The Campbell Brothers to Perform at Bucknell
By: Jayne Ann Bugda
Updated: November 15, 2012
From Bucknell University- The Campbell Brothers will present 'Sacred Steel,' African-American gospel music with electric steel guitar and vocals on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m. at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts at Bucknell.
Bucknell's Voices of Praise will perform in the Weis Center Lobby before the concert at 7:20 p.m. and join the Campbell Brothers on stage for a few songs.
The Campbell Brothers -- dubbed the Best U.S. Gospel Instrumentalists of the Year at the fourth annual Real Blues Awards -- present a compelling, rich variety of material from the African-American Holiness-Pentecostal repertoire with a new twist: the growling, wailing, shouting, singing and swinging voice of the steel guitar, played like audiences have never heard before.
As the music moves from sanctuary to concert hall--including the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Symphony Space--secular audiences are able to appreciate a performance both devoted and rocking.
Kathryn Maguet, executive director of the Weis Center, says, "The brilliant Campbell Brothers create a unique, steel-guitar drive music, dubbed 'sacred steel' which is a soul-stirring blend of gospel, electric blues and rock. Their uplifting music is compelling, inspirational and perfect for the holiday season."
Pedal steel guitarist Chuck Campbell and his lap steel-playing brother Darick are two of the finest in this tradition. Rounding out the band, which has been playing together for nearly two decades, is a high-energy rhythm section featuring brother Phil Campbell on electric guitar and his son Carlton on drums. Katie Jackson's classic, gutsy gospel vocals bring the ensemble to a level of energy and expression that defies description.
National Public Radio says, "The Campbells create a soul-stirring blend of gospel and the power and volume of electric blues and rock, a sound as hot as brimstone that kicks holy butt. It's also shredding perceptions of country's signature instrument and the limitations of church music."
Tickets for the Dec. 1 performance are $20 for adults, $16 for seniors 62+ and $10 for youth, and are available by calling 570-577-1000 or online at www.bucknell.edu/BoxOffice.
The next event in the Weis Center series will be Vienna Boys Choir on Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts. The Choir is a group of around 100 young singers between the ages of 10 and 14. Their repertoire includes everything from medieval to contemporary and experimental music, plus holiday classics, and is an ideal concert for adults and kids alike. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors 62+ and $15 for youth.
For more information about this event, contact Lisa Leighton, marketing and outreach coordinator, at 570-577-3727 or by e-mail at lisa.leighton@bucknell.edu.
For more information about future programming at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, go to www.facebook.com/WeisCenter or http://www.bucknell.edu/WeisCenter.
