The Ramones. Thanks to Thornton’s work with “The Tsunami Wave Riders,” the group’s hit song ‘Island Dreamin’ won “Single of the Year” at the 2008 Hawaiian Music Awards.