Branch to headline local music festival
Grammy Award winner Michelle Branch will be the headline act at the Coal and Coke Heritage Music Festival on Sept. 19 at Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus. The country music singer-songwriter is preparing to release a new album this fall. Her performance rounds out the festival’s musical entertainment, which will showcase a wide range of music types. “The comments we heard from people who attended our festival last year were very positive and many are already planning to come to this year’s Coal and Coke Heritage and Music festival,” said Gina Jones, co-chairwoman of the event. “Attendees really liked that we had a wide variety of musical entertainers and we repeated that aspect of the festival. What people can expect is several new acts this year, as well as the return of a few popular favorites.”
Included in the acts for this year are The Fabulous Hubcaps, Harold Betters, NewLanders, The Augsburg German Band, SNAP!, Bobby Reed & Jerry Onesi Trio, Stereotypes and local church choirs and student bands.
Penn State Fayette Chancellor Emmanuel I. Osagie said Branch’s appearance at the festival is an important addition to the lineup of entertainers.
“When the Coal and Coke Heritage Music Festival debuted last year, we wanted to highlight the talent of local and regional entertainers, but we also wanted to feature a national act that would offer a unique opportunity and experience for our area. Last year it was the Atlanta Drumline. This year we welcome rising country music entertainer Michelle Branch,” he said.
Branch, 26, was born and raised in Sedona, Ariz. She was a solo recording artist in the early 2000s, and teamed up with Santana in 2002 to record “The Game of Love,” which won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
She moved to Nashville and hit the country music scene as part of the duo The Wreckers in the mid-2000s. The group’s album “Stand Still, Look Pretty” was nominated for both a Country Music Award and a Grammy Award. After The Wreckers split, Branch returned to a solo career and is currently finishing a new album, featuring her new single “Everything Comes and Goes.”
The Coal and Coke Heritage Music Festival is designed to celebrate the unique heritage of southwestern Pennsylvania’s coal and coke history and heritage. The Coal and Coke Heritage Center is housed on the university’s campus.
To appeal to the whole family, the festival features music, ethnic foods, regional arts and crafts, and a free Kiddie Koal Mine children’s area.
The Coal and Coke Heritage Music Festival kicks off at noon on Saturday, Sept. 19, and wraps up around dusk. Tickets go on sale Aug. 19. For more information, call 724-430-4101.
Penn State Fayette is located on Route 119 between Uniontown and Connellsville. For more information, visit the Web site at: www.coalandcokemusicfest.org.