The Uptown Theatre Napa is downtown’s ultimate destination for live entertainment. Nestled in the famed West End district, this stunningly restored art deco masterpiece showcases only the finest acts, featuring music, comedy and more. An historic landmark, the Uptown offers a phenomenal, intimate live show experience, with excellent site lines and world class sound and lighting. Every seat is a great seat! 

The Uptown has played host to some of the biggest names in entertainment, it is a must-see hot spot for anyone visiting the Napa Valley.

UPCOMING EVENTS 

June 17 - Mayer Hawthorne & The County, Allen Stone and Harlan

June 23 - Katchafire, J Boog and FIJI 

July 27 - Ziggy Marley Wild and Free Tour

MAYER HAWTHORNE BIO

The “retro soul” tag is added to almost any contemporary work that sounds like it was originally recorded before 1980, and Mayer Hawthorne is aware of how trends come and go.

But, he says, he’s not interested in taking it back to the “good old days,” as much as he is in creating the “new good days.” And to fans like producer Mark Ronson, who said, “I have no idea what this is, old or new, but it’s fucking good!!!” upon first hearing Hawthorne’s music, age ain’t nothin’ but a number.

On How Do You Do, his first major label effort for Universal Republic Records, Hawthorne proves that he is not part of a trend. The classic Motown sound that provided the blueprint for his self-produced independent debut, A Strange Arrangement, remains, but is joined onHow Do You Do by music reminiscent of late 1960s California pop and the best work from the likes of Steely Dan and Chicago.

“Hawthorne emerges with a jaw-dropping collection of classic soul,” RollingStone.com proclaimed upon hearing A Strange Arrangement, but with this latest release, the formula has been updated. The vocals are stronger, the music more varied and vibrant, but it’s still Mayer Hawthorne. And the message is love.

Hawthorne grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, just outside of Detroit, and vividly remembers, as a child, driving with his father and tuning the car radio in to the rich soul and jazz history the region provided. “Most of the best music ever made came out of Detroit,” claims the singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, who counts Smokey Robinson and famed songwriting trio Holland, Dozier, Holland among his influences, but also draws inspiration from Michael McDonald, Juan Atkins and J Dilla.

Hawthorne has produced and played instruments for much of his life, but never intended to become a singer. What he became, however, was a new school soul sensation, touring globally and earning accolades from Playboy, NPR and Entertainment Weekly. “He’s an able singer…an arranger of astonishing precision,” wrote the New York Times when Hawthorne first hit the scene.

On “The Walk,” the first single from How Do You Do, Hawthorne plays a man scorned and content with saying “So long, you did me wrong” to the lady in his life. “A Long Time” is both a brilliant homage to Steely Dan’s “Hey Nineteen” and a storied history of Hawthorne’s beloved Detroit, followed by a duet – yes, duet – with the incomparable Snoop Dogg on “Can’t Stop.”

“It’s Snoop like you’ve never heard him before,” Hawthorne told Billboard.com before the two performed together at the South by Southwest music festival in March.

The rest of How Do You Do is a trip through generations and tales of love cherished and love lost. Songs like “Hooked,” “You Called Me” and “You’re Not Ready” are vintage fare, while “The News” and “No Strings” add a modern, 21^st century flair to the proceedings.

Snoop Dogg once heralded Hawthorne as his new favorite artist, praise shared via Twitter by other stars such as Kanye West, Justin Timberlake and John Mayer. With the release ofHow Do You Do, such sentiment is sure to grow, just as Hawthorne himself continues to grow as an artist and performer. It was soul music from which he came, and those roots will never be left behind. But there is more to this artist than just soul music.

“A lot of my other influences are coming out on this record,” Hawthorne told Billboard.com. “There are a lot of other genres that are blending in now. 

“It’s just turning into me.” 

—Ronnie Reese, August 2011 

Official Websites:

Official: http://www.mayerhawthorne.com/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/MayerHawthorne

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/mayerhawthorne

ALLEN STONE

From backwoods barbecues and community gatherings; Allen Stone emerges to share personal melodies, telling his tales of life after just 24 years. Getting his start singing at his father’s church in small-town America; it wasn’t until later when introduced to the greats of soul music (Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin) and then to the confessional lyrical fashion of the 60′s -70′s singer/ songwriters, did music begin to ignite intense passion, eventually carrying this boy to a musical home.

On his self-titled sophomore album – an independent self-release which hit digital shelves October 4, Allen has pushed his sound and lyricism to a greater level of noted individuality. It touches upon a range of styles and themes. Integrating classic soul, catchy pop hooks, r&b beats and folk roots with lyrical matters of testimonial broken relationships, poisonous politics and the age-old topic of simple, pure celebration. Stone’s music is notable for his finely crafted evocative songs and a fresh, smooth, soul-filled voice-one that certainly belies his age. Allen Stone has shot up the R&B/Soul charts on iTunes, peaking at the number 2 spot, and hit #9 and #62 on the Billboard Heatseekers and R&B/Hip Hop Album charts, respectively, and has garnered national praise – USA Today called him a “pitch-perfect powerhouse”. He has sold-out tour dates in numerous markets under his belt including Seattle, San Francisco, Washington DC, New York, and Los Angeles. A performance on Conan on October 26 along with his emphasis on live performances has landed nods from the Washington Post, New York Times, Grantland, and others – all without any support of a label, publisher, or publicist.

http://www.allenstone.net/

http://www.facebook.com/allenstone

KATCHAFIRE

AOTEAROA’S PREMIER REGGAE EXPERIENCE…  

Katchafire are an all Maori reggae band from Hamilton, who have achieved phenomenal success over the last few years.   Their debut album, the prophetically named Revivalrelease by Mai Music, has sold in excess of 45,000 copies with Giddy Up being the biggest selling single of 2003. 2004’s follow up, Slow Burning, was similarly well received, selling 20,000 copies in the first week of release.

The acclaim has not just been in New Zealandthough: two tours to Hawaiiin 2006 have resulted in sales of 14,000 copies of Revival, and Slow Burning was released there in March 2007.   A promotional campaign in the UK last year also garnered amazing feedback from Don Letts (Acclaimed documentary maker and Clash tour DJ) and David Katz (Music journalist) amongst others, and radio plays from Steve Barker (BBC), Charlie Gillet (BBC) and, most importantly, David Rodigan (Kiss FM and others), who highly rates their orthodox approach.

Katchafire are one of the hardest working bands in New Zealand. As well as opening shows for the likes of Damien Marley, Michael Franti and Spearhead, they have played gigs all across the country (three in one day on Waitangi Day 2004, in Hamilton, Manukau and Nelson!), undertaken four tours ofAustralia, and in November 2004, they headlined a stadium-filling show in Fiji.  In March 2005 all their dreams came true when they supported the original Wailers in Auckland. 2006 was their busiest year yet: two tours of Hawaiiplus their debut tours ofEngland,Irelandand the west coast of America. They are now working on their third album, due out September, to be released by EMI Music who the band recently signed a licensing deal with.

2007 sees the band with a busy international calendar taking the stage in places such as; Roskilde in Denmark, Rototomsplash in Italy, Summer Jam in Germany, Larmer Tree and Rhythms of the World in England.  Estimated crowds are at around 300, 000 in total with Rototum splash and Summer Jam two of the most highly regarded and attended reggae festivals in Europe, if not the world.  They also return to Hawaii playing at the Big Birthday Bash in Waikiki, Australia, Guam, Japan and Tahiti.

The band have had sustained domestic exposure; doing gigs for corporates such as Air New Zealand, Vodafone Warriors, and festivals such as Soundsplash, Rhythm and Vines and World Waka Ama Championships.  They also continue to work PR opportunities having recently featured in TV3 News on their latest trip toLondonand also gracing the cover of the latest NZ Musician Magazine, with a three page article covering the band.  The band continues to uphold its reputation as one of NZ’s hardest working bands.

July 27, 2012

8:00 pm 

Ages: 12 and over

(under 16 must be w/adult) 

ZIGGY MARLEY ANNOUNCES 2012 WORLD TOUR

SUPPORTING FOURTH SOLO STUDIO ALBUM “WILD AND FREE,”

AVAILABLE NOW

Los Angeles, CA – Iconic, five-time Grammy®-winning reggae artist Ziggy Marley has announced dates for his highly anticipated “Wild and Free” world tour in support of his Grammy®-nominated fourth studio album, Wild and Free (2011, Tuff Gong Worldwide).  The worldwide tour begins with a string of dates in Hawaii, after which the band will hit Australia (including two appearances at Bluesfest) before launching the North American leg of the tour with appearances in New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Toronto, New Orleans’ historic Tipitina’s, Austin’s prestigious Austin City Limits Live, all three locations of the Wanderlust Festival, and many others. 

This year also marks the anticipated return of the annual Ziggy Marley & Tuff Gong Worldwide Salute Legends of Reggae Festival, in which they pay homage to a number of legendary reggae icons in a concert extravaganza. Performing at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on July 15 this year are legends Toots & the Maytals, Freddie McGregor, Maxi Priest, and Bob Andy.

Since early last year, Marley has been touring tirelessly around the world, including supporting dates with Shakira on her Pop Festival tour in South America, and appearing at such festivals as Lovebox and V Fest in the UK, Summer Sonic in Japan, and the Montreux Jazz Fest in Switzerland.

This year, Ziggy will thrill audiences at all three locations of the Wanderlust Festival (in Stratton VT, Copper Mountain CO, and Squaw Valley CA) as well as at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and at many other headlining shows and festivals in the U.S., Canada, and Europe throughout the summer, dates to be announced. 

The “Wild and Free” tour comes on the heels of last year’s “Forward to Love” tour, which featured a number of small, intimate engagements at a variety of theaters and clubs in major U.S. and Canadian markets, as well as larger festivals like Earthdance in the Bay Area and Doheny Days in Orange County, CA. 

Wild and Free, Ziggy’s fourth solo album which he co-produced with Grammy®-winning producer Don Was (The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Elton John, George Clinton), has received multiple accolades since its early summer release. In a recent review, People Magazine said that Marley “scores from start to finish on this excellent set,” while Billboard lauded the “island rhythms and melodies with pop sensibilities” on this solid album” (Creative Loafing). It includes such unique pairings as the title track featuring Woody Harrelson, “It” featuring the recently-departed Heavy D, and “Changes” which was co-written by Linda Perry and features a guest rap by Ziggy’s son, Daniel Marley. 

As with last fall’s “Forward to Love” tour, Marley is offering fans first access to pre-sale tickets direct from Ziggy at http://www.ziggymarley.com/tickets.php.  For a limited time at select shows, fans may also purchase an autographed CD, available only as part of a ticket bundle and only when purchased directly from Ziggy. 

ABOUT ZIGGY MARLEY

A five-time Grammy®-winner, humanitarian, singer, songwriter, producer and Reggae icon, Ziggy Marley has had a fruitful career, in which he has released twelve albums to much critical acclaim. His early immersion in music came at age ten when he sat in on recording sessions with his father, Bob Marley. As front man to Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers, the group released eight best-selling albums that garnered three Grammys, with such chart-topping hits as ”Look Who’s Dancing”, “Tomorrow People” and “Tumbling Down.” Ziggy’s first solo album, Dragonfly (RCA Records), was released in 2003. His second solo release, Love is My Religion (Tuff Gong Worldwide), won a Grammy in 2006 for Best Reggae Album. His third solo album, Family Time (Tuff Gong Worldwide), scored him a fifth Grammy award for Best Children’s Album. Ziggy continues his creative path this year with his new album as well as his first ever comic book, MARIJUANAMAN, which was released in April. For more information, visit www.ziggymarley.com and www.marjuanamancomic.com

ABOUT TUFF GONG WORLDWIDE 

The Tuff Gong label was founded in 1965 by Bob Marley, with the vision of producing, distributing and promoting his music free from the constraints of corporate label politics. In a time decades before artist-owned record labels were commonplace, the legendary Bob Marley’s vision was characteristically well ahead of its time. Now, nearly a half-century later, his dream is being realized. With Tuff Gong Worldwide, Ziggy Marley continues a dream of his father to own and manage not only his own music, but nearly every aspect of his career. From record label operations to book publishing, Ziggy not only records and releases all of his recent solo studio albums and DVDs via Tuff Gong Worldwide (including the Grammy-winning albums Love Is My Religion and Family Time, and the new release Wild and Free), but also has become a major player in the comic book / graphic novel industry with the release of the MarijuanaMan series. With such distribution partners as Image Comics, Entertainment One in the U.S. and Canada and a variety of distributors and label imprints around the world, Tuff Gong Worldwide’s reach has become, indeed, a global phenomenon. Most recently, Tuff Gong Worldwide has expanded beyond consumer products and into the world of television with Marley Africa Road Trip (Elixir Films). Even more new developments will be announced in 2012.

Since its inception in 2005, Tuff Gong Worldwide has established itself as a leader in the reggae community. Having consulted on such projects as The Disney Reggae Club (Walt Disney Records) and MARLEY (Shangri-La Entertainment), the company has become a sought-after expert in tapping into reggae culture. With unprecedented access to reggae creatives (artists, musicians, songwriters, etc.), Caribbean media (radio, online, press), and other promotional outlets, Tuff Gong Worldwide finds itself at the center of reggae culture in North America, the Caribbean, and beyond. www.tuffgongworldwide.com