Contact:            Kirk Howard 715.845.4251

                            www.kinziebenefitconcerts.com

Release Date:  May 1, 2006

                            FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Concert Coup: Radney Foster Joins Sara Evans' Wausau Show

(Wausau,WI) Kinzie Benefit Concerts, LLC has announced the second act for the lineup at its June 3 outdoor concert at The Amphitheater at Marathon Park, featuring County star Sara Evans. Veteran Texas singer/songwriter Radney Foster, who will hit the stage before Evans, is expected to feature songs from his just-released CD This World We Live In. Concert headliner Evans says Foster is, "… one of the most talented singer/songwriters of our time. His voice is so unique, sexy and engaging.”

“We’re thrilled to have landed Radney,” says Kirk Howard, manager of Kinzie Benefit Concerts. “He’s a top-level star with a big following and a really interesting approach to Country music.”

Foster first gained attention in the late ‘80s as one half of Foster and Lloyd. The duo released three groundbreaking albums, yielding hits “Crazy Over You,” “Sure Thing,” “What Do You Want From Me This Time?” and “Fair Shake,” that combined a roots Country feel with a hip, contemporary flair. Foster and Lloyd are credited for leading the way for many subsequent alternative Country artists and bands.

As influential as his work with Foster and Lloyd was, as a solo artist Foster has gone on to create a body of work with the same kind of impact, proving that you can have mainstream success without selling your soul. His hits––“Nobody Wins,” “Just Call Me Lonesome,” “Easier Said Than Done”––along with crowd favorites like “I’m In,” “Texas In 1880” and “Folding Money,” marry pop smarts and roots credibility with a profound insight into the human condition.

Foster cites a range of musical influences, from early Buck Owens and ‘60s songwriter Jimmy Webb, to the vintage pop of the Beatles and the earthy styles of Texas troubadours Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. Listeners will also hear parallels to fellow Texans Lyle Lovett, Rodney Crowell and Robert Earl Keen.

On his new CD This World We Live In, released in April and already breaking the Top Five on Country music charts, Foster continues to take chances. Introspective yet freewheeling, the recording combines Foster’s gift for literate songwriting with the rough and tumble sound of a man who’s done battle with the complexities of life. Instead of working with typical Nashville studio musicians, Foster is backed by an unlikely band: Waddy Wachtel and Charley Drayton (members of Rolling Stone Keith Richards’ side project, the X-pensive Winos) along with Wallflowers’ keyboardist Rami Jaffe and legendary bassist Bob Glaub (Jackson Browne, CSN&Y, Warren Zevon). “Those guys come by the roots-rock feel pretty honest,” laughs Foster. “I knew they were great musicians, and I figured if I knew the songs well enough upfront, they could just fall in. I wanted to keep it simple. By going to Los Angeles to record, time and money were naturally limited—but it was a good limitation. Sometimes I think we do too much just because we can. Instead, we went in and cut the tracks in two days.”

Reviewing Foster’s new release, music industry magazine Billboard says, “With live, off-the-floor excitement and edge, as readily tender as tough, Foster strikes a perfect balance between clean mainstream and adventuresome alternative. Foster has not moved an inch toward the middle. It is the middle that has gradually, but surely, stretched itself onto turf he tilled years ago, and over which he continues to show himself a master."

Howard adds, “We’re especially fortunate that Radney is coming; he has trimmed his touring activities from around 150 gigs a year down to about 50. For him to join our show in Wausau is a rare chance for his fans around the region to catch him. It's a real coup for us.”

Howard says a third, opening act for the evening is yet to be announced. Ticket sales for the concert, reported to have been brisk to date, are being handled by the Performing Arts Foundation, 401 N. Fourth Street in Wausau (credit card purchases may be made online at www.onartsblock.com or by calling (715) 842-0988. Ticket prices range from $35 to $25. Additional information about the event, seating chart and a link to the online ticket center are available at www.kinziebenefitconcerts.com.

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