Entertainment
It's all about the music for performers at Celebrate East Lyme 2010. This year, musicians and businesses have come together in the spirit of support and volunteerism to make sure that we rock Main Street! Because of the amazing contributions from performers and local business sponsors, Celebrate East Lyme 2010 will boast a top notch showcase of established entertainers and exciting student acts. This July 17th, we will be treated to performances by some of our town's best musicians.
Veronica Ballestrini
LIVE at the McCooks Stage – 6:30pm
with a special acoustic performance at the Ballestrini's
Children's area at 4pm
The face of Country Music was undergoing a profound shift in
direction the year Veronica Ballestrini was born. That year
was 1991, and the country genre was rapidly evolving into a
more accessible, pop-friendly format in the millennium’s
last decade. A new generation was growing up on a steady
diet of superstars like Garth, Shania, LeAnn and Faith. Now,
nearly 20 years later, the guise of country is changing once
again, this time behind the youthful exuberance of female
artists like Taylor, Carrie, Kellie and… Veronica.
Veronica Ballestrini might not be the household name that
our modern American Idol-era industry is capable of
producing overnight - - yet. But there’s no doubt that
Veronica is well on her way to mastering the art of our new
media age and bringing a legion of fans with her in the
process.
“I spend about four hours a day answering messages from
fans,” she reveals. “Every message I get, I answer myself.”
It’s a formula that has paid big dividends for the
surprisingly down-to-earth young star.
With one modest dream and an Internet connection, the
enthusiastic yet mature-beyond-her-years teenager from
Waterford, Connecticut has raised more than a few eyebrows
with her self-made success story. The staggering numbers on
her social network sites are proof that Veronica
has that special ability to connect with people. On Myspace
alone, that number totals more than 120,000 friends, 7.5
million page views and 11.5 million plays of her music. On
country-lifestyle portal DigitalRodeo.com, Veronica is one
of the most in-demand artists on the entire site.
“What Veronica has done without a label, without television
and with virtually no press is absolutely astounding,” says
Digital Rodeo Director of Marketing and Promotions John Pyne.
“She is one of the most self-motivated artists I’ve ever
seen and knows how to use the online tools at her disposal
exceptionally well. It just so happens that she’s also a
very talented young singer, and I personally think there’s
no end to what she can accomplish.” Those accomplishments
first began at the innocent age of 13, when Veronica first
picked up a guitar and unknowingly logged on to a career.
The bubbly teenager, known to many simply as ‘V,’ had modest
aspirations way back in 2005. “My first goal was just to get
to Nashville and record an album,” she says
matter-of-factly. “Now that I’ve accomplished that, I want
that music to get heard by as many people as possible. I’ve
had so many people tell me that my music has helped them out
or helped them to achieve their
own goals, so it means a lot to me to be able to affect
someone’s life like that.” Part of Veronica’s success comes
from her undeniable pop-country crossover appeal. She points
out that while she considers her music country, that doesn’t
mean that it can’t have it’s own spin on the genre.
“It’s just a different style of country music,” she says.
“Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood – they all have
their own style.” She continues, “It’s important that people
know that I’m not trying to be anyone else. I’m just trying
to be who I am. I’m writing from the heart about issues and
things I’m experiencing, and hopefully people can identify
with that.”
www.VeronicaBallestrini.net
SHINE
Playing from 3 to 6 pm at McCooks
Park
Local band featuring (left to right) Pete Christie on Vocals, Steve
Belgrade on Guitar, Chris Orlinski on Bass, and East Lyme's
Mark Nickerson on Drums.
Made up of veteran musicians, Shine prays and agressive,
contemporary set featuring songs by: Collective Soul,
Sublime, Cream, Lit, The Beatles, Everclear, Jet, Dire
Straits and others.
for booking information contact:
Mark Nickerson at
geicoman@aol.com
The
Paul Lussier Band
Playing from 3 to 6 pm at McCooks Park
EAST LYME's own! Comprised entirely of talent from East Lyme and
Salem, The Paul Lussier Blues band combines two generations
for musicians including the father/son team of Joe and Paul
Lussier.
Paul's smooth vocals play nicely to the bands fine set list.
Playing songs that include The Beatles, Van Morrison, John
Mayer, Jack Johnson, Eric Clapton, Red Hot Chilli Peppers,
The Who, Bryan Adams, John Mellencamp, and many others.
The band consists of:
Joe Lussier - Guitar
Tim Lewis - Guitar
Sean Mullholland - Bass
& Mark Nickerson - Drums
Children's Area Entertainment: 5:30pm
Family friendly 45-minute show enjoyable for the entire family!
Website: WWW.MAGICBYDEREK.COM
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Magic-by-Derek/138440443720?ref=ts&v=wall#!/pages/Magic-by-Derek/138440443720?v=wall&ref=ts
Katie Perkins
Local Singer performing on the Youth Services Stage at the
Town Green and On the String Theory Stage at the Police
Station
http://www.myspace.com/xxkatiexxmariexx12
Katie Perkins is a 20-year-old singer/songwriter. Katie took classical voice lessons for 7 years, starting at the age of 12 at Thames Valley Music School located at Connecticut College. She is currently attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts as a vocalist and is majoring in performance. She is presently recording an album of her original songs with her producer in Massachusetts. Katie has been performing for years including musical theater and at many other various events. She has competed in vocal competitions such as the USA World Showcase in Las Vegas where she placed 1st in her category. Katie has participated in CMEA Festival (Eastern Regional’s) and All New England’s, which are both, auditioned choirs. This is Katie’s third year performing at Celebrate East Lyme. Katie will also be performing a week before Celebrate East Lyme at Sailfest in New London on July 10th at 1pm with her band. She will also be performing with her band later on this summer at the Lebanon Fair August 7,2010 at 2pm and Hamburg Fair on August 21,2010 at 4:30pm. Be sure to catch Katie at Celebrate East Lyme on the Youth Services Teen Stage from 5pm-6pm and at McCooks Pavilion from 7pm-8pm.
http://katieperkinsmusic.com/
String
Theory School of Music
Performing at the police station stage on Main Street from 3 to 9 pm
String Theory is proud to welcome it's students and teachers back to the Main Street Stage for the second year. In addition, this year we welcome the Chris Leigh Band to the stage performing Blues and Swing from 7 to 8 pm. We will also be featuring the amazing String Theory Combo for some fun dance music from 8 to 9 pm leading us into the fireworks. Join us for a wide variety of musical acts performing songs that are sure to make you smile!
http://www.stringtheoryschoolofmusic.com
The
East Lyme Youth Services Stage
Varied acts performing on the Town Green from 3 to 8 pm.
Celebrate East Lyme welcomes a full day of local teen bands sponsored by our wonderful Youth Services Department. This stage will showcase the talents of many of the area's young local musicians.
Come out and show your support for tomorrow's superstars today!
East Lyme Youth Services Web Page
Steve Elci
A southeastern Connecticut-based
singer/songwriter who's been playing and performing as long
as he can remember. His love for catchy hooks in his musings
and soaring vocal style have won him acclaim from fans and
critics alike.
On his new children's CD titled "Rocket Car", Steve creates
a rock and roll for kids style of music that children will
love and parents will enjoy.
In 2005, the Steve Elci recorded a song called "Christmas
Time" was for "The Chimneys of New London" - a Connecticut
based Christmas CD featuring all local New London artists.
The song "Christmas Time" was entered into the Unisong
International Songwriting Contest where it became an
Honorable Mention Winner internationally (2005-2006). In
2007, Steve recorded a composition for the national PTA
called "Every Child One Voice" as a fund-raiser. The song
was sold nationally for about three months before the end of
the school year 2007.
Steve is also in the band Superbald, a Connecticut-based
surf-punk rock band that produced the minor hit "Submarine
Town," (2004) which played a part in the Save The Submarine
Base political campaign with Connecticut Governor M. Jodi
Rell, US Senators Andrea Stillman and Christopher Dodd, and
then US Congressman Rob Simmons. In May of 2005, New York
Times reporter Bill Yardley wrote about Superbald in an
article called "Hey, Didn't the Beatles Sing About a
Submarine?”
CHECK HIM OUT AT THE PROTEK STAGE AND AT THE CHILDREN’S AREA!!
The
Pro-Tek Auto Stage
Varied acts performing from 3 to 9 pm at the Pro-Tek stage!
Pro-Tek returns to Celebrate East Lyme with their amazing support by hosting their annual music stage featuring a variety of local musicians for your enjoyment. Pull up a chair and enjoy the show!
Dancing
Under the Stars!
Celebrate East Lyme is thrilled to offer a performance area this year on Main Street in front of the Arthur Murray Dance Studio.
Performances will include Dancers from Arthur Murray, The Amazing Street Elite Hip Hop Dancers, lead by instructor Beth Newton-Girard, Jazzercise, and karate with wonderful performance team from Gabrielle's Karate Kickbox.