The Alex City Jazz Fest, held in downtown Alexander City and at the Lake Martin Amphitheater, announces its dates and the performing acts for 2008. As usual, it is loaded with talent:

Friday, June 13, downtown Alex City:

6:00 PM “ Coolbone Brass Band “ they are a true marching New Orleans style œBrass Band. Dont confuse them with your Uncle Leo in his ban-lon playing a snappy ditty on the oboe. These guys march, play, dance, get among the crowd and entertain the whole time. Dont be late, I hear they are going to do something different on their opening song.

7:30 PM “ Amanda Shaw “ she is a 17 year old fiddle phenom from Louisiana. This is a great example of how the Jazz Fest seeks to bring you a wide variety of different music. I think they tried to book her last year and are glad to snag her now.

9:30 PM “ Ivan Nevilles Dumpstaphunk “ they are fresh off a date at the other Jazz Fest (New Orleans). If you have never heard of the Neville Brothers and therefore Ivan, then you deserve to miss this rare treat. Most people have to pay $50 a head to hear any Neville; you can hear them for free. If you dont have the good sense to show up, nothing I say or link to here will change that.

Saturday, June 14, 2008 “ Lake Martin Amphitheater

6:30 PM “ Randall Bramblett “ he has toured and played with folks like Greg Allman, Widespread Panic, Traffic, and a little band called the Grateful Dead. Bill Berry of R.E.M. says hes œthe most talented and prolific song writer I have the privilege of knowing.

8:00 PM “ Zac Brown Band “ I dont know much about him but he seems to be a fun œsouthern style act that gets the crowd rolling. Check out his web site.

10:00 PM “ Joe Bonamassa “ I am really excited about this one. He opened for B.B. King when he was 12 years old. I hear him and his music played all the time on Sirius Satellite Radios Blues Channel 74. He is all over various magazine covers, and is a pretty big deal in blues & guitar circles. They have been trying to book this guy for a couple of years now. He is good. He is to 2008 as Derek Trucks was to 2006 “ that is, the guy that your friend will see on the t-shirt a year from now and will say œBonamassa played for free on Lake Martin? Please tell me you went.

More About the Alex City Jazz Fest:

The Jazz Fest is a FREE BYOB event made possible by its sponsors. If you choose to drink, please drink responsibly. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to each location and enjoy the atmosphere. This event is always a good time and one of the Lake Martin areas biggest parties. In fact, it is one of the few remaining music festivals of its size in the southeast that is still FREE. Sure, you have to pay a parking fee Saturday at the LMAT, but its still pretty cheap at $10 a car. A lot of the money goes to the Kowaliga Area Volunteer Fire Department, so you can feel good about that.

The Alex City Jazz Fest always needs more sponsors, so please click here if you are interested in becoming a fan favorite. $300 is the minimum sponsorship level, but if you want to be a œFriend you can contribute whatever you can.