Pride's stage has been graced by national recording artists such as Thea Austin (SNAP!) and Amanda Perez, as well as regional and local favorites like Good Night Gracie, What She Said, Sugar Shot, Mike Conley, Unlikely Alibi, Paradise
Version 2.0, Scarlet Fever, Ellis, Dangerous Liaison, LVNMUZIQ, & more. In addition to the bands/ singers, Pride always puts on the best drag show in the area Saturday night from 10p-midnight. Pride will continually update the schedule with new performers...check back.
Friday Entertainers:
Paradise Version2.0- Based out of Fort Wayne, Paradise plays only the hottest dance hits from 80s, 90's, and today's music!!! Thank you to all our fans for all your love & support!! Three original members of Paradise, sticking together, to keep you dancin'/rockin' the night through. We added a "phenominal" guitar player, to form this updated version. Diverse musical backgrounds, makes for extreme excitement and fun! They can be seen regularly playing venues around the area.
8 Inch Betsy- 8 Inch Betsy is a Chicago-based rock/pop/punk trio making, lyric-driven rock. They'll get yer Irish up and get stuck in your head for days. Their single "Doomed" was picked up by the Rock Band Network, and is now downloadable for Xbox 360. They have toured both coasts playing several national festivals. The band is now signed to 307 knox records who will release their Sophomore album, "The Mean Days." Expect humble, angsty, honest, full- throttle rock, with a side of pop with catchy hooks from the girls in 8 Inch Betsy. They'e been linked to the Queercore scene but the music itself claims no label. Every single day, Liz watches a video of some adorable animals and Meghan loses her keys.
Scarlet Fever- Fort Wayne, Indiana's very own Burlesque troupe! We dance, we sing, we tease. Oh my! All in good fun, this amazing troupe of ladies covers the spectrum of beauty. Each lovely lass has her own remarkable set of 'talents' with a unique personality to boot. Above all we are performers. With classically trained dancers, singers, actors, and gymnasts we put on quite a show. Our job is to tantalize and tempt even the toughest of scoundrels.
Saturday Entertainers:
Joel Wayman- Joel Wayman is from Fort Wayne and has been playing music since he was young. He loves to pull inspiration from various artists out there including Micheal Jackson's early works, as well as 80s and 90s pop. He wants to bring that style back, but update it and make it more modern. He feels that his album Unbreakable showcases his fun, dark, and sexy side of him. It is a fun, contemporary, electro/dance/ pop album in which Joel pours his heart and soul out on the tracks.
Gabrial James- Gabrial Lundy, performing under the moniker Gabrial James, is an acoustic singer/songwriter from Grand Rapids, MI. He has been playing the guitar since the age of fourteen and singing since the age of eight. His father Charles Robert taught him how to play the guitar, and had his formal vocal training in the Saint Cecilia Music Society Chorale from 1985-1989. Gabrial started writing songs at the age of sixteen with his first band Corduroy Kelley, which was heavily influenced by the early 90's British shoegaze bands like Catherine Wheel, Ride, Swervedriver, Slowdive, and Lush. Corduroy Kelley went their separate ways and Gabrial went back to his acoustic roots and started to hit the local open mic circuits heavily. In the summer of 2003, Gabrial was invited to be the host/emcee of the acoustic open mic showcase at Billy's Lounge in Eastown, one of the finest venues for local music and blues in GR. For seven long years his tenure as host brought in a wide range of regional, national, and international talent from solo singer/songwriters to hip-hop outfits to stand-up comedy. Gabrial also sings background vocals with the urban folk outfit of LVNMUZIQ.
Rich Lysaght- Rich blends a great acoustic sound with a mix of originals and covers. As a great ally to our community, Rich has provided the sound equipment and his time to Pride for the past six years. He has graced the stage throughout the years solo and with bands.
Fourth Star, Left of the Moon- Fourth Star, Left of the Moon is a brand new local, acoustic duet comprised of Courtney "Carma" Miller and Stephanie Spencer. Carma has been singing her entire life and has competed in local contests for years. She has been Fort Wayne's Pride Idol in 2007 and 2009. She writes the lyrics to all of the group's original songs and on occasion has been known to banter musically. Stephanie Spencer has been involved with music all of her life as well by dabbling in several instruments. She writes the accompaniment for the group's songs.
Ellis- Ellis may not be a household name, but once you’ve seen her perform you’re not likely to forget her. With compelling songwriting and engaging performances, Ellis is quietly amassing a loyal following of supporters across the country. A native of Texas, Ellis moved to Minneapolis at the age of 16, where she quickly built a local following that blossomed into a nationwide presence, with extensive touring and seven albums released in the last sixteen years. In addition to selling more than 35,000 copies of her CDs independently, Ellis has accrued a wealth of accomplishments including national songwriting honors and performances at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Sisters Folk Festival and the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival.
Dangerous Liaison-Dangerous Liaison is comprised of 4 women in and around the Louisville, KY metro area. Angie Lese, 31, is the drummer for Dangerous Liaison. She has over 17 years of musical experience, 8 of which she's been drumming. She's been playing out professionally in the Louisville metro area for the past six years, including stints with Sony recording artist Douglas Lucas, original band The Filthy Few, and local cover band Julius (along with singer Meghan). Karen Miller, 44, is the lead guitarist, and she has over 30 years of musical experience, over 10 of which has been devoted to guitar. She's also been playing out professionally the past few years, including stints with local cover bands The Dirty Dishes (along with bassist April) and Sexy Love Punch, and is now leading the way for Dangerous Liaison. April Simmons, 29, is the bassist for Dangerous Liaison. She first picked up a bass about five years ago (where she met drummer Angie), and has been playing out professionally since, including stints with The Dirty Dishes and now Dangerous Liaison. Angie, Karen and April have been in Dangerous Liaison for a little over a year now, but became complete with the addition of our amazing singer, Meghan Julius, 23. Meghan has also been playing out professionally for over 5 years, including stints with local cover band Julius, original band A Debt to Victory, and has been belting it out for Dangerous Liaison since last fall. She also has quite the following on her youtube channel ("mynameismeghan"). Playing professionally all over the Louisville metro area, Dangerous Liaison is the only all-girl rock/pop cover band in the region.
Danny Vachon- Danny Vachon (Beta Recording Artist)is a Singer/Songwriter born in Fort Wayne Indiana. Danny has been seen on American Idol Season 8, Top 5 Finalist Indiana’s Got Talent 2009/2010, and Top 10 Finalist Fort Wayne Idol 2010. Danny was named one of Indiana’s top music artist with over 2 Million hits online. He is releasing a new single “Hit Th is” available on Itunes, Amazon, Purevolume.com on July 26th and will be releasing a new album “Never Go Down” available in late September.
Katie Todd- Having shared the stage with such music scene luminaries as Juliana Hatfield, Patti Labelle, Train, 10,000 Maniacs, Steve Winwood, Melissa Ferrick, Sarah McLachlan, and The Wallflowers, the Chicago Arts and Entertainment Magazine has recognized Katie Todd as "a breath of fresh air that the Chicago music scene has been waiting for." Lauded by iTunes.com as having one of the "top buzz bands in the country", Katie claimed a spot as the website's "Artist of the Week", earning nearly 300,000 downloads of their single "Face Down." Many of Katie's songs have been chosen as themes for major motion pictures. The National Geographic Channel chose Katie's song "In And Around" as the theme song for their 'Go Green' campaign. After playing to a packed House of Blues, Lollapalooza, and most recently, Lilith Fair, Katie returned to the studio this past winter completing her fourth studio album. Keeping a very busy national touring schedule, Katie is putting herself and her music out there. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy!"
What She Said-One of the area's best party rock/pop/dance bands! What She Said was started in 2006 and has grown a steady following by playing 50- 60 shows per year. What She Said plays a variety of covers from Katy Perry to Hendrix. The best rock and variety from the last 50 years with our unique, original flavor. You'll just have to move baby! They have kept crowds dancing for years at Pride and this year will be no different.
Pride 2011 Sponsors:
Pride is currently seeking entertainers for the 2012 festival. Please email Nikki with information if interested.
