Grammy Award winning country swing band Asleep at the Wheel performs at St. Cecilia on April 12

St. Cecilia Music Center brings American Country Music Group Asleep at the Wheel to the Royce Auditorium stage on Thursday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. The band will arrive in Grand Rapids directly following six straight concert dates in their home state of Texas. 

With recent band additions Katie Shore (fiddle, vocals), Dennis Ludiker (fiddle, mandolin) Connor Forsyth (keyboard, vocals) and Josh Hoag (Bass), Asleep at the Wheel’s newest members have given a newfound energy and their own unique style to the band. Asleep at the Wheel veterans Ray Benson (Lead Guitar and Vocals), David Sanger (Drums) Eddie Rivers (Steel Guitar) and Jay Reynolds (Saxophone and Clarinet) round out the new 8-piece band who will appear at St. Cecilia Music Center on April 14. 

Founding member of the band, Ray Benson, launched Asleep at the Wheel in Paw Paw, West Virginia 48 years ago. Now based in Austin, Texas, Asleep at The Wheel has garnered ten GRAMMY Awards, released more than 20 studio and live albums, and charted 20 singles on the Billboard country music charts. The Grammy Award-winning Still The King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys is the band’s most recent release (2015) and marks their third full-length Bob Wills tribute album. Featuring 22 acclaimed collaborations, the all-star lineup over the years has included legends such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and George Strait, The Avett Brothers, Amos Lee, Old Crow Medicine Show and many other fine talents. 

SCMC Executive Director Cathy Holbrook says, “It is St. Cecilia Music Center’s mission to bring great music to Grand Rapids and we are pleased to bring Asleep at the Wheel to the Acoustic Café Series. With the appearance of Margo Price last season, we opened the door for country music artists to perform in our acoustically-superb and intimate hall. We trust Asleep at the Wheel fans will be excited to hear them up close and personal.”

Asleep at the Wheel tickets are $35 and $40 and can be purchased by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224 or visiting the box office at 24 Ransom Ave. NE. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.scmc-online.org.  A post-concert party with a cash bar will be offered to all ticket-holders where the band’s CD’s can be purchased.    

The Acoustic Café Series 

The Acoustic Café Series, in partnership with the syndicated radio show of the same name, will round out the season with Asleep at the Wheel, and singer/songwriter, banjo and fiddler Rhiannon Giddens co-founder of the Grammy award-winning string bandCarolina Chocolate Drops.

Cathy Holbrook states, “Since its inception in the 2015-16 season the Acoustic Café Folk Series has expanded its offerings and brought some of today’s up and coming artists, as well as some of the veterans of the singer/songwriter genre.

SCMC formed a partnership three years ago with the syndicated radio show Acoustic Café and its host Rob Reinhart. The Ann Arbor based radio program is syndicated to over 120 commercial and non-commercial stations throughout the country and airs locally in Grand Rapids on WYCE Friday mornings. The series at SCMC features touring singer/songwriter folk/Americana musicians in concert and also presents the opportunity for a live taping with the artists and Rob Reinhart.

Asleep at the Wheel Bio

Asleep at the Wheel landed a gig opening for Alice Cooper and Hot Tuna in Washington, DC in 1970. At the height of Vietnam, many Americans were using their choice of music to express their stance on the conflict in southeast Asia. "We wanted to break that mold," said Benson. "We were concerned more with this amazing roots music, which we felt was being lost amid the politics. We were too country for the rock folks and we were too long-haired for the country folks. But everybody got over it once the music started playing."

A year later, they were coaxed into moving to California by Commander Cody, leader of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen. But, the band’s big break came when Van Morrison mentioned them in an interview with Rolling Stone "there's some relatively unknown group around that I really dig. Asleep at the Wheel, they play great country music." Van Morrison Rolling Stone Interview (1973). The record offers started coming in and The Wheel got rolling.

The musicianship of Asleep at the Wheel has become the stuff of legends. Reuter’s pegged The Wheel as "one of the best live acts in the business." Taking a page from Bob Wills’ book, the band has constantly toured at a national level throughout its history; with anywhere from 7-15 of the finest players Ray Benson could talk into jumping in the bus to play a string of dates. The alumni roster is well over 80+ members, and includes an impressive list of musicians who have gone on to perform with artists such as Bob Dylan, George Strait, Van Morrison, Lyle Lovett, Ryan Adams, and many more. A quick scan of awards, such as "Touring Band of the Year" (CMAs, 1976) and "Lifetime Achievement in Performance" (Americana Music Awards 2009), not to mention near dominance of the GRAMMY "Country Instrumental" category over the years, reflects the reputation of the band’s musicianship. Ray Benson fell in love with western swing because of its unique combination of elements of American blues, swing and traditional fiddling but also for its demanding musical chops. Western swing is what Benson calls "jazz with a cowboy hat," is a thrill to hear live, and thanks in large part to the Wheel’s 40+ years of promotion, is a living and creative genre of music today. See https://www.asleepatthewheel.com/the-band for individual information for all eight of the Asleep at the Wheelband members. 

Tickets to remaining SCMC Concerts – Season 2017 / 2018

Tickets to remaining concerts in 2018 within the Jazz Series, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Series, and Acoustic Cafe Folk Series are available by calling 616-459-2224 or visiting St. Cecilia Music Center at 24 Ransom NE, Grand Rapids, 49503. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.scmc-online.org. For each concert, a post-concert party is open to all ticket-holders giving the audience the opportunity to meet the artists and obtain signed CDs of their releases.  There are also pre-concert receptions for the CMS of Lincoln Center concerts and the Jazz Series concerts with wine and hors d'oeuvres for $15 per person. 

Ticket prices: All ticket prices include service fees and are the same no matter the purchase point. No additional fees are charged. All concerts start at 7:30pm. All concerts include a post-concert party for concert ticket holders.

SINGLE TICKETS

Asleep at the Wheel – April 12, 2018

A section $40

B section $35

Rhiannon Giddens – May 17, 2018

A section $45

B section $40

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Single tickets 

Mozart, Weber and Brahms- April 19, 2018

A section $43

B section $38

St. Cecilia Music Center’s mission is to promote the study, appreciation and 

performance of music in order to enrich the lives of West Michigan residents. 

The Center fulfills this mission by 

presenting visiting world-class artists in concert, 

providing music education for all ages through our School of Music and 

preserving a historic building for musical activities and community events