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Tracy Thornton headlines Steel Band Festival at Lincoln Park

Innovative steelpan artist Tracy Thornton has opened for bands including Santana, The Dave Mathews Band, Jimmy Buffet and Kenney Chesney.

On Monday, March 25, Tracy Thornton will be featured performer for the seventh annual Steel Band Festival at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center as the region’s best scholastic steel drum bands take the stage in a show starting at 7:30 p.m. The performance will cap a day-long workshop led by Thornton.

Bands scheduled to perform are the Washington High School Steel Band, LPPACS Steel Drum Band, Midland Elementary-Middle School Drum Band, Divine Mercy 7th Grade Steel Drums, Divine Mercy 8th Grade Steel Drums, and Northside Urban Pathways Charter School Steel Drum Band.

Tracy Thornton is a great teacher and music arranger for the steelpan in addition to being an exciting performance artist,” said Sal Aloe, Center director. ”We are very fortunate to have him join us for our seventh annual Steel Band Festival.”

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. They may be purchased through the Center box office in person, by calling 724.643.9004, or online atwww.lppac.org.

Tracy Thornton has been making his living as a professional steelpannist since 1995. He was the founder, leader and arranger for critically acclaimed “Been Caught Steelin’” and the nationally renowned “Sons Of Steel” which had been anointed “The Nation’s Most Exciting Steel Drum Band” during its four-year run.

Thornton was the first steelpannist to break through the pop mainstream media with the CD “Pan For Punks…A Steelpan Tribute To The Ramones.” His video for  the song “Blitzkrieg Bop” was a breakthrough for the steelpan art form and brought critical acclaim and attention in music industry publications.

In addition to his solo projects, recording CDs and performing in 200 shows a year, Thornton annually makes time to travel to the birthplace of  the steelpan, Trinidad and Tobago, to participate in Panorama, the world’s largest steelband competition, during the islands’ carnival season.

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