Some special notes for Festival fans:

• I saw The Decemberists when they played at the Byham in August 2009. It was, without doubt, the best concert I have attended to this date. Scott Mervis of the Post-Gazette named it the best concert of the year, and he sees way more shows than I do. So between the two of us, I think we can say there’s some excitement for their return.
• Opener Justin Townes Earle played the Festival last year as the opener for Kris Kristofferson. Welcome back to the Burgh, Justin!
• Do you want early access to tickets? Subscribe to our email newsletter, follow us on Twitter or Like us on Facebook to receive a presale code on Thursday morning!

Tickets to The Decemberists are $34.50 – $39.50 and will be available at the Box Office at Theater Square, by phone at 412-456-6666, and online at pgharts.org.

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 91.3 WYEP and Three Rivers
Arts Festival are pleased to announce CD Live! presents Cowboy Junkies
at 8 pm, Tuesday, October 6, 2009, at the Byham Theater in downtown
Pittsburgh. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 7.

Cowboy Junkies formed in 1985 when Michael Timmins (guitar), Peter
Timmins (drums) and bassist Alan Anton, one of Michael’s oldest
friends, began jamming in a garage. Joined shortly thereafter by
Michael and Pete’s sister, Margo Timmins, the band released its debut, Whites Off Earth Now!!,
in 1986 on their own Latent Recordings label. The band toured the
Southern and Southwestern US in support of the record, soaking up the
music of Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers along the
way, which, in turn, inspired their second album, The Trinity Session, self-released in 1988.

Recorded with a single microphone in Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity in one 14-hour session – at a cost of $250 – The Trinity Session
featured spare, lilting originals alongside Jennings, Williams and
Patsy Cline covers, as well as a haunting version of the Velvet
Underground classic “Sweet Jane.” With “Sweet Jane” getting
considerable airplay on college and commercial radio and reviewers
lauding the band’s fresh sound, word soon began to spread and before
long, the Junkies had signed to RCA Records, which reissued The Trinity
Session to a wider audience and platinum sales. The band’s subsequent
albums chronicle the band’s evolution, a process Michael describes as
gradual and organic.

Cowboy Junkies returned to
Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity for a day in November 2006, joined
by Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant and Vic Chesnutt to revisit the
repertoire of The Trinity Session
in celebration of the original recording’s 20th anniversary. Captured
by filmmakers, Pierre and Francois Lamoureux, the resulting
documentary, Trinity Session Revisited, was released as a DVD/CD in January 2008.

Cowboy Junkies are joined by special guest Lee Harvey Osmond. Tickets
($35) go on sale Friday, August 7, 2009, at 9 a.m. at the Box Office at
Theater Square, by phone at 412.456.6666, and online at pgharts.org.

Calendar Listing
CD Live! presents Cowboy Junkies with special guest Lee Harvey Osmond.
8 pm, Tuesday, October 6, 2009, at the Byham Theater. Doors open at 7
pm. Tickets: $35; online at pgharts.org, by phone 412.456.6666 or the
Box Office at Theater Square. CD Live! is a project of Three Rivers
Arts Festival, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and 91.3 WYEP.

About CD Live!
CD Live! widens the creative expression of the Pittsburgh music scene
while advancing the artistry of musicians from around the world. This
collaborative project of Three Rivers Arts Festival, The Pittsburgh
Cultural Trust, and WYEP-FM was formed to build new music audiences and
to welcome these listeners to the Cultural District.

Click on the image at left to download a full-size, print-quality version of this promotional photo.

2008 is a landmark year for Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner
Joan Baez, marking 50 years since she began her legendary residency at
Boston’s famed Club 47. Baez’s latest record, Day After Tomorrow, was released in
September 2008. According the artist, the album “speaks to the essence
of who I am in the same way as the songs that have been the enduring
backbone of my repertoire for the past 50 years.” Day After Tomorrow
is nominated for the Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album Grammy
Award, marking Baez’s seventh Grammy nomination and her first in 15
years.

Contact: Lauren Bracey
Manager of Communications & External Affairs
Three Rivers Arts Festival
Office: 412-281-8723 x27
Email: lbracey@artsfestival.net

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 91.3 WYEP and the Three Rivers Arts Festival are pleased to announce CD Live! presents Joan Baez at 8 pm, Thursday, March 5, 2009, at the Byham Theater in downtown Pittsburgh. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 19, 2008.

2008 is a landmark year for Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Joan Baez, marking 50 years since she began her legendary residency at Boston’s famed Club 47. She remains a musical force of nature whose influence is incalculable: in addition to her own recordings, Baez unselfconsciously introduced Bob Dylan to the world in 1963 and focused awareness on songwriters ranging from Woody Guthrie, Dylan, Phil Ochs, Richard Fariña, and Tim Hardin, to Kris Kristofferson and Mickey Newbury, Dar Williams, Richard Shindell, Steve Earle and many more.

Baez’s latest record, Day After Tomorrow, was released in September 2008. According the artist, the album “speaks to the essence of who I am in the same way as the songs that have been the enduring backbone of my repertoire for the past 50 years.” Day After Tomorrow is nominated for the Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album Grammy Award, marking Baez’s seventh Grammy nomination and her first in 15 years.

Tickets for the March 5 performance will be $34.50 – $49.50. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 19, 2008. To purchase tickets, visit the Theater Square Box Office, call 412.456.6666 or buy online at www.pgharts.org.

Calendar Listing
CD Live! presents Joan Baez: The 50th Anniversary Tour. 8 pm, Thursday, March 5, 2009, at the Byham Theater. Doors open at 7 pm. Tickets $34.50 – $49.50. To purchase tickets, go online at www.pgharts.org, call 412.456.6666 or visit the Theater Square Box Office. CD Live! is a project of the Three Rivers Arts Festival, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and WYEP-FM.

About CD Live!
CD Live! widens the creative expression of the Pittsburgh music scene while advancing the artistry of musicians from around the world. This collaborative project of the Three Rivers Arts Festival, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and WYEP-FM was formed to build new music audiences and to welcome these listeners to the Cultural District.