Kevin Fowler to Headline Ziegfest

Tickets are on sale now with "early bird" discounts for the first two weeks through June 30. General Admission tickets are only $11and a limited number of VIP Pit tickets are $20. On July 1, General Admission tickets go up to $15 and VIP Pit accommodations to $30. 

Media partners are the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, ClearChannel Media + Entertainment and KIII-TV3.

"We're delighted to team up with L&F Distributors once again and bring Ziegfest back to Corpus Christi and Whataburger Field," Ryan-Sanders Entertainment vice president J.J. Gottsch said. "We're also excited to be working with Brewster Street IceHouse this year."

Brewster Street IceHouse not only hosts the Battle of the Bands competition, but kicks off Ziegfest weekend with a special "Texas Throwdown Thursday," a staple of the Texas country music scene since Brewsters opened in 2006.

Ziegfest Battle of the Bands - There is an entry period from August 1-31 and on-line voting from September 10-20. The top four vote-getters compete in a competition October 2 at Brewster Street IceHouse. The winner, in addition to opening Ziegfest, also plays the post-concert party at Brewster Street following the festival.

"Ideally we're looking for someone that is consistent with the genre," said event producer Casey Lain. "We want someone that represents Texas, just like the Ziegenbock brand."

More information on the contest can be found at www.facebook.com/ZiegfestCC.

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Kevin Fowler - Kevin Fowler describes his own music as country with a bad attitude, with an edge. He delivers one of the most entertaining, high-energy performances you'll witness in country or any other genre. His intensity, subtle humor and storytelling are legendary. Unforgettable numbers like "Beer, Bait and Ammo," "Cheaper to Keep Her," "The Best Mistake I Ever Made," and "Don't Touch My Willie" have put him atop the Texas music charts. Montgomery Gentry and Mark Chesnutt are among those who've recorded classic versions of Fowler songs. An Amarillo native and long-time Austin resident, Fowler's first taste of country music came through his father's vinyl… Johnny Horton, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens and Roy Clark. Young Kevin was drawn to acts like AC/DC, Kiss, The Cars and Metallica. After quitting college and finishing guitar school in Los Angeles, he played with a country group called Rumble Train and rockers Dangerous Toys before striking out on his own. Says Fowler: "I've always liked rock, for the attitude and the energy. But I've always liked the country lyric. It just tells a story. And I try to combine those elements… make it rockin' and fun with a good lyric in there, a good turn of a phrase." With eight albums since the turn of the century and 150-plus shows a year, Fowler stays busy.

Casey Donahew Band - Known for his frenetic on-stage energy and everyman likeability, Donahew grew up in Burleson, south of Fort Worth, where he was active in rodeo (team roping). George Strait, Garth Brooks and Pat Green were among his influences. Self-taught in his college years at Texas A&M and UTA, Donahew started playing local clubs 11 years ago, when he first plugged in at the Thirsty Armadillo in Fort Worth's stockyards. April's Standoff, his latest release, debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart. His fourth studio album, Double Wide Dream, came out on October 25, 2011. Other releases include Lost Days (2005), The Casey Donahew Band (2006), Live-Raw-Real, In the 'Ville (2008) and Moving On (2009). Always popular with the college-age crowd (his corner-turning 2007 show at Billy Bob's Texas drew 3,500 without radio airplay), Donahew and mates perform over 200 shows a year. The Casey Donahew Band is comprised of Donahew (acoustic/electric/ vocals), J.J. Soto (lead guitar), TAZ (drums), Steve Stone (bass), Josh Moore (fiddle) and A.C. Copeland (keyboards).

Reckless Kelly - Two things set Reckless Kelly apart. They straddle the fence between country and rock as if they built it themselves. They are also very generous with their time and talents. Good Luck & True Love (2011) is the ninth album in Reckless Kelly's catalogue, which also includes Somewhere In Time (2009), Bulletproof (2008), Reckless Kelly Was Here (2006), Wicked Twisted Road (2005), Under The Table And Above The Sun (2003), The Day (2000), Acoustic: Live at Stubbs (2000) and Millican (1997). Willy Braun (lead vocals/guitar), Cody Braun (vocals/ fiddle/mandolin/harmonica), David Abeyta (lead guitar/vocals), Jay Nazz (drums) and Joe Miller (bass) are Reckless Kelly. Since 2009, the Reckless Kelly Celebrity Softball Jam at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to benefit baseball and softball facilities in Central and South Texas. Much of the focus has been on special-needs children and the economically underserved.