Upcoming Concerts

Déjà vu Festival, April 27 - 28 with headliners Casey James and Hot Chelle Rae

The Davis & Elkins College Campus Activities Board will present the 2012 Déjà vu Festival April 27 and 28. A tradition at D&E for 32 years, the Déjà vu Festival started as a “last blast” for the students and has become one of the premiere festivals in the state of West Virginia.

Casey JamesFriday, April 27, 8:00 p.m.

19 Recordings/BNA Records artist Casey James first emerged on the national scene with his third-place run on Season 9 of American Idol, but Casey had already been making music for more than a decade when he took his mom’s advice to try out for the hit series. A native of Cool, TX, James grew up surrounded by music; both his parents played guitar and sang, as did other family members, and Casey was playing guitar and performing throughout his young adulthood. His wide-ranging influences include such artists as Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, ZZ Top, and Bonnie Raitt, with a mix of ‘70s rock, blues, and outlaw country all helping to shape his style. Following his success on Idol, Casey set his sights on Nashville, touring with Sugarland in early 2011 and playing his own shows while working on his upcoming debut album, set for release in 2012. Casey is currently giving fans a taste of what to expect on the album with the bluesy, goodtime feel of the first single, “Let’s Don’t Call It a Night,” co-written with Terry McBride and Brice Long.

Wyatt Turner

Golden-voiced Wyatt Turner might be the first country artist to have launched his career on a social-networking website. And as you might expect in that media environment, it has happened with blinding speed.

Wyatt was a high-school senior in 2007 when he began posting homemade videos on YouTube of himself singing country hits of the day. By 2008, the YouTube postings led to joining his first band and entering his first recording studio. Next, he was in national contests such as the Colgate Country Showdown and Nashville Star. In July, 2010, he competed in American Idol’s auditions and staged his first club showcase in Music City. By November, Wyatt Turner had his first Nashville recording sessions, and by December, 2010, he had a fist full of master recordings completed.

Wyatt Turner possesses one of those instant-classic country voices. His natural charm, infectious sense of humor and effortless stage presence make him strikingly charismatic, especially for someone so young and relatively inexperienced in show business.

“But I don’t ever want to forget where I come from. I am proud of being from West Virginia. It is so beautiful and so are its people. They are the most hospitable people anywhere, and I just want everyone to know how proud I am of my hometown folks. West By-God Virginia.”

Tickets for Casey James and Wyatt Turner are free for Davis & Elkins College students, $10 for Davis & Elkins College faculty and staff and $20 for the general public. Tickets will be released to the campus community at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, January 2, 2012 and then to the general public at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 2, 2012. Tickets may be purchased online or in the D&E Student Life Office in Jennings Randolph Hall. For more information, call the Davis & Elkins College Activities Office at (304) 637-1352. Déjà vu 2012 will occur rain or shine. If weather is severe the show will be moved inside.

Hot Chelle Rae: Beautiful Freaks Tour 2012Saturday, April 28, 8:00 p.m.

Riding high with their win as "Sprint Favorite New Artist" at the American Music Awards and the release of their brand new album "Whatever" in stores last week, pop sensation Hot Chelle Rae has just announced their 33 + date headlining tour kicking off February 10th in Metarie, LA and wrapping May 5th in Atlanta, GA.

 
Hot Chelle Rae's brand new album "Whatever" features their two irresistible pop hit singles "Tonight Tonight" and "I Like It Like That" - other album highlights include "Why Don't You Love Me," featuring pop solo artist Demi Lovato, quirky break-up song "Honestly," finger-snapper "Radio" (featuring rising rapper Bei Maejor), be-yourself anthem and tour name "Beautiful Freaks," and the title track, the "three in the air and you just don't care" anthem for the now generation "Whatever."

Declared "one of the catchiest pop-rock anthems of the summer" by USA Today, the album's first single "Tonight Tonight" crashed into the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July, shot to No. 1 at Hot AC radio in September, and was certified double-platinum in the U.S and Australia, and platinum in Canada. The band followed it up with "I Like It Like That," which Entertainment Weekly called "bubbly elasti-funk" and an "official fall-resisting battle cry." "I Like It Like That," which features hip-hop duo New Boyz, is climbing the Top 40 and Hot AC radio charts, while the song's documentary-style video racked up over 1 million views in its first 3 days on VEVO.

The band recently performed on the American Music Awards (pre-show), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Today Show, Live with Kelly!, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and are scheduled to perform at Z100's Jingle Ball '11 on December 9th, the CBS Early Show December 10th and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012 live from Times Square.

Hot Chelle Rae is lead singer/guitarist Ryan Follese, lead guitarist Nash Overstreet, bassist Ian Keaggy and drummer Jamie Follese.

Electric Touch

With members hailing from both sides of the Atlantic this exciting 5-piece delivers a unique brand of British-American Rock music. The result is Electric Touch, the type of unbridled rock band that’s been missing from the scene for quite awhile — a monster of a group whose sound is big enough to fill an arena.

Electric Touch shot off to an impressive start. Soon after their mercurial formation in 2007, the four-piece played their first show that December and immediately signed a deal with Texas label - Justice Records.  Before their debut album was even set to hit stores in the summer of '08, the band was confirmed to rock the stages of COACHELLA! They also wowed crowds at SXSW, and appeared at the LOLLAPALOOZA, AUSTIN CITY LIMITS and BONNAROO Festivals!

The songs they write are essentially tales of Ordinary Life in Glorious Technicolor. The stories are about Love and the Human Condition, with poetic lyrics depicting the many sides human condition is all its fortune, fickle and flaws.

Electric Touch’s eponymous debut record is compelling from start to finish, full of ever-changing moods and textures. “Who Put The Fire Out?” which starts out with subtle, syncopated piano and culminates with a soaring, old-school wave-your-lighter-in-the-air guitar solo, packs not only power chords but a powerful message. Upon its release, Electric Touch debuted at number one on FMQB Radio with their first single and snagged the #1 spot on Amazon.com on the day of release with another.

The backbone of the band is the bulletproof rhythm section, now infused with the power of members, Isaac Strycker (Guitar/Keys/Vocals) and Portland Musser (Bass/Vocals). The band delivers a pounding beat, big enough to fill a stadium, and punctuated by killer bass lines. Dynamic guitars bring angular melodies refreshing in simplicity one moment then exploding into frenzied fury the next. Vocal hooks and harmonies delivered like an urgent call to arms scream “The future is now”.

Tickets for Hot Chelle Rae and Electric Touch are free for Davis & Elkins College students, $10 for Davis & Elkins College faculty and staff and $20 for the general public. Tickets will be released to the campus community at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, January 2, 2012 and then to the general public at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 2, 2012. Tickets may be purchased online or in the D&E Student Life Office in Jennings Randolph Hall. For more information, call the Davis & Elkins College Activities Office at (304) 637-1352. Déjà vu 2012 will occur rain or shine. If weather is severe the show will be moved inside.