Guitarist Junior Brown to Perform June 16 in the Center for the Arts

BUFFALO, N.Y.-- WNED and the UB Center for the Arts will present a concert by cutting-edge guitarist Junior Brown at 7:30 p.m. on June 16 in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

Opening for Junior Brown will be Doug Yeomans, winner of the 2001 North American Rock Guitar Competition, with his band Lo Blu Flame. Known as the country's premier competitive guitar event, the North American Rock Guitar Competition invites the nation's best guitarists to showcase their talents in front of prestigious music industry judges. Co-produced in collaboration with UB Center for the Arts, the 2002 North American Rock Guitar Competition will be held on June 15 in the Center for the Arts' Drama Theatre.

While Brown has been called a "genius" and "the King of 'Alternative Country,'" he best describes himself as an artist who plays "free-style," and the critically acclaimed, four-time Grammy country-rocker nomineeis is regarded as one of the hippest guitar-playing vocalists in music today.

His biggest fans include some of the most cutting-edge artists in rock and alternative. He has performed with such artists as The Dave Matthews Band and String Cheese Incident, collaborated with Stone Temple Pilots, appeared on The Chris Isaak Show, acted on The X Files, became a national advertising spokesperson for the Gap, Lipton Tea, and Lee Jeans, and saw his hit song, Highway Patrol, used as the opening theme song of the Jim Carrey motion picture, Me, Myself And Irene.

And it all stems from Junior's one-and-only persona, which includes the unique "guit-steel" guitar that he not only invented, but also mastered, building his reputation as one of the foremost guitarists on the planet. It took years of mastering his guit-steel guitar before Life magazine honored him as the only contemporary musician included in their "All-Time Country Band," and Guitar Player named him their No. 1 steel player time after time. Brown's unique guit-steel guitar was created after he became tired of switching between a regular and steel guitar. He had seen bass guitars with two necks, and assessed that the same could be applied to a six string and steel guitar. So he designed his first guit-steel, "Old Yeller," which is now on display at the Country Music Hall Of Fame ("Old Yeller" was replaced by "Big Red").

His guitar playing isn't his only asset -- Junior Brown's deep, resonant voice has been described by The New York Post as "one of the best, most laid-back baritones in country music." His song writing is clever and comedic, and his producing abilities make each of his albums flawless.

So what describes Junior's bag? How do you classify him? Country? Well yes, but there's more. Rock? Well yes, but there's more. Alternative Country? Yes, but that doesn't quite "bag" him either. Much of his approach can be thought of as "retro" country, but he's just as futuristic as he is "retro." His country "rocks," but it can hardly be compared to any "country rock" as we know it. There's a similar problem in labeling him "rockabilly."

So if you've never seen or heard Junior Brown, just ask one of his loyal and ever growing legion of fans. They'll tell you he's not just their favorite guitarist, he's their ambassador of contemporary American song. To them, it's just a great mixture of music -- no matter how you "bag" it.

Tickets are $21 orchestra and $18 balcony and are available at the Center for the Arts Box Office from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information call 645-ARTS.

For more information about the North American Rock Guitar Competition and a full schedule of events for the WNED Buffalo Niagara Guitar Festival visit http://www.guitarfestival.org.