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MUSIC Cut a rug at the Southern Oregon Music Festival Groove to jazz, swing, blues and rockabilly this weekend in downtown Medford By Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 29, 2015 @ 2:34 pm By Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 29, 2015 @ 2:34 pm » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> It's called the Southern Oregon Music Festival, but there's also a huge following of dancers who join in the event each year, says Donn Knokey, board member and dance venue manager. "There's a big interest in dance in this valley, precipitated by dance studios like the Evergreen Ballroom, but there's also an amazing number of people who come from Portland and the Bay Area," he says. "They follow festivals like this one." The three-day music and dance fest is back for its 27th year with a lineup of 16 bands from the country's jazz festival circuit. Look for West Coast swing, jump blues, rockabilly, zydeco, Cajun, R&B, funk, Latin, rock 'n' roll and jazz of all styles at five downtown Medford venues. KOBI's Studio C remains the festival's premiere dance venue — new this year is a 1,200-square-foot portable, hardwood floor professionally engineered to function as a sprung dance floor. Sprung dance floors are easy on dancers' feet and legs, Knokey says. Knokey and his wife teach West Coast swing at the Evergreen, and they compete in various competitions in Portland, Seattle, Sacramento and Reno. The competitions use professional-level dance floors, and Knokey was able to secure one from Master Dance Floors in Las Vegas for use at KOBI's Studio C. Southern Oregon Music Festival kicks off at 2 p.m. Friday and runs into the wee hours Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2-3, and late afternoon Sunday, Oct. 4. Inn at the Commons hosts the festival's information booth and ticket sales, with live music in the Petite and Grand ballrooms. Howiee's on Front also will host festival bands, and a new venue, Tequila Event Center, adjacent to Fiesta Market and Restaurant, 1016 N. Riverside Ave., will offer plenty of space for dancing as well as free, secure parking for festival-goers and a complimentary shuttle service that departs about every 20 minutes for other festival venues. All-event passes are $80, $20 for ages 12 through 23. All-day tickets are $30 for Friday, $50 for Saturday and $25 for Sunday. Prime-time passes are $25 and include live music from 5 p.m. to close at all venues on Friday or Saturday. Kids 11 and younger get in free, though Howiee's is open to ages 21 and older only. Prime-time tickets are available at Howiee's. Tickets can be purchased online at somusicfest.org through Wednesday, Sept. 30. Tickets can be purchased Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Inn at the Commons. During festival dates, tickets also can be purchased at KOBI's Studio C or Tequila Event Center. New this year is the festival's Late & Live, an extension of its traditional Saturday Night Prime Time. Late & Live performances will be on stage at Studio C from 5 p.m. Saturday until 2 a.m. Sunday. Groups include Dave Bennett and The Memphis Speed Kings, Gator Nation, The High Street Band featuring Rogue Valley soul singer Bishop Mayfield, and Twice As Good, along with two new artists to the festival — rock, soul and pop musician Danny Maika and singer, songwriter and guitarist Liefy Green. Mayfield is no stranger to music festivals. During his many years as a singer, he's toured with various R&B and funk bands across the country. He and his current band — guitarists Dave Storie and Al Dinardi, bassist John Lingafelter, drummer Denny Carmassi, singers Jennifer DePuglia and KaLeigh Ryder, sax player Rico Salas, trumpet player David Hubert and trombone player Gary E. Nelson — will perform at 9:30 p.m. Friday at Studio C. Mayfield will sit in with The High Street Band at 8 p.m. Saturday during Late & Live. "I'm looking forward to it," Mayfield says. "High Street is a great cover band. They play everything from '20s and '30s jazz to contemporary music, and the members dress the part. They dress to the nines. I like that. I'm an old-school kind of guy from the East Coast. We dress up to go to affairs." Mayfield and his band cover songs by James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Ray Vaughn, a mix of soul, blues and funk, along with Mayfield's originals that lean toward R&B and funk. "We play dance music," Mayfield says. "We'll definitely fit right in. We're going to go in and have a good time. It's all about having fun." For serious swingheads, dancing will continue until dawn just six blocks away at Firehouse Dance Hall, 44 N. Front St., where DJ Dave Kahn will keep the beats going. Festival ticket holders can dance to contemporary music, R&B, hip-hop, blues and more. "Anything that's got 4/4 timing, we'll dance to it," Kahn says. "The festival will draw dancers from around the region. It's a perfect fit for us." See www.somusicfest.org for a complete schedule of performances. Look for Medford Boy Scouts Troop 5's pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. Saturday at Studio C. The breakfast costs $6 and includes live music by The Oregon Coast Lab Band and Rogue Valley high school bands from 9:30 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Also, The Midiri Brothers and Bob Draga will play an inspirational set at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, at the First Presbyterian Church, 85 S. Holly St. Admission is free. Southern Oregon Music Festival’s music education programs supplement Jackson and Josephine county schools' music and orchestra programs by providing musical instruments, classroom instructors and private music lessons. Its Leave a Legacy campaign encourages individuals to donate used instruments to the Instrument Donation Program. Learn more at www.somusifest.org or by calling 866-448-1948. By Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 29, 2015 @ 2:34 pm » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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