Northeastern Art's Network acts announced for 2014

The Northeastern Arts Network will kick off its 2014-2015 Big Sky Series in Malta in just under a month when Andy Hackbarth & Wayward Tambourine make their way to Phillips County on October 7 as the first of four acts to come to town over the length of the festival which is in its 21st season.

“We had Andy Hackbarth here about three or four years ago,” said Erik Engebretson, Malta School’s band teacher and Vice President of the Northeastern Arts Network. “He was by himself last time but this year he has a band with him. They kind of play Pop, Folk music. It should be a great show.”

The four concert series starts in October and ends in March – about once every 90 days.

“We try to get a lot of variety,” said Engebretson, “and this year we are ending with a comedian. It is family oriented comedy so we hope to see lots of families at the event and all the events.”

Hackbarth and the Wayward Tambourine, the first act of the series, are described as a contemporary folk ensemble with award-winning singer and songwriter Andy Hackbarth, this group creates music bearing the stamp of the contemporary West. These highly acclaimed road warriors have set themselves apart with a mix of intricately arranged original songs, one-of-a kind renditions of popular cover tunes and virtuosic guitar selections with an upbeat show that continues to “wow” audiences of all ages. To get a feeling for Andy Hackbarth and his band, you can visit their website at andyhackbarth.com where there are music videos.

Following Hackbarth in October will be Presidio Brass on November 10. Since forming in 2006, Presidio Brass has rocketed to success as the face of a bold new generation in brass entertainment. By combining a brass quintet, piano and percussion instruments with fresh, original arrangements, their unique sound has become a trademark for the ensemble from San Diego, CA., captivating audiences the world over.

In February, Tumbledown House will be in Malta for the third concert in the series. Tumbledown House consists of the sultry vocals of Gillian Howe and the indie-jazz guitar work of Tyler Ryan Miller. Tumbledown House provides “modern speak- easy” music as the fun soundtrack to raucous prohibition era themed tunes of the late 1800s. These songwriting deviants have appeared on “11th and Grant with Eric Funk,” and have performed over 250 shows across 20 states.

Malta’s Jazz Combo will be the opening act for Tumbledown House in February.

The final act of the four part series will be comedian Alex Zerbe the Zaniac on March 31.

“He’s a juggler and a physical comedian,” said Engebretson. “He does a lot of stunts and things like that so I think people will really enjoy him.”

Zerbe is a two-time Guinness World Record holder who was voted Seattle’s Funniest Prop Comic. He has appeared on prime-time television in three countries including the hit NBC TV shows, “America’s Got Talent!” and “Last Comic Standing.” Alex is a Hacky Sack World Champion, half of the award-winning comedy act, Brothers from Different Mothers, and he was ranked Seattle’s third Best Air Guitarist. Alex Zerbe’s comedy show is a dynamic array of amazing stunts, physical comedy and audience participation.

“They are all cultural, artistic events so we are again very excited to have them in our community,” said Engebretson.

The Big Sky Series is made possible in part by through grant support from Montana’s Cultural Trust, Montana Arts Council, and National Endowment for the Arts, the Montana Performing Arts Consortium and WESTAF.

Season tickets are available at First State Bank, First Security Bank, Bohn’s Bones and from Engebretson.

Interested parties can purchase season tickets or single tickets for events. The season ticket prices vary and there are separate ticket prices for adults, seniors, students and family packages.

“This is a substantial savings as opposed to buying at the door,” added Engebretson.

For more information on ticket prices, please stop by any of these local businesses or call Engebretson at 301 – 1258.

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