MEDIA RELEASE
Event: Utica Summer Fest

Location: Genesee Street, Downtown Utica

Date/Time:  Thursday, 6/21 – Friday, 6/22, Saturday. 6/23 – 2018  4:30-8p

Music Headliner announced for Friday of Utica Summer Fest

                  
The Event Co is pleased to announce that Jimmy Vivino & The BlueSoul Rockers will be the Friday music headliner for the free Utica Summer Fest. the Central New York events production company is presenting

On Genesee St. in Downtown Utica June 21-23.

 

You’d be hard-pressed to find a legendary Blues or Rock guitarist on the planet that doesn’t consider Vivino one of the best guitarists of his generation.  Vivino elected to forego the road warrior life of being a touring musician for a career without the wear and tear.  He found what he was looking for when he landed the gig of being the Music Director/guitarist and arranger on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien in 1993.  Jimmy still serves in that capacity for O’Brien on his current show.  During his tenure, he’s had the opportunity to perform with and impress many artists he has great admiration for – and to earn theirs.  

The arrangement with O’Brien also give Vivino the flexibility to schedule gigs and short tours with his own bands, which include Jimmy Vivino and The Basic Cable Band, and the BlueSoul Rockers.  He also performs as a member of the highly acclaimed Beatles tribute The Fab Faux.

 

The Event Co Managing Director Gina Scampone says the opportunity to add Jimmy and his newest band to the lineup of entertainers was worth holding-out for.  “We already have two headliners we know people attending Utica SummerFest will find wonderfully entertaining.  Jimmy’s management loved what they heard about the event but needed a bit of extra time to make sure it could get worked into his east coast schedule.

His set on Friday is one not-to-be missed.”

 

One of Vivino’s most recent musical visits to the east coast was as the guitarist in Al Kooper’s band.  Kooper, who founded Blood Sweat & Tears and is credited as having discovered Lynyrd Skynyrd, put together a tour to pay tribute to guitarist Mike Bloomfield. Al had plenty of great guitarists to choose from but wanted and got Vivino.  Jimmy’s guitar work during that tour demonstrated why. His solos during the tour were incredible, earning standing ovations at every stop.

 

Vivino has also produced, performed with or arranged for artists including Slash, Joe Walsh, Levon Helm, Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen, Joe Bonamassa, Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, the Tedeschi Trucks Band Johnnie Johnson, Gov’t Mule and many others.

 

Jimmy Vivino & The BlueSoul Rockers take the stage at Utica Summer Fest on Friday, June 22 at 4:30pm.

Admission is free.

 

The other bands at Utica Summerfest are Funk Evolution (Thursday, 6/23) a horn fueled party band serving up a great mix of Rock, Funk, Soul, Pop, R&B and jazz fusion, and The Boat Drunks (Saturday, June 23), one of the premier Trop Rock bands in the world.

 

Further information about the bands, other entertainers, activities and attractions on tap during Utica SummerFest are available at uticasummerfest.com.

 

Utica Summer Fest is presented by The Event Co, in partnership with the City Of Utica, New York State Office of General Services, Adirondack Bank, and The Restaurant Equipment Company.

 

For further information contact Gina Scampone: gina@theeventco.co

315-525-3695   

 

 

​Utica Observer Dispatch / UticaOD.com
By Joseph Labernik

Feb, 15, 2018 

  

UTICA — Utica Summer Fest, an event similar to the city’s former A Good Old Summer Time festival, is coming to Genesee Street this summer.

On Thursday, Mayor Robert Palmieri, Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito and representatives from The Event Co announced the three-day celebration during a news conference on the New York State Office Building plaza in Utica. The family-friendly event will bring in performers, musicians and street vendors, according to The Event Co.
 

“Utica Summer Fest is just another example of how much positive change has occurred in our city the past several years,” Palmieri said. “This is another exciting day in the revitalization of our downtown and rebirth of our city.”
 

The event will run from 4:30 to 8 p.m. June 21 through 23 and will cordon off the section of Genesee Street between Elizabeth and Blandina streets.

Tom Starr, marketing manager with The Event Co, expects businesses in the area to be affected from about 3:30 to 9 p.m. each day of the festival. It should still be less intrusive on local business than A Good Old Summer Time was, however. That annual festival, last held in 2003, took place every year for more than two decades, and used to shut down Genesee Street for a whole week each summer.
 

“The feedback was uniformly positive (from affected businesses),” Starr said of the new festival plans. “They were delighted to know that it was going to be back because it brings a lot of people downtown.”
 

In addition to the other festival attractions, the State Office Building’s plaza will host a stage and a band shell, “available for talented musicians who will be here to perform for you,” Destito said.

The Event Co “create(s) and bring(s) to fruition events that add to the quality of our community,” said Gina Scampone, marketing strategist with the company. They are doing so by catering to all age groups, which she said takes “a lot of planning and paying attention.”

“We love Utica, and we wanted to bring this back,” Scampone added, “so expect the warmth and energy that we are experiencing in the revitalization and rebirth in our city.”

Scampone added that The Event Co is still looking for vendors and performers for Utica Summer Fest. More information about the event can be found online at uticasummerfest.com, including what bands will be playing at the event.

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