The Zumbrota State Theatre will be jumping with fun, laughter and excitement as Master Hypnotist David Danzig electrifies the audience with his hilarious Comedy Hypnosis Show! on Sat., Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Crossings felt strangely compelled to bring this show to town…

During the show, volunteers will undergo a complete transformation. The pandemonium is all great fun and will have the audience laughing non-stop from start to finish during this special appearance.

Hypnosis is a unique entertainment and has been called one of the greatest shows on earth. It combines the fun of total audience participation with the incredible abilities of the mind. Audience members will laugh and applaud friends and neighbors onstage as they behave in ways they never have before. The quietest introvert may well become the star of the show!

Every person that has the desire can be hypnotized, says Danzig, who is able to accentuate the talents and creativity of his volunteers with no embarrassment.

“I look forward to seeing everyone at the show, and yes, it is for real. If you have any doubts, volunteer to join me up on stage!” Danzig said.

For more than 20 years, David Danzig has entertained audiences by demonstrating the incredible and limitless potential of the human mind. For most people, these abilities remain untapped. But for those who attend a Danzig the Hypnotist appearance, the world becomes a place where anything is possible. Danzig proves that human potential is defined only by what we choose to believe. Witness amazing feats of strength, incredible demonstrations of memory, and hilarious exhibitions of creativity.

Crossings link for tickets:
http://www.crossingsatcarnegie.com/concertpages/danzig.html

Layne Yost pays faithful tribute to the timeless, still-popular music of John Denver. Jon Shimoda plays bass to accompany Yost’s pure vocals and guitar playing in this homage to the music and the man. They capture the simple soul of Denver’s
music. Woven within the music are stories that give insight into Denver’s life and legacy.

Denver is best known for songs like, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Annie’s Song,” “Sunshine on My Shoulders,” and “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” along with other hits. A common theme in his lyrics was his enjoyment of the natural world. He was one of the most popular and best-selling acoustic artists of the 1970s, and his songs were hits on several charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, country and western, and adult contemporary. He earned four platinum albums and 12 gold albums during his career.

Yost started playing music at the age of 14, motivated by the desire to entertain campers
around bonfires at a summer camp. By college, Yost was playing a variety of venues in the Chicago area and covering most of his schooling costs through his music. While in college, Yost saw Denver at McCormick Place in Chicago. Although each concert was very different, Yost was struck by the close connection Denver made with each and every member of the audience. He felt transported back to the times he was sitting around the campfire years before, sharing songs with good friends. This is the feeling Yost brings to his Denver tribute concert – a intimate and connected evening with good friends.

Playing upright bass, Shimoda grew up around Detroit, Michigan. Since high school, he has played in a number of different musical groups in Chicago and recently in Eau Claire, Wis. Shimoda’s bass is a perfect compliment to Yost’s vocals and guitar.

“Layne’s got a John Denver voice, all sweet, pure and true. He’s a delight to listen to.”
–The Scene: Music and Events in The Chippewa Valley

Crossings link for tickets:
http://www.crossingsatcarnegie.com/concertpages/john_denver_layne_yost.html

Minnesota acoustic duo The Frye portrays a vintage pop-country act on the brink of a breakup in “The Best of Hank and Rita: A Barroom Operetta in One Act,”

The show opens with audio of Rita’s breakup letter, written earlier that day and left at the hotel for Hank to find after the show. After too much heartbreak, disillusion and humiliation, the letter states, she’s leaving but giving herself “one last good time” on the stage — the only place the two have ever worked well.

Following an opening-act comedian struggling to connect, the duo takes the stage upbeat and polished per usual. Rita is resolved to have one last good time together, Hank is oblivious to the real state of their relationship. When a fan makes an unexpected request, the show veers off the set list into deeper cuts from the duo’s past — songs chronicling pain, lust, revenge, and, ultimately, hope.

The story and songs are written by Joe Tougas, drawing on two decades as a regional arts and entertainment journalist and editor who regularly covered bands on the smaller-market circuit that had peaked in popularity decades prior.

Tougas performs as Hank along with Ann Rosenquist Fee as Rita. The show also features Madison, Wis. standup comedian Dan Vierck as Danny Vee, Hank and Rita’s opening act.

Since opening in Mankato in summer of 2015, the show has garnered great reviews and sold out performances in Mankato, New Ulm and Minneapolis’ Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater. Music journalist Jim Walsh calls it “Funny, sad, smart and really original.”

Crossings line for tickets:
http://www.crossingsatcarnegie.com/concertpages/bestofhankandrita.html

Ole & Lena

Ole N Lena

Christmas has always been Lena’s favorite time of the year, even if, as Ole says “it makes her more than a little loopy.”

As usual, Lena has invited the whole family, even her snooty cousin Mildred who’s too proper to attend. Ole really wants nothing to do with the whole thing, especially the part where Lena has him dress up in the old ratty Santa suit and hand out presents. Can Sven get Ole out of playing Santa? Will Lena be able to keep it all together while she prepares for the family Christmas? Find out in this hilarious comedy about life, love, family and growing old together.

Ole and Lena are back in Zumbrota with a new take on the Christmas spirit! Mike and Julie Bateson are sure to tickle your funny bone! There will be three performances at the Zumbrota State Theatre December 11,12 and 13^th. December 11^th will feature a dinner option at the Covered Bridge Restaurant at 5:30 pm includes menu choices of chicken with baked potato or Swedish Meatballs with Mashed potatoes. The dinner also includes a vegetable, roll, beverage and dessert. Last year this sold out- so get your tickets early, seating is limited.  In keeping with the Christmas Spirit, dinner goers who dress like Ole or Lena will get a ticket for a free small popcorn! Friday and Saturday Night shows are at 7:30.  The Sunday show is a matinee at 2:00 pm. After the intermission, Ole and Lena will ask audience members, especially children, to join them on the stage and be part of the play. Ticket can be purchased at Wild Ginger and Grover Auto or online at:
https://sites.google.com/site/zaacboxoffice/

SimpleGifts with Billy McLaughlin combines violin, celtic whistle, piano, acoustic guitar and percussion with angelic three-part female vocals to deliver a “modern Old World” sound in Christmas carols and hymns. SimpleGifts shares music of the holidays on Sat., Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. Crossings is bringing SimpleGifts to the Zumbrota State Theatre.

SimpleGifts, an ensemble led by award-winning musician McLaughlin, stays close to the heart of Christmas. With exceptional set and lighting design and an impeccable sound-system, SimpleGifts puts community celebration ahead of commercialization – pulling the audience into the sublime side of traditional repertoire in a truly meaningful Christmas event.

Crossings is thrilled to bring the popular SimpleGifts show back to Zumbrota for the eighth year running.

With little or no media attention, SimpleGifts is arguably the most successful holiday-themed project in the state celebrating exclusively traditional hymns and carols interpreted in modern arrangements. Fueled by passionate grassroots fans since 2001, the 2015 RealStory Christmas Tour includes more than a dozen appearances between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve in the Twin Cities metro or within close proximity.

Music from the group’s five critically acclaimed CD releases will be featured. Familiar classics audiences may hear include “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” and “Little Drummer Boy,” while lesser-known songs offer fresh perspectives on the holidays.

Members include Ashleigh Still, Torie Redpath, Amy Courts, Heather Moen (Garborg), Billy Oehrlein, Laura MacKenzie and Billy McLaughlin.
The ensemble’s most recent CD, Wintergrace, is characterized by local music critic Jim Walsh:
“…one of the most elegant and listenable Christmas collections of this or any year — ‘WinterGrace’ from the Billy McLaughlin-led local collective SimpleGifts”

Crossings link for tickets:
http://www.crossingsatcarnegie.com/concertpages/billymclaughlinsimplegifts.html

The Fabulous Armadillos, a talent-packed band that wows audiences with their themed cover concerts, return to the State Theatre.

Crossings invited the band back after successful shows performing Motown hits and, combined with Collective Unconscious, paying tribute to the Eagles and the Doobie Brothers. The Dillos’ most recent show in Zumbrota was the popular, “Stadium Rock,” in May.

The Dillos deliver a dose of fun and rock and roll. Audience members walk out of these concerts asking when the band is scheduled to return. Since 2006 they have established a large and loyal following in the state with their spot-on recreations of songs from many genres of music. Listeners close their eyes and are listening to all those vinyl records again.

Each Armadillos concert involves the core five-member band and special guests suited to the theme. The core band includes keyboardist Greg “Gary D.” Armstrong, who toured worldwide with Bobby Vee and GB Leighton for 15 years; guitarist Paul “Stretch” Diethelm, who toured worldwide with Jonny Lang and opened for The Stones, Aerosmith, Sting and many others; bassist Mike Zeleny; Billy Scherer, the amazing singer Eagles tribute audiences heard sing “Desperado” and “New Kid In Town;” and Jay O’Donnell on drums.

Crossings link for tickets:
http://www.crossingsatcarnegie.com/concertpages/fabulousarmadillos_stadiumrock.html

The many incarnations of Van Morrison, from “Brown-Eyed Girl,” and “Domino,” to “Into The Mystic,” and “Cleaning Windows,” are celebrated and led by Twin Cities soul and blues man Mick Sterling.

With “Beautiful Vision: The Essential Songs of Van Morrison,” audiences will hear hits and deep cuts alike, with intricate, essential background vocals brilliantly handled by Cate Fierro, Katie Gearty and Michelle Cassioppi and the classic Morrison horn parts delivered by The Street Choir Horn Section.

Listeners will thrill to an authentic Morrison experience when they hear songs including “Jackie Wilson Said,” “Moondance,” “I’ve Been Working,” “Tupelo Honey,” “Crazy Love” and many more. One of rock ’n roll’s most celebrated and unique voices of rock, soul and blues will be joyfully honored.

Morrison is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician with six Grammys to his name and a knighthood received this year for his contributions to music.

Crossings link for tickets:  http://www.crossingsatcarnegie.com/concertpages/mick_sterling_van_morrison.html