Centenary Stage Co. presents SUMMER JAMFEST: THE BRITISH INVASION YEARS

The 2017 Summer Jamfest is in full swing at Centenary Stage Company as The British Invasion Years take the Sitnik stage on Saturday, July 29 . Formed in 1995, the band originally focused on their classic rock tribute shows and released two critically acclaimed albums before narrowing their focus to their favorite music - 1960s pop and rock. Branded as "three shows in one," the show takes the audience through the entire decade from The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Monkees to The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and The Who. The British Invasion Years will travel on a nostalgic journey grooving through some of the world's most famous and well-loved tunes.

An easy love at first listen, all of the band members knew they wanted to be performing this kind of music after seeing the Beatles historic first TV performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. The era created a lifelong inspiration for the members, and started making music in their youth because of it. The band came together as Bassist Bobby M. and guitarist Lee Scott Howard were live in session musicians in 1988 and made an immediate connection when they realized each had seen the Beatles debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, which set them both on the path to careers in music. After collaborating on other projects over the next decade, Bobby M. was then introduced to drummer Jeff Alai, who had the same love for classic banks like The Beatles and The Monkees. In the meantime, Bobby and Lee Scott had been working on other musical endeavors alongside seasoned keyboardist and guitarist Jon Wolf. Jon Wolf heard through the grapevine about the British invasion group forming and wanted to be in so he begin dropping subtle hints at sessions like randomly launching into Side B of Abbey Road by The Beatles in an attempt to catch their attention. The plan worked, and with that, the lineup was complete and they got to work learning the rep from these classic musicians. The band does a vast amount of music throughout the British Invasion Years, and select their songs by what would inspire emotion from the audience and keep the atmosphere fun. They know this classic music is perfect for bringing back happy memories and creating happy new ones.

Tickets for The British Invasion Years on Saturday, July 29 at 8pm in the Sitnik Theater of the Lackland Center are $27.50 for adults and $25.00 for students in advance. Ticket prices increase $5.00 the day of the performance.

Centenary Stage Company's 2017 Summer Jamfest continues through August with Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra on Saturday, August 5 and Dr. K's Motown Revue on Saturday, August 12. All performances are held in the Sitnik Theater of the Lackland Center and will begin at 8pm.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit centenarystageco.org or call the CSC box office at (908) 979 - 0900. The box office is located in the Lackland Center; 715 Grand Ave. Hackettstown, NJ. Box office is open Monday through Friday from 1 - 5 pm and two hours prior to each performance.

The 2016-2017 season of performing arts events at the Centenary Stage Company is made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, the Shubert Foundation, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the Sandra Kupperman Foundation, and CSC corporate sponsors, including Premier Season Sponsor Heath Village Retirement Community, Silver Sponsors Hackettstown Medical Center, Home Instead Senior Care (Washington), The Holiday Inn in Budd Lake, and Fulton Bank of New Jersey, and Centenary Stage Company members and supporters.

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