Reckless Kelly Headlining Fifth Annual Ales & Tails Crawfish Festival
Tickets to go on sale soon for Oklahoma’s largest crawfish and Red Dirt festival, Saturday, May 18, a fundraiser for the Vinita Rotary Foundation’s Scholarship Fund.
The true roots of Red Dirt music will be on display during the fifth annual Ales & Tails Crawfish and Red Dirt Festival, Saturday, May 18, as several legends of the genre are scheduled to perform.
Austin-based band Reckless Kelly headlines the lineup that features other prominent artists in the scene like Micky & the Motorcars and Mike McClure, as well as Grand Lake’s own Magen Faulconer.
Pioneers of the Red Dirt music genre, Reckless Kelly has been delivering their own brand of rootsy American country rock for more than 20 years. Founded by brothers Cody and Willy Braun, Reckless Kelly has built “a reputation as a band of no-nonsense insurgents that could raise the rafters while still retaining a heart and soul of honesty, soul and conviction.”
Known for energetic, crowd-engaging performances and pure Texas country songs, Rolling Stone magazine describes the Reckless Kelly sound as “… bounding fearlessly between the sounds of jangling heartland rock and scrappy, hardscrabble country.”
Set to perform from 9 to 10:30 p.m., the band’s performance is sure to include “Moment In The Sun.” Released in 2016 on the band’s ninth studio record, “Moment In The Sun,” was the No. 6 Texas Music Song of 2018, according to the CDX Traction Texas Chart.
A fundraiser for the Vinita Rotary Club, Ales & Tails Crawfish and Red Dirt Festival is one of the most popular events in northeast Oklahoma. It’s a giant party that features heaping plates of crawfish and live music by some of the biggest names in the Red Dirt genre, as well as games and craft vendors from all over the state.
Held at the American Legion Rodeo Arena in Vinita, the gates for Oklahoma’s largest crawfish and Red Dirt festival open at 4 p.m.
Kicking off the entertainment, Magen Faulconer will take the stage at 5 p.m. Born and raised in Vinita, Faulconer is looking forward to performing once again in her hometown.
“I’m super excited to see everyone from Vinita. It’s where I got my start,” Faulconer said. “My first gig ever was at the Legion in Vinita with my dad.”
For her performance at this year’s Ales & Tails Crawfish and Red Dirt Festival, Faulconer will once again team up with her father, Jason Faulconer. No stranger to performing, Faulconer heads up his own band, Lickitty Split, which performs throughout the Grand Lake area.
An Oklahoma Red Dirt music standout, Mike McClure has been described as one of the most talented Red Dirt musicians today. The Ada-based singer, songwriter and producer was a founding member of The Great Divide and released six studio albums before striking out on his own. Today, McClure performs with his self-titled band as well as playing some solo gigs.
6Performing at 6 p.m., McClure will be going solo at the Ales & Tails Crawfish and Red Dirt Festival. Backing up McClure will be members of Grand Lake favorite Whiskey Poet Society, including Josh Vincent, Gary Sizemore, Craig Skinner and Brandi Chamberlain.
With Reckless Kelly and Micky & the Motorcars both performing, the music lineup at Ales & Tails Crawfish and Red Dirt Festival will be a family reunion of sorts. Reckless Kelly’s Willy and Cody Braun are the older brothers of Micky & the Motorcars founders, Micky and Gary Braun.
Micky & the Motorcars may not have been the first Braun brothers to hit the music scene, but once they did, they quickly started creating their own legacy. The band has developed its own brand of Americana rock, a straight-forward style of alternative country-rock. Micky & the Motorcars has charted several Top 10 singles on the Texas Music Chart. The band’s live shows are known for being energetic and electric from start to finish, which festival-goers will discover for themselves when Micky & the Motorcars performs at 7:30 p.m.
Whiskey Poet Society frontman Mark Chamberlain will once again emcee the event. Chamberlain believes the lineup for this year’s Ales & Tails Crawfish and Red Dirt Festival is one of the best ever.
“This is going to be a banner year for Ales & Tails. I am very excited. We have the possibility of having a monumental concert,” Chamberlain said. “This lineup features pioneers and legends of Red Dirt. Reckless Kelly, Mike McClure and Micky & the Motorcars — this is kinda where it all started. They paved the way. And, they’re all great musicians.
“I’m expecting a real fun, energetic show. A ‘get out of your seat, get after it and have a good time’ kind of show. I’m going to enjoy myself, getting to introduce them, then stepping aside and watching from the sidelines as they make people jump up and down.”
For the tastiest part of the evening, the Vinita Rotary Club brings in piles of live Louisiana crawfish, which will be boiled Cajun-style with potatoes and corn. You’ll want to bring your appetite in order to tackle the two-pound servings of crawfish.
For those who aren’t mudbug aficionados, there will be fried catfish with hushpuppies and fried potatoes on the side.
Soft drinks and adult beverages, including beer and mixed drinks, will be available for purchase during the event. Summerside Vineyards and Winery will also be selling wine slushies.
There will be plenty of shopping opportunities during Ales & Tails. Craft vendors from all over the state will be bringing a wide range of fun, original items for festival-goers to browse through and purchase.
All proceeds from the fundraiser benefit the Vinita Rotary Foundation’s Scholarship Fund, which assists local high school seniors who are seeking higher education at a trade school or college. To date, it has provided more than $70,000 scholarship funds. The fund has also provided more than 3,000 dictionaries to third-grade students across Craig County.
Tickets sales will start soon. When they do go on sale, tickets can be purchased online at www.alesandtails.net, 360GrandLake.com or on the 2019 Ales & Tails Crawfish and Red Dirt Festival Facebook page. Tickets are also available from any Rotary member and at Austin Brown State Farm Insurance in Vinita.
General admission concert tickets for the Red Dirt music part of the festival are $17 in advance and $20 at the gate. Meal tickets for the crawfish or catfish plates are $10. General admission and meal ticket packages are $25.
For those interested in literally spending the night at the festival, camping packages are available. A huge hit last year, the camping packages are $100 and include two meal tickets, two general admission tickets and a camping site. There are eight spots with electricity for RVs and 20 tent sites available. All tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
This year, Pelivan Transit is partnering with Ales & Tails to provide safe rides to and from designated locations around Vinita and the Grand Lake area. Locations will be posted on the Facebook event page, as well as www.alesandtails.net, when finalized.
The Vinita Rotary Club is also offering VIP packages at this year’s Ales & Tales Crawfish and Red Dirt Festival. A VIP ticket is $250 and includes admission to a reserved and elevated viewing area that will include private bar, dining and seating, as well as one meal ticket, one beer pass and six mixed drink tickets.
The Ales & Tails Crawfish and Red Dirt Festival will be held at the American Legion Rodeo Arena, located at 26585 South 4410 Road, in Vinita. Parking is available in several areas around the arena and will be clearly posted.
Sponsors and vendors are still being accepted. Applications are available online at www.alesandtails.net and on the Facebook event page.
For more information on Ales & Tails, visit www.VinitaRotary.org or contact Travis Jaggars at (918) 639-8629 or Austin Brown at (918) 256-6424.
ABOUT VINITA ROTARY CLUB
As part of Rotary, the world’s largest service organization with 1.2 million members worldwide, the Vinita Rotary Club’s 75 members are dedicated people who share a passion for community service and friendship. Following the Rotary motto, Service Above Self, these club members work together to create lasting change through service projects in their community, as well as nationally and internationally. Projects supported by the Vinita Rotary Club include the Backpack Program, community cleanup day, concession stand maintenance at the Bill Morgan Sports Complex in Vinita and the Nicaragua Water Well Project. The club also provides Rotary scholarships and other youth programs, including providing local third-graders with personalized dictionaries every year. The Vinita Rotary Club meets from 12 to 1 p.m. every Wednesday at the First United Methodist Church, 314 West Canadian St., in Vinita.
MEDIA CONTACT
Travis Jaggars
Co-chair Ales & Tails Committee
(918) 639-8629
Austin Brown
Co-chair Ales & Tails Committee
(918) 256-6424
www.VinitaRotary.org
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