The White Buffalo, known for his baritone voice and the emotional weight of his music, will headline North Liberty Blues & BBQ presented by Veridian Credit Union on July 13, festival organizers announced today.
The White Buffalo, the name under which singer, songwriter and guitarist Jake Smith performs, will take the GreenState Credit Union stage at 9 p.m., capping a lineup of exciting live, blues-inspired music programmed in partnership with The Englert Theatre as the festival celebrates its 16th year. The White Buffalo will be supported by performances from Jeremie Albino, the Blake Shaw Big(ish) Band, David Zollo & The Body Electric, Cedar County Cobras, Charlotte Blu and others starting at 11 a.m. Entry to the festival, in Centennial Park, 1565 St. Andrews Drive, North Liberty, including live music, is free. A schedule is available at northlibertyblues.org.
The White Buffalo’s latest album is Year of the Dark Horse, his eighth, and with it, Jake Smith was happy to embrace a project where new boxes were being ticked on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. This time around, it was all about building on glories past, adding fresh, exciting, more left-field moments to a style and a sound that has seen his music growing in stature worldwide, supported by key placements in the worlds of TV and film, including Sons Of Anarchy, Californication, The Punisher and The Terminal List.
While the festival is free to attend, it is supported by volunteers. It takes some 300 people to put on the free festival, with volunteer roles available online at northlibertyblue.org/volunteer.
Tickets for the Pig & Pint Prelude, the fundraiser held on the evening of Friday, July 12, are available and help support the festival. The $75 tickets, with an early bird price of $70 per person, $550 for a table of eight, includes craft beer pours from the Iowa Craft Beer Tent, live music from Marc Janssen and a barbecue buffet from T&T Barbecue, winner of Netflix’s Barbecue Showdown. Purchase tickets at northlibertyblues.org/pig-pint-prelude.
Blues & BBQ is made possible by Veridian Credit Union, GreenState Credit Union, Junge Ford BMW of North Liberty, South Slope Cooperative Communications, Thompson & Co Salon Parlor, Kwik Star and the City of North Liberty. Additional support is provided by the North Liberty Optimists, Strand Associates, Think North Liberty, MidWestOne Bank, Hills Bank, Eastern Iowa Airport – CID, Urban Acres Real Estate, A2Z Heating & Plumbing, Collins Community Credit Union, University of Iowa Health Care, Centro Incorporated, The Englert Theatre, Eco Care, Sun and Fun RV, ICAN, and Z102.9.
