Reel Big Fish, Josh Gracin and The White Panda among performers

Thousands of music fans will enjoy live performances by some of their favorite artists Friday, Sept. 13 during Music Fest 2013 at The University of Toledo.

The free music festival will begin with local rock band The Lonely Friends and conclude with the mash-up/remix duo The White Panda, with performances from all genres in between. Music Fest 2013 will take place 3 p.m. to midnight in the grassy area sound of Memorial Field House on the UT Main Campus. 

“We strive to reach music lovers of all types and this year’s lineup is no exception,” said Lawrence J. Burns, UT vice president for external affairs. “UT students, students from all colleges and universities and community members will enjoy the performances and excitement around the start of a great school year and Rocket football season.”

The Lonely Friends, a rock band with influences of blues and metal from Maumee, won the Local Band Challenge to kick off the event at 3 p.m.

Next on stage is The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts at 4:30 p.m. to entertain fans with their Motown sound. The band is best known for its 1962 hit “Do You Love Me?” written by legendary Motown CEO Berry Gordy that was later featured in the film “Dirty Dancing.”

A pep rally will take place at 5:30 p.m. to get the Rockets and fans excited for the first home football game 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 against Eastern Washington.

Music Fest veteran and jazz flutist Alexander Zonjic with The Motor City Horns will continue the Detroit sound at 6 p.m.

At 7:30 p.m. country singer Josh Gracin will perform some of his hit songs, including “Nothin’ to Lose” and “Stay with Me (Brass Bed).” The Michigan native earned a fourth-place finish in the second season of “American Idol.”

Ska band Reel Big Fish will get fans on their feet and dancing with their high energy songs at 9 p.m. The band released its seventh studio album Candy Coated Fury (Rock Ridge Music) last year and is best known for songs “Sell Out” and “Take on Me.”

And fans will continue dancing when The White Panda blasts its electronic dance beats at 10:30 p.m. Tom Evans (Procrast) and Dan Griffith (DJ Griffi) recently released their fifth full-length album Bearly Legal.

For more information about Music Fest 2013 visit utoledo.edu/musicfest or follow the event on Facebook at facebook.com/UTMusicFest or Twitter at @musicfest13.

Click here to download photos of all the performers. Click here to download a Music Fest 2013 logo.

Media Coverage
The Independent Collegian (Sept. 11, 2013)
The Blade (Sept. 12, 2013)
The Blade (Sept. 12, 2013)
WTOL 11 and 13 ABC (Sept. 16, 2013)

The mash-up/remix duo The White Panda will conclude Music Fest 2013 with their electronic dance beats.

The White Panda

The White Panda was formed in 2009 when boyhood friends Tom Evans (Procrast) and Dan Griffith (DJ Griffi) combined their previously independent mash-up careers. Their first single topped internet radio charts days later.

The duo recently released its fifth full-length album “Bearly Legal” in June and, like all of their music, it is available for free download on their website www.thewhitepanda.com.

The White Panda is the closing act for Music Fest 2013 Friday, Sept. 13 on The University of Toledo Main Campus and the final performer to be announced. The full lineup is:

3 p.m. – The Lonely Friends
4:30 p.m. – The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts
5:30 p.m. – Pep Rally for the first Rockets home football game 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 against Eastern Michigan
6 p.m. – Alexander Zonjic with The Motor City Horns
7:30 p.m. – Josh Gracin
9 p.m. – Reel Big Fish
10:30 p.m. – The White Panda

For more information about Music Fest 2013 visit utoledo.edu/musicfest or follow the event on Facebook at facebook.com/UTMusicFest.

Click here to download a promotional photo of The White Panda.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (Aug. 13, 2013)
The Independent Collegian (Sept. 11, 2013)

The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts

A little Motown soul and jazz will add to the variety of music performances at Music Fest 2013.

The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts and Alexander Zonjic with The Motor City Horns will take the stage at the free music festival Friday, Sept. 13 on the lawn outside Memorial Field House on The University of Toledo Main Campus.

The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts are best known for their 1962 hit “Do You Love Me?” written by legendary Motown CEO Berry Gordy. The song was featured in the film “Dirty Dancing.” The group performs 60s and 70s hits as well as songs from the movie’s soundtrack.

Alexander Zonjic is a well-known jazz flutist who returns to Music Fest to perform music from his most recent “Doin’ the D” album and other favorites. He learned his craft at the University of Windsor and as second flutist in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

He will be joined by The Motor City Horns, who tout themselves as “Detroit’s Most Versatile Musicians” and have performed with artists such as Bob Seger, The Temptations, Justin Timberlake and The Four Tops.

Alexander Zonjic

The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts will perform 4:30-5:30 p.m. and Alexander Zonjic with The Motor City Horns will take the stage 6-7 p.m.

The Detroit artists are in addition to previously announced performers ska-punk band Reel Big Fish, country singer Josh Gracin and local rock band The Lonely Friends, who won the UT Local Band Challenge

The final performer to complete the Music Fest 2013 lineup will be announced Monday.

For more information about Music Fest 2013 visit utoledo.edu/musicfest or follow the event on Facebook at facebook.com/UTMusicFest.

Click here to download a photo of The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts and here for Alexander Zonjic.

Media Coverage
The Independent Collegian (Sept. 11, 2013)

Josh Gracin was first introduced to the world as the country-singing U.S. Marine in the second season of “American Idol.”

Gracin

Fans now know him as the artist behind hit songs such as “Nothin’ to Lose,” “We Weren’t Crazy” and “Stay with Me (Brass Bed).”

As he tours the country for the Josh Gracin Drink it Gone Summer Tour, he will stop in Toledo next month to take part in Music Fest 2013 at The University of Toledo.

The free outdoor music festival will take place Friday, Sept. 13 on the lawn outside Memorial Field House on UT’s Main Campus and will feature Gracin along with the ska band Reel Big Fish and a variety of other to-be-announced musical guests.

Gracin, a native of Westland, Mich., earned a fourth-place finish on the popular singing competition show that crowned Ruben Studdard the American Idol that season. After completing his military service in 2004, he began his music career releasing three albums, including his self-titled debut that was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Gracin’s newest single “Drink it Gone” was released in May and he is currently writing and recording his next album.

Toledo area fans will have the opportunity to hear Gracin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 at Music Fest 2013 at UT.

Stay tuned for future performer announcements and the complete lineup.

For more information about Music Fest 2013 visit utoledo.edu/musicfest or follow the event on Facebook at facebook.com/UTMusicFest.

Click here to download a photo of Gracin.

Media Coverage
The Independent Collegian (Sept. 11, 2013)

Reel Big Fish

The ska-punk band Reel Big Fish known for songs such as “Sell Out” and “Take on Me” will perform at Music Fest 2013 at The University of Toledo.

The free outdoor music festival will take place Friday, Sept. 13 on UT’s Main Campus and will feature Reel Big Fish and a variety of other to-be-announced musical guests.

Reel Big Fish released last year its seventh studio album Candy Coated Fury (Rock Ridge Music). It is the band’s first album of newly recorded material in five years.

They first hit the music scene in 1995 with the self-released “Everything Sucks” that gained word of mouth attention and led to their sophomore studio album “Turn the Radio Off” and future success.

Reel Big Fish also is known for its appearance in the movie “Baseketball” and their song “Take on Me” was featured on the movie’s soundtrack.

The band tours continuously playing more than 250 show a year all over the world and Toledo area fans will have the opportunity to hear them live 9-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 at Music Fest 2013.

Stay tuned for future performer announcements and the complete lineup.

For more information about Music Fest 2013 visit utoledo.edu/musicfest or follow the event on Facebook at facebook.com/UTMusicFest.

Click here to download a promotional photo of Reel Big Fish.

Media Coverage
The Independent Collegian (Sept. 11, 2013)
The Independent Collegian (Sept. 11, 2013)

The Lonely Friends, a band formed in 2011 for a fundraiser for their high school, won the UT Local Band Challenge to perform at The University of Toledo’s Music Fest 2013.

The band, described as “old-school rock with influences of blues and some metal to keep it fresh,” was selected from performance videos uploaded to the Music Fest Facebook page July 1-7. The community voted the next week for which local band they wanted to see perform at Music Fest Friday, Sept. 13 and the majority of votes – more than 8,000 – came for The Lonely Friends.

The Lonely Friends

“I was surprised that we won,” said Travis Geiman, the band’s guitarist. “We kept posting the competition to Facebook throughout the week, and were in the top ten, but we didn’t think it would be us. Everyone is happy that we won.”

The band came up with its name from the game Rock Band. The Lonely Friends was processed one time by the name generator and band mates thought it was kind of funny. They have stuck with it ever since.

In addition to Geiman, The Lonely Friends features Michael Barlos on vocals, Anthony Kitts on bass and Nick Duszynski on drums.

The group formed in 2011 when Maumee High School needed a band to play for a marching band fundraiser. Alumni of the school, Geiman, Kitts and Duszynski had previously been in the marching band and Barlos in choir, so they gave it a shot, thinking at the time it was temporary.

They are currently in the process of mixing their first album, which will be released this summer, Geiman said. The band also has the first few songs finished for a second album.

The Lonely Friends has performed one or two shows per week since the summer started. Music Fest 2013 will be the biggest show they have played to date.

“I hope everyone enjoys Music Fest, and hopefully they take something away from the music we play and can relate to it in some way,” Geiman said.

For more information about Music Fest 2013 visit utoledo.edu/musicfest and for more about The Lonely Friends visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/TheLonelyFriends.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (July 17, 2013)
The Independent Collegian (Aug. 14, 2013)

Local bands will have the chance to take the stage at the popular and growing Music Fest at The University of Toledo.

Musicians interested in performing at one of the area’s largest outdoor music festivals can upload a live performance YouTube video to the event’s Facebook page for a chance to be selected as an opening act for Music Fest 2013 Friday, Sept. 13 on UT’s Main Campus.

“We debuted the local band challenge last year with the Dumb Easies and it was a great opportunity to showcase local talent while getting the community involved in choosing the artists,” said Lawrence J. Burns, UT vice president for external affairs. “We are excited about our fourth Music Fest as this tradition of inviting music lovers to campus continues.”

Videos no longer than five minutes can be uploaded to the MusicFest Facebook page from Monday, July 1 through Sunday, July 7. The YouTube video should include the band name and the words “UT Local Band Challenge” in the title.

The top 10 bands with strong musical talent, unique sound and energetic performances will be selected as finalists and have their videos posted on Facebook starting Tuesday, July 9. Voting will continue through Monday, July 15 with the winner announced Tuesday, July 16.

The winning band will receive $750 and the opportunity to play in front of a crowd of excited fans at Music Fest 2013.

For more information visit facebook.com/UTMusicFest.

Click here to download a high resolution Music Fest logo.

Media Coverage
The Blade (July 17, 2013)
The Independent Collegian (Aug. 14, 2013)