Two months of concerts kick off August 1 at Vahalla Boathouse Theater

For the next two months, the Valhalla Boathouse Theater at the Tallac Historic Site in South Lake tahoe will be home to several concerts, starting August 1.

August 1 – James Garner’s Tribute to Johnny Cash: Garner and his band have faithfully recreated Cash's biggest hits with stunning accuracy in this not-to-be-missed musical event. The show is a fun, toe-tapping trip down memory lane honoring Johnny Cash's life and music, and the boom-chicka-boom sound of his longtime backing band, the Tennessee Three. From special concert airings on PBS stations to shows at Folsom and San Quentin Prisons, it’s easy to see why this is the premier tribute to the “Man in Black” – Boathouse Theatre, Two shows: 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm, $20-$40

August 8 – Charlie Hunter Trio: Widely considered the authority on the seven and eight - string guitar, Hunter stuns audiences with his ability to simultaneously bust out tasty bass parts, melodic leads and swinging rhythms. He has worked with the likes of Norah Jones, Mos Def, John Mayer, D’Angelo and countless others, securing his place as one of today’s great guitarists – Boathouse Theatre, 7:30 pm, $20-$40

August 10 – Gatsby Celebration Concert: Lolo Gervais continues a tradition of playing vintage jazz created from modern pop tunes not unlike the styles of Post Modern Jukebox, Squirrel Nut Zippers and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. This award winning and inventive Northern California-based group creates an atmosphere of fun while their quirky inventiveness onstage can’t hide the players’ obvious rich experience and love of jazz – Boathouse Theatre, 7:30 pm, $20-$40

August 15 – Songwriter Celebration: A performance in-the-round of three of the great modern American songwriters, Amber Cross, Rod Picott from Nashville TN and Chuck Hawthorne from Austin TX

Chuck Hawthorne: A combat soldier with the heart of a poet, Chuck Hawthorne is a cowboy born in Amarillo, TX, a warrior, and a songwriter. His experiences working cattle on the High Plains and traveling the world in the US Marine Corps shaped much of the subject matter of the songs. He developed his voice as a songwriter riding the Texas plains with his cowboy heroes Clifton Lowe and Alvin Hamrick, sailing the Adriatic sea and picking guitar aboard the USS Iwo Jima, writing songs in the basement of a Baghdad palace.

Amber Cross: When you hear Amber Cross you might think you are listening to an archival Smithsonian recording. Her old-time voice is clear and captivating, like a strong muscle, fringed in lace. As a hunter, a fisherman, and a woman of the backcountry, she has a deep respect for the honest work that makes her a steward of the land. She makes music as beholden to the landscapes of Northern and Pacific California, where she lives and travels, as to the visually-rich songwriting she crafts around it.

Rod Picott: At thirty-five Rod Picott dropped his tool belt, picked up an acoustic guitar and released his first album. The acclaimed debut record put a nail in the coffin of his construction career and ignited a second one as a singer-songwriter. His songs center around the lives of working people and the losses, defeats and small victories that can come hard won in a calloused world. Picott’s eye for the revealing detail, a sense of empathy as well as a potent defiance has brought high praise from music critics – Boathouse Theatre, 7:30 pm, $20-$40

And many more shows, artists and performances June through October. The full schedule and information are at www.valhallatahoe.com.

About the Valhalla Art, Music & Theatre Festival

The 2018 Valhalla Art, Music & Theatre Festival is perhaps the most diverse and ambitious in its 39-year history. Tickets are on sale now for concerts, plays, comedy improv shows, fine art shows, movement and rhythm workshops, art camps and more starting in June 22 and running through October. Buoyed by eighty seven percent growth in attendance and revenue since 2015 and the confidence that hiring a talented Executive Director to guide and administer the nonprofit organization, Valhalla Tahoe’s staff, board and volunteers are eager to deliver a memorable festival.

“The lineup provides a little something for everyone! Between the great performances and the natural setting you can’t beat Valhalla Tahoe for one of the best experiences on the lake. This year should be more fun than ever,” says Sharon Romack, Valhalla Tahoe’s new Executive Director. Making the move all the way from Chicago, Romack brings a wealth of nonprofit administration, fundraising and organizational development experience to the job. She is especially excited to be part of an organization that presents premier arts programming in a historic setting of natural beauty – a truly unique professional opportunity.

Valhalla is a unique paradise that combines rich heritage, rustic elegance and stunning Lake Tahoe views to offer an enchanting setting for the area’s most eclectic seasonal arts festival. The site hidden among the pines, fir and cedar on the southwest shore next to Camp Richardson. The vantage from the plush vintage seats in the historic Boathouse Theatre offers the illusion that the stage and performers actually float on the lake. Expansive shaded lawns blending into beach and shoreline provide the perfect setting for performance and art workshops, concerts and picnics. The Grand Hall, summer home for the family of timber baron Walter Heller in the early 20th century with its enormous stone fireplace and numerous French doors opening onto the deep wrap-around porch houses the Viking Gallery and is the setting for more intimate festival events.

The 2018 festival brings and exciting mix of musical and dramatic theatre, the 25th anniversary shows of the Tahoe Improv Players, concerts featuring Grammy winners and nominees, major TV talent show contestants, and local, regional and national acts that mine the depths of genre defying, world class talent.