Joel Lindsey hosts AcoustiCafe April 29

Peace Ike

Joel Lindsey will host and Peace Ike will be guest performer for the third installment of  Lincoln Park AcoustiCafe, an open stage event at which local singer-songwriters can perform for a live audience.

On Thursday, April 29, the main rehearsal hall at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center will again be transformed into a downtown cafe-type club for live entertainment. Fashioned after AcoustiCafe’s high profile and wildly successful open stages in Pittsburgh, the show is open to the public with a $5 cover charge – cash only at the door, no tickets sold in advance.

Lincoln Park AcoustiCafe is part of the plan to “create a supportive environment for students to perform their original songs, collaborate with their peers and learn from professional artists in the local scene,” according to Carla Bianco Becker, Lincoln Park’s director of arts education outreach. Becker teaches a class on songwriting.

As a true open stage event, any singer-songwriter can sign up to perform when the doors open at 7 p.m. The show begins at 7:30. Becker said Lincoln Park AcoustiCafe has been a great success, with a number of students from Lincoln Park and other area schools performing, along with adult walk-ons and guest artists.

Interested persons may contact Becker at 724.643.9004, extension 1303, for more information.

Host Joel Lindsey is a British import who has found a home in Pittsburgh. His current band, Boulevard of the Allies (www.boulevardoftheallies.com), is a soulful rock band set to release its debut full-length album, ‘Man in the Photograph’ on May 28 at Club Cafe, South Side, and on May 30 at Borders, East Liberty. The latter is a free entry, all ages, with the show starting at 1 p.m. The songs on the album depict Lindsey’s journey from London to America, all of the things he has discovered and those he left behind.

This is not Lindsey’s first visit to Lincoln Park. At a British Invasion concert in Midland in October 2008 led by historic promoter Pete Bennett, Lindsey shared the stage with British legend Denny Laine of Wings and The Moody Blues.

The son of an East London professional guitarist and an ex-flower power hipster from the East Village of New York, Lindsey has been surrounded by the rock and roll life from an early age. As a child, his playground was the family-owned music store, where he first discovered the guitar and piano. By the age of 14, Lindsey was fronting the band Easy in front of sold-out London venues such as The Jazz Café, The Garage and The Borderline.

Lindsey took some time off from music during college to pursue acting and visual art. He was recruited by the Royal National Youth Theatre, performing under Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet) and Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd). Through their influence, he rediscovered his passion for songwriting.

After graduation, he formed The Joel Lindsey Band, writing and performing on acoustic guitar and piano, with a uniquely crossbred sound of American soul and British rock. Influenced by Stevie Wonder, Free, Paul Simon, and the Beatles, his melodies and memorable hooks began to gain the support of an increasing fan base and the respect of the music industry. He has become a regular fixture at the top acoustic venues in Pittsburgh and the surrounding region.

Peace Ike http://www.myspace.com/thepeaceprojectband is a singer, songwriter and drummer for the Peace Project Band of Pittsburgh. She’s also a physical therapist working toward her doctorate in PT.

Peace Ike said on her My Space page, “I am a drummer as well (djembe and full-kit), and I sometimes feel that this may be my number one passion! I regularly drum for Joy Ike (She’s not only Pittsburgh’s number one artist for 2008, but she’s also my sister) . . . I’m also very passionate about embracing racial diversity. I’m first generation Nigerian-American and very proud of my heritage. But I also feel it’s important to be open to all races and all cultures. Step outside of your comfort zone. Diversity is the stuff of life! That’s me in a nutshell.”

Founded in 2000, AcoustiCafe Pittsburgh is not specifically a promoter of events, but does sponsor open stages, grand openings for new venues, CD release parties, house concerts, and certain large venue concerts. The organization has worked with the Pittsburgh Zoo, Market Square Association, the Carnegie, WQED, WYEP, WDVE, KDKA, FLUX, and the Riverside House Concert series.

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