Read a review of Live to Love, by Craig Brenner & The Crawdads, in Illinois Blues - www.illinoisblues.com/bluesartists/craigbrenner.htm
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Headlining 7th Annual Uptown Jazz & Blues Festival
Craig & The Crawdads headlined the 7th annual Uptown Jazz & Blues Festival in Lafayette, IN!
Grant Street Festival Now B'Town Jazz Festival
The B'Town Jazz Festival, formerly known as the Grant Street Jazz Festival, takes place annually in downtown Bloomington. The free festival, presented by B'Town Jazz, has showcased some of the musical talent in Bloomington, including outstanding high school, college, and professional musicians. Craig played in each of the first four annual festivals, most recently with Joe Donnelly (sax) in August, 2015. Other performers have included Jamey Aebersold, Wayne Wallace, Mayo Jazz, Paul Kirk and Dave Bruker (bass/guitar duo), Monika Herzig, Janiece Jaffe, Jazz Fables, Postmodern Jazz Quartet, Café Cubano, the Matt Shugert Jazz Quartet, Peter Kienle, Tom Clark, Mike Lucas, Rachel Caswell, Carolyn Dutton, Mitch Shiner, and IU Jazz Faculty including Pat Harbison, Tom Walsh, Luke Gillespie, Jeremy Allen, Steve Houghton, Michael Spiro and others.
Watch a video of part Craig's performance with Joe Donnelly in Media.
Craig & Lori in Concert - Evanston, IL
Craig & Lori perform frequently at the Fountain Square Art Festival, Evanston, IL, the largest and oldest fine arts fair on Chicago's majestic North Shore. Featuring the eclectic works of more than 225 juried artists, this arts showcase epitomizes words like "cosmopolitan" and "sophistication." The festival takes place in downtown Evanston, steps from the eponymous Fountain Square. It also features a popular children's art tent with activities overseen by the acclaimed Evanston Art Center, food, and an eclectic music lineup. http://www.chicagoevents.com/event.cfm?eid=123
Craig is BEAD "Artist Of the Week"
The Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District (BEAD) selected Craig "Artist Of the Week" for June 26 - July 3, 2015! Read the BEAD News issue announcing Craig's selection. Learn more about BEAD at http://bloomington.in.gov/BEAD or on Facebook.
Craig plays in New Orleans at the Old U. S. Mint during Jazz Fest!
Craig explored the jazzy side of blues and boogie woogie piano on May 2, 2015, at the Old U.S. Mint, 400 Esplanade, New Orleans, in a concert presented by the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. Craig's 2012 and 2013 Mint performances were recorded by Danny Kadar and are available on the CD Live At The Old Mint: Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano, featuring "Uganda" Roberts on congas and Lori Brenner on rubboard. Uganda, a native of New Orleans, has performed and recorded with many greats in the history of New Orleans music, including Professor Longhair, Dr. John, the Meters, the Wild Magnolias, Willie Tee, John Mooney, and others. In 2005 he received the Sidney Bechet Award for Innovation presented by the New Orleans International Music Colloquium. Lori is lead vocalist on Live to Love by Craig Brenner & The Crawdads, and also plays accordion and percussion with the band and in a duo with Craig.
Read a review of Live At The Old Mint: Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano by Rex Bartholomew in the July 27, 2014 issue of Blues Blast.
Craig & The Crawdads at 5th Annual Indy Winter Blues Fest
Read Matthew Socey's preview of the 5th annual Indy Winter Blues Fest in TownePost.Com.
Bloomington Boogies: The Bloomington Blues and Boogie Woogie Piano Festival
The first Bloomington Blues and Boogie Woogie Piano Festival was August 9, 2015, in Bloomington, IN. The festival featured Marcia Ball, Bob Seeley, Carl Sonny Leyland, Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes, Liz Pennock and Dr. Blues, Craig and others, with rhythm section and professional dancers. Josh Davis taught East Coast Swing and Blues Dance before the festival. Click here to see photos and videos from the first Bloomington Boogies. Performances in the Ivy Tech Waldron sold out. After the Ivy Tech Waldron concert, music continued at Bloomington Boogies After Hours at Malibu Grill, where artists performed with no cover charge. On Aug. 10, Marcia Ball, Carl Sonny Leyland, and Bob Seeley played a free concert at Fairview Elementary for 360 students and 30 adults.
Major Event Sponsors included Ivy Tech Community College, Carmin Parker P.C., Bloomington Arts Commission, and Indiana Arts Commission. Festival Underwriters included Visit Bloomington, IU Credit Union, Trojan Horse Restaurant & Tavern, Oliver Winery, Mother Bear's Pizza, Nick's English Hut, Tim & Cheri DeBruicker, Robert Kissel, and Maple Grove Farms, LP. Media Sponsors included WFHB, WFIU, and Bloom Magazine. Additional supporters included Malibu Grill, Tom Gallagher, Function Brewing, Downtown Bloomington Inc., Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Owen County State Bank, Griffin Realty, Royale Hair Parlor, World Wide Automotive Service, Newhouse Construction, Bill C. Brown Associates, Nature's Way, Curry Auto Center, Andrew Davis Clothiers, Renaissance Rentals, MainSource Bank, Bloomington Council for Community Accessibility, Adrian & Linda Eversoll, The Uptown Cafe, Bob Arnove, Jawn & Karen Bauer Family, Michele Brentano, Val Haughton & Frank Motley, Chris Gaal & Dr. Beth Florini, Rob Stone & Karen Green Stone, Kevin Robling & Jenny Stephens, Marcy & Michael Wenzler, Phil & Linda Stafford, Story Insights, Rod Young, Stephen Percy, Monroe County History Center, Fourwinds Resort & Marina, Ken Grooms & Zain Mackey, Springhill Suites by Marriott Bloomington, Melody Music Shop, LLC, and Mark Wiedenmayer.
The festival was awarded a 2015 Visit Bloomington Tourism Marketing Grant - read about the grant at VisitBloomington.com. The festival was supported in part by the Bloomington Arts Commission's Arts Project Grant Program - read about the grant at bloomington.in.gov/arts. This activity was made possible in part, with support from the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The festival received a Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association Zone Arts Grant. Beginning in 2019 the festival has collaborated with the Arts Alliance of Greater Bloomington and it's fiscal sponsorship program.
Craig & The Crawdads at 5th Annual Indy Winter Blues Fest
Craig & The Crawdads performd at the 5th annual 2015 Indy Winter Blues Fest at Birdy's - Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015, along with Mike Milligan and Steam Shovel, Governor Davis Band, and Blind Boy & the CNI Dawgs! Read a review of the 2014 show as it appeared in NUVO!
Craig at 2014 Festival International de Boogie Woogie de Laroquebrou
Craig was invited by festival organizer Jean-Paul Amouroux to join dozens of other musicians and perform at one of the largest boogie woogie festivals in the world in Laroquebrou, France, Aug. 7, 8 & 9, 2014! See photos by clicking on "Media" above, or watch a video of some of the action here: http://youtu.be/5HxfMFATezI
More details at http://www.boogie-laroquebrou.com/artistes/craig-brenner and http://www.boogie-laroquebrou.com/
More details at http://www.boogie-laroquebrou.com/artistes/craig-brenner and http://www.boogie-laroquebrou.com/
Craig, Tad Robinson Headlined 2013 ParkFest
Read about the June 18, 2013 ParkFest concert featuring Craig playing solo and the Tad Robinson Trio in the Greencastle Banner-Graphic!
Craig & The Crawdads at Ethnic Expo
Craig & The Crawdads performed Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, at the Columbus, IN Ethnic Expo on the First Street Stage. Ethnic Expo was founded in 1984 as a celebration of Columbus, Indiana's varied ethnic heritage as well as its current cosmopolitan population. Home to people from all over the world, as well as those with rich cultural traditions, Columbus is proud of its diversity. Annually, Ethnic Expo hosts more than 35,000 people who enjoy international food and marketplace, continuous entertainment, children's activities, parade, and fireworks.
To see videos from the 2012 Ethnic Expo, click on Media.
For more information, visit http://www.ethnicexpo.org/
To see videos from the 2012 Ethnic Expo, click on Media.
For more information, visit http://www.ethnicexpo.org/
2012 Boogie Woogie - Blues Piano Stomp!
Craig and three other great blues and boogie woogie piano players - Bob Seeley, Michael Kaeshammer, and Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues - played at the annual Boogie Woogie - Blues Piano Stomp on Jan. 28, 2012, at the Palladium at St. Petersburg College, St. Pete, FL. The concert was reviewed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Click to read the review - communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-entertainment-living/blue-notes/31751-a-joyous-boogie-n-blues-piano-fest