HAMILTON — Community members will have an opportunity to hear one of the acts who will perform at this year’s David Shaw’s Big River Get Down Presented by Miller Lite as Raelyn Nelson Band joins 90 Proof Twang and Jim Burns for a night of live music at Pohlman Lanes.
Presented by Pohlman Lanes and RiversEdge, Live at the Lanes with Jim Burns, Raelyn Nelson Band and 90 Proof Twang will happen on April 9. The event is free and open to all ages. Jim Burns will perform solo at 6 p.m.; Raelyn Nelson Band will perform at 7 p.m. and 90 Proof Twang will headline the concert at 8:30 p.m.
“This is perfect timing with everything that’s going on in Hamilton. Hamilton is thriving right now with music. So, there are multiple outlets, and it only makes sense that we partner up with the biggest music outlet in the city, RiversEdge,” said Joe Hoelle, general manager at Pohlman Lanes & Family Entertainment Complex.
Hoelle said there has been an “overwhelming response” to the live music events at Pohlman Lanes. The concert will be inside the bowling alley, with first-come, first-served seating.
“We are excited to be a part of building the live music scene in Hamilton, Ohio. Twenty or 30 years ago, if you wanted live music, you had to go to University Village down in Cincinnati, down to UC, or you had to go up to the Oregon District in Dayton. It’s just very cool that Hamilton has a live music scene, and that we can support bands like Raelyn Nelson Band,” Hoelle said.
Pohlman Lanes has indoor and outdoor settings for live music events and hosts live music consistently on Friday and Saturday nights. Every Monday night, there is a concert by a 25-piece big band from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Wednesdays, there is a matinee performance at noon with the Standard Country Time band, an act that’s made up of Vietnam War and Korean War Veterans.
“The stars aligned for us. It was kind of crazy,” said Adam Helms, Hamilton’s director of resident services.
Helms also oversees the concert series at RiversEdge, Big River Get Down and Whimmydiddle.
He said, “This is the perfect way to introduce Raelyn Nelson Band to the Cincinnati and Hamilton markets. She gets to play a solid, support slot with an established band, 90 Proof Twang, and then you get to come back a month-and-a-half or a couple of months later and hear her play at a music festival with The Revivalists, who are one of the biggest bands in the country, and one of the biggest bands going.”
Tickets for David Shaw’s Big River Get Down Presented by Miller Lite will also be available at the Pohlman Lanes concert. This will be the only chance concertgoers will have to purchase BRGD tickets without the ticketing fees.
“Raelyn Nelson Band will give concertgoers a sneak preview of what Big River Get Down is going to be like, and if you buy tickets at that show, you don’t have to pay the service fees online,” Helms said.
David Shaw will bring Big River Get Down to Hamilton May 21-22 at RiversEdge Amphitheater. On Fri., doors will open at 5:30 and the music will begin at 6:30 p.m. On Sat., doors will open at 2:30 p.m. and the music will start at 3:30 p.m.
Raelyn Nelson Band, fronted by Willie Nelson’s granddaughter, is an emerging Nashville-based band. In the early days, the band performed at Willie’s Farm Aid concerts, and since then, they’ve shared the stage at his Fourth of July picnics. The band will be touring the country this spring and summer.
“…I thought of my grandpa, being on stage singing, and I decided that’s what I wanted to do. I remember him working, being on the road, and writing songs. That was so much fun and intriguing to me, even before I was writing songs. Melodies always came easy to me,” said Raelyn Nelson, who is a third-generation singer and songwriter.
Although her grandfather and other musical family members have had a strong influence on Raelyn, she’s been able to carve out her own style and sound. In addition to family, her early influences were traditional country and gospel music.
“That’s pretty much what I feel like I can bring to the table in my band is the melodies, and of course the lyrics. I’m basically the country, melody girl, and then, my band is the rock band, and it’s a hybrid of what our strengths are. So, it definitely sounds like Loretta Lynn is fronting The Runaways,” Nelson said.
Raelyn Nelson Band’s sound has been described by some as “Country/Garage Rock.” The band has shared the stage with artists from Tim McGraw to indie Southern rock icons like Drivin’ N Cryin’ and others.
Big River Get Down will feature multiple bands, including a solo performance by David Shaw on Friday night and a headlining show with Shaw and The Revivalists on Saturday evening at RiversEdge. Both BRGD events will be at RiversEdge Amphitheater. On Saturday, the festival will kick off with Raelyn Nelson Band.
For tickets and more information about David Shaw’s Big River Get Down, go to www.bigrivergetdown.com. Two-day general admission tickets are $80. A one-day general admission ticket for Friday is $40, and a one-day general admission ticket for Sat. is $75. The cost of a two-day VIP ticket is $175.
Tickets for Big River Get Down will also be available at Pohlman Lanes on Apr. 9 and it will be the only time concertgoers will have the opportunity to purchase BRGD tickets without the ticketing fees.
How to go
What: Pohlman Lanes and RiversEdge present Live on the Lanes with Jim Burns, Raelyn Nelson Band and 90 Proof Twang
When: 6-11 p.m. Saturday
Where: Pohlman Lanes & Family Entertainment Complex, 954 Pyramid Hill Blvd., Hamilton
Admission: Free. Limited seating available
More info: Bigrivergetdown.com and pohlmanlanesfec.com
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