MainStage 222 Opens Doors Early With 'Live Blues Revue'

As previously announced, MainStage Irving*Las Colinas has recently leased the former Texas Musicians Museum (222 E. Irving Blvd, Irving TX 75060), with the newly-titled MainStage 222 building set to officially open on October 3rd. But marking the inaugural performance in the new space will be the MainStage 222 Live Blues Revue, featuring DFW's most requested Blues bands on Saturday, September 7, 2019 from 6:00PM to 12:00AM. $10 general admission tickets are now available online at tickets.irvingartscenter.com/milc222. Tickets at the door will be $12 as available.

This high-energy event will feature the following musical acts on the venue's outdoor pavilion:

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM:
Leo Hull and the Texas Blues Machine

7:15 PM - 8:30 PM:
Jackie Don Loe and Lou Hampton

8:45 PM - 10:15 PM:
Bnois King Band featuring Kirby Kelley with special guest Hash Brown

10:30 PM - 12:00 AM:
Andrew Jr Boy Jones Band featuring Kerri Lepai

MainStage 222 Live Blues Revue will take the stage on Saturday, September 7, 2019. Doors will open at 5:00 for a "picnic style" event. Guest are invited to bring their own lawn chairs, coolers and meals, as desired. BYOB alcoholic beverages are welcome for guests 21 and over with valid ID. Light refreshments will be available for sale. For tickets and more information, visit www.IrvingTheatre.org.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Leo Hull has been labeled "one of the most respected figures on the Texas Blues scene," by Ginger Litton of Texas Blues Radio, KNON, "[He's known for his] raucous, high energy blues, roadhouse romps, searing guitar licks, infectious melodies and a terrific sense of humor." His album has also been called "...a breath of fresh air to listen to." By Ronnie Donald of the National Association of R&B DJ's.

Jackie Don Loe has been performing on guitar for over thirty years in the DFW. He played for eight years with the Al "TNT" Braggs Show Band from 1990 to 1998 and has appeared on various local CDs and a record with Hippie Stew (2018). A guitarist with a variety of styles to showcase different genres and grooves, he wrote reviews, articles and the "Guitar Workshop" for SW Blues Magazine from 2004 to 2010 and currently writes for Buddy Magazine.

In 2009, Jackie Don Loe released an all-instrumental record titled Tracks. A true Texan, he has also backed up noted artists such as Bobby Patterson and Marc Benno. In 2013 he was featured in the documentary film Blues Conundrum and its soundtrack where he wrote six songs. In 2016 he was inducted as a Buddy Texas Tornado and he has performed at the Dallas International Guitar Show and the Bedford Bluesfest. He has hosted the legendary Sunday Blues Happening at Nate's Seafood for fourteen years.

Lou Hampton has been singing for crowds since 1965 and has been noted for his incredible vocals and his sweet Soul style. His repertoire includes songs by Al Green, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Johnnie Taylor, and Bobby "Blue" Bland. Playing the local clubs for years with The Upsetters in the sixties and the Everyday People Showband in the nineties, Lou has kept a longtime fan base and following, always singing his heart out and adding exciting dance moves and stage antics.

Bnois King is a legendary singer and guitarist based in Dallas. His partnership with Smokin Joe Kubek took him all over the world for over 25 years and produced 16 studio albums.

Bnois was born in 1943 in Delhi, Louisiana, and started playing guitar at around the age of eight. King heard gospel music in church but leaned towards jazz having enjoyed the music played on local radio stations. In high school, he got his first gig playing in a big band.

Hoping to develop a career in music he moved to Houston, Texas, then Amarillo, Wichita Falls, gradually building technical ability and confidence. By 1979 he was performing regularly in Dallas and Fort Worth, continuing into the early 80s.

For the next 20+ years, King teamed up with Smokin' Joe Kubek, becoming a hugely popular duo who continued touring and regularly recording until Joe's passing in 2015.

Well into his seventh decade, Bnois continues to be an engaging and enthusiastic performer, to the great delight of his fans.

Kirby Kelley is a Dallas based performer with the ability to delve effortlessly into the musical wellsprings of either solo acoustic virtuosity or electric band settings with parallel prowess. His lengthy sets purvey the raw power and emotion drawn from his predecessors while balancing on a frog's hair line between the past and his own innate sense of the future of the blues. His skills as a slide guitarist set him apart and are extracted from a myriad of influences that ultimately culminate into a rich gumbo of blues-based musical soul food. Kirby excels at acoustic finger style Delta, Texas, and Piedmont blues stylings - again, placing his own indelible stamp on the presentation of each. His soulful vocals are deeply set in the origins of the blues and are a perfect springboard for his virtuosity as a guitarist.

Hash Brown has been playing the Blues (vocals, guitar and harmonica) since 1973. He moved to Dallas, TX in 1983, and cut his eye teeth playing with an assortment of Dallas Blues royalty including ZuZu Bollin, Henry Qualls, Sam Myers, Big Al Dupree, Robert Ealey, Willie Willis, Ray Sharpe,U.P. Wilson, Little Joe Blue, Ernie Johnson, and many, many more.

Hash Brown has 3 CDs under his own name, several compilations and also appears as a side man on no less than 30 recordings; including ZuZu Bollin, Henry Qualls, Barbara Lynn, Robert Ealey, Hosea Hargrove, and many, many others.

Andrew Jr. Boy Jones and Kerrie Lepai have been sharing the stage for eight years. Andrew played and recorded with some of the who's who of the blues such as: Freddie King, Johnny Taylor, Katie Webster, Charlie Musselwhite, and many others. He has eight releases as a solo artist, and has toured the world. Kerrie Lepai has been a powerhouse vocalist for over 25 years. She has a solo album called Organic Blues, as well as featured vocalist on Andrew's CD I Know What It's Like. She has been getting rave reviews around the world.

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