Georgefest to Celebrate Luck O' the Irish March 3 - Get Your Green On!

Dick Earl of Dick Earl's Electric Witness
belts the blues at Main Stage March 2016

Historic Downtown St. George will be sporting green, Friday, March 3, when Georgefest celebrates its “St. Paddy’s Spring Fling.” A nod in equal parts to St. Patrick’s Day and the imminent arrival of springtime, the monthly nightlife event will mark the start of St. George’s most idyllic months for sunshine and outdoor entertainment.

Salt Lake City’s electrifying Andrew Goldring band is sure to deliver when they take Main Stage at 8 p.m. At the Georgefest Jazz Garden, presented by The Desert Pulse, scorching blues will meet ferocious funk when Dick Earl’s Electric Witness teams up with Soul What?! Two of southern Utah’s most revered bands will churn out high-energy, danceable tunes for adults 21 and over. Perennial favorites Soul What?! will be joined by journeyman blues-harpist Dick Earl and his Electric Witness band for an evening of funky, blues-infused covers and original music.

Alice Erickson of Soul What performs
at Main Stage Dec. 2015

Comprised of powerhouse vocalist Alice Ericksen (Earl’s wife), guitarists Michael Moulton and Elaine Stoddard, and drummer Chris Flaig, Soul What?! has been performing together since first meeting at a local blues jam in 2012. Featuring beloved classics from their soul influencers (including Stevie Wonder, James Brown and Aretha), the band’s set list honors younger performers as well. All four members of the group are accomplished musicians who bring decades of experience to the project, drawing appreciative crowds throughout southern Utah.

Georgefest is southern Utah's favorite nightlife event
held every first Friday at Historic Downtown

Dick Earl’s raw, growling vocals and goose-bump-raising assault on the harmonica have been devoured by audiences from New York to Las Vegas. He has opened for such artists as Billy Currington, Firehouse, Janet Robin, and Creedence Clearwater Revisited, and is frequently tapped by performers to add his musical magic to their studio projects. When not touring as a solo act or with Electric Witness, he makes regular appearances at schools across the country to share his passion for music. He and Alice also own The Academy, an after-school program for youths wishing to acquire music performance skills.

Members of The Academy perform with
Dick Earl's Electric Witness at Georgefest March 2016

Along with outstanding entertainment, the Jazz Garden will offer its usual assortment of artisan tapas prepared by Sego Restaurant in Kanab, as well as craft brews from Wasatch Brewery and Squatters, and premium wines from Cedar City’s Iron Gate Winery. The Georgefest Jazz Garden is located in Green Gate Village on Tabernacle Street, next door to One Hot Grill.

Georgefest, a nightlife event designed to celebrate the best of southern Utah, is held on the first Friday of every month from 6-10 p.m., with the Jazz Garden open until midnight April–October. The event is sponsored by the City of St. George, St. George Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Canyon Media, St. George News, Etched Magazine, The Independent, The Desert Pulse, Iron Gate Winery and Wasatch Brewery.

For more information, or to become a vendor, visit georgestreetfest.com, or email info@georgestreetfest.com. Georgefest organizers are now accepting applications for street market vendors, buskers, and food vendors.

Photos by Nick Adams, courtesy Emceesquare Media. 

Kissing Winter Weather Goodbye, Indie Rock Bands Return to Main Stage March 3

When the electrifying Andrew Goldring band takes the stage March 3, spring will have sprung in southern Utah. And while Georgefest diehards danced to the beat of the DJ drum through Georgefest winter months, first Friday nightlife crowds are ready to rock with original sounds of indie performers under southern Utah's warm summer skies.

The Andrew Goldring band of Salt Lake City leads out the springtime
lineup for Georgefest's free first Friday Main Stage concert series March 3.
Photo by Ryan Jorgensen Photography

March 3 features Salt Lake City indie rock band, Andrew Goldring. A fixture in the Utah music scene for many years, Andrew has been part of notable acts including Golden Sun, Sleeping Giant, and All Get Out. Andrew has released several solo albums, and recently announced his next featuring the single, "Cosmic Dance." The album is scheduled to drop Feb. 24, and his products will be available March 3 at The George Store merch tent near Main Stage. Andrew is owner and operator at The Sound Cave music studio in Salt Lake City.

Opening on Main Stage is Telestial, southern
Utah's newest indie rock band sensation.
Photo by Shane Ivy Stewart

Opening for Andrew Goldring is southern Utah's own rising indie rock sensation, Telestial. Recently featured as cover story for the "Where It's At" section of The Spectrum and Daily News, writer Emily Havens described the band stating, "Telestial's sound has less abandon than one might find in a stereotypical hardcore project. It's reminiscent of hardcore punk and strongly resembles noise rock."

Featuring artists Richard Curl and Jade Whitlock, "Telestial is nearly everything we need from community bands," Havens wrote.

Ryan Groskreutz, Georgefest talent booking agent, believes Georgefest's commitment to featuring indie rock artists is a critical element of the event's appeal. "We are always working to bring the best up-and-coming bands and artists to Georgefest," he said. "This has been a big part of what makes the event interesting and worth coming out for."

According to Georgefest founder and executive director Melynda Thorpe, warm spring temperatures offer a welcome return to Main Stage bands. Because cold temperatures make it difficult for bands and their instruments to perform through the winter, Thorpe says, "we have to get creative about our stage talent," she said. DJ dance parties, choirs and vocal groups dominate the stage from December to February, "so we all get excited to welcome the return of indie rock bands with the first signs of spring."

Georgefest is a first Friday nightlife event designed to celebrate the best of southern Utah artists, entertainers and musicians. The event offers a free Main Street concert at the intersection of Main and St. George Blvd. Performances begin at 6:30 p.m. and continue through 10 p.m. The event's Jazz Garden venue presented by The Desert Pulse offers live music until midnight and is open to adults 21 and over at Green Gate Village on Tabernacle Street. Additional event features include a street market, Food Truck Village, and buskers performing for tips.

Follow the searchlight to Historic Downtown every first Friday night. This kind of fun is good for you. More info at georgestreetfest.com. Follow Telestial on Facebook.

Misty Frampton: From Rooftop Recluse to Main Street Strummer

Misty found her uke in the attic of her family home.
Photo by Nick Adams courtesy Emceesquare Media

Musical talent is in Misty Frampton’s DNA. She’s the youngest in a family that includes older sisters Dia – a runner-up on the inaugural season of NBC’s The Voice, and lead singer in the band ARCHIS – and Meg, with whom Dia performed in the rocker duo “Meg and Dia.”

Watching her siblings honing their singing and songwriting skills while she was growing up, and then witnessing Dia’s success on The Voice, Misty also felt the pull to perform. But her innate shyness prevented her from realizing her dreams – until she was spotted on a rooftop, strumming her ukulele and singing. In short order, she made her debut as a street busker at the March 2016 George Streetfest. And now, as the senior at Desert Hills High School prepares to appear on Main Stage at Streetfest on October 7, southern Utah will have the chance to hear the latest of the Fabulous Framptons.

Though Misty always loved to sing, and had been encouraged to do so by her family, she’d never played an instrument, or thought seriously about a musical career. But her favorite band is Columbus, OH-based alt/indie duo Twenty-One Pilots, whose leader plays the ukulele. “I discovered them about three years ago, and really love them,” she says. “I thought it was really cool that Tyler Joseph played the uke. But I never went out and bought one, because…well, I basically have no money.”

Misty has become a Main Street mainstay at Georgefest on first Fridays.
Photo by Nick Adams courtesy Emceesquare Media Inc.

Then one day, Misty happened to be combing through some boxes stored in the Frampton household, and made a surprising discovery. “It was so crazy; I actually found a ukulele in one of the boxes! I started fooling around with it, and taught myself to play a couple of Twenty-One Pilots songs. It was really easy and super-fun, and from then on I kept learning new songs.”

Despite her sisters’ songwriting prowess, Misty says she’s stayed with performing familiar tunes. “I tried writing a few original songs, but I figured out that I’m terrible at it,” she laughs. “Sometimes I do parodies, which is fun. But mostly I just do covers.”

When asked how she made the leap to performing at Streetfest, Misty confides that when she wants some quiet time to play and sing, she grabs her uke and climbs up to the roof of her house. One evening as she was playing, she glimpsed a white truck driving slowly down her street. She continued strumming, only to see the truck park directly below her.

“At first I stopped for a few seconds, then I thought ‘well, if they don’t like it, they’ll just keep going,’ I couldn’t really tell who was in the truck, and I didn’t know if they could even hear me. But in a little while I saw the people inside pull out food and drinks…and they sat there and ate and drank and listened to me.”

Misty played what was then her entire five-song repertoire, then prepared to go back indoors. The sound of enthusiastic applause brought her up short. “I waved, yelled ‘thanks,’ and went inside. But a few minutes later my mom called me and told me to come downstairs. There were these two ladies there, and they told me they thought I sounded really good and that I should be a street busker at Streetfest. I had no idea what a busker was. But I went to the first Streetfest back in March, and I’ve been performing there ever since.”

Misty’s two new fans were George Streetfest Executive Producer Melynda Thorpe and Emceesquare CEO Amy Thorpe. Both were immediately taken with the young singer’s persona. “Misty is absolutely adorable; her style is extremely friendly and approachable, and she’s been really popular as a busker,” Melynda says. “We’re delighted to have her make her Main Stage debut on October 6.”

With Misty’s friends and family regularly stopping by to hear her play at Streetfest these past few months – and leaving some very welcome tips – Misty has already acquired the poise and experience of a seasoned performer. Her mom even steps up to sing with Misty (usually on the Elvis classic, “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You”). “It’s super-embarrassing, and it’s also really fun,” she admits, laughing again. “She always leaves me 20 bucks, so that part’s definitely cool.”

Misty was asked to perform on Georgefest Main Stage in October, she accepted the invitation calmly. But inside, she admits, she was anything but. “I was in shock; I was completely freaking out! It was such an amazing opportunity.”

It’s safe to say that Misty Frampton’s excitement is shared by everyone at Georgefest. 

Follow her on Twitter at @MistyFramps, and on Instagram at @MISTYFRAMPTON.

Written by Marianne Hamilton.